Royal Mail Christmas dates: What are the last first and second class posting dates for Christmas 2022?

The nationwide delivery service has announced the dates to remember in the build up to Christmas this year.
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December usually marks the busiest time for the Royal Mail across the country, and the delivery service have released their latest recommended posting dates for Christmas if any cards or packages are to arrive at their destination before Christmas Day.

These are all the dates you need to remember ...

When is the final Royal Mail posting date for Christmas 2022?

Don't miss these postal deadlines! Royal Mail have released the full list of postal deadlines for letters, packages and gifts to reach their destination before Christmas. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)Don't miss these postal deadlines! Royal Mail have released the full list of postal deadlines for letters, packages and gifts to reach their destination before Christmas. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Don't miss these postal deadlines! Royal Mail have released the full list of postal deadlines for letters, packages and gifts to reach their destination before Christmas. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

There are a number of dates to take note of, depending on where the sender is trying to get the parcel to.

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For those looking to ship internationally with economy labels, some of the recommended latest dates has already passed, with tracking and signature services for anywhere outside Europe no longer expected to reach their intended destinations in time for Christmas Day.

Parcels heading to Cyprus, Eastern Europe, Greece, Iceland, Malta and Turkey need to be sent by Friday, November 25, while any international parcels to Western Europe should be sent before Monday, November 28.

Wednesday, December 14, is the cut-off for International standard and international tracking services, with only parcels to the British Virgin Islands, Dominica and Anguilla already past the deadline to reach the islands by Christmas.

The deadline for parcels to the Caribbean and majority of Asia will come on Monday, December 5, and Wednesday, December 7, respectively, while various other nations have other deadlines. These are:

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Thursday, December 8 – Cyprus and Malta Friday, December 9 – Greece, Eastern Europe (except Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) and Turkey Saturday, December 10 – Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Poland, Sweden, USA Monday, December 12 – Austria, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland Wednesday, December 14 – Belgium, France, Luxembourg

The deadline for HM Forces Mail falls on Friday, December 2.

What is the Christmas Royal Mail deadline for domestic post?

The Royal Mail’s UK inland services are still available for use, with bulk economy mail able to be sent up to and including Friday, December 16, while second class and Royal Mail 48 packages can still be sent up to Monday, December 19.

The final deadlines Royal Mail are recommending come from first class mail, Royal Mail 24 and tracked 48 parcels which should be sent on days up to and including Wednesday, December 21. Thursday, December 22, is the limit for Tracked 24 parcels, while Special Delivery parcels can be sent up to Friday 23 December.

When are Royal Mail postboxes being collected over Christmas and New Year?

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The contents of Royal Mail priority postboxes will continue to be gathered and posted throughout most of the festive season, with usual collections running throughout December until Christmas Eve when normal deliveries will continue, although collections will be less frequent. Collections will also only be made available for customers with a regular Saturday collection.

There will be no deliveries or collections between Christmas Day and Tuesday, December 27, while New Year’s Eve will also see regular deliveries and less collections.

No deliveries or collections will run from New Year’s Day until Tuesday, January 3, when normal service resumes.