Royal Mail Christmas delivery dates: What are the last first and second class posting dates for Christmas 2021

The second half of 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 is the final Royal Mail posting date for Christmas 2021?

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

For those looking to ship internationally with economy labels, the recommended latest date has already passed, with tracking and signature services still able to get parcels to Europe, Canada and the USA.

Saturday December 11 is the cutoff date for the majority of Eastern Europe while it is Monday December 13 for any parcels to Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Poland and the USA. The rest of Europe is likely to still have their parcels by Christmas Day if it is sent by Thursday December 16.

The deadline to ensure anything sent via HM Forces Mail has also passed.

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 17 while second class and Royal Mail 48 packages can be sent the following day.

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 Tuesday December 21. December 22 is the limit for Tracked 24 parcels while Special Delivery parcels can be sent up to Thursday 23 December.

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

The contents of Royal Mail priority postboxes will continue to be gathered throughout most of the festive season, with Sunday collections being expected between Boxing Day and December 28 in addition to December 2 and 3.

There will be no collections over Christmas Day or New Year’s Day with earlier collections expected on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.