Royal Mail has published its final delivery dates for Christmas 2026, with the last posting day for second class mail set for Friday, December 18. The courier has confirmed the full list of cut-off dates for deliveries within and outside the UK, urging customers to allow plenty of time for posting.
Key UK posting deadlines
For all UK deliveries, the final date to send parcels and letters second class, including second class signed for, is Friday, December 18. Royal Mail Tracked 48 returns have until Saturday, December 19 to arrive back with the sender before Christmas.
First class deliveries, including first class signed for and Royal Mail Tracked 24, must be sent and signed for by Monday, December 21. Special Delivery Guaranteed parcels need to be sent by Wednesday, December 23.
Parcelforce and international dates
Parcelforce Worldwide UK inland services have separate deadlines: Express48 and Express48large by Monday, December 21, and Express10, ExpressAM and Express24 by Tuesday, December 22.
For deliveries outside the UK, the cut-off for Operations and HM Ships is November 17, with the last arrival on November 24. The deadline for return of mail to meet UK delivery is Wednesday, December 16 for all classes of items.
Postage and bank holiday closures
Postage is now available to buy for Christmas deliveries with Royal Mail. No collections or deliveries will be made on December 25, December 26 and December 28, as these are bank holidays.
Royal Mail has advised that the dates were correct at the time of publishing. As of writing, the firm has not confirmed when services will return to normal after the Christmas period.
