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How to read this page

• Each section covers one national operator and the country you post from. Dates appear only when the operator's own page shows them for Christmas 2026 and the weekday matches the 2026 calendar.
• "Not yet announced" means that on the date we checked, the operator's pages we could open showed no 2026 international date, or only older years. It is not a statement that no deadline exists. Check the linked page from mid-November.
• Dates are a last drop-off to arrive before Christmas, normally for the standard international parcel service of that operator. Economy services, islands and remote areas usually need more time. Always read the footnotes on the operator's page.

Germany: DHL / Deutsche Post (2026 dates published)

• Status: Published for 2026. DHL's page is titled "Weihnachten 2026" and gives last drop-off days (Einlieferungsschluss) for parcels abroad. The page is in the business-customer section; private customers should confirm at a Packstation, Filiale or in the DHL app.
• Parcels to the countries most readers send to: Monday 21 Dec 2026: France and the Netherlands (also Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland). Saturday 19 Dec: Italy. Friday 18 Dec: Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom (also Ireland and others). Monday 7 Dec: remaining countries worldwide. Thursday 17 Dec: Greece, Finland, Norway and other European countries.
• What these dates apply to: DHL Paket International with the Premium service and DHL Europaket. For DHL Paket International Economy, Warenpost International, islands, remote areas and bulky items the page recommends dropping off 2 to 3 days earlier. DHL says that with these dates parcels are normally delivered by Thursday 24 Dec.
• Letters and cards: Not yet announced for 2026. The Deutsche Post page we opened still shows the 2024 table, so we do not use it.
• Source: DHL: Weihnachten 2026, Fristen; Deutsche Post: Abgabetermine Weihnachten (page shows 2024)

Spain: Correos (not yet announced)

• Status: Not yet announced for 2026. On 26 Oct 2026 we found no international Christmas deadline table on correos.es. Check from mid-November.
• What to do now: Use the Correos site or an oficina to get the delivery time of your service and destination, then count backwards from the date you want the parcel to arrive, with a margin. Correos counts delivery times in working days from drop-off before the office cut-off.
• Source: Correos: particulares (start page)

Portugal: CTT (not yet announced)

• Status: Not yet announced for 2026. CTT's Christmas article (published 18 Nov 2024) tells senders to check the recommended times per service, especially for international parcels, and gives no dates. On 26 Oct 2026 we found no 2026 table. Check from mid-November.
• Heads-up: CTT lists international alerts and country restrictions on a separate page. Read it before posting outside the EU.
• Source: CTT: como enviar presentes no Natal; CTT: alertas de envios internacionais

France: La Poste / Colissimo (not yet announced)

• Status: Not yet announced for 2026. The Colissimo international drop-off table we found is headed 2025, so it does not apply. La Poste's help page on Christmas dates for international parcels exists; check it from mid-November.
• Source: La Poste: aide, date de dépôt avant Noël (international); Colissimo: peak period (table headed 2025)

Italy: Poste Italiane (not yet announced)

• Status: Not yet announced for 2026 international shipments. The Christmas calendar we found on media.poste.it covers domestic parcels for the 2025/26 season and has no international dates. Poste publishes updates on its "Aggiornamenti operativi" page. Check from mid-November.
• Source: Poste Italiane: aggiornamenti operativi; Poste Italiane: calendario operativo spedizioni Natale (domestic, 2025/26)

Netherlands: PostNL (not yet announced)

• Status: Not yet announced for 2026. PostNL's holiday schedule shows domestic delivery days and pickup-change deadlines, but no last date for post or parcels abroad. Check from mid-November.
• Source: PostNL: holiday delivery schedule

United Kingdom: Royal Mail (not confirmed)

• Status: Royal Mail has a "Get ready for Christmas 2026" page with last posting dates. On 26 Oct 2026 we could not open it to read the worldwide table (access blocked), so we give no international date and do not guess. Open the page and read the row for your destination and service.
• Note: Royal Mail's dates vary by destination country and service, and it says it may change them.
• Source: Royal Mail: Christmas last posting dates

Customs, prohibited items and tracking: short checklist

• Outside the EU (including UK): Goods need a customs declaration. Correos says parcels with goods to the UK need the CN22 or CN23 declaration, completed and signed. DHL says a Paket to a non-EU country needs a CN23 in an envelope on the parcel. Poste Italiane uses CN22 up to 300 SDR and CN23 above, plus electronic customs data. CTT makes its online customs form mandatory for goods to non-EU countries and may return the parcel without it.
• Brexit: UK and EU: Sending from the UK: GOV.UK says a customs declaration must be attached to any package sent to a country outside the UK. Sending to the UK: GOV.UK says gifts worth 39 pounds or less are free of VAT; above that the recipient pays VAT to the carrier, and duty on non-excise gifts applies above 135 pounds in Great Britain. Alcohol, tobacco and vaping products are taxed even as gifts. Rules differ for Northern Ireland; read the page.
• Value of low-cost parcels into the EU: Correos describes a flat EU charge of 3 euros per product category on low-value parcels (up to 150 euros) arriving from outside the EU. If your family sends you gifts from the UK or elsewhere, the recipient may pay.
• Prohibited items: Do not post what the operator or the destination forbids. Examples named by the operators include weapons, explosives, aerosols, gas canisters, lithium batteries, live animals, and in many countries alcohol, tobacco, food and plants. Check Correos, La Poste's country-by-country list, CTT, and the destination's rules before you pack.
• Tracking: Choose a tracked service for parcels and give the recipient the tracking number, as La Poste advises. Cards and letters in ordinary post have no tracking, so post them early.
• Source: GOV.UK: sending post or a parcel abroad; GOV.UK: tax and duty on goods sent from abroad (gifts); Correos: Brexit, import and export with the UK; Correos: how to prepare a parcel (prohibited items); Correos: EU charge on low-value parcels; DHL: customs information for international parcels; Poste Italiane: Poste Delivery International Standard guide; CTT: mandatory online customs form (non-EU); La Poste: sending a parcel abroad (customs forms, tracking); La Poste: restrictions by country

Practical checklist

• Today: decide what you send and to whom. A card to the EU and a parcel to a non-EU country have very different deadlines.
• For Germany, note the DHL dates above. For every other country, write down a reminder for mid-November and open the operator's page then.
• Count back from the date you want it to arrive, add a margin for the Christmas peak, and post early. Operators' own pages say economy services and remote areas need more time.
• Outside the EU or to and from the UK: fill the customs declaration in full, with a real value, never 0.
• Keep the proof of posting and the tracking number until the parcel arrives.

Related

• First Christmas in Spain
• First Christmas in Portugal
• Closed at Christmas and New Year
• Black Friday rights in Spain
• What is closed in November 2026

Frequently asked questions

• What is the last day to post a parcel from Germany to Spain for Christmas 2026? DHL's Christmas 2026 page lists Friday 18 December 2026 as the last drop-off day for Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom (DHL Paket International Premium and DHL Europaket). Economy services and remote areas need 2 to 3 days more.
• What are the 2026 deadlines for Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK? Not yet announced on the operators' own pages we could read on 26 Oct 2026 (for the UK, we could not open Royal Mail's table). Check the linked pages from mid-November. Last year's dates are not valid for 2026.
• Why not use the dates from last year? Weekdays and operator schedules change every year, and Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday in 2026. A 2025 date can be wrong by days.
• Do I need a customs form for a parcel to the UK? Yes for goods. Correos and GOV.UK both say a customs declaration (CN22 or CN23) must be attached to goods going to or from the UK. The recipient may also pay VAT or duty.
• Can I post alcohol or food to family abroad? Often not. Many destinations ban or restrict alcohol, tobacco, food and plants, and operators warn about it. Check the operator's prohibited items page and the destination's rules.

Sources

• DHL: Weihnachten 2026, Fristen
• Deutsche Post: Abgabetermine Weihnachten (page shows 2024)
• Correos: particulares (start page)
• CTT: como enviar presentes no Natal
• CTT: alertas de envios internacionais
• La Poste: aide, date de dépôt avant Noël (international)
• Colissimo: peak period (table headed 2025)
• Poste Italiane: aggiornamenti operativi
• Poste Italiane: calendario operativo spedizioni Natale (domestic, 2025/26)
• PostNL: holiday delivery schedule
• Royal Mail: Christmas last posting dates
• GOV.UK: sending post or a parcel abroad
• GOV.UK: tax and duty on goods sent from abroad (gifts)
• Correos: Brexit, import and export with the UK
• Correos: how to prepare a parcel (prohibited items)
• Correos: EU charge on low-value parcels
• DHL: customs information for international parcels
• Poste Italiane: Poste Delivery International Standard guide
• CTT: mandatory online customs form (non-EU)
• La Poste: sending a parcel abroad (customs forms, tracking)
• La Poste: restrictions by country

Last checked: 26 October 2026. General information, not legal advice. Operators can change dates and rules at any time; confirm on the linked official page before posting.