The holiday season is just around the corner. To help make sure that holiday mail and packages arrive by December 25, the USPS® has published a list of recommended deadlines for both domestic and international mail.
Here are the recommended dates if you expect delivery to Air/Army Post Office/Fleet Post Office/Diplomatic Post Office and domestic addresses by December 25:
- Nov. 6 – APO/FPO/DPO (all ZIP Codes) USPS Retail Ground®
- Dec. 4 – APO/FPO/DPO (ZIP Code 093 only) Priority Mail®and First-Class Mail®
- Dec. 11 – APO/FPO/DPO (all other ZIP Codes) Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
- Dec. 14 – USPS Retail Ground
- Dec. 18 – APO/FPO/DPO (except ZIP Code 093) USPS Priority Mail Express®
- Dec. 20 – First-Class Mail (including greeting cards)
- Dec. 20 – First-class packages (up to 15.99 ounces)
- Dec. 20 – Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
- Dec. 20 – Priority Mail
- Dec. 20 – Alaska to mainland Priority Mail and First-Class Mail
- Dec. 22 – Alaska to mainland Priority Mail Express
- Dec. 22 – Hawaii to mainland Priority Mail Express
- Dec. 22 – Priority Mail Express
And here are the recommended dates for international mailing and shipping from the October 16 DMM Advisory:
| International Mail Addressed To | Global Express Guaranteed®
(GXG®)* |
Priority Mail Express International®
(PMEI) |
Priority Mail International®
(PMI) |
First-Class Package International Service®
(FCPIS®) |
| Africa | Dec. 19 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 1 | Dec. 1 |
| Asia/Pacific Rim | Dec. 19 | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 8 |
| Australia/New Zealand | Dec. 20 | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 8 |
| Canada | Dec. 20 | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 8 |
| Caribbean | Dec. 20 | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 8 |
| Central & South America | Dec. 18 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 1 | Dec. 1 |
| Mexico | Dec. 19 | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 8 |
| Europe | Dec. 20 | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 8 |
| Middle East | Dec. 20 | Dec. 15 | Dec. 8 | Dec. 8 |
These dates are for estimated delivery before December 25 and, unless otherwise stated, delivery by the date is not guaranteed.
Also, this year, with Informed Delivery™, people will be able to manage their packages and see images of what’s been mailed to them, such as cards, magazines and catalogs.
Finally, if you’re planning to visit a post office during the holiday season, you might want to go before the week of December 17-23 because it is predicted to be the busiest mailing, shipping and delivery week. That week, the Postal Service is expecting to process 3 billion pieces of First-Class Mail.