Christmas 2023 last posting dates, and how much stamps cost
There is little over a fortnight left until Christmas, which means deadlines for sending post in time for 25 December are fast approaching.
Whether you are planning to send cards or gifts within the UK, or internationally, here are the dates you need to know.
Last UK Christmas post dates
Monday 18 December
- Royal Mail 2nd class
- Royal Mail 2nd class signed for
- Royal Mail tracked 48
Wednesday 20 December
- Royal Mail 1st class
- Royal Mail 1st class signed for
- Royal Mail tracked 24
- Parcelforce express48 and express48 large
Thursday 21 December
- Royal Mail special delivery guaranteed
- Parcelforce express24
Friday 22 December
- Royal Mail special delivery guaranteed (guaranteed Saturday delivery for an extra fee)
Last international Christmas post dates
All services are Royal Mail international standard and international tracking and signature services.
Wednesday 6 December
- Australia and New Zealand
- Caribbean
- China
- Africa
- Asia
- Central and South America
- Far and Middle East
Thursday 7 December
Friday 8 December
- Greece
- Eastern Europe (except Czechia, Poland and Slovakia)
- Turkey
Monday 11 December
- Czechia
- Finland
- Italy
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Sweden
- Spain
- USA and Canada
Wednesday 13 December
- Austria
- Belgium
- Denmark
- France
- Luxembourg
- Germany
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Netherlands
- Slovakia
- Switzerland
Find full details on all last Christmas posting dates on the Post Office website here.
How much are stamps?
The price of a standard first class stamp increased from £1.10 to £1.25 in October – a 14 per cent increase.
A large first class stamp now costs £1.95 – a 22 per cent jump from £1.60.
Standard second class stamps have remained at the same price – 75p.
But the price of a large second class stamp went up, from £1.15 to £1.45 – a jump of 35 per cent.
Can I still use old stamps?
Old stamps bearing an image of the late Queen were no longer valid from August.
Barcodes have been added to all Royal Mail stamps, bringing greater security and allowing customers access to interactive content.
New stamps featuring King Charles III were introduced earlier this year, and he now features on all standard stamps in circulation.
Special stamps with pictures on them and Christmas stamps without a barcode will continue to be valid, however.
Non-barcoded stamps can be exchanged for the new barcoded version through the “stamp swap out” scheme. Find more details about that here.
