Christmas will be here before we know it. If you’re sending presents to family and friends across the globe, here are the German postal deadlines you should follow to ensure your gifts arrive punctually.

Sending packages within Germany for Christmas 

Getting Christmas presents to loved ones on time means being organised. DHL Germany, which operates Deutsche Post's package delivery services, has announced which deadlines gift-givers should meet to ensure their packages are punctual this season. The following dates apply to all post sent via DHL or Deutsche Post.

If you’re sending presents within Germany and want them to arrive before December 24, you’ll need to drop your regular and express parcels off at the post office by December 20.

If you’re sending Christmas cards within Germany, you’ll need to post them by December 21.

Sending Christmas parcels within Europe

Anyone sending parcels to European countries which do not border Germany must head to the post office by December 12 if the presents are to arrive on time. For Christmas cards, you have until December 13.

If your loved ones are in any of the nine European countries neighbouring Germany e.g. the Netherlands, France, Switzerland or Poland, you have until December 14 to ensure package punctuality.

Sending international Christmas parcels from Germany

The timetable gets a bit tighter if you’re sending packages further afield than Europe. Any international Christmas parcels from Germany should be sent by November 26.

If you miss the November deadline, until December 3 you can pay DHL and Deutsche Post’s “Service Premium” prices to ensure your international parcels arrive by Christmas Day. International Christmas cards have to be sent by December 6. 

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