Holiday Mail: Deadlines to Remember

It’s an exciting time to share holiday cheer and thanks to the post office, you can send holiday gifts to others no matter where they are.

To make sure your card or package arrives by its intended date, reference these mail-by deadlines from the United States Postal Service. Also, check the hours of the South Pasadena Post Office before you go to mail a letter or package.

Are you sending holiday cards or packages this year? Tell us in the comment box below who you are sending mail to this season and where they are, whether it's a military member overseas, family across the country or another special person.

Postmarking for domestic mail--mailed from and delivered within the U.S.--and international mail destined for overseas should occur by:

Domestic Mail Product

Mail-by Date

First-Class Mail

Dec. 20

Priority Mail

Dec. 21

Express Mail

Dec. 22

Parcel Post

Dec. 15

DNDC Drop Ship

Dec. 19

DDU Drop Ship

Dec. 22

International Mail Addressed To

Global Express Guaranteed® (GXG)1***

Express Mail® Inter-national (EMS)2

Priority Mail® Inter-national (PMI)3

First-Class Mail®

Africa

Dec-20

Dec-10

Dec-2

Dec-2

Asia/Pacific Rim

Dec-19

Dec-15

Dec-9

Dec-9

Australia/New Zealand

Dec-19

Dec-15

Dec-9

Dec-9

Canada

Dec-21

Dec-16

Dec-12

Dec-9

Caribbean

Dec-20

Dec-15

Dec-12

Dec-9

Central & South America

Dec-20

Dec-10

Dec-2

Dec-2

Mexico

Dec-21

Dec-15

Dec-9

Dec-9

Europe

Dec-20

Dec-15

Dec-12

Dec-9

Middle East

Dec-20

Dec-15

Dec-12

Dec-9

***GXG Notes: 1) Cutoff date does not take into account time needed for customs clearance. 2) Should allocate extra transit day(s) for delivery outside major cities. 3) Last day to ship to Afghanistan is Dec 19 and Iraq is Dec 16.