When is the 2025 deadline to send Christmas post from Germany?

‘Tis the season to get wrapping, packing and posting. German postal services have different deadlines for sending cards and packages. Here’s what you need to know to ensure everything arrives by December 24:

Sending international packages from Germany for Christmas 2025

Every Christmas, employees at DHL, Germany’s package delivery service, handle around 11 million packages per day. With so much post to process, the company announces Christmas postage deadlines so customers can be sure their cards and parcels reach loved ones by December 24.

Those sending international packages from Germany have the earliest deadline, November 26. If you send your international parcels by this date you can be sure they will arrive by December 24. 

If you’ve not got your gifts organised by then you have another chance. Customers can use Deutsche Post/DHL’s online pre-paid stamp service to post their packages until around November 29 and they should still arrive on time. Alternatively, you can send last-minute international packages with UPS or Hermes.

DHL advises people in Germany sending packages internationally at Christmas to check five things. Are you allowed to send the contents of the parcel? Is your parcel securely packed? Does your parcel have the right stamp? Have you written the complete destination address and return address? Finally, have you completed the customs form on the package label?

Letters and cards from Germany to international addresses should be sent by December 5 to arrive by December 24.

Sending Christmas post from Germany to other European countries

Anyone sending Christmas post to family or friends within Europe has a little longer. Packages to most European countries should be sent with DHL by December 11 to arrive by December 24. 

Those sending packages to Germany’s neighbouring countries (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland) have until December 15 to send packages with DHL to arrive by December 24. 

Alternatively, you can use the GLS parcel delivery service to send last-minute packages within Europe. Letters and cards from Germany to European addresses should be sent by December 12 to arrive on time.

Deadlines for sending Christmas post within Germany

Finally, those sending Christmas packages and cards within Germany have until December 20 to get their affairs in order and head to the nearest post office or post box. 

Customers can also use the DHL express service to send packages and cards by December 22 to arrive by December 24