Here you will find the latest UK & global service updates and a list of upcoming worldwide public holidays. This is updated throughout the week with latest information available.
UK Service Updates
Normal deliveries & collections of mail should be made in most parts of the UK today.
International Service Updates
Argentina – Please be advised Argentina has announced another general strike in country. No clearance or deliveries will take place on Thursday 28th June and Friday 29th June 2018.
Normal services are expected to resume on Monday 2nd July. Ongoing (issue start date: 28/06/18)
Australia – Australia Post has informed about a gas leak in the immediate area where the Ground Handler facility is located in Sydney. This has caused delays to mail services since Sunday 29th April. As a result, there will be delays in clearing the mail which arrived over the weekend and it is likely to affect mail operation for the rest of the week. Ongoing (issue start date: 29/04/18)
Bahamas – Bahamas Post has informed that they are currently experiencing delays in the shipping, processing and delivery of all mail items as a result of persistent electrical and air conditioning malfunctions at the exchange office. The problem is expected to be resolved within two weeks. Ongoing (issue start date: 09/07/18)
Bangladesh – Bangladesh Customs have witnessed an increase in the number of wrongly declared shipments. This has led the Bangladesh Customs to scrutinise each and every shipment, which is causing delays in the release of all shipments including mail. Ongoing (issue start date: 03/01/17)
Belarus – The designated operator of Belarus, the Republican Unitary Enterprise of Posts Belpochta, asks me to inform the designated operators of other UPU member countries that from 7th to 14th April it will be migrating to IPS 2017. During this migration, the transmission of EDI messages may be interrupted, but every effort will be made to resume data transmission as soon as possible. Ongoing (issue start date: 07/04/18)
Brazil – Due to construction work, international air traffic at Natal Airport (NAT) will be suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 11/09/17)
Brazil – Brazilian media have indicated that on July 30th that postal workers with Correios in Rio Grande do Norte have voted for a strike starting on August 8th over salary increases. Union leaders declared that the strike may escalate to a nationwide level. No further details on when the strike would end have been disclosed. Ongoing (issue start date: 08/08/18)
Brazil – Brazilian Customs have gone on a partial strike. This means that clearance will only be made on Mondays and Fridays until the strike is ended. Please also note that the following with regards to delays in postal customs clearance. Ongoing (issue start date: 07/11/17 – updated 14/08/18)
- Currently receiving 300,000 parcels per day
- Upon arrival in Brazil all mail is sent to Curitiba for inspection and duty and tax assessment
- Once duties and taxes are paid items can take 10 to 40 business days to deliver
- 30% of items are abandoned for non-payment of duties
Canada – Government authorities have issued a tornado warning for Ottawa, Canada, due to a strong thunderstorm moving in the area. Damaging winds, large hail and localised intense periods of rainfall are to be expected. Disruption of road and air traffic is possible. Ongoing (issue start date: 02/08/18)
Canada – The Canadian Postal Exchange Office in Toronto is currently experiencing delays in its processing capacity and delivery. The delays are caused by a peak in their volumes. Canada Post and the customs authority are working on a solution. They have also informed that EMS, air parcels and Express products will be prioritised over non-priority items.
UPDATE: Canada Post informs about serious delivery delays for ordinary and registered mail items due to a mail backlog. This backlog is believed to be nationwide and not just confined to Toronto anymore. Ongoing (issue start date: 07/09/17 – updated 24/11/17)
Chad – STPE, The Postal Operator in Chad has informed us that they have not been able to dispatch or deliver mail since 1 Feb 2018 due to strike action. Ongoing (issue start date: 01/02/18)
Chile – CorreosChile have informed of generic capacity concerns at customs due to increasing international volumes. Items can be queued up to 20 working days before being processed by Chilean customs. Ongoing (issue start date: 18/05/18)
Chile – No deliveries will take place in Chile from Friday 14th September until Thursday 20th September. This is due to public holidays as Chile celebrates their Independence Day. Ongoing (issue start date: 14/09/18)
China – China Post have informed us that owing to unprecedented volumes of parcels imported into Shanghai and Guangzhou, there are currently a number of issues with China Customs, resulting in large backlogs in their facilities. These problems are compounded by the high delivery volume within China, resulting in delays in mail delivery. Ongoing (issue start date: 14/07/16)
China – Expect delivery delays in affected areas following the Mangkhut Typhoon that affected southern China and Hong Kong.. Ongoing (issue start date: 12/09/18)
China – Tropical Storm Jongdari, which has left Japan, is currently centered over the East China Sea. Forecasts predict that Jongdari is heading towards the central coast of China, and is expectecd to make landfall over the Shanghai area by August 2nd as a tropical storm, likely causing flight delays and cancellations at airports along the coast. Ongoing (issue start date: 02/08/18)
Costa Rica – Public sector labour unions have called an indefinite strike as of Monday, 10th September. This situation may result in collection, processing and delivery delays for both inbound and outbound mail. Ongoing (issue start date: 10/09/18)
Cyprus – Cyprus Post wishes to inform that it will proceed with an upgrade of the IT infrastructure. Owing to this fact, dispatches of all mail classes will be affected (inbound and outbound); in addition, EDI transmission will be interrupted from that day to Sunday, 11 February 2018. Ongoing (issue start date: 09/02/18)
Denmark – The southern part of Denmark will have delays in delivery and collection of mail this week. This affects the zip codes 3700-3799 and 4600-4899. Ongoing (issue start date: 01/03/18)
El Salvador – The designated operator of El Salvador, Correos de El Salvador, asks us to inform that the postal services provided byCorreos de El Salvador are currently suspended as a result of industrial action that commenced on Wednesday, 21 February 2018. Consequently, significant delays in the delivery and collection of all inbound and outbound mail to and from El Salvador are to be expected. Ongoing (issue start date: 22/02/18)
France – There may be delays for some mail due to industrial actions at the following distribution centres: – Agde Mer et distribution centre (34300) – Villeneuve la Garenne (92390) – Limours (91470). Ongoing (issue start date: 23/07/18)
France – Due to heavy rain and flooding in Northern and Central France, delivery delays are to be expected in affected areas. Most heavily impacted areas are Rouen, Angers and Nantes. Ongoing (issue start date: 12/06/18)
French Polynesia – The postal operator of French Polynesia has advised that the delivery of inbound and outbound mail will be severely disrupted due to industrial action. As a result, significant delays can be expected until the strike ends. Ongoing (issue start date: 06/03/18)
Germany – Deutsche Post AG informs that strike actions by ‘Verdi’ union affect ground handling services at German airports, especially in Frankfurt and Munich on Tuesday 10th April.
The strike actions will have an impact on cargo and mail shipment handling, so please expect delays at Frankfurt Airport. Ongoing (issue start date: 10/04/18)
Greece – Please be advised, operations in Greece may be impacted due to severe wildfires in Southern mainland regions and as a result delays may be experienced. Ongoing (issue start date: 24/07/17)
Guatemala – Correos y Telegrafos Guatemala informs that due to staffing difficulties, it has accumulated a backlog of parcels. In order to clear this backlog, it is suspending the inward and outward transmission of international mail. The designated operators of other countries are therefore asked to hold back any mail destined for Guatemala until further notice.
UPDATE: International letter-post, parcel-post and EMS services (inbound and outbound) will continue to be disrupted for at least another four months. This is due to the procedure that is under way to enable Correos y Telégrafos to carry out its activities as designated operator and to hire additional staff is currently in its final phase. Correos y Telégrafos asks operators to continue to hold items to be sent to Guatemala until services have been re-established. Ongoing (issue start date: 13/04/17 – updated 20/02/2018)
Hawaii – Mail delivery continues to be temporarily suspended in the following neighbourhoods:
- Leilani Estates
- Lanipuna Gardens
- Pahoa-Kapoho Rd.
- Papaya Farms
- Vacationland
- Kapoho Beach
- Kapoho-Kalapana Rd.
- Seaview, Puna Palisades
- Kehena, Kalapana Shores
- Uncle Roberts
- Kalapana-Pahoa Rd.
- Chain of Craters Rd.
- Black Sands
Residents of these areas are asked to pick up their mail at the Pahoa Post Office at 15-2859 Pahoa Village Rd.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Post Office ― Closed. Customers of this office can pick up their mail at the Volcano Post Office at 19-4030 Old Volcano Highway.d. Ongoing (issue start date: 21/05/18 – updated 18/06/18)
Hong Kong – Due to Typhoon which hit Hong Kong on 16th & 17th September, mail operations have been disrupted over the last few days. ,Also HK International Airport had many flights cancelled which may in turn affect mail transited via HK International Airport to destinations such as Japan, China, Vietnam, Australia, South Korea. Ongoing (issue start date: 12/09/18)
Iceland – Iceland Post (IS) informs that on 17th December, mechanics at Icelandair started a strike for an indefinite period. The strike action will result in delays and cancellations for Icelandair flights until the strike is cancelled. Iceland Post is currently only using Icelandair for outbound transport but are looking for alternate possibilities for transporting mail. This may result in delays in transportation to and from Iceland. Ongoing (issue start date: 17/12/17)
India – Following heavy monsoon rains, severe floods have occurred in Southern India, specifically in the Kerala region on the Western side of the country. This has damaged the infrastructure of the regions roads, houses and other important structures. It is therefore expected that severe delays of between 14 days (most southern regions (Andhra Pradesh Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu) and 35 days can be expected for Kerala which has suffered the worst of the weather. This applies to all product streams and further updates will be posted when more information becomes available. Ongoing (issue start date: 09/08/18)
Indonesia – Postal services are back to normal following the disruption caused by the earthquake in Lombok Island, Indonesia. However, delays are to be expected in the processing and delivery of all mail. Ongoing (issue start date: 28/07/18- updated 21/09/18)
Indonesia – It has been reported that traffic restrictions have been imposed in Jakarta, Indonesia, due to the celebration of the Asian Games. From August 18th to September 2nd, ground transportation including pickup and delivery services are likely to face disruptions due to reduced operating hours of toll gates in Jakarta. Resolved (issue start date: 18/08/18)
Indonesia – Volcanic eruption of Mount Merapi near Yogyakarta: Local sources are reporting that Mount Merapi has erupted twice in eight hours. The volcanic ash has landed on some nearby villages and residents have been evacuated. Expect disruptions in the area. Ongoing (issue start date: 22/05/18)
Iraq – Due to political developments in northern Iraq the governments has issued an embargo on flights into the region. It is expected that no deliveries will be possible until the situation is resolved. Ongoing (issue start date: 02/11/17)
Ireland – Due to capacity issues at An Post, Ireland’s national post office, short term delays to mail processing /delivery for mail sent from abroad are likely. Ongoing (issue start date: 07/11/17)
Ireland – Ireland is experiencing a severe weather event with snow storms already causing major disruption. This is the worst such weather since 1982 and The Irish Meteorological Service has issued a National Red Alert Warning for most of the country. As a consequence, all mail and parcel operations are suspended with immediate effect, and until further notice. Ongoing (issue start date: 28/02/18 – updated 01/03/18)
Israel – Please be advised that Israel have a number of Bank Holidays over the coming weeks, therefore, no deliveries will be taking place on the following dates; Rosh Hashana/New Year – 10th and 11th September, Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement – 19th September, Sukkot – 24th September 2018, Simcha Torah – 1st October 2018. Ongoing (issue start date: 10/09/18)
Italy – Poste Italiane wishes to share the following update on impacted areas, caused by the motorway collapse: Ongoing (issue start date: 14/08/18)
• Outbound – internal flows from post offices directed to Lonate Gateway blocked in the Savona, Imperia and Genoa districts. Affected postcodes: from 16010 to 18100.
• Outbound – internal ExportBox flows from SDA branch in Genoa directed to Lonate Gateway blocked. Affected postcodes: 16149 and 16151.
• Inbound – undelivered flows in area directly impacted by the accident. Affected postcodes: 16149 and 16151.
• Inbound – critical delivery in areas west of the accident. Affected postcodes: from 16152 to 16159.
Jamaica – Jamaica Post wishes to inform that it is currently experiencing technical problems in its network with respect to electronic data replication for parcel post, EMS items and barcoded letter post. This situation is expected to result in disruptions in the transmission of data through the POST*Net network over the next two weeks.. Ongoing (issue start date: 12/07/16)
Japan – Japan is strengthening their customs inspection of inbound mail as part of counter-terrorism measures. Therefore, Japan Post has requested all items containing goods are accompanied by the required documents. Please attach a customs declaration form to postal items containing goods, and provide accurate information on the contents for customs declaration. Failure to comply with this request could lead to delays or the return of mail items sent to Japan. Ongoing (issue start date: 29/03/16)
Japan – The tropical storm in Japan is over and volumes are moving through Kansai International Airport once again. Delays can still occur as local backlogs might need to be cleared. Resolved (issue start date: 04/09/18 – updated 20th September)
Japan – There was an earthquake in northern Japan on 6th September and as a result there are delays to mail services in the Hokkaido region (postcode: 00?04-09 ). Ongoing (issue start date: 06/09/18)
Libya – All mail services to Libya are currently suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 16/07/14)
Morocco – The designated operator of Morocco, Poste Maroc, asks me to inform the designated operators of other Union member countries that, as of 21 March 2018, it has been experiencing technical difficulties in replicating the electronic data for postal parcels and express mail from its domestic IT system to IPS. This has resulted in a disruption in the transmission of data to the POST*Net network. Poste Maroc’s technical teams are making every effort to resolve this problem as quickly as possible.. Ongoing (issue start date: 03/04/18)
New Zealand – New Zealand Post has informed that severe weather has caused a number of network disruptions. This has led to delivery delays to a number of areas. The affected areas are: Gisborne, Cromwell, Central Otago towns, Queenstown, Wellington, Lower Hutt, Gisborne and Southland. Ongoing (issue start date: 25/06/18)
Philippines – Typhoon Mangkhut has affected the northern part of Luzon in the Philippines on 15 September 2018. Some of the roads are not passable due to landslides and floods. Delays in the processing of mails and transmission of tracking events are expected in the areas with the following postcodes: 2000-2001, 2003-2004, 2010, 2012-2026, 2400, 2410, 2413-2414, 2417-2418, 2420, 2423-2424, 2600, 2604-2606, 2610, 2714, 2810, 2814-2815, 2922, 3002-3003, 3011, 3015, 3019, 3106, 3108, 3110-3112, 3116, 3602-3609, 3800-3802 and 3806.
Ongoing (issue start date: 15/09/18)
Poland – Delays may be expected for mail sent to Italy, Poland and Spain as postal operations in these countries have yet to normalise after the year-end peak season. Ongoing (issue start date: 26/01/18)
Russia – Truck drivers in Russia started a 10-day nationwide strike on Friday, December 15th. The strike action has reportedly affected numerous cities, including St. Petersburg, Moscow, Chita, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Saratov, Kirov, Vologda, Irkutsk, Orenburg, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, and Ryazan. Protesting drivers may also block streets, creating further transportation delays. Ongoing (issue start date: 15/12/17)
Saudi Arabia – It has been advised that, with immediate effect, Saudi Arabian Customs has introduced some changes for all Non-Document shipments sent to Saudi Arabia. All B2C shipments that contain materials other than documents/printed matter will require the Consignee’s ID number. Where this is not provided, the parcel may be delayed in clearing customs until the ID number is obtained from the consignee. All B2B shipments of non-document materials will require a Commercial Registration Form from the consignee. This will be requested from the consignee when arriving in the country and upon receipt of the form, the parcel can be cleared through customs. Ongoing (issue start date: 15/04/16)
Saudi Arabia – Saudi Post wishes to inform that effective 1st January 2018, a value-added tax (VAT) of 5% will be applied to the total value of each individual item/waybill entering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to be paid by the consignee. This includes, without exception, all commodities being sent to Saudi Arabia, regardless of their purpose. It is therefore essential that each shipment provide clear and precise commodity details, including the name of the product/commodity and the total value under each item/waybill (preferably in USD). Ongoing (issue start date: 01/01/18)
Senegal – The designated operator of Senegal, SN La Poste, is moving he SNDKRA office of exchange to the new Blaise Diagne de Diass International Airport (IATA code: DSS), on 7 December 2017. This could lead to service disruptions for a period of time. Ongoing (issue start date: 07/12/17)
Somalia – All mail services to Somalia are currently suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 30/11/91)
Singapore – The Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Grand Prix race will be held between the 12th and 18th September 2018. As the race will be held in the city surrounding Marina centre, deliveries may be affected as the roads and surrounding areas will have restricted access. Ongoing (issue start date: 12/09/18)
South Africa – An indefinite postal strike commenced at Johannesburg Airport impacting on the operation and handling of mail. This is expected to impact delivery performance for the foreseeable future with delays likely to worsen as the volumes of mail and backlogs grow as a result of the strike. Ongoing (issue start date: 12/09/18)
South Africa – Due to unexpected high import volumes, South Africa Post Office is experiencing delays in small packets, parcels, EMS and registered mail. Delays of several weeks can be expected. We will provide further updates when the situation improves, or additional information is available.
UPDATE: South Africa has continued to experience abnormally high volumes of parcels since last autumn and the processing of import parcels remains in a state of being substantially delayed. Therefore, all parcel services to South Africa are subject to severe delays. Ongoing (issue start date: 19/10/17 – updated 01/06/2018)
South Africa – With immediate effect that additional customs inspections have been implemented on all shipments to South Africa. Therefore, any shipments that are subject to inspection may experience further delays. Ongoing (issue start date: 05/10/17)
South Korea – Delivery of mail items addressed to South Korea may be delayed due to the increased volume of inbound mail a South Korea’s Office of Exchange (OE), which is taking longer than usual to process. Ongoing (issue start date: 05/06/18)
South Korea – South Korea has been struck by a Typhoon. Due to this many flights at Incheon Airport in Seoul are cancelled or delayed. This also affects the EMS items to Jeju-island. The delayed flights mainly concerns the following postcode: 63000 – 63644. . Ongoing (issue start date: 29/08/18)
Spain – It has been reported that ground staff workers unions at Spanish airports have announced a strike starting on July 29th and reportedly ending on August 4th. More than 60,000 workers will participate in the strike. Ongoing (issue start date: 29/07/18)
Sweden – Delays are expected in the distribution of letters and parcels within zip code areas 20-24, 27, 28-29, 36-39. Ongoing (issue start date: 02/03/18)
Switzerland – Air traffic controllers from the Skycontrol union in Geneva and other regional Swiss airports will hold industrial action from July 23rd over working conditions. The strike action is set to last a week; however, the union warns it could last longer. Geneva, Bern and Lugano airports are expected to be the worst impacted. Ongoing (issue start date: 23/07/18)
Tanzania – All mail / Cargo going to DAR is embargoed until further notice. Ongoing (issue start date: 30/04/18)
Taiwan – Limited airline capacity is currently causing delays for mail sent to Taiwan. Ongoing (issue start date: 01/11/17)
Thailand – Weather sources are reporting that a nationwide weather alert for heavy rain has been issued since July 31th across Thailand. Authorities have warned about possible landslides and flash floods. Flooded roads are highly expected. Ongoing (issue start date: 31/07/18)
Tonga – Tonga Post has provided an update following the disruption caused by Cyclone Gita. The Office of Exchange has been temporarily relocated to a new location, albeit in a ‘downgraded mode’, this means that mail services have re-started however there are still likely to be delays until the regular Office of Exchange is fully functioning, which could take up to a month. Ongoing (issue start date: 20/02/18)
USA – United States Postal Service (USPS) has advised that Hurricane Florence has been downgraded to a tropical depression, but continues to dump extreme amounts of rainfall, causing flash flooding, river flooding and landslide risk in much of North Carolina and portions of South Carolina and southwest Virginia. USPS is continuing to monitor the storm as it moves inland, and its top priority is the safety of its customers and employees. Some post offices have suspended operations, mainly in the areas with postal codes ranging from 27000 to 29999 and 23000 to 23999. Ongoing (issue start date: 12/09/18)
USA – Delays are expected in the delivery of international mail addressed to areas of the USA handled by the Los Angeles Office of Exchange. This is due to delays in processing at the Office of Exchange (OE) of Los Angeles and a subsequent increase in the backlog. Ongoing (issue start date: 27/07/18)
Ukraine – Delivery of mail for the Crimea and Sevastopol (postal codes 95000 – 99999) regions remains suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 18/03/14)
Yemen – All mail services to Yemen have now been suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 27/03/15)
Upcoming Public Holidays
September 10th – Belize, Gibraltar, Israel, Malaysia, Switzerland (regional), Tajikistan
September 11th – Ethiopia, India (regional), Israel, Spain (regional), Various (Awal Muharram), Various (Hijri New Year)
September 13th – India (regional)
September 14th – Bolivia (regional), India (regional), Mauritius, Nicaragua
September 15th – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Slovakia, Spain (regional)
September 16th – Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, St. Kitts & Nevis, Switzerland (regional)
September 17th – Angola, Armenia, Chile, Japan, Malaysia (regional), Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts & Nevis, Spain (regional), Switzerland (regional), Tonga
September 18th – Chile, Maldives
September 19th – Bahrain, Chile, India (regional), Iran, Israel, Italy (regional), St. Kitts & Nevis
September 20th – India (regional), Various (Ashura)
September 21st – Ghana, India (regional), Malta, Various (Ashura)
September 22nd – Bulgaria, Mali
September 23rd – India (regional), Japan, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, South Korea
September 24th – Australia (regional), Austria (regional), Bolivia (regional), Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Dominican Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Japan, New Zealand (regional), South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Trinidad & Tobago
September 25th – Hong Kong, Macau, Mozambique, South Korea, Switzerland (regional)
September 26th – South Korea, Yemen
September 27th – Belgium (regional), Ethiopia, Turkmenistan
September 28th – Australia (regional), Czech Republic, Turks & Caicos
September 29th – Paraguay
September 30th – Botswana
