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
GENERAL: During the Eid celebration (expected start date – 14th June), there will be no deliveries to the following countries: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
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)
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)
Belgium – Bpost have informed of a severe impact on postal performance due to the strike actions on May 14 and May 16 by the Brussels Airlines pilots. Transit times are expected to be longer than usual for any mail carried on affected airlines. Ongoing (issue start date: 14/05/17)
Brazil – Due to construction work, international air traffic at Natal Airport (NAT) will be suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 11/09/17)
Brazil – The Brazilian Customs Union will be on strike for the next 30 days (from 14th May 2018). Special shipments such as perishables, animals, human remains and medicines will continue to be cleared, but all other shipments may experience custom clearance delays for the duration of the strike.
Brazilian Post has also informed about a truck driver strike and subsequent highway blockades which began on Tuesday 22 May. This action has severely disrupted mail transportation in the country and as a result there will be delays in the processing and delivery of international mail.
Please also note that the following with regards to delays in postal customs clearance. Please see the below information regarding delays. Ongoing (issue start date: 07/11/17 – updated 17/05/18)
- 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 – 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)
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 – Please be advised that as a result of the 13th National People’s Congress being held in Beijing (China), deliveries to the following provinces will be delayed until 13/03/2018:
Hebei, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shanxi, Liaoning, Chifeng, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Tianjin and Beijing. Ongoing (issue start date: 06/03/18)
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 – Railway workers from France’s national railway company will stage nationwide two-day strikes from April 3rd until June 28th. Workers will strike on the first two days of the weekdays and resume work on the remaining days. The strike pattern will be repeated until June 28th. Ongoing (issue start date: 11/04/18)
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)
France – Eurocontrol has announced possible disruption to flights as a result of an Air Traffic Control (ATC) walkout, forming part of a national public sector strike scheduled for 22 May. The aviation advisory indicates disruptions are possible from 17:00 UTC Monday, 21 May until 04:00 UTC on Wednesday, 23 May. Resolved (issue start date: 21/05/18)
France – Air traffic controllers are to go on strike on May 26th at the Marseille Air Traffic Control Centre for 48-hours starting at 6:30 am local time. Flights to and from southern France can expect to be disrupted. Ongoing (issue start date: 26/05/18)
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 – Greece Post has been applying new customs procedures on both International and domestic mail collection and delivery. Due to an adjustment period, deliveries may be delayed. Ongoing (issue start date: 02/11/17)
Greece – The Confederation of the Greek workers and the Association of the Civil Servants have announced a 24-hour strike on Wednesday, the 30th of May. Additionally, air traffic controllers have announced a 3 hours’ work stoppage from 10:00 to 13:00 (local time). These actions will affect both international and domestic mail collection and delivery. Ongoing (issue start date: 30/05/18)
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– Pahoa Post Office, 96778 ― Operations have resumed with normal business hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. 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)
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 – Flight disruption has been reported at Mumbai Airport: flight disruptions at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) are set to continue until June 5th as the airport upgrades its Instrument Landing System (ILS) that guides flights on its main runway. More than 600 flights have so far been affected at the airport since the beginning of the week, mainly causing flight delays. Ongoing (issue start date: 21/05/18)
India – Postal workers end nationwide strike: Media sources reported on May 31st that Gramin Dak Sevaks (GDS) postal workers ended a nationwide strike across India. The strike began on May 22nd over demands for a new pay agreement. Disruptions to postal delivery services were reported across the country. Ongoing (issue start date: 22/05/18)
Indonesia – Local sources are reporting flood-related localised disruptions in Jakarta, Indonesia which can be expected to continue in the coming weeks during the ongoing rainy season which normally lasts until April. Heavy rain in early February had caused severe flooding and resulted in significant traffic disruptions on several major roads in the capital city. Ongoing (issue start date: 01/02/18)
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 – The designated operator of Israel, Israel Postal Company, asks us to inform the designated operators of UPU member countries that it has been experiencing disruption of some of its electronic data interchange (EDI) transmissions since approximately 12.00 UTC on Wednesday, 6 June 2018. This issue is in the process of being resolved; however, delays of 24 hours in transmissions are expected. Israel Postal Company apologizes for any inconvenience, and will update designated operators via EmIS as soon as the situation is back to normal. Ongoing (issue start date: 06/06/18)
Italy – Air Traffic Controllers in Italy have announced a 1 day nationwide strike will take place on Friday 8th June to coincide with a public transport employees’ 24 hour strike. As a result, there will be delays to the transit time to Italy and subsequent delivery of mail. Although the strike is for Friday only, the impact may last until the early part of next week due to any possible backlog as result of the strike. Ongoing (issue start date: 08/06/18)
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 – Heavy snowfall in the Tokyo region has caused flight cancellations and disrupted traffic. Deliveries can suffer minor delays. Ongoing (issue start date: 25/01/18)
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 have advised that due to aviation fuel rationing at Auckland Airport following damage to a pipeline, many flights have been cancelled. As result, mail to NZ is being held up at transit points prior to arrival at Auckland and hence delays are expected in local delivery (the likely delay is currently unclear); similar delays are likely due to the backlog once flights have resumed normal service, however this is not expected to be for at least another week.
UPDATE: New Zealand Post wishes to further advise that Auckland Airport’s aviation fuel rationing continues, however the work to fix the pipeline has been completed. Fuel is now being pumped to the airport, however at a reduced rate. The pipeline should return to 100% flow rates early in 2018. Road transportation of additional fuel to the airport continues to supplement the reduced flows through the pipeline. Airlines are now able to access 80% of their normal fuel allocations and flight cancelations have greatly reduced. Inbound volumes remain lower than expected with embargos on inbound mail transportation expected to ease in the coming weeks while airlines work to reduce mail which has potentially backlogged on route into New Zealand. Ongoing (issue start date: 18/09/17 – updated 09/10/2017)
Philippines – Tropical Storm Kai-Tak made landfall in the eastern Samar province on December 16th and in Palawan province on December 18th, causing flooding and landslides. Power lines in 39 cities, roads and bridges have been damaged. The islands of Samar and Leyte were particularly affected; the city of Tacloban (Leyte) is almost completely submerged in water. Transport has been disrupted and flash flooding and landslides remain possible across the affected regions. Ongoing (issue start date: 16/12/17)
Philippines – Due to maintenance work on a runway, Mactan Cebu International Airport (CEB) reports disruptions in national and international air traffic. Ongoing (issue start date: 21/07/17)
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 – Due to the scheduled meeting of Heads of States (Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un) to be held in Singapore, security restrictions have been put in place including several road blocks. As a result, shipments destined to Singapore may see delays between 11th June and 15th June.. Ongoing (issue start date: 11/06/18)
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 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 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)
Spain – Postal workers have called for 2-hour strike on June 7th. The strike will reportedly occur at all Correos’ facilities with an anticipated 85% of postal workers expected to join the strike. Ongoing (issue start date: 07/06/18)
Sri Lanka – Postal workers have decided to launch a continuous strike action in protest against the recruitment criteria. Distribution of letters and parcels, as well as the transportation of cargo, will be affected due to the trade union action. Ongoing (issue start date: 11/06/18)
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 – Swiss Post has advised that heavy snowfall has been affecting roads and train transportation in the cantons of Wallis (39xx), Uri (64xx) and Graubünden (75xx), since 20 January. As a result, all mail services can expect delays with duration dependent on the level of snow and local condition. Ongoing (issue start date: 20/01/18)
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)
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 has advised that storms in the Northeastern United States have resulted in facility closures and delivery delays owing to damage and loss of power. Resolved (issue start date: 15/05/18)
USA – On Monday 28th May, subtropical storm Alberto landed on the eastern Florida coast. During the week the storm moved up through the United States to Michigan on Thursday 31st May. Deliveries in the regions that have been affected by the storm may suffer minor delays. Ongoing (issue start date: 28/05/18)
USA – Hurricane Bud that is currently active in West of Mexico is now moving northwards into the United States. By the time it hits San Fransisco it is expected to decrease to a tropical storm. Due to the bad weather, delays can be expected in the upcoming weeks because of poor weather conditions. Ongoing (issue start date: 12/06/18)
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
June 11th – Australia (regional), Colombia, Gibraltar, India (regional), Paraguay, Qatar (public sector only), Russia
June 12th – Nigeria (regional), Philippines, Russia, Various (Eid al-Fitr)
June 13th – Bangladesh, Indonesia, Portugal (regional), Qatar (public sector only), South Korea, Spain (regional)
June 14th – India (regional), Various (Eid al-Fitr Holiday)
June 15th – Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, India (regional), Various (Eid al-Fitr Holiday), Various (Hari Raya Puasa)
June 16th – India (regional), Malaysia, South Africa, Various (Eid al-Fitr Holiday)
June 17th – Argentina, Iceland, Various (Eid al-Fitr Holiday)
June 18th – Bermuda, Cambodia, Seychelles, Various (Eid al-Fitr Holiday), Various (Dragon Boat Festival)
June 19th – Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, Various (Eid al-Fitr Holiday)
June 20th – Argentina, Qatar (public sector only)
June 21st – Bolivia, Canada (regional), Greenland, Qatar (public sector only), Togo
June 22nd – Croatia, Fiji, Finland, Sweden
June 23rd – Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Switzerland (regional)
June 24th – Philippines (regional), Various (St John’s Day), Various (regional – Feast of St John the Baptist)
June 25th – Canada (regional), Croatia, Mozambique
June 26th – Azerbaijan, Madagascar
June 27th – Djibouti, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan
June 28th – India (regional), Ukraine
June 29th – French Polynesia, Seychelles, Ukraine
