Here you will find the latest UK & global mail 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
COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) UPDATE – Please refer to our dedicated web page which covers the impacts of the Coronavirus on the processing, transport and delivery of mail and related items. You can find this page from both our news and service updates pages.
Australia – Due to high volumes and backlogs in the processing and delivery of mail/parcels, we have have been informed that delays of 1 to 4 days (depending on region) may be experienced. This is on top of any potential COVID-19 related impact to linehaul and transport. Ongoing (issue start date: 01/09/20)
Belgium – We have been informed that the volumes at Belgium Post (Bpost) is handling in their sorting centers have drastically surpassed the forecast and they are currently facing some delays. transport. Ongoing (issue start date: 01/11/20)
Brazil – From the 18th August the Brazilian postal operator Correios is dealing with strike action in several areas of the country. Correios have accordingly activated their Business Continuity Plan with the objective of minimizing the impact on operations. The following areas are currently affected by the strike action:
– Amazonas
– Bahia
– Distrito Federal
– Espirito Santo
– Minas Gerais
– Parana – Piaui
– Rio de Janeiro
– Sao Paulo.
Please also be aware that due to new customs regulations, there were already delays in processing mail being received into the country. We will update as and when we receive additional information. Ongoing (issue start date: 18/08/20)
Canada – Restricted access to flights and capacity issues at the only available Canada Post entry point (airport) are causing significant disruption. These factors combined with peak volumes and COVID-19 prevention measures have resulted in backlogs locally at Canada Post and to some extent Canadian customs. Subsequently, many suppliers are reporting potentially heavy delays. We will update as and when we receive further information. Ongoing (issue start date: unknown)
Cayman Islands – All postal services to the Cayman Islands have been suspended as of 6th November 2020 due to tropical Storm Eta. Delivery will resume once the situation has improved with delays of 4-7 working days expected. Ongoing (issue start date: 06/11/20)
China – China Post reports delays due to the flooding of the Yangtze river. Due to these extreme weather conditions, the collection, delivery and transportation of all inbound and outbound international mail products to and from Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Zhejiang and Guizhou provinces is subject to disruption, and the processing, transportation and delivery of inbound items to those provinces may be delayed. The expected delay being reported to the areas mentioned above is currently 7-14 days. Ongoing (issue start date: 17/07/20)
Eritrea – We have been informed that due to the domestic situation in the country, all mail services to this destination remain suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 08/10/18)
Germany – Deutsche Post have informed us that due to issues within the Deutsche Post DHL data warehouse their international events systems has been disturbed since 24th September. Deutsche Post hope to resolve the issue as soon as is possible. Resolved (issue start date: 24/09/20)
Greece – Due to industrial action of air traffic control personnel, participating in general strike proclaimed by the supreme administration of Greek civil servants trade unions October the 15th, flights destined/departing to/from Greek airports will be affected. The air traffic control personnel have announced the following work suspensions:
– October the 18th from 13:30 – 18:30 (local time) and
– October the 19th from 07:30 – 12:30 (local time)
These actions will affect both international and domestic mail dispatch and delivery. Ongoing (issue start date: 18/10/20)
Ireland – For destination Ireland, we have been informed that Anpost (the Irish Post Office) have requested that some suppliers hold back volume due to high volumes within the Irish postal system. requested us to hold our volumes from last Friday, the 27th of November. Because of this, we have been told to expect potential delays of 3-6 days on top what has been previously communicated. Ongoing (issue start date: 01/11/20)
Italy – Due to a national strike on 23rd October, shipments are expected to encounter a small delay in processing and/or delivery. Ongoing (issue start date: 23/10/20)
Jordan – The designated operator of JORDAN, Jordan Post, wishes to inform the designated operators of other Union member countries that, in accordance with the customs clearance procedures prescribed by the Jordanian customs authority for inbound international mail items containing goods, the addressee’s mobile phone number is of vital importance. Once the item is received by Customs, the addressee will be contacted for further customs declaration and payment of customs duties and taxes. The addressee’s mobile phone number will serve as the only credential for login purposes in the customs declaration system. Meanwhile, in an effort to improve customer experience and enhance delivery performance, Jordan Post has been asking mail couriers to contact addressees in advance to arrange a specific time for delivery before they go out to deliver. If the addressee’s mobile phone number is not available, the overall delivery performance will be severely affected. Therefore, all designated operators are requested to inform their staff and customers that, wherever possible, the mobile phone number of the addressee should be provided on the CN 22, CN 23 or CP 72 customs declaration forms for all letter post, parcel post and EMS items containing goods destined for Jordan. Ongoing (issue start date: 28/11/19)
Libya – All mail services to Libya are currently suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 16/07/14)
Macao – The designated operator of Macao, China, Macao Post, informs that the Nangka tropical storm, which triggered a No. 8 typhoon signal between 5.40 and 19.40 on 13 October 2020, has had an impact on quality of service. All inbound and outbound letter-post, parcel-post and EMS services were affected. Ongoing (issue start date: 13/10/20)
Mexico – All The designated operator of MEXICO, Correos de México, wishes to inform the designated operators of other Union member countries of new measures to strengthen import controls, in accordance with article 19 of the UPU Convention and article 3.7.1 of the General Rules of Foreign Trade of Mexico. These measures prohibit items in powder form, pharmaceutical products (pills, troches, tablets, granules, capsules and lozenges), and whey or serum proteins of animal origin. For a complete list of prohibited items, please consult
www.dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5545378&fecha=30/11/2018 (Spanish only). In addition, importers of food supplements require a licence in the form of a health certificate issued by the Government of Mexico. Further information regarding this certificate can be found at www.gob.mx/cofepris/acciones-y-programas/registrossanitarios-89343 (Spanish only). In the case of items already in the possession of Correos de México, commercial senders are requested to ask the addressees to comply with the applicable health regulation requirements. Ongoing (issue start date: 15/07/19)
Netherlands – Due to very high volumes of parcels in the network, deliveries may be delayed by upto 7 days. Ongoing (issue start date: 27/11/20)
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)
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)
Somalia – All mail services to Somalia are currently suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 11/11/19)
South Africa – Poor service continues to be observed for all mail into South Africa. A significant part of the delay is the time between the mail arriving in South Africa and being delivered to the recipient. While improvements have been made and delivery times reduced, increased mail volumes have created bottlenecks in processing. Ongoing (issue start date: 12/08/19)
Syria – We have been informed that due to the domestic situation in the country, all mail services to this destination remain suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 08/10/18)
Tanzania – All mail/cargo going to DAR is embargoed until further notice. Ongoing (issue start date: 30/04/18)
Taiwan – Please be aware due to a Customs regulation change by Taiwanese customs, all nationals are now required to be registered with Customs in order to receive the shipments. This can be done via two methods: 1) Through a mobile app called EzWay 2) Through the Customs website. The recipient will only need to register once with customs, please note failure to do this may lead to customs delays or returns. More information can be found on the website: https://etaipei.customs.gov.tw/. Ongoing (issue start date: 01/01/20)
Ukraine – Delivery of mail for the Crimea and Sevastopol (postal codes 95000 – 99999) regions remains suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 18/03/14)
Ukraine – We have been informed that Hurricane Sally is active around the southeast United States region and is causing heavy rainfalls and flooding in the regions of Florida and Alabama. We have been informed that delivery to the affected regions could be affected by approx. 4-7 days. Ongoing (issue start date: 18/03/14)
USA – The impact of peak volumes and limited availability/capacity of United States Postal Service entry points (at US airports) appears to be causing significant delays. Some of our suppliers are reporting that these delays could potentially run into a number of weeks. These delays affect both mail and parcel volumes. In addition, it is being reported that for tracked mail to the USA, not all initial scans in the USA are being done by the USPS. This means that some tracking events/info may be missing until they are sorted in the domestic centers of USPS.. Ongoing (issue start date: unknown)
Yemen – All mail services to Yemen have now been suspended. Ongoing (issue start date: 27/03/15)
Upcoming Public Holidays
December 3rd – India (regional), Spain (regional), UAE
December 4th – Bonaire, St. Eustatius & Saba (regional), Ghana
December 6th – Belgium, Ecuador (regional), Italy, Finland, Spain
December 7th – Argentina, East Timor, Italy (regional), Spain (regional), Tonga
December 8th – Albania, Guam, North Macedonia, Panama, Uzbekistan, Various (Immaculate Conception Day)
December 9th – Antigua, Indonesia, Myanmar, Tanzania
December 10th – Iraq, Kiribati, Namibia, Thailand
December 11th – Burkina Faso, Malaysia (regional), Thailand
December 12th – India (regional), Kenya, Mexico, Turkmenistan
December 13th – Malta, Saint Lucia
December 16th – Bahrain, Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, South Africa
December 17th – Bahrain, Bhutan, Kazakhstan
December 18th – India (regional), Kazakhstan, Niger, Qatar
December 19th – Anguilla, India (regional)
December 20th – Macau, Qatar
December 21st – Macau, Sao Tome & Principe
December 22nd – Macau, Nigeria, Zimbabwe
December 24th – Indonesia, Libya, Various (Christmas Eve)
December 25th – Norway, Pakistan, Various (Christmas Day)
December 26th – Brunei, Greece, Slovenia, Various (Boxing Day, Christmas Holiday, St. Stephens Day)
