Holiday shipping 2024: tips and deadlines

Christmas is just around the corner, and that also means the busiest time of the year in retail. B2B sales, online stores and brick-and-mortar shops are busy, and carriers are working at full capacity to make sure parcels arrive on time.

In this blog post, we share a few tips to help make sure your shipments arrive in time for Christmas, along with information on important shipping dates.

Get moving early

The earlier you book your transport or send your parcel, the more likely it is to arrive before Christmas. Remember that shipment volumes grow significantly before Christmas, which can delay normal delivery times.

Pack your shipments carefully

Make sure your parcel is packed properly so that it withstands the stresses of transport. Choose a strong enough outer packaging, such as a box made of sturdy cardboard. Retail packaging is not always strong enough for shipping.

Use cushioning material when packing, such as bubble wrap or other protective material. Also remember to attach an address label to each parcel where it is clearly visible.

You can read our packing instructions here.

Check the last shipping dates

Different carriers have different last shipping dates before Christmas. See below the last shipping dates announced by the carriers PostNord and DHL.

Book your transport well in advance so that your shipments can leave no later than the dates below.

PostNord: last shipping dates of the season

Below are the last shipping dates announced by PostNord for parcels to be delivered before Christmas. You can also check the dates on PostNord’s own website.

PostNord parcels for consumers

Home delivery and pickup point parcels

Domestic shipments

19 Dec to postcode areas 71–73, 77–79 and 93–99

20 Dec other postcode areas

Sweden

17 Dec to postcode areas 62 and 83–98

18 Dec to postcode areas 10–61 and 63–82

Denmark

18 Dec to all of Denmark

19 Dec from the Turku, Tampere and Helsinki areas to postcode areas 00–36 and 40–49

PostNord parcels for businesses

Domestic shipments

18 Dec deliveries to postcode areas 71–73, 77–79 and 93–99

19 Dec deliveries to other postcode areas

Sweden

18 Dec to postcode areas 62 and 83–98

19 Dec to postcode areas 10–61 and 63–82

Denmark

18 Dec to all of Denmark

Parcels to other European countries

16 Dec business parcels to the rest of Europe, except:

17 Dec business parcels to Germany, the Benelux countries, France and Austria

18 Dec parcels to Latvia and Lithuania

19 Dec parcels to Estonia

Pallet shipments

PostNord pallet shipments

Domestic shipments

18 Dec deliveries to postcode areas 71–73, 77–79 and 93–99

19 Dec deliveries to other postcode areas

Sweden

18 Dec to postcode areas 62 and 83–98

19 Dec to postcode areas 10–61 and 63–82

Denmark

18 Dec to all of Denmark

PostNord pallet shipments to the rest of Europe

11 Dec rest of Europe, except:

12 Dec France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland

15 Dec Austria, the Benelux countries

16 Dec Germany

18 Dec Latvia and Lithuania

19 Dec Estonia

DHL pallet shipments

Please contact our customer service if you are ordering part or full loads around the turn of the year.

Domestic transport runs on weekdays over Christmas, but not on public holidays. Below are DHL’s last shipping dates of the season for European imports and exports. You can also check the dates on DHL’s website.

Sweden

18 Dec deliveries before Christmas

NOTE! Shipments collected 19–23 Dec are delivered after Christmas

Denmark

13 Dec deliveries before Christmas

NOTE! Shipments collected 16–23 Dec are delivered after Christmas

Continental Europe

13 Dec deliveries to continental Europe before Christmas

NOTE! The first scheduled departures of 2025 run from week 2 onwards

Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

Week 51: departures on normal schedules

Week 52: no departures (departures on Mon 23 Dec and Fri 27 Dec cancelled)

Week 1/2025: scheduled departures (except Wed 1 Jan)

Week 2/2025: scheduled departures from Tue 7 Jan (departures on Mon 6 Jan cancelled)

Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary

13 Dec deliveries before Christmas

NOTE! The first scheduled departures of 2025 run from week 2 onwards

Other Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans

13 Dec last departures of the year – deliveries to recipients from week 2/2025

NOTE! The first scheduled departures of 2025 run from week 2 onwards