Australia Post reveals deadline for mailing Christmas parcels

With the festive season almost upon us, Australia Post is encouraging Australians to plan ahead to ensure their parcels arrive on time.

The postal giant has released the cut-off dates for domestic and international deliveries ahead of its busiest time of the year.

Australia Post executive general manager Gary Starr said the corporation was scaling its operations with thousands of extra team members to meet demand.

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"Christmas is the busiest time of year for our network and we know how important it is for parcels and cards to arrive on time," Starr said.

"We're sharing these key dates early so people can plan ahead, while also scaling up our operations with thousands of extra team members.

"Planning ahead is the best way to make sure your gifts reach loved ones, and while we'll still deliver items sent after the recommended dates as quickly as possible, we can't guarantee they'll arrive before Christmas."

Domestic mail

For people living in metro areas, parcels should be sent by Monday, December 22 for same state deliveries and Friday, December 19 for interstate deliveries.

For express post deliveries from metro areas, parcels should be sent by Tuesday, December 23.

Christmas letters and cards from metro areas should be sent by Thursday, December 18 for same state deliveries and Tuesday, December 16 for interstate deliveries.

Australians sending to or from Western Australia, Northern Territory, Tasmania and regional or remote locations should allow a few extra days.

International mail

Economy air parcels should be sent between November 21 and December 5, depending on the destination.

International standard parcels should be sent between November 28 and December 12.

Parcels sent via international express, should be sent between December 5 and December 18.

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