Keep in mind the delivery times of the carriers and make sure that your packages are under the Christmas tree of your customers on time.
In this article you will learn more about the shipping times of DHL, DPD, UPS, GLS and Hermes. Find out by when you should post your parcels with the carriers to ensure successful delivery by Christmas Eve.
In this article 👇
General tips for shipping and collection
1. Drop-off your parcels on time
Find out in advance about the posting deadlines and parcel transit times of the carriers and deliver your parcels to the parcel shops on time.
2. Plan your collections
Sporadic pickup requests with Shipcloud
Order sporadic pickups via Shipcloud in advance. Please note that pickups can only be ordered for the following working day and only take place Monday to Friday in the core pickup time window between 9:00 and 17:00. You can also find more information about this here.
In the event that your ordered pickups are not carried out by the carrier as expected and time is of the essence, drop-off your parcels yourself, in compliance with the posting deadlines, to a parcel shop.
Regular pickups via your own carrier account
Find out from your carrier about the last possible pickup day for on-time delivery of your domestic and international parcels. Please note that pickup days vary depending on the destination.
3. Use an express service alternatively
Depending on the shipping scenario and if possible, also use express services of the carriers.
4. Pack your parcels properly
Pack your shipments carefully and securely according to the packaging guidelines of the carriers. This will ensure that your shipments are not damaged in transit, may need to be repacked by the parcel service or even destroyed, and will prevent transit time delays and non-deliveries.
Shipping deadlines for Deutsche Post
Delivery before the holidays is possible only if the shipping is made before the parcel shop disposal.
Destination | Deadline | Deutsche Post Product |
Germany | Monday, 12/21/2026 by 12 noon Tuesday, 12/22/2026 by 12 noon | Standard
Express |
EU countries | Neighboring countries: Thursday, 12/17/2026 by 12 noon Tuesday, 12/22/2026 by 12 noon | Standard
Express |
Non-EU countries | Thursday, 11/26/2026 by 12 noon Friday, 12/18/2026 by 12 noon | Standard
Express |
Deutsche Post provides you with further information (in german) here.
Shipping deadlines DHL
The following shipping or drop-off deadlines apply to the timely delivery of your DHL parcels by December 24th. Please also note that delivery before the holidays is only possible if shipping takes place before parcel shop disposal.
Destination | Countries | Deadline | DHL shipping method |
National | Germany | Tuesday, 12/22/2026 by 12 noon | DHL Paket, DHL Kleinpaket |
Neighboring countries | Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland | Monday, 12/21/2026 by 12 noon
| DHL Paket International, Service Premium, DHL Europaket |
Nearby European countries | Danmark, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic | Saturday, 12/19/2026 by 12 noon | DHL Paket International, Service Premium, DHL Europaket |
Other European countries | Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Norway | Thursday, 12/17/2026 by 12 noon
| DHL Paket International, Service Premium, DHL Europaket |
Other European countries | Bulgaria, Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, Spain | Friday, 12/18/2026 by 12 noon | DHL Paket International, Service Premium, DHL Europaket |
Non-EU countries | worldwide | Monday, 12/07/2026 by 12 noon
| DHL Paket International, Service Premium, DHL Europaket |
DHL regular collections during the Christmas period
DHL also provides the delivery dates for Christmas 2026 here (in german).
Shipping deadlines for DPD
DPD shipping method | DPD |
DPD Classic (Standard national) | Monday, 12/21/2026 by 12 noon |
DPD Express (national) | Tuesday, 12/22/2026 by 12 noon |
Europe* | Tuesday, 12/15/2026 by 12 noon |
Shipping deadlines for UPS*
The following drop-off deadlines* apply to timely delivery of your domestic UPS parcels by December 24th.
Destination | Deadline | UPS shipping method |
National | Monday, 12/21/2026 by 12 noon Wednesday, 12/23/2026 by 12 noon | UPS Standard
UPS Express, UPS Express Plus |
International | Friday, 12/11/2026 by 6 p.m. | UPS Standard |
*UPS has not published any current deadlines, so the shipping and delivery deadlines are based on our experience.
For your international parcels, we recommend that you check directly with UPS beforehand how long your shipment will be en route. Use the UPS delivery time calculator for this. Roughly it can be said that packages shipped with UPS Standard or Express within Europe can take 1 day (e.g. Austria, Italy) to 3 days (e.g. Spain, Portugal) depending on the destination country. For more information on Christmas shipping and applicable holidays, please also visit the UPS website.
Shipping deadlines for GLS
The following drop-off deadlines apply to timely delivery of your GLS parcels by December 24th.
Destination | Deadline |
National | Monday, 12/21/2026 by 12 noon
|
Neighboring countries | Friday, 12/18/2026 by 12 noon |
Other European countries | Thursday, 12/17/2026 by 12 noon |
Worldwide | Tuesday, 12/15/2026 by 12 noon |
GLS provides you with further information (in german) here.
Shipping deadlines for Hermes
The following drop-off deadlines apply to timely delivery of your Hermes parcels by December 24th.
Destination | Deadline |
National | Saturday, 12/19/2026 by 12 noon
|
International | from Saturday 12/12/2026 by 12 noon |
Hermes provides you with further information (in german) here.
Any further questions? We're happy to help.