Christmas is by far the busiest time of year for postal companies, whose workload peaks in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
If you live in Italy and are planning to send a package to family or friends abroad for natale, you'll want to make sure you allow plenty of time for it to get there.
Poste Italiane
Italian postal service provider Poste Italiane hasn’t yet published a list of send-by dates for Christmas packages. In 2024, this information was published in early December.
However, items sent through Poste Italiane's Postapriority Internazionale service generally take three working days (starting the day after the item was posted) to arrive in the rest of Europe and four to five working days to reach countries in the 'Mediterranean Basin'.
It takes five to six working days for the post to reach North American destinations; seven to eight working days to reach Central and South America, Oceania and Asia; and eight to nine days to reach African countries.
Check your tariff zone here.
Items sent via the standard Postamail Internazionale service will take significantly longer: eight working days to reach countries in Europe; 12 in the Mediterranean Basin; 16 in North America and Oceania; and 22 in the rest of the world.
If you want to send something from Italy to the US, you can still use Poste Italiane to ship correspondence – including postcards and letters – and packages sent via the Poste Delivery International Express service.
Other services have been suspended since late August due to changes in US customs rules.
READ ALSO: Poste Italiane suspends parcel shipments from Italy to US
Keep in mind that there are usually service interruptions in December. While the exact dates for 2025 are not yet known, last year Poste Italiane did not collect or deliver parcels during the first two weekends of December, nor during the period from Christmas Eve to December 26th.
Collection and delivery services will also be paused on December 31st, January 1st and January 6th (Epiphany).
READ ALSO: Not just buying stamps: Nine things you can do at an Italian post office
Private couriers
Private delivery companies publish deadlines regarding Christmas deliveries in the weeks leading up to the holiday.
UPS says December 22nd will be the last day to ship UPS 2nd Day Air packages to the US for delivery by Christmas Eve. Their updated holiday calendar provides details about shipping in December and January.
An updated schedule for the 2025 holidays has not yet been made available, but last year DHL advised customers using its ‘express service’ (servizio espresso) to post packages destined for other European countries by December 20th, and packages headed for the US or Canada by December 19th.
FedEx Italia doesn't publicize formal ‘last call’ dates for packages, but says shipping services will be paused on December 25th–28th, as well as a few other dates in January. Services and branch hours will be reduced on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Customs and VAT
If you are sending items to a country outside the EU, you will need to fill out a customs declaration form (Dichiarazione Doganale CN23) explaining what is in your parcel and whether it is a gift.
In addition to standard postal charges, you may also need to pay customs duties depending on the value of your parcel.
Within the EU, you can send packages under 30 kilograms by simply filling out a lettera di vettura (waybill) with the basic mailing information. You'll find this at your local post office.
Banned items
Certain items may be banned from shipping due to courier-specific regulations or laws enforced by either Italy or the intended destination country.
Other items (for instance, certain types of perishable food, plants and alcohol) may be subject to restrictions, meaning they might need special permits or licences to be shipped.
Poste Italiane bans the following categories of items:
- Items prohibited by law or considered dangerous under national or international regulations.
- Items that, by their nature or packaging, may pose a hazard to people or the environment, or cause damage to other shipments.
- Articles subject to IATA restrictions (see a full list in Italian).
- Goods whose transport is prohibited by any law, regulation or statute issued by any country from, to or through which the shipment may be conducted.
Shipping bans vary from country to country, so it’s strongly advisable to check the relevant national regulations before sending any type of package.
READ MORE: What you can and cannot bring to Italy from abroad
If in doubt about an item, you can contact your local Poste Italiane office or private provider of choice.
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