Post Office Releases Important Holiday Mailing Dates

As the “Official Shipper of the Holidays,” the United States Postal Service — with a — released the suggested mail-by dates to ensure packages, cards, and letters reach their intended destination before the 2011 celebrations begin.

Dates are provided as a guide for dropping holiday wishes into the mail. Customers who use the United States Postal Service as their “Official Shipper of the Holidays” can trust the Postal Service will provide reliable, trusted and secure delivery at home or abroad.

Postmarking for domestic mail — mailed from and delivered within the U.S. — and international mail destined for overseas should occur by:

***GXG Notes:
1 Cutoff date does not take into account time needed for customs clearance.
2 Should allocate extra transit day(s) for delivery outside major cities.
3 Last day to ship to Afghanistan is Dec 19 and Iraq is Dec 16.

MILITARY APO/FPO ADDRESSES:

In anticipation of a busy holiday shipping season, the United States Postal Service is announcing recommended holiday mailing dates and a discounted, flat rate price of $12.95 on packages sent to military service personnel worldwide.

The price includes a $2.00 per box discount on Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes for military mail being sent to APO/FPO (Air/Army Post Office, Fleet Post Office) destinations worldwide. In addition to a lower cost per package, customers can be assured that shipping with the Postal Service will provide reliable, trusted and secure delivery to military personnel stationed worldwide. To ensure timely delivery of holiday wishes by Dec. 25th, cards and packages to military APO/FPO addresses overseas should be sent no later than the mailing dates listed below. 

Mailing date chart footnotes:
1 Express Mail Military Service (EMMS) is available at select military Post Offices. Check with your local Post Office to determine if this service is available to an APO/FPO address.
2 Parcel Airlift Mail (PAL) provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length and girth combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular surface rate of postage for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.
3 Space Available Mail (SAM) parcels are paid at Parcel Post prices with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis. The recommended last day to mail the most economical postage to overseas military destinations, including Iraq and Afghanistan, is Nov. 12. “We suggest using the Postal Service’s Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes for sending all your military packages overseas this holiday season,” said Giselle Valera, vice president and managing director, Global Business. “There’s no shipping service that’s a better value, more reliable, or easier to use than our Flat Rate program. And, those familiar red and white boxes emblazoned with the ‘America Supports You’ logo are sure to remind those away from home, of a bit of home.” For online ordering of the large Priority Mail APO/FPO Flat Rate Boxes featuring the “America Supports You” logo and information about mailing letters and packages to military destinations, visit Priority Mail APO/FPO Boxes under “Order Free Boxes.” The Postal Service also offers free military care kits, designed specifically for military families sending packages overseas. Each kit includes two “America Supports You” large Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes, four medium-sized Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes, six Priority Mail labels, one roll of Priority Mail tape and six customs forms with envelopes. The mailing kits can be ordered by requesting them at 800-610-8734. Additional savings are available for customers printing Priority Mail postage labels online at Click-N-Ship where additional discounts can be obtained for preparing your military mailing online. Mail addressed to military Post Offices overseas is subject to certain conditions or restrictions regarding content, preparation and handling. APO/FPO addresses generally require customs forms. To see an online table of updated APO and FPO addresses and mailing restrictions by individual APO/FPO ZIP codes, click on APO/FPO Addresses, select “Pull-Out Information” and click on “Other Information.”