In 2023, France's national postal service, La Poste, said they were planning to process 100 million packages during the November and December months, working tirelessly to make sure people receive their Christmas gifts in time.
La Poste recently published their list of recommended deadlines if you want to ensure your parcel arrives at its intended destination before Christmas. Nevertheless, delays are still possible, so try to send as early as possible.
As for costs, La Poste's website has tools to help you estimate prices.
Parcels can also be sent via Chronopost, which usually offers faster delivery, and private couriers like Fed-Ex and DPD also have their own deadlines, although they are broadly in line with La Poste.
There is also DHL, but there may be delays with this service, after industrial action (from December 9th to 13th) led to a backlog in package processing.
If you're buying online, each company has its own deadline on when it can guarantee a Christmas delivery.
Here are some timeline estimates for sending and receiving packages this Christmas season;
Within France
For Colissimo, you should send packages by Friday, December 20th.
For Chronopost, send your items before Saturday, December 21st (for a delivery by December 24th).
UK
La Poste advises sending standard parcels to the UK by Tuesday, December 17th. Still, it is wise to give yourself extra time when possible, as delays are known to occur.
For sending parcels from the UK to France, Royal Mail advises posting items by Monday, December 2nd for 'International Economy'; Thursday, December 5th for International Standard (Untracked); and Monday, December 16th for 'International Tracking and Signature services'.
USA
Under normal circumstances, Colissimo parcels are estimated to take five to eight days to get to USA, and this drops down to two days when sending with Chrono Express.
La Poste's recommended deadline for sending packages to the US (with the expectation they will arrive by Christmas day) is Friday, December 13th this year.
If you are sending a package to France from the US, then the US postal service's recommended deadline is to send items before Monday, December 9th. This is their advice for "First-Class Package International" and "Priority Mail International" services.
For the 'Priority Mail Express International' Service, they encourage sending before Monday, December 16th.
Remember that there are restrictions when mailing things to and from the US. Prohibited items include alcoholic beverages, pharmaceutical products not approved by the American administration. You can find the full list here.
Canada
Postal workers in Canada have been on strike for four weeks. If industrial action continues, it is very possible there could be significant delays for sending and receiving packages. Try to send as early as possible.
Nevertheless, France's La Poste recommends that you send items to Canada by Friday, December 13th at the latest.
When sending items from Canada to France, Canada Post recommends sending by December 11th for the 'Tracked Packet/Small Packet' category, and by December 16th for the 'Xpresspost International' category.
You have to declare all food, plants, animals and related products sent to Canada, and there are restrictions on firearms, explosives and ammunition and other items. For complete information, click here.
Australia
Usually, it takes 10 to 14 days for parcels to reach Australia. The recommendation for Christmas packages this year is to send them from France by Monday, December 9th.
For packages from Australia to France, Australia Post recommends sending by December 2nd for 'Economy Air parcels, & International Post Registered letters'; by December 9th for 'Standard parcels', by December 13th for 'Express parcels and letters', as well as 'Courier parcels and letters'.
Other European countries
Send parcels by Monday, December 16th for the following locations - Bulgaria, Cyprus, Spanish islands, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portuguese islands, Romania and Slovenia.
Send parcels by Tuesday, December 17th for Croatia, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.
Send parcels by Wednesday, December 18th for Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Portugal.
Fees and customs declarations
If you're sending parcels to another EU country then it's pretty straightforward - just pay the delivery cost.
If, however, you are sending to a country outside the EU, then you will need to fill out a customs declaration form explaining what is in your parcel and whether it is a gift or not.
In addition to standard postal charges, you may also need to pay customs duties, depending on the value or your parcel and whether it is a gift or not.
Find full details on customs duty rules HERE.
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