‘Tis the time to send Christmas mail!
The Post Office has issued deadline dates for posting Christmas parcels to other countries
WITH the festive season fast approaching, the Post Office says now is the time to send Christmas gifts to loved ones living in other countries.
This is owing to the time-consuming clearance procedures that parcels have to go through in the country of destination.
‘In particular, customers who use surface mail to send their Christmas gifts, should do so soon. This will ensure that the parcels reach their destinations in time for Christmas,’ the Post Office said.
Air mail items should be posted no later than 1 December, while sea and surface mail should be posted no later than October 31 for islands of Tristan da Cunha, Ascension and St Helena.
‘Parcels to Australia, the Americas (North and South), the Far East and Asia should also be posted no later than October 31.’
The end of October is also the last posting date for items to Great Britain, Europe, and the Middle East.
Parcels meant for islands in the Indian Ocean, the Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius and Reunion must be posted by October 27.
‘For Africa, the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Peoples Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Cameroon, Nigeria, Gabon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Madagascar, Angola, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe – the last date is December 1.’
Parcels meant for countries bordering South Africa should be posted no later than December 8.
These countries are Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
‘All air mail items are x-rayed and scanned to make sure the content is legal and safe,’ the Post Office said.
How to make sure your parcel arrives safely•Parcels must be packaged securely, as they are transported in bulk.
•If your mail item does not fill the container, fill it with packaging material like shredded paper or polystyrene to act as a shock absorber.
•Make sure the items you are sending are legal in the country of destination. In most countries, plant and animal material cannot be imported.
The following items may not be posted:
•Items containing ion lithium batteries may not be transported using air mail.
•Illegal items such as drugs.
•Items that could leak and damage other packages, such as liquids.
•Items that may explode or catch fire during air transport, such as aerosols or flammable liquids.
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