Service Updates

Latest news on industrial action
We are ready to talk further with the CWU to try to avert this strike action. We are continuing to accept, process and deliver your items and have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption. Click here for more information.

UK

Any service issues will be detailed below;

Service Issues:

UK Service Messages - (Advisory / Suspensions)

Last updated today at 12:55

The table below shows the current advisory and suspended service changes in place across the UK. These messages are reviewed daily.

Last Updated: 7th December 2022
 
Message Status Issue Date Raised Details
Service Guarantee Suspension Road Traffic Accident 7 Dec 2022

Delivery delays are expected in the London South East Area due to a crash that has resulted in the closing of Dartford tunnel. The postcodes below are affected.

  • DA1 to 4, 11 to 13
  • ME1 to 5, 14 to 16
  • TN12 to 16
  • BR6 to 8
Advisory

Ad hoc collections

 7 Dec 2022

Ad hoc collections for London Central Depot will be unavailable until Monday 12th December.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank our customers for their patience. 
Advisory Industrial strike 1 Dec 2022

We’re doing what we can to keep services running, but customers should expect significant disruption. Click here for more information.

International

If there are any service issues, they appear below;

Service Issues:

Rest of the World

Last updated today at 12:52

Please visit parcelforce.com/coronavirus for more information on sending and receiving parcels. Please see below for information on sending to specific countries.

Last updated: 7th Decemeber 2022
Updates have been provided for: Ascension Island & St Helena

 

Important Notices:

All countries globally are now under a suspension of service guarantee for delivery speed delays, unless stated in Table A. This is in place from 18 March 2020 due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.                ​​​​​​       (000R)

We advise customers who are planning to send permitted perishable items, internationally to be particularly aware of the current potential delays to delivery and consider this before shipping. Details on permitted perishable items can be found here
 
HS Code Update January 2022
On January 1st 2022, the World Customs Organisation (WCO), an independent intergovernmental body that serves as the voice of the customs community, implemented the 7th edition of its Harmonised System. This means the data requirements will change in areas including HS codes and duty and VAT rates, as well as having implications for prohibited and restricted goods screening. For a full-list of updates please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-goods-classification-2022-tariff-stop-pre... or visit the HMRC Trade Tariff tool here: https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff  for more information, in order to minimise delays through customs or items being returned to sender.
 

Customs declarations
All customers need to complete and attach a customs declaration (CP72 and/or CN23) when sending goods to all destinations abroad. Otherwise items may be delayed or returned. To avoid delays/returns due to customs compliance please see our help pages:

Please note:  Each destination is responsible for setting their own import controls on restricted goods. Customers are advised to identify whether items being imported into a specific destination will require licences/certificates or incur additional charges. To identify specific Country requirements, please visit our individual country pages here https://www.parcelforce.com/worldwide-directory

Table A - These are countries that currently have service guarantees in place 

Country
Canada
Norway
Taiwan
Thailand 
UAE
Monaco
Iceland

Country Updates

Country  Issue  Status  Last reviewed 
Afghanistan No Service except for globalexpress to some locations 

Service is suspended until further notice for our globalpriority and globalvalue services. Parcels should not be accepted and if sent will be returned to sender.

However, Afghanistan currently can be reached via our globalexpress service.

 28th March 2022
Antigua Infrequent dispatch

 

Dispatch is twice a week

 28th March 2022
Ascension Island & St Helena Infrequent dispatch

Infrequent (The situation is likely to be ongoing until Airport/runway rebuilding work is complete)

 `7th December 2022
Australia  Airline capacity 

The movement of items into Australia continues to be subject to airfreight supply and performance difficulties which is resulting in the delivery standards currently being outside the current advertised delivery specification. Parcelforce continue to work to find alternate capacity and on work on short term performance improvement activities.

 27th October 2022
Bahamas Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Barbados Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is twice a week 28th March 2022
Belarus Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is twice a week 28th March 2022
Bermuda Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is twice a week 28th March 2022
Bolivia Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Brunei Darussalam Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is every 6 weeks 28th March 2022
Canada  Toronto Delays 

Canada Post have provided a further update regarding the scanning and resourcing issues within Toronto. They have informed that these issues are ongoing and are particularly affecting Untracked and Signed items. As a result, significant delays should be expected, for items destined for Toronto, in postcodes beginning with L and ending with P, until further notice.

 20th October 2022
Central African Republic Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
China Operational delays 

Items destined for China may still be experiencing delays due to operational delays within China. We are continuing to work with China post and will provide an update once the situation has improved.

 28th October 2022
Cuba Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Dominica  Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch to Dominica is made via sea and therefore longer transit times should be expected 20th July 2022
Dominican Republic Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Ecuador Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Ecuador

Service only available via Globalexpress

 All remaining services are temporarily suspended due to carrier issues  5th April 2022
El Salvador Storm Julia  El Salvador Post has informed that the heavy rainful has ceased and postal operations have resumed as normal. 15th November 2022
Grenada Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Guatemala Delays Due to a carrier backlog at the Transit hub, Guatemala Post have advised that journey time to Guatemala may be extended, and customers may experience delays. 19th October 2022
Guinea-Bissau No service  There is currently no service to this country / territory 28th March 2022
Guyana  Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Haiti Suspension of service There is currrently no available route to Haiti. Posted items will be processed for return to senders until route available for resumption. 15th November 2022
India  Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is three times a week 28th March 2022
Israel  Coronavirus / backlog 

Incident one
Israeli Post has updated that that mail distribution and collection in the south/centre of the country are no longer subject to interruptions and delays as a result of the security situation. However, the health restrictions communicated previously are still in place and will continue to affect the processing and delivery of items until further notice.

 

Incident two
Israeli Post has updated that they are currently working to clear a backlog of items within their sorting centre. As a result, delays may be experienced for items destined for Israel until this backlog has been cleared. An update will be provided once available.

 15th November 2022
Jamaica Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is twice a week 28th March 2022
Kenya Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Kiribati

Service Temporarily Suspended for 

globalpriority
globalvalue

Service is suspended due to carrier issues 
 

All remaining services will take 2-3 months to arrive

 28th March 2022
Laos Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is twice a week 28th March 2022
Libya No Service except for globalexpress to some locations 

Service is suspended until further notice for our globalpriority and globalvalue services. Parcels should not be accepted and if sent will be returned to sender.

However, Libya currently can be reached via our globalexpress service.

 28th March 2022
Malaysia Coronavirus Post Malaysia has updated that COVID-19 prevention measures are still being enforced. Selected Malaysia Post office outlets are temporarily closed owing to COVID-19 control and preventative measures, while others are open as usual. As result, the Post is unable to guarantee compliance with the agreed delivery standards. 6th April 2022
Mauritius Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Nauru

Service Temporarily Suspended for 

globalpriority
globalvalue

 Service is suspended due to carrier issues 
 		 28th March 2022
Pakistan Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Pakistan Flooding  Pakistan Post has informed that certain areas of the country are currently affected by flooding. As a result, there may be disruption to mail operations and delays to the delivery of postal items. 2nd September 2022
Panama  Coronavirus Panama Post has updated that all of their processing facilities are operating under normal working hours but subject to special measures established by the Ministry of Health of Panama. As result it is unable to guarantee delivery standards until further notice. 28th April 2022
Paraguay Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Samoa Infrequent dispatch  Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Singapore  Coronavirus Singapore post has updated that restrictions remain in place to limit spread of COVID-19 and signatures are not collected at delivery. Items of letter box size will be deposited in letter box, and items larger than letter-box size will be delivered to parcel locker stations, post offices or collection points. 3rd March 2022
Somalia No service There is currently no service to this country / territory. 28th March 2022
South Sudan No service There is currently no service to this country / territory. 28th March 2022
Sri Lanka Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
St Kitts & Nevis Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
St Lucia Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
St Vincent & The Grenadines Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 20th July 2022
Syria  No service There is currently no service to this country / territory. 28th March 2022
Tuvalu

Service Temporarily Suspended for 

globalpriority
globalvalue

Service is suspended due to carrier issues

Remaining services will take 2-3 months to arrive

 28th March 2022
Uganda Infrequent Dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Uruguay Infrequent Dispatch Dispatch is once every two weeks 28th March 2022
USA Extreme weather USPS, has informed that Hurricane Ian has caused major disruptions in areas of Florida. USPS is working with local authorities for safe and timely processing and delivery of mail, where possible; however, there may be delays to your items. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide any updates. 13th October 2022
Venezuela Infrequent Dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th July 2022
Yemen No Service except for globalexpress to some locations 

Service is suspended until further notice for our globalpriority and globalvalue services. Parcels should not be accepted and if sent will be returned to sender.

However, Yemen currently can be reached via our globalexpress service.

 28th March 2022
Zambia Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022


 

 

Europe

Last updated today at 7:00

Please visit parcelforce.com/coronavirus for more information on sending and receiving parcels. Please see below for information on sending to specific countries.

Last updated: 1st of December 2022

Updates have been provided for: Italy and Malta

 

Welcome to our live service update page for Europe. Below is a round-up of any issues that may be impacting our services to and from destinations in Europe. We keep this page as up-to-date as possible, with information supplied to Parcelforce from our partners. 

Important Notices:

All countries across Europe are now under a suspension of service guarantee for delivery speed delays, unless stated in Table A. This is in place from 16 March 2020 due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.           (000E)
 
Our partners around the globe may have changed their proof of delivery (POD) processes to adhere to local regulations.
 
We advise customers who are planning to send permitted perishable items, internationally to be particularly aware of the current potential delays to delivery and consider this before shipping. Details on permitted perishable items can be found here.
 

HS Code Update January 2022
On January 1st 2022, the World Customs Organisation (WCO), an independent intergovernmental body that serves as the voice of the customs community, implemented the 7th edition of its Harmonised System. This means the data requirements will change in areas including HS codes and duty and VAT rates, as well as having implications for prohibited and restricted goods screening. For a full-list of updates please visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-goods-classification-2022-tariff-stop-pre... or visit the HMRC Trade Tariff tool here: https://www.gov.uk/trade-tariff  for more information, in order to minimise delays through customs or items being returned to sender.

Customs declarations
All customers need to complete and attach a customs declaration (CP72 and/or CN23) when sending goods to all destinations abroad. Otherwise items may be delayed or returned. To avoid delays/returns due to customs compliance please see our help pages:

Please note:  Each destination is responsible for setting their own import controls on restricted goods. Customers are advised to identify whether items being imported into a specific destination will require licences/certificates or incur additional charges. To identify specific Country requirements, please visit our individual country pages here https://www.parcelforce.com/worldwide-directory
 
 

 

Table A - These are countries that currently have service guarantees in place

Country
Ireland 

Cyprus

Country updates

Country Issue Current Status  Latest Update
Albania  Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Austria  No service for Global Priority Returns Service is currently suspended until further notice. 28th March 2022
Belarus Service availability  We are still despatching items to Belarus. We are continually monitoring the situation and will provide an update if there are any changes to our service moving forward. 11th April 2022
Bosnia & Herzegovina Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Germany  Coronavirus  Deutsche Post of Germany has informed that due to increasing COVID-19 infections among staff, it is currently encountering challenges in delivering items within promised delivery timescales.These challenges are mainly at local or regional levels rather than nationwide but may affect different parts of Germany with delays. As a result, minor delays may be experienced for items destined for Germany until further notice. 28th October 2022
Gibraltar Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is twice a week 28th March 2022
Ireland  Import controls

Our service to Ireland is operating as normal. However, items that require the payment of import taxes by the recipient may take longer to be delivered as payment is required before items are released from Irish customs.

Please note: Delivered Duties Unpaid items sent to Ireland are handled as follows:
•Where a mobile number and /or email is provided, the recipient will receive a text and / or email and a letter with the amount of tax to pay plus An Post’s processing fee.
•Where just the address has been provided, the recipient will receive a letter.

In both situations the recipient will receive instructions on how to pay and will have 16 working days to make the payment before the item is returned. The pay by date is included in the customer notification.All items are held in the Dublin Mail Centre Campus before being released, once payment is received. If payment is not received by the payment due date or the customer rejects the item then it is returned to sender.

 1st September 2022
Italy  Industrial Action  Poste Italiane has informed that a 24-hour strike, commencing at 00.01 on 2 December 2022 has been called. Delays may be experienced for items destined for Italy during this period. 1st December 2022
Malta Service levels

Malta Post has informed that since 1 November 2022, an industrial dispute with delivery staff is affecting mail deliveries. Delays may be experienced for items destined for Malta until further notice.

 1st December 2022
Moldova  Airspace currently unavailable Due to the situation in neighbouring Ukraine, we have been advised that Moldovan airspace is closed. We are working with our postal and transportation partners to put in place alternative routes. We are still accepting items for Moldova but please be advised that there may be short delays to the delivery of your item.

Latest Update
An alternative transit route is in place for Moldova. However as this is a non-direct route, please be advised that there may be short delays to the delivery of your item.		 10th March 2022
Montenegro Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Poland  Delivery delays

Poland Post are still experiencing high volumes of items received into their network due to the aid assistance they are providing to bordering Ukraine. Poland Post is continuing to process and deliver items as soon as possible however, due to the increased volumes, delays are to be expected. We are continuing to work with Polish Post and will provide an update once the situation has improved.

 2nd September 2022
Russia  Global Express service temporarily suspended

Our Global Express Service to Russia is suspended until further notice. Shipments already in transit will be temporarily held in our network.

Russia can still be reached via our Global Priority service. 

 

Latest update
We are still despatching postal items to Russia (except via our Global Express service). We are continually monitoring the situation and will provide an update if there are any changes to our service moving forward.

 

 11th April 2022
Serbia (and Kosovo) Infrequent dispatch Dispatch is once a week 28th March 2022
Ukraine  Global Express suspension/ delays

The Ukrainian postal service (Ukrposhta) has provided an update that road access for postal exchanges with Ukrposhta’s centre in Kyiv is severely limited, some international mail processing operations have been moved to Lviv. Longer transit times continue to be experienced due to queues at the border and difficult road connections within Ukraine. Ukraine Post continue to remain committed to maintaining postal operations, but will not be able to guarantee compliance with the agreed delivery standards.

To identify open post offices within Ukraine and their working hours please visit Ukrposhta’s webpage that is updated daily at: offices.ukrposhta.ua. An update will be provided once available.

Global Express suspension
Service is currently suspended until further notice.  Shipments already in transit will be temporarily held in our network.

Ukraine can be reached via our Global Priority service. 

 

Latest Update
We continue to make regular mail despatch to Ukraine transiting via our Postal Partners. Ukraine Post has updated that the country’s infrastructure has suffered severe damage. The attacks on the power grid and local energy facilities are necessitating rolling power cuts lasting from one to four hours. In some cases, following a direct missile strike, power may be cut off for several days in certain areas. In areas without active hostilities, all Ukrposhta post offices will remain open. In places with up to 24 hours power outage, Ukrposhta employees will hand out postal items and pay out money orders and upload the delivery data into the system at a later stage, once power and Internet access are restored. Sorting facilities are equipped with electricity generators to ensure uninterrupted work and maintain normal customs and sorting procedures. However, operationally there may be delays. Therefore, delays should continue to be expected for items destined to Ukraine until further notice.

 28th October 2022
Ukraine - Crimea region and other oblasts No service to the Crimea region and other Oblasts as shown in the next column 

There are 24 delivery regions in Ukraine (Oblasts) and we are currently unable to deliver to 3 of these;

Donetsk Oblast - postcodes starting 83xxx to 87xxx - including cities of Donetsk and Mariupol

Luhansk Oblast - postcodes starting 91xxx to 94xxx - including cities of Luhansk and Krasnyi Luch

Crimea (annexed by Russia in 2014) - postcodes starting 95xxx to 99xxx - including Simferopol and Sevastopol

 28th March 2022

 

 

Imports into the UK

Last updated today at 7:00

Imports into the UK

We are processing both GLS and postal imports with traffic flowing in both cases. Whilst there have been some short-term delays, items where duties, taxes and charges need to be paid are being processed through the depot network and recipients will be notified accordingly.

Where import items and in particular GLS imports require customs clearance these are flowing through the network but can be subject to delay due to import documentation requirements.

Service Advice/ Suspensions

Last updated today at 7:00

The table below shows the current advisory and suspended service changes in place outside the UK. These messages are reviewed daily.

Last Reviewed: 8 December 2021
 
       
Service Temporarily Suspended globalbulk direct Jan 2021 We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Available

europriority

euroeconomy

 8 Dec 2021

Please be aware that services may be subject to delay in the destination country due to both new customs clearance processes and the ongoing Covid-19 measures.

Service Temporarily Suspended

europriorityimport service

 8 Dec 2021
Recent changes in customs clearance processes mean that we continue to implement further system updates to support our europriorityimport service.
 
Our europriorityimport service will be temporarily unavailable from 18 January 2021 until these updates are completed.
We will keep you updated on the progress of this.
 
Any existing parcels in our network are being processed as quickly as possible.
 
Guidance on the required customs data and documentation can be found here.
 
We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Advisory

Return to Sender Process for Account Customers 

 8 Dec 2021

We may need to return your parcels for one of the following reasons:

(1) Insufficient Customs data and/or export documentation provided.

(2) Sending Prohibited or Restricted Goods

(3) The item could not be delivered in destination country.