Plan Ahead for the Festive Season

Q: How do I find out if my holiday parcel will arrive on time?

It always helps to shop and ship early during the festive season. For a quick recommendation of which services to use, and for detailed planning, get a quote .

Q: My small business ships a lot of parcels. How can I stay informed about network status and specific deliveries?

UPS makes it easy for businesses to stay informed – even for complex supply chains. Read more on Get Started With UPS .

Q: Does UPS always need a signature to deliver my parcel?

The sender typically determines whether a signature is required for parcels. In some instances UPS drivers may require a signature for deliveries on their route. You can authorise UPS to leave parcels without signing by enrolling in UPS My Choice ® .

Q: Can a UPS Access Point ® location hold my parcels?

Your parcel can be held at a UPS Customer Centre or a UPS Access Point location. You can also instruct us to reroute your parcel to another address or have the driver leave it with a neighbour. Learn More About UPS Access Point Locations

View UPS days of operation and get tips for managing changes in your shipping volumes.

Ship Now

Festive Season Shipping with UPS

During the busiest seasons, we provide the same reliable service that you trust us to deliver all year. We're committed to helping you take full advantage of every available shipping day.

Please Note

You will find national bank holidays listed below. Local bank holidays may apply and impact your shipments as well as a money-back guarantee. For specific service information, please check the Calculate Time and Cost page.

Holiday Schedule

January

1 January 2024 - New Year's Day
No UPS delivery or collection services.

6 January 2024 – Epiphany
No UPS delivery or collection services.

During the Festive Shipping Season delivery times may be modified.

From Monday, 20 November 2023 until Friday, 12 January 2024:

Deliveries sent with UPS Standard may require 1 extra day in transit.
Deliveries sent with UPS Express and UPS Express 12:00 to be delivered by 10:30 may be delivered by 12:00, and deliveries for 12:00 may be delivered by 14:00.
On Saturday 30 December 2023, there will be no UPS delivery or collection services.

Please consult the UPS Holiday Schedule 2023-2024 for further information specific to each country.

February

8 February 2024 - Women's Carnival Day
No service in certain ZIP area in UPS centre Cologne.

12 February 2024 - Rose Monday
UPS centers Duesseldorf, Cologne, Aachen and Bonn are closed. No service in certain ZIP areas in UPS centers Frankfurt, Freiburg, Fulda, Herne, Karlsruhe, Koblenz, Mannheim, Muenster, Osnabrueck, Passau, Ravensburg, Rottweil, Saarbruecken, Stuttgart, Trier, Wiesbaden and Wuerzburg.

13 February 2024 - Carnival
Limited service in certain ZIP areas in UPS centers Allershausen, Augsburg, Bamberg, Erfurt, Esslingen, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Fulda, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe, Kempten, Koblenz, Koeln, Mannheim, Moenchengladbach, Munich City, Nuernberg, Passau, Rosenheim, Rottweil, Siegen, Stuttgart, Ulm, Wasserburg, Wiesbaden, Wolfratshausen, Wuerzburg.

March

April

May

1 May 2024 - Labour Day

9 May 2024 - Ascension Day

20 May 2024 - Whit Monday

27 May 2024 – Holy-Blood-Festival
No service in certain ZIP area in UPS center Ravensburg.

30 May 2024 - Corpus Christi
UPS centres in federal states Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, Northrhine-Westphalia, Rhineland Palatinate, Saarland are closed. ZIP exceptions will be serviced by other UPS centres. No service in certain ZIP areas in UPS centres Bautzen, Cottbus, Paderborn, Kassel.

June

July

August

8 August 2024 - Peace Festival
No service in certain ZIP areas in UPS centre Augsburg.

15 August 2023 - Assumption Day
UPS centres in federal states Bavaria, Saarland are closed, with exceptions of UPS centres Nuremberg, Bayreuth, Wuerzburg. ZIP exceptions will be serviced by other UPS centres. No service in certain ZIP areas in UPS centres Bamberg, Wuerzburg, Ravensburg, Nuremberg, Bayreuth, Crailsheim.

September

October

3 October 2024 - German Unity Day
No UPS delivery or collection services.

31 October 2024 - Reformation Day
UPS centres in federal states Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia are closed. ZIP exceptions will be serviced by other UPS centres. Limited service in certain ZIP areas in UPS centers Osnabrueck and Rheine.

November

1 November 2024 - All Saints’ Day
UPS centres in federal states Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bavaria, Northrhine-Westphalia, Rhineland Palatinate, Saarland are closed. ZIP exceptions will be serviced by other UPS centres. No service in certain ZIP areas in UPS centres Koblenz, Paderborn, Mannheim, Heidelberg.

22 November 2024 - Day of Prayer and Repentance
UPS centres in federal state Saxony are closed. ZIP exceptions will be serviced from other UPS centres. No service in certain ZIP areas in UPS center Leipzig.

December

Helpful Solutions for You

Redirect Parcels

With UPS My Choice^®, you can redirect parcels to another address or reschedule them for delivery at a more convenient time.

Change Your Delivery

UPS Drop-off and Collection Locations

Search from thousands of UPS Access Point^® lockers, shops and retail locations near you to drop off and collect parcels.

Find an Access Point Location

Send Parcels from Home

Our collection options are built to work around your schedule. Arrange your collections in just a few minutes.

Schedule a Collection

FAQ

How do I find out if my holiday parcel will arrive on time?

My small business ships a lot of parcels. How can I stay informed about network status and specific deliveries?

Does UPS always need a signature to deliver my parcel?

Can a UPS Access Point^® location hold my parcels?