Guides

Sending Christmas Parcels Abroad From Poland in 2026

The essentials: Most of Europe is easy: Poczta Polska quotes D+4 to Germany, the UK and others, and InPost International ships to 7 EU countries from 28.99 zl. The US is the exception - no goods parcels via Poczta Polska as of October 2026, and every shipment is now dutiable.

Published 25 Oct 2026, 09:34 CET · By Expats Poland Editorial Team

A red Poczta Polska post box on a street in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland

If you have family or friends abroad, December in Poland ends the same way every year: a queue at the post office, a roll of tape, and a parcel that absolutely must arrive before Christmas. The good news is that sending gifts from Poland to most of Europe is cheap and predictable. The bad news concerns one destination in particular - the United States, where the rules changed fundamentally in 2025 and where, as of late October 2026, Poczta Polska still does not accept parcels containing goods. Here is what is confirmed, what it costs, and how early to post.

The short version by destination

European Union. No customs formalities, normal parcel services, and published delivery norms of around 4-5 working days to most member states. This is the easy case.
United Kingdom. Deliverable and fast (Poczta Polska quotes a D+4 norm), but it sits outside the EU customs union, so your parcel needs a customs declaration and gifts above modest values can attract UK import charges.
United States. The hard case this year. Poczta Polska has not accepted goods parcels to the US since 25 August 2025, and every shipment of goods is now dutiable there regardless of value.
Everywhere else. Normally fine via Poczta Polska's zone-based parcel service, but check the operator's country list before you pack.

USA: read this before you buy anything to send

Two separate changes hit US-bound post in 2025, and both still apply in October 2026.

First, the United States abolished its "de minimis" rule. Until 29 August 2025, goods worth up to 800 USD entered the US free of customs duty. Since that date, every shipment containing goods is subject to US customs obligations no matter how small its value. US Customs and Border Protection made the suspension indefinite for postal shipments in mid-2026, creating a new "informal entry" process for postal items worth up to 2,500 USD; the most recent rule, published 22 October 2026, delayed some related formal-entry requirements to 20 January 2027. The direction is clear: there is no longer any value threshold below which a gift parcel simply sails through.

Second, and more practically for anyone in Poland: Poczta Polska suspended acceptance of goods-containing shipments to the US on 25 August 2025, and its service-status page still shows that restriction today. As of 25 October 2026, you can send to the US only letters and registered letters containing correspondence or documents, plus EMS items containing documents. No gifts, no food, no goods of any kind through the post office.

What are your options if the gift has to reach the States?

Commercial couriers (DHL, UPS, FedEx and broker services) still carry goods to the US. Expect higher prices than the post office and expect the shipment to be assessed for US duties - either billed to the recipient or prepaid by you depending on the service.
Buy within the US. Ordering from an American retailer for domestic delivery avoids the border entirely; note that under US rules a purchase shipped directly is not treated as a "gift" anyway.
Watch for changes. Poczta Polska says it is working on a DDP (duties-paid-by-sender) solution with the Universal Postal Union. Check its service-status page before assuming the restriction has lifted.

European Union: the easy case

Within the EU there are no customs declarations and no import charges between member states - a parcel from Poland to Germany is treated much like a domestic one. Poczta Polska's international tariff information, valid from 1 January 2026, quotes these estimated delivery norms for priority parcels: D+4 to Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden and Norway, and D+4~5 to France, Italy and Spain. D means the working day you post, provided you hand the parcel in before the 15:00 cut-off; n is the number of working days to delivery. Parcels up to 20 kg are accepted to all of these countries.

Treat those as planning figures, not guarantees. They are the operator's own estimates in a normal week, and December is not a normal week - add a buffer of several days in the peak.

InPost International: the locker option for seven countries

If your people live in Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain or Portugal, InPost's international service is worth a look - especially if a Paczkomat is closer to you than a post office.

The consumer offer, checked on 25 October 2026:

Price: from 28.99 zł, with a flat price per parcel size regardless of which of the seven countries you send to.
Weight and size: parcels up to 25 kg, sent from any Paczkomat locker or PaczkoPunkt point.
Delivery time: usually 3-5 working days from the working day after posting - 3 days to Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg, 4 to Spain, 5 to Portugal and Italy (including the islands).
Delivery point: the parcel goes to one of more than 70,000 pickup points in InPost's European network. In France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, delivery is handled by Mondial Relay and the recipient gets a collection code from them.
Cover: protection up to 5,000 zł is included in the price.

Two caveats. InPost International does not currently serve the UK, Germany or any non-EU destination, so it is not the answer for family in London or Berlin. And because delivery is to a pickup point rather than the doorstep, make sure the recipient is willing to collect from a locker or shop near them.

An InPost Paczkomat parcel locker on Grzegórzecka Street in Kraków

United Kingdom: fast, but with customs rules

Poczta Polska quotes a D+4 delivery norm for priority parcels to the UK, so timing is not the problem. Customs is. Since Brexit, every parcel from Poland to the UK needs a customs declaration (you fill in a CN22 or CN23 form listing contents and value, at the post office or in the online sender tool), and UK import rules decide whether your family pays anything on arrival. Per the UK government's guidance, checked on 25 October 2026:

For a parcel to count as a gift, it must be sent from a private person abroad to a private person in the UK, not paid for by anyone in the UK, and occasional in nature - a Christmas present qualifies.
Gifts worth over £39 are liable for import VAT.
Gifts worth over £135 can additionally be charged customs duty.
Something you bought online and had shipped directly to the recipient does not count as a gift for customs purposes, even in gift wrap.

Practical takeaway: keep the declared value honest, mark the contents accurately, and if the parcel is worth more than £39, warn the recipient that a VAT charge may be collected before delivery. For anything valuable, compare a courier's duties-prepaid option so the bill lands on you rather than on grandma.

Everywhere else, and what you cannot send

Poczta Polska accepts parcels for most of the world on a zone system, with delivery norms of D+6~7 for Canada and D+6~7 for Ukraine among the destinations expats ask about most. Before sending beyond the EU, read the operator's country-by-country restrictions document - many states limit or ban particular goods in the post. The same document lists, for example, restrictions on posting alcohol and tobacco products to Ireland and similar limits elsewhere. Food gifts deserve special care: shelf-stable packaged items are generally the safe choice, while meat and dairy products are prohibited or restricted in many non-EU destinations, including the UK. When in doubt, check the destination country's rules rather than the Polish ones - it is the border at the far end that decides.

When to post for Christmas 2026

Poczta Polska has not yet published its official Christmas cut-off calendar for 2026. Last year it released its holiday posting guidance on 17 December 2025 - focused on domestic parcels - so expect a similar announcement this December, and treat the following as advice based on the published delivery norms, not official deadlines:

USA (via courier): late November. Customs processing is slower and less predictable under the new rules, so the earlier the better.
Canada and other non-EU destinations: by the end of November.
UK: by around 10 December, earlier if the parcel is likely to attract charges that delay delivery.
EU via Poczta Polska: by around 10-11 December for the D+4~5 destinations, with extra slack for the December peak.
InPost International (7 EU countries): by around 15 December, given the 3-5 working day delivery window.

If you miss every window, the graceful exits are a courier's express service, or a gift card and a phone call - no shame in either.

Practical tips

Post before 15:00. Poczta Polska's delivery norms count D as the day of posting only if you hand the parcel in before 15:00.
Declare the value. A declared-value parcel gives you a compensation basis if it is lost; InPost includes cover up to 5,000 zł in its international price.
Fill the customs form carefully. For non-EU destinations, vague descriptions like "gift" or "stuff" are the classic reason parcels sit in customs. List real contents and real values.
Write the address like a local. Use the destination country's format, include the postcode prominently, and add the recipient's phone number - couriers and foreign posts increasingly rely on it for delivery notifications.

*Photos: CC0 by WrS.tm.pl via Wikimedia Commons: a Poczta Polska post box in Tomaszów Mazowiecki (cover); CC BY-SA 4.0 by Igor123121 via Wikimedia Commons: an InPost Paczkomat in Kraków,_Grzegórzecka_Street,_Kraków,_Poland.jpg) (above). Delivery norms, prices and restrictions verified against the operators' and government sources below on 25 October 2026.*

Frequently asked questions

Can I send a Christmas parcel to the USA from Poland in 2026?

Not with goods inside, at least not through Poczta Polska. The operator has accepted only letters and documents (including document-only EMS) to the US since 25 August 2025, and that restriction was still in force on 25 October 2026. Commercial couriers still carry goods, and every US-bound goods shipment is now dutiable regardless of value since the US ended its 800 USD de minimis exemption.

How much does InPost International cost and where does it deliver?

From 28.99 zł per parcel, priced by size, for parcels up to 25 kg. It delivers to pickup points in seven countries: Italy, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal. Delivery takes 3-5 working days. The UK, Germany and the US are not served.

How long does Poczta Polska take to deliver to Germany or the UK?

The operator's 2026 tariff information quotes a D+4 estimated norm for priority parcels to Germany and the UK (D being the posting day if you post before 15:00). France, Italy and Spain are D+4~5. In December, add a buffer - these are normal-week estimates, not peak-season guarantees.

Will my family in the UK have to pay charges on a Christmas gift?

Possibly. Under UK rules, genuine person-to-person gifts worth over £39 are liable for import VAT, and gifts over £135 can also attract customs duty. Items bought online and shipped directly do not count as gifts. Mark contents and value accurately on the customs declaration and warn the recipient if a charge is likely.

When will Poczta Polska announce its 2026 Christmas posting deadlines?

No date has been announced. Last year the operator published its holiday posting guidance on 17 December 2025, covering domestic parcels, so watch its news page in December. Until then, plan from the published international delivery norms with several days of buffer.

What can I not put in a parcel abroad?

It depends on the destination, not on Poland. Many countries restrict alcohol, tobacco, food (especially meat and dairy), plants and medicines in the post. Poczta Polska's international tariff document lists country-by-country restrictions; check it for your destination before packing.