Last order and delivery days before Christmas 2026
Updated 30 October 2026. Christmas 2026 falls on Friday 25 December; Thursday 24 December is a working day, 26 December is a Saturday. No courier has published its 2026 cut-offs yet (checked 30 October); the table starts from last year's schedules and the couriers' stated normal transit times. Transit time starts when the courier picks the parcel up, not when you order; shops need 1–3 days to pack, more in December.
Rule of thumb for 2026: order by Thursday 17 December (Tuesday 15 for small shops and personalised goods) so the parcel ships by Monday 21 – Tuesday 22 December. The last realistic home-delivery day is Thursday 24 December; most couriers don't deliver on 25–26 December.
| Courier | Stated normal transit | Last shipping day to arrive by 24 Dec (xAWB estimate) | Delivers 24 Dec? | Delivers 25–26 Dec? | 2026 status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAN Courier | 1–2 working days domestic; FANbox keeps parcels 48 h | Mon 21 Dec (Tue 22 for big cities) | 2025: yes, normal | 2025: no | Last year (9 Dec 2025) |
| Sameday / easybox | target 90% in 24–48 h (BF 2025) | Mon 21 – Tue 22 Dec | nothing published; working day | legal holidays, no home delivery; easybox open | Nothing published |
| Cargus / Ship & Go | "over 90% in 24–48 h" (Nov 2025); heavy orders expected until 23 Dec 2025 | Mon 21 – Tue 22 Dec | nothing published; working day | legal holidays | Nothing published |
| DPD | 1–2 working days; "+1–2 days" at peak | Fri 18 – Mon 21 Dec | nothing published; working day | legal holidays | Nothing published |
| GLS | Mon–Fri; in 2019 GLS recommended shipping domestic by 20 Dec and was closed on 24 Dec | Fri 18 Dec | 2019: closed | 2019: closed | Last year (2019) |
| Poșta Română | domestic usually 2–5 working days; non-EU parcels clear customs | Wed 16 – Fri 18 Dec (domestic); non-EU orders placed after 1 Dec may arrive after Christmas | 2025: urban offices 08:00–16:00 | 2025: closed | Last year (22 Dec 2025) |
Day by day, Christmas to Epiphany
| Day | What | Couriers (last year's pattern) |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 21 Dec | working day | last safe shipping day for home delivery before Christmas |
| Tue 22 – Wed 23 Dec | working days | normal deliveries, heavy volumes; shipments from now may arrive 24 Dec or after 28 Dec |
| Thu 24 Dec (eve) | working day | FAN 2025: normal; Poșta 2025: urban 08–16; GLS 2019: closed |
| Fri 25 – Sat 26 Dec | legal holidays | no deliveries or collections (FAN 2025, Poșta 2025, GLS 2019); lockers work |
| Mon 28 – Wed 30 Dec | working days | back to normal; parcels "in transit" since 24 Dec arrive now |
| Thu 31 Dec (eve) | working day | FAN 2025: normal; Poșta 2025: urban 08–16; GLS 2019: closed |
| Fri 1 – Sat 2 Jan 2027 | legal holidays | no deliveries (FAN, Poșta 2025) |
| Mon 4 – Tue 5 Jan | working days | normal (Poșta 2025: normal on 5 Jan) |
| Wed 6 – Thu 7 Jan | legal holidays (Epiphany, St John) | FAN 2025: closed; Poșta 2025: closed |
| Fri 8 Jan | working day | FAN 2025: normal from 8 Jan |
Gifts ordered from abroad
- From the EU (Germany, Poland, Hungary): 3–7 working days with DPD, GLS, DHL, UPS, Packeta; order by 10–14 December.
- From outside the EU (Temu, Shein, AliExpress, USA, UK): customs plus Poșta Română or a courier; 2–4 weeks, longer in December; new customs rules for non-EU parcels apply from 1 November 2026 (Poșta Română notice). For Christmas, order by late November.
- Track the international code (RR…RO, LP…, 1Z…, JJD…) on the home page; scans can pause for days between origin and Romania.
FAQ
Until when can I order for Christmas 2026? Roughly by Thursday 17 December at large Romanian shops (shipping by 21–22 December), by 10–14 December from the EU, by late November from outside the EU. Exact dates come from the shop and the courier; we update them here.
Is there delivery on 24 December 2026? It is a working day (Thursday). Last year FAN Courier delivered normally, Poșta Română worked 08:00–16:00 in towns, GLS was closed (last published schedule, 2019). Sameday, Cargus and DPD have no notice; they normally deliver on working days.
Between Christmas and New Year? Yes, 28–30 December are working days; 31 December is a working day with short hours at Poșta Română last year.
My parcel is in an easybox/FANbox and I'm leaving for the holidays. Collect it first: FANbox keeps parcels 48 hours, easybox the time in the message (extendable in the Sameday app). Uncollected parcels go back to the sender.
Sources: fancourier.ro (9 Dec 2025; 15 Jun 2026), playtech.ro quoting Poșta Română (22 Dec 2025), gls-group.com/RO (29 Nov 2019), wall-street.ro on Cargus (17 Nov 2025), dpd.com/ro (30 Oct 2025), sameday.ro (29 Oct 2026), posta-romana.ro customs notice (1 Nov 2026). "Last shipping day" estimates are xAWB.ro's own, from stated transit times plus one safety day; they are not courier guarantees. We re-check weekly from 15 November and daily 1–23 December 2026.