Washington, DC - International holiday mail destined for Africa, Central and South America and the Middle East should be mailed by the end of October in order to arrive by Dec. 25.

The U.S. Postal Service provides several international delivery options, including Global Economy, the most economic way to ship for customers sending holiday letters and packages sent overseas. The first recommended mailing deadline for Global Economy shipping is Oct. 14, for mail destined for Africa; Oct. 21 for mail headed to the Middle East, and Oct. 28 for mail to Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America and Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Customers shipping to the Pacific Rim also may choose an enhanced, expedited shipping service to Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan and the Republic of South Korea. In an historic agreement, the Postal Service last year joined with postal administrations of these countries to offer enhancements to the Postal Service's Global Express Mail to provide day-certain, guaranteed delivery to the Pacific Rim and United States - without any hidden surcharges.

Expedited delivery options include Global Express Guaranteed, Global Express Mail and Global Priority Mail. Standard shipping options are Global Airmail Services and Global Economy Services. More detailed information on international delivery options can be found at usps.com/global/deliveryoptions.

For delivery of holiday cards and packages by December 25 to international addresses, the Postal Service suggests that customers follow the recommended mailing dates listed below.

International Mail Addressed To	Global Express Guaranteed® (GXG) ¹	Global Express Mail® (EMS) ²	Global Priority Mail® (GPM) ³	Global Airmail® Letters & Cards	Global Airmail Parcel Post	Global Economy® (Surface)
Africa	Dec 19	Dec 11	Dec 6	Dec 4	Dec 4	Oct 16
Asia / Pacific Rim	Dec 19	Dec 15	Dec 13	Dec 11	Dec 11	Oct 30
Australia / New Zealand	Dec 19	Dec 15	Dec 13	Dec 11	Dec 11	Oct 30
Canada	Dec 20	Dec 16	Dec 13	Dec 11	Dec 11	Nov 27
Caribbean	Dec 19	Dec 15	Dec 13	Dec 11	Dec 11	Nov 6
Central & So. America	Dec 19	Dec 11	Dec 4	Dec 4	Dec 4	Oct 30
Mexico	Dec 19	Dec 15	Dec 13	Dec 11	Dec 11	Nov 20
Europe	Dec 19	Dec 15	Dec 13	Dec 11	Dec 11	Nov 6
Middle East	Dec 19	Dec 15	Dec 13	Dec 11	Dec 11	Oct 23

¹ GXG: Global Express Guaranteed is available to over 190 countries via a partnership with Federal Express. See a retail associate at participating locations for a complete list of countries and money-back guarantee details. Some restrictions apply.

² GEM: Global Express Mail is available to over 190 countries with delivery in 3 to 5 business days. See a retail associate at participating locations for a complete list of countries. Some restrictions apply.

³ GPM: Global Priority Mail is an accelerated airmail service available for items up to 4 pounds to 51 countries. The service is available in two attractive-sized envelopes. Customers can also use their own packaging by adding the Global Priority Mail sticker. See a retail associate at participating locations for a complete list of countries. Some restrictions apply.

Since 1775, the United States Postal Service and its predecessor, the Post Office Department, have connected friends, families, neighbors and businesses by mail. An independent federal agency that visits more than 144 million homes and businesses every day, the Postal Service is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. It receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of $70 billion, it is the world’s leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world’s mail volume—some 212 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year—and serves 10 million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.