THE SA Post Office advises customers who wish to mail Christmas parcels to other countries to do so as soon as possible to ensure that the parcels reach their destinations in time for Christmas.
Air mail items should be posted no later than 1 December. The Post Office is not permitted to send items containing ion lithium batteries via air mail. Make sure that you do not post an item containing these batteries. All air mail items are x-rayed and scanned for contents so if spotted, these items will be re-routed to surface mail.
For sea and surface mail to the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Ascension and St Helena, post your parcels no later than 31 October. Parcels to Australia, the Americas (North and South), the Far East and Asia, Great Britain, Europe, and the Middle East, should also be posted no later than 31 October.
Parcels meant for islands in the Indian Ocean such as the Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius and Reunion, must be posted by 27 October.
For Africa – the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Peoples Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Cameroon, Nigeria, Gabon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Madagascar, Angola, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe – the last date to post is 1 December.
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Items meant for countries bordering South Africa should be posted no later than 8 December. These countries include Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
To make sure your parcel arrives safely, ensure parcels are packaged securely as they are transported in bulk. If your mail item does not fill the container, fill it with packaging material like shredded paper or polystyrene to act as a shock absorber. Make sure the items you are sending are legal in the country of destination. In most countries plant and animal material cannot be imported.
The items which may not be posted include illegal items such as drugs, items that could leak and damage other packages or items that may explode or catch fire during air transport.
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