Holiday shipping information 2026
The holiday season is the busiest period for parcel delivery in the Netherlands. From Sinterklaas through Christmas, carriers process massive order volumes. The absolute peak is Black Friday week, with Cyber Monday being the busiest single day — up to 454% more orders than an average day. This directly impacts delivery times and shipping delays. On this page, you'll find up-to-date information on estimated delivery times, expected parcel delays, and last order dates per carrier.
The Wuunder Parcel Radar is our periodic data report on parcel delivery performance across the Netherlands. We track delivery times, delays and carrier performance throughout the e-commerce logistics chain, using insights from our own shipping database.
During peak seasons like Black Friday and Christmas, we publish more frequently to help retailers and webshops respond to shifting delivery times in real time.
Below is the 2026 holiday schedule of PostNL, DHL, DPD, FedEx, TNT, GLS and UPS. Check out our tips below and make sure your shipments run smoothly during the holidays.
In 2026, Black Friday falls on Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday on Monday 30 November. With four full working days between Cyber Monday and Sinterklaas (5 December), carriers have more processing time than last year. This is expected to result in fewer parcel delivery delays in the first week of December.
In 2026, Sinterklaas (Saturday 5 December), Christmas Day (Friday 25 December) and Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December) fall favourably for parcel delivery. There are no bridge days disrupting carrier schedules, meaning more delivery days in the run-up to the holidays and an higher chance your parcels arrive on time. For retailers and consumers alike, this is good news: delivery times are expected to remain more stable than in years when holidays fall mid-week.
If you have questions or a carrier you use is missing, don't hesitate to get in touch with our customer service.
PostNL
| Sinterklaas | Sa 5 December | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Eve | Thu 24 december | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| Boxing Day | Sa 26 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| New Year’s Eve | Thu 31 december | No evening delivery |
| New Year’s Day | Fri 1 januari 2026 | No deliveries or pickups |
| – | Sa 2 januari 2026 | Regular service |
Preliminary Holiday delivery schedule PostNL:
- Nov 23 to Dec 5: No evening deliveries due to Black Friday peak; evening delivery resumes Dec 8
- Dec 24 (Christmas Eve): No runs after 9:30 PM and no unloading after 11:00 PM, including self-delivery
- Dec 25 (Christmas Day): PostNL closed, no pickup, delivery, or drop-off service
- Dec 26 (Boxing Day): Open from 4 PM; no scheduled runs, drop-off by appointment only
- Dec 31 (New Year’s Eve): Last run at 6:30 PM, no unloading after 8 PM
- Jan 1 (New Year’s Day): PostNL closed, no pickup, delivery, or drop-off service
DHL
| Sinterklaas | Sa 5 December | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Eve | Thu 24 december | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| Boxing Day | Sa 26 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| New Year’s Eve | Thu 31 december | No evening delivery |
| New Year’s Day | Fri 1 januari 2026 | No deliveries or pickups |
| – | Sa 2 januari 2026 | Regular service |
DPD
| Sinterklaas | Sa 5 December | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Eve | Thu 24 december | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| Boxing Day | Sa 26 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| New Year’s Eve | Thu 31 december | No evening delivery |
| New Year’s Day | Fri 1 januari 2026 | No deliveries or pickups |
| – | Sa 2 januari 2026 | Regular service |
FedEx
| Sinterklaas | Sa 5 December | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Eve | Thu 24 december | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| Boxing Day | Sa 26 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| New Year’s Eve | Thu 31 december | No evening delivery |
| New Year’s Day | Fri 1 januari 2026 | No deliveries or pickups |
| – | Sa 2 januari 2026 | Regular service |
GLS
| Sinterklaas | Sa 5 December | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Eve | Thu 24 december | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| Boxing Day | Sa 26 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| New Year’s Eve | Thu 31 december | No evening delivery |
| New Year’s Day | Fri 1 januari 2026 | No deliveries or pickups |
| – | Sa 2 januari 2026 | Regular service |
UPS
| Sinterklaas | Sa 5 December | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Eve | Thu 24 december | No evening delivery |
| Christmas Day | Fri 25 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| Boxing Day | Sa 26 december | No deliveries or pickups |
| New Year’s Eve | Thu 31 december | No evening delivery |
| New Year’s Day | Fri 1 januari 2026 | No deliveries or pickups |
| – | Sa 2 januari 2026 | Regular service |
Sending your packages and pallets on time is extra important during this period to avoid customer delays. To achieve this, we have a few tips for you.
Tip 1 💡
Communicate clearly and early to your customers when to expect their shipment to prevent surprises and incorrect expectations.
Tip 2 💡
If your business is closed on days when carriers operate, and you have set pick-up times, notify us early so we can cancel unnecessary pickups.