The Festive Period is the most special time of the year. The shops and distributions centres need to be stocked higher than at any other time.
This makes any closures affecting import or exports significantly more important and your business will need to plan around them.
Here is what you need to know about holiday closures in Customs offices, Sea Freight Ports, Freight Airports in the UK, and Europe.
Sea Ports
| 24/12/23 | 25/12/2023 | 26/12/23 | 27/12/2023 | 31/12/2023 | 01/01/2024 | 02/01/2024 | |
| Port | Christmas Eve | Christmas Day | Boxing Day | New Year’s Eve | New Year’s Day | ||
| Felixstowe | Closes 18:00 | Closed | Closed | Opens 7:00 | Closes 18:00 | Closed | Opens 19:00 |
| London | Closes 18:00 | Closed | Closed | Opens 6:00 | Closes 18:00 | Opens 10:00 | Open |
| Southampton | Closes 15:00 | Closed | Closed | Opens 8:00 | Closes 17:00 | Opens 12:00 | Open |
| Liverpool | Closes 12:00 | Closed | Closed | Closed | Closes 12:00 | Closed | Closed |
European Union Customs Offices
Most E.U. Countries closed on 25th, 26th of December and 1st January
The countries included are:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland (Eire), Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
UK Customs Offices and Internal Border Facilities (IBF’s)
| 24/12/23 | 25/12/2023 | 26/12/23 | 27/12/2023 | 31/12/2023 | 01/01/2024 | |
| Christmas Eve | Christmas Day | Boxing Day | New Year’s Eve | New Year’s Day | ||
| Holyhead | Open | Closed | Open 6am | Open | Open | Open |
| Sevington | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open | Open |
| Stop 24 (Sevington ADR loads) | Closed 7pm | Closed | Closed | Open 7am | Open | Open |
| Dover Western Docks | Closed 7pm | Closed | Closed | Open 7am | Closed | Closed |
If you have any questions or concerns about how the holidays will affect your consignments then please get in touch.
