U.S to Switzerland mailing times

July 30, 2013 3:34 AM

U.S. to Switzerland by regular first class mail: in your experience, has that ever taken longer than 12 business days? (Item in question would be a flat 9x12" envelope, papers only, zero customs value, from east coast U.S.)
posted by kalapierson to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)

If there is any issue from delay, just send it by some kind of time-constrained way. International standard post makes no promises for delivery time so if there is a deadline, better to spend a few extra dollars for a quicker, or just guaranteed, delivery.

I've had mail from the UK to Canada take either a week or three weeks. There are no guarantees in standard mail delivery.
posted by Brockles at 6:06 AM on July 30, 2013

Not Switzerland, but Germany and France--both have taken anywhere from just under a week to well over a month. If this is a time-sensitive thing, look into the post office's international priority mail, which is meant to take, iirc, five days at the outside. It'll be spendy, but it'll get there fast.
posted by MeghanC at 6:43 AM on July 30, 2013

It could, in theory, easily take that long. Might have had bad timing on the trip out, could be in customs. Switzerland is one of the best places I mail to, though. Rarely more than two weeks.
posted by clango at 6:43 AM on July 30, 2013

Good to be hearing these answers -- top google results are expat forums where people are saying it's never taken more than 10 business days, but I wanted a reality check on that.
posted by kalapierson at 7:48 AM on July 30, 2013

I have always gotten us-switzerland mail within a week or so, if that helps. Though once I sent a letter non priority to the us from switzerland and that took a good three weeks or more.
posted by thesnowyslaps at 8:15 AM on July 30, 2013

US to Portugal always takes 7 days...in seven years this has not varied.
posted by PlantGoddess at 7:00 PM on July 31, 2013