DHL Delivery Schedules [Do They Deliver on Weekends?]

As we approach the holidays and our online shopping days and time for delivery shortens it becomes important to know the shipping schedules of all the major carriers.

We have a full list of the deadlines for shipping if you want your package to arrive in time for Christmas, here. 

However, if you work 5 days a week and cannot always be at home to receive the delivery, what about weekends?

Will a DHL driver knock on your door on a Saturday to deliver the important gift you have bought for your partner?

In this guide, we’ll take a look…

DHL Weekend Delivery Schedules

DHL in brief

DHL is a monster in the world of shipping carriers. It is one of the largest logistical companies operating today and is trusted with billions of parcels per year.

DHL services over 220 nations around the world, offering overnight and express delivery, warehousing, and freight forwarding solutions. Its headquarters are in Germany.

With all that might, surely they deliver on weekends?

The answer isn’t as simple as that. This is because weekend delivery depends on a number of variables. To complicate methods further, there is a different approach to both Saturday and Sunday too. So the answer really is, it depends… 

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Does DHL Deliver on Saturdays?

Whereas carriers such as USPS, FedEx, or UPS can offer guaranteed Saturday delivery, DHL offers Saturday delivery options that are wrapped up in certain conditions that mean the delivery is not guaranteed to all types of recipients.

DHL Delivery to Residential Addresses

If you live in Europe, (lucky you), DHL will offer delivery to residential addresses on Saturdays. The same does not apply to U.S customers, however.

Stateside DHL works Monday to Friday for residential delivery with limited options on Saturday and very few choices for Sunday delivery.

This is simply due to the fact that very few DHL drivers are contracted to work over the weekend.

This is problematic as the convenience of weekend delivery, i.e a time where you will be home to receive the package is off-limits to U.S homes.

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DHL Delivery to Business Addresses

Again, the no driver situation means DHL delivery on Saturdays to business addresses does not happen in the United States. (It does in Europe)

This differs from the competition carriers (USPS, FedEx, and UPS), which will all deliver on Saturdays if you have selected Saturday delivery when making the shipment.

Essentially, if you want your package to arrive before the weekend and not wait until Monday, the delivery has to be organized for a Friday arrival. 

If you miss this window, the parcel will remain in the warehouse until Monday morning; a waste of two days in limbo in other words.

This has clearly been an issue for DHL customers and is why we recommend using another carrier if a weekend delivery is required.

DHL Saturday Delivery in Europe 

If you are using DHL in Europe different Saturday delivery policies will apply.

The carrier offers standard Saturday delivery on packages to addresses throughout Europe.

There are added fees for this and are due to size and weight. The hours of Saturday delivery are short too, (which makes it easier to ensure that you are in to collect). Expect the DHL driver to be knocking on your door between 8 am and 10 am

DHL Sunday Deliveries

As mentioned above, there are no DHL drivers on the road in the U.S on a Sunday.

They are also a rare sight on European roads on a Sunday, although in Germany you may see the odd DHL vehicle driving around processing Sunday pickups and deliveries.

Similar to Saturday deliveries, fees apply if you want your package to arrive on a Sunday in Europe.

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DHL Delivery Windows?

Monday through Friday, during normal “business hours,” is the delivery window of DHL throughout the week in the United States. This is basically 8 am to 5 pm.

This window increases during the holiday period in order to ensure deliveries are made before the festive deadlines. 

The priority to make sure all deliveries are made on time has made DHL a highly trusted carrier. The tendency to increase their delivery windows as demand dictates is a factor in this.

DHL is probably one of the best carriers to use during the hectic holiday period or other high-volume occasions.

DHL Deliveries: Same Day

DHL offers same-day delivery services throughout its operating regions worldwide.

This is where U.S customers can order weekend deliveries, (in applicable areas) by using same-day delivery. The option is available on a 24/7 basis 365 days a year.

However, the fees are expensive and should only be used if same-day delivery is paramount.

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