Is Special Delivery signed for?

Yes. Royal Mail takes a signature and a photo on delivery. The signature can be seen on Royal Mail's Track your item page, usually within 72 hours of delivery.

How much cover does Special Delivery include?

Royal Mail Special Delivery includes compensation of up to £750 for loss or damage. Other services cover up to £75 or less.

Does Special Delivery deliver on Saturdays?

Not as standard. The guarantee covers Monday to Friday. Royal Mail sells a Saturday guarantee as an extra, which we do not offer at the moment.

What if my letter arrives late?

Royal Mail refunds the postage fee if it misses the guarantee, as long as the claim is made within 14 days of posting. If your letter does not arrive at all, you can report it on our Report a Missing Letter page.

Is Special Delivery the same as recorded delivery?

No. Recorded delivery is the name many people still use for Royal Mail Signed For, which takes a signature but is not tracked along the way or guaranteed. Special Delivery is tracked, signed for and guaranteed by 1pm.

Send a Letter by Special Delivery Online

Write or upload your letter, choose Special Delivery at checkout, and we print it and post it by Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed by 1pm. No queue at the Post Office.

Write Your Letter Upload a PDF

£18.99 including printing and postage

No printer or Post Office trip
See the finished letter before you pay
Order by 2.30pm for same-day posting

At a Glance

Price: £18.99, including printing, envelope and postage
Delivery: Guaranteed by Royal Mail by 1pm the next working day after posting
Tracking: Tracked to the door, with a signature and photo on delivery
Cover: Up to £750 for loss or damage
Order by: 2.30pm on a working day for same-day posting

The guarantee runs Monday to Friday. A few remote postcodes have a later guaranteed time.

Works on any computer, tablet or phone

How It Works

Write Your Letter

1Write or upload your letterType it in our letter editor, use one of our templates, or upload a PDF you have already written.
2Choose Special Delivery at checkoutCheck the preview of your finished letter, then pick Special Delivery and pay. No account needed.
3We print it and post itOrder by 2.30pm on a working day and we post it the same day. Later orders go out the next working day, and you can follow it on our Track Your Letter page.

When to Use Special Delivery

Letters and notices with a deadline, where you need to show when they arrived
Original documents you cannot afford to lose
Anything that must arrive the next working day
Letters where you want a signature and a timed record of delivery

How Special Delivery Works

Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed is Royal Mail's fastest and most secure way to send a letter in the UK. It is tracked from the moment it is posted, and the person who receives it signs for it. Royal Mail's Track your item page shows the delivery date and time and a scan of the signature, usually within 72 hours of delivery.

The guarantee is delivery by 1pm on the next working day, Monday to Friday. If Royal Mail misses it, it refunds the postage fee, as long as the claim is made within 14 days of posting.

If Nobody Is In

Special Delivery is never left with a neighbour. If nobody is in to sign, Royal Mail leaves a red Something for you card and keeps the letter at the local delivery office for 18 days, so it can be collected or redelivered. After that it is returned.

Special Delivery or Tracked 24?

Tracked 24 costs £8.99 and aims for the next working day, but it is not guaranteed, it does not take a signature, and it covers up to £75. Special Delivery is guaranteed by 1pm, always signed for, and covers up to £750. If a deadline or a signature matters, choose Special Delivery.

All Delivery Options

StandardSecond Class, 2 to 3 working days. Not tracked£2.49
PriorityFirst Class, 1 to 2 working days. Not tracked£4.49
Signed For2 to 3 working days. Signed for on delivery£7.99
Tracked 482 to 3 working days. Tracked, cover up to £75£7.99
Tracked 24Most popularAims for the next working day. Tracked, cover up to £75£8.99
Special DeliveryNext working day by 1pm. Tracked and signed, cover up to £750£18.99

Prices include printing your first page in black and white, the envelope and Royal Mail postage. Delivery times are Royal Mail aims, except Special Delivery, which is guaranteed.

Other Ways to Send

Tracked LettersTracked 24 and Tracked 48, from £7.99 Recorded DeliveryRoyal Mail Signed For, £7.99

Frequently Asked Questions

Royal Mail guarantees delivery by 1pm on the next working day after posting, Monday to Friday. Order with us by 2.30pm on a working day and we post it that day. A few remote postcodes have a later guaranteed time.

Send it Special Delivery today.

Write or upload your letter, choose your service at checkout, and we print it and post it by Royal Mail.

Write Your Letter