In plain English
This is the calendar date when an item leaves the sender to begin going to the person who will receive it. It marks when the item was sent, not when it was delivered.
In context
Here, it indicates the calendar date when the document was sent out to the recipient.
- Situation
- Requesting civil records, booking public appointments, paying fees, and receiving documents
- What it communicates
- Shipping-details label for the date the document was sent out.
Meaning limits
By itself, a dispatch date does not show when the item arrived.
Examples
“The parcel's dispatch date was 3 May, but it did not reach the village until the following week.”
“Before replying, the clerk checked the notice's dispatch date in the register.”