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Clear addressing
Our addressing advice can help you make sure your UK and international mail arrives without a hitch
How to write the address correctly on your letters and parcels
When addressing your UK mail:
- avoid using full stops or commas
- start each line on the left (do not centre the lines)
- you don’t need to write the name of the county if you have included the post town and postcode
Addressing UK mail
When sending mail to someone in the UK, you should write the address as follows:
- Line 1: name of the person you’re sending the item to
- Line 2: house number and street name
- Line 3: locality name, if required
- Line 4: post town, printed in capitals
- Line 5: full postcode, printed in capitals on a separate line
Addressing international mail
Addressing formats vary by country, but ideally you should include:
- Line 1: name of the person you’re sending the item to
- Line 2: building number and street name
- Line 3: name of the city or town
- Line 4: name of the province, state or department and postal code
- Line 5: name of the country, in capitals
When addressing international mail:
- write the country name last and in capitals
- write your address on the back of the envelope so it’s easy to return your item if there’s a problem delivering it
- start each line on the left (do not centre the lines)
- if sending the item by Airmail don’t forget the Airmail sticker
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