How To Address Mail - Post Office

Make sure your post gets exactly where it needs to go

Addressing guides:

• Posting in the UK
• Posting internationally

Posting in the UK

When posting something to someone in the UK, write the address like this:

Addressees' name House number and street name Locality name (if needed) TOWN (please print in capitals) FULL POSTCODE (please print in capitals)

Handy tips

• Don’t use full stops or commas
• Start each line on the left (don’t centre the lines)
• You don’t need to write the name of the county if you’ve included the town and postcode

Return address

If you want to make sure your post can get back to you, don’t forget to include your UK return address on each item. Items that cannot be delivered will be returned to you

Posting internationally

The way you write international postal addresses may vary between countries, but here's a good guideline:

Addressee's name House number and street name City or town Province, state or department and postal code COUNTRY (please print in capitals & use English name) Handy tips

• Include the right international postcode
• If your item’s going to Europe, put the postcode to the left of the town – eg 11780 ATHENS
• Always write the town and country in capital letters, with the full country name appearing last in the address (no abbreviations)
• Don’t forget the Air Mail sticker – unless you’re using International Economy
• Remember to include your return address

Return address

If you want to make sure your post can get back to you if undelivered, don't forget to include your UK return address on each item

Just remember that your return address needs to be in the UK. If you include a return address that’s in the destination country, it won’t be accepted

Customs

If you’re sending a package outside the UK, you’ll need a customs label. Find more information and all the customs forms you need at your local Post Office branch or on our Customs forms page

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Posting help and support

Find answers to common questions about posting services:

Visit our posting support page

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