How to address a letter or parcel to the USA
- Date:
- Category: Help
Here’s a quick guide to writing the address for two common types of US postal address: residential and PO Box.
Residential addresses
The format for US residential addresses is very similar to UK addresses, but there are a few important differences to note:
| UK address format | US address format |
|---|---|
| Mr James Smith Flat 7 118 Blackhorse Grove London W6 7HB UK |
Ms Alice Smith Apartment 1c 213 Derrick Street Boston, MA 02130 USA |
1. You will need to write the name of the state in which the city, town or village you are sending to is located. Use the two-letter state abbreviation, such as MA for Massachusetts as shown above.
2. You will also need to add a five-digit ZIP code (postal code). There may be an extended code (ZIP+4) where a hyphen and a further four digits (“-1234”) are added to the five-digit code, but this is not usually required.
3. Write the city/town/village name, the state and the ZIP code on the same line, as shown above.
PO Boxes
The format for sending to a PO Box is very similar.
| UK address format | US address format |
|---|---|
| Mr James Smith Transglobal Express PO Box 1234 Bromborough CH62 3NX UK |
Ms T. Globelle Paragon Productions PO Box 5404 Los Angeles, CA 90210 USA |
When sending a parcel or letter to a PO Box in the USA:
1. Write the addressee’s name and company name (if applicable) on the first couple of lines. On the next line, write the PO Box number.
2. Underneath the PO Box number, write the city, state and ZIP code.
3. Once again, an extended ZIP+4 code is not required, but for PO Boxes it will usually repeat all or part of your PO Box number.
4. In general, you do not need to include a street address for PO Boxes. However, if you do, put it above the PO Box number, as the US Postal Service sorts from the last lines of your address and the PO Box number is more important!
Please note that many carriers have PO Box restrictions, so please check before trying to send a parcel or letter to a PO Box in the US.
You can send to a private mailbox using the same address format as above, but you must put “PMB” or “#” instead of “PO Box”. If this line of the address also includes a secondary number such as a rural route box or suite number, you must use “PMB” and not “#” to avoid confusion.
Are you looking to send a parcel to the USA? We have a range of couriers to choose from, including UPS, DHL, TNT and USPS.
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