Writing the address on the envelope correctly is very helpful so that your letter gets to the right destination on time. Many people don't even realize that there is a "right" way to write an address on an envelope; if the letter arrived at the right place, you did it right… didn't you? Unfortunately, that's not the case. If you are writing an address on an envelope addressed to a business associate, it is very important to write the address correctly so that you look professional. This is a skill that may take some time for you to master, so you'll want to get it right.
Step
Method 1 of 7: Personal Mail (United States)
Step 1. Write the recipient's name on the first line
The first line should contain the name of the person who will receive the letter. How you write your name will depend on the recipient's preference for how the address is written. If, for example, you know that your aunt prefers to remain anonymous to some degree, you could write her name as "P. Jones," instead of "Polly Jones."
Include the required title. You might not write titles for close friends and family members, but you might consider writing titles for government officials, military personnel, doctors, professors, or older people. For example, if you wrote to your aunt Polly who was widowed many years ago, you could call her "Mrs. Polly Jones."
Step 2. Send the letter with someone else's address (optional)
If you're sending someone a letter to an address they don't live with regularly, it may be wise to write "intended for" or "belongs to" under their name.
- Write "c/o" in front of the name of the person who lives there, in a hotel, in a hostel, etc.
- For example, if your aunt Polly lives with her cousin for a few weeks and you want to write to your aunt there, you can write "c/o Henry Roth" under your aunt's name.
Step 3. Write the street name or post box number on the second line
If you're writing a street name, be sure to include a directional note (such as "400 West" instead of just "400") or the apartment number. If the street name and apartment number are too long to fit on one line, just write the apartment number under the street name line.
- For example, if your friend lives at 50 Oakland Avenue in apartment #206, write, "50 Oakland Ave, #206."
- You can use several abbreviations for street names, as long as you use them correctly. You can write blvd for boulevard, ctr for center, ct for court, dr for drive, ln for lane and so on.
- If you're sending a letter using a PO box, you don't need to include the street name of the post office. Based on the postal code, the postal service will know where the PO box is.
Step 4. Write the city, state and postal code on the third line
State should be abbreviated to two letters, not written in full.
You can use a 9-digit postal code, although it doesn't have to be. Five digits is enough
Step 5. If you are sending a letter from another country, write "United States" at the address
If you are sending mail from outside the United States, you will need to slightly change the format of your mailing address. Write the city and state on one line, "United States of America" on the line below, and the postal code on the last line.
Step 6. Done
Method 2 of 7: Professional Letter (United States)
Step 1. Write down the name of the recipient
This can be the name of the person or organization, depending on the purpose of your letter. If possible, try to include the person's name as a recipient instead of just the name of the organization - this way your letter will get more attention. Be sure to use a formal title, such as "Mr.," "Ms.," "Dr.," or whatever title the person has.
- Write the recipient's position to the right of his name (optional). For example, if you are writing a letter to the marketing director, you could write "Paul Smith, Marketing Director" on the first line.
- Write "Attn:" followed by the person's name if he occupies his own desk or office space at an address, if you prefer. For example: "Attn: Shirley Shatten." If you're submitting your work to a magazine and don't know who the fiction editor is, write, "Attn: Fiction Editor" to make sure your submission goes to the right place.
Step 2. Write the name of the organization on the second line
For example, if you are writing to Paul Smith about a business matter and he works for Widgets, Inc., write "Paul Smith" on the first line and "Widgets, Inc." on the second line.
Step 3. Write the street name or post box number on the third line
If you're writing a street name, be sure to include a directional note (such as "400 West" instead of just "400") or the suite number.
If you're sending a letter using a PO box, you don't need to include the street name of the post office. Based on the postal code, the postal service will know where the PO box is
Step 4. Write the city, state and postal code on the third line
The state should be abbreviated to two letters, not written in full.
You can use a 9-digit postal code, although it doesn't have to be. Five digits is enough
Step 5. Done
Method 3 of 7: United Kingdom
Step 1. Write the name of the recipient on the first line
Include the required title. You may not write titles for close friends and family members, but you might consider writing titles for government officials, military personnel, doctors, professors, or older people. This can be the name of a person or organization.
Step 2. Write the address number and street name on the second line
It is important that you write down the number first and then the street name. For example: 10 Downing St.
Step 3. Write the city on the third line
For example: London.
Step 4. Write the county name on the fourth line (if applicable)
For example, if you are sending a letter to London, you may not need to write down the county. But if you're writing to a rural area, it's a good idea to include the name of the county. If you know other important territorial divisions, such as provinces, states, or counties, then write those down as well.
Step 5. Write the postal code on the last line
For example: SWIA 2AA.
Step 6. Include the name of the country (if applicable)
If you are sending a letter from outside the UK, write "UK" or "United Kingdom" on the last line.
Step 7. Done
Method 4 of 7: Ireland
Step 1. Write the recipient's name on the first line
This can be the name of a person or organization. Include the required title. You may not write titles for close friends and family members, but you might consider writing titles for government officials, military personnel, doctors, professors, or older people.
Step 2. Write the name of the house on the second line (if any)
This is especially relevant in rural areas where the house or estate is known more by name than by address. For example, you could write Trinity College Dublin.
Step 3. Write the path on the third line
You can include a street number if you only have a street address. However, if you know the name of the estate, a street name will suffice. For example, College Green.
Step 4. Write the name of the city on the fourth line
If you are sending a letter to Dublin, next to the city name must be added a postal code containing one or digits for the area in that city. You could write, Dublin 2.
Step 5. Write the county name on the fifth line (if applicable)
If you're mailing to a big city like Dublin, you probably don't need a county. But if you're sending letters to rural areas, you need them.
Note that in Ireland, the word "county" is written before the county name, and is abbreviated as "Co." So, for example, if you're sending a letter to County Cork, you should write "Co. Cork" on the envelope
Step 6. Write down the name of the country (if any)
If you are shipping something to Ireland from overseas, write "Ireland" on the last line.
Step 7. Done
Method 5 of 7: French
Step 1. Write the recipient's name on the first line
Note that writing someone's last name in all caps is uncommon in France - for example, "Mme. Marie-Louise BONAPARTE." Include the required title. You may not write titles for close friends and family members, but you might consider writing titles for government officials, military personnel, doctors, professors, or older people.
Step 2. Write the name of the house or estate on the second line
This is especially relevant in rural areas when the house or estate is better known by its name. For example, you could write Chateau de Versailles.
Step 3. Write the street number and name on the third line
Street names must be in all caps. For example, you could write "1 ROUTE de ST-CYR."
Step 4. Write the postal code and city name on the fourth line
For example, 78000 Versailles.
Step 5. Write the name of the country on the fifth line (if any)
If you are sending a letter from outside France, write "France" on the last line.
Step 6. Done
Method 6 of 7: Most European Countries
Step 1. Write the recipient's name on the first line
This can be a person or an organization.
Include the required title. You may not write titles for close friends and family members, but you might consider writing titles for government officials, military personnel, doctors, professors, or older people
Step 2. Write the name of the house on the second line (if any)
This is especially relevant in rural areas where the house or estate is known more by name than by address.
Step 3. Write the street number and name on the third line
For example, you could write "Neuschwansteinstrasse 20."
Step 4. Write down the postal code, city and initials of the province (if any) on the fourth line
For example, "87645 Schwangau."
Step 5. Write the country on the fifth line (if any)
If you are sending a letter between countries, write the name of the country on the last line.
Step 6. Done
Method 7 of 7: Other Countries
Step 1. If the country you are looking for is not listed here, check the online database for international address formats
Tips
- Use long versions of postal codes to speed up domestic mail delivery. In the US, this is a 4-digit extension (eg 12345-9789).
- If sending a letter between countries, write the name of the country in all caps on the last line. You can also use country abbreviations - for example "UK" instead of "United Kingdom."
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To properly mail a member of the US military:
- Write the rank and full name of the recipient (including the initials of the middle name or middle name) on the first line.
- In the second line, write the PCS number, unit number or ship name.
- On the third line, military addresses use APO (Army Post Office) or FPO (Fleet Post Office), then regional assignments such as AE (Europe, Middle East, Africa and some parts of Canada), AP (Pacific) or AA (America and some part of Canada) followed by a postal code.
