Template for Addressing Envelopes

The basic layout of an addressed envelope

The delivery address block is written in lines from the most specific to the most general: name, then street and number (with apartment), then city, state and ZIP. That order lets sorting machines read the last line first to route the letter to the right town.

US address formats

Common US formats: Home — Priya Shah / 1200 Market Ave / Denver, CO 80202. Apartment — Priya Shah / 1200 Market Ave Apt 5B / Denver, CO 80202. Business — Harbor Dental Group / Attn: Dr. Emily Chen / 4 Harbor Ct Ste 200 / Portland, ME 04101. PO Box — Priya Shah / PO Box 4821 / Denver, CO 80202. Use the two-letter state abbreviation and, if you know it, the ZIP+4 code.

Writing names and titles

Etiquette is changing, and many people prefer their own first names on invitations rather than “Mr. and Mrs. [husband’s name]”. When in doubt, ask, or use first names for both.

Wedding and formal invitations

• Write names in full without nicknames or initials.
• Spell out Street, Avenue, Apartment and state names are sometimes spelled out too; numbers under ten may be written as words in very formal styles.
• Use the inner envelope (if any) for less formal names, including children invited.
• Hand-address or print in a script font for the delivery address; keep it legible.
• Include the return address on the back flap for formal invitations, as is traditional, or top-left for everyday mail.

Military addresses

Mail to US service members overseas uses a special format: name (and rank if desired), then the unit and box or PSC number, then APO (Army/Air Force Post Office), FPO (Fleet Post Office) or DPO (Diplomatic Post Office) in place of the city, and AA, AE or AP in place of the state, followed by the ZIP code. Do not add the name of the country or city where the person is stationed; the mail travels through the US postal system to the military postal service.

International addresses

Each country has its own order. UK: house number and street, then post town in capitals, then postcode on its own line (e.g. LONDON / SW1A 1AA). Canada: municipality, two-letter province and postal code on one line (TORONTO ON M5V 2T6). Germany: street then house number (Hauptstraße 12), postcode before the town (10115 Berlin). Australia: locality, state and postcode (SYDNEY NSW 2000). When mailing from abroad, add the country name in capitals as the last line, and write the address in the Latin alphabet (with the local script above it if you have it).

Worked example

For a formal wedding invitation to a married couple who share a surname, the style set to “Formal” produces “Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Shah / 1200 Market Avenue Apartment 5B / Denver, CO 80202”, with Avenue and Apartment spelled out. For the same couple’s electricity bill envelope, “Postal” style gives “PRIYA AND DANIEL SHAH / 1200 MARKET AVE APT 5B / DENVER CO 80202”. For a colleague deployed overseas, the military format gives “SGT Alex Kim / PSC 1234 Box 5678 / APO AE 09012”.

Common addressing mistakes

• Putting the apartment number on the city line.
• Writing both a PO Box and a street address, which can send mail to the wrong one.
• Using a city name with an APO/FPO address.
• Missing the country line on international mail — or adding it to domestic mail.
• Decorative fonts that sorting machines cannot read on bulk mail.
• Placing the address too low, over the barcode area.

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