HOW TO ADDRESS A PARCEL
Sending parcels years ago required a steady hand and a deep knowledge of how addresses in the UK and internationally work. In the modern day, much of it is done for you – our systems will automatically provide the correct method for wherever you’re sending to – but being able to double-check the parcel address format is important.
If the address turns out to be wrong, you and your recipient could find yourselves experiencing unexpected delays. We’ve prepared a quick guide on how to address a parcel in the UK and for international parcel hotspots to ensure you can double-check correctly!
THE CORRECT PARCEL ADDRESS FORMAT
The correct way of addressing a parcel differs from country to country, and while our booking systems will do much of the hard work for you – you still need to know the recipient’s address, and how it should look on a postage label.
You can find some of the most likely domestic and international parcel address formats below.
HOW TO ADDRESS A PARCEL IN THE UK
The correct way to address a parcel in the UK should be something you’ve seen at least once before, especially if you have regular deliveries! There should be no commas or full stops, with the name of the recipient followed by the house number and street, the local area if needed, the city and then the postal code.
It should look something like:
- Mr. D Fox
- 4 Nightshade Close
- West Bromwich
- B73 1HP
HOW TO ADDRESS A PARCEL FOR THE USA
Sending a parcel to the USA? The American address looks a bit different to that of the UK, often with longer house numbers, longer postal codes (referred to as zip codes), and areas and states being required. Postal codes should be in two parts, which is preferred, but the first half is sufficient if you don’t know the rest.
It should look something like:
- Miss Jane Doe
- 1620 Nobleman Street
- Munhall PA 15120
- United States of America
HOW TO ADDRESS A PARCEL FOR SPAIN
Sending to the Spanish mainland? A Spanish address isn’t too dissimilar to a USA address – but it does have a few key differences. For example, the title of the recipient is changed to Sr. (Senor), Sra. (Senora) and Srta. (Senorita). Another change is that the “province” is included within the address, after the town in brackets.
It should look something like:
- Sr. Hector Ramos
- Calle del Esperanto 16
- 03503 BENIDORM (Alicante)
- SPAIN
KEY THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN SENDING TO OTHER COUNTRIES
Knowing the idiosyncrasies in how to address a parcel to international destinations can help you ensure that everything is correct on every step of the way.
There are other countries which have little things which you may miss if you’re not aware of them beforehand.
For example:
- When sending to France, the recipient’s surname should be capitalised.
- Germany’s rules are strict: the house number should be AFTER the street name, and the five-digit postcode should be before the town name.
- There should be a double space between the postcode and town when sending to the Netherlands.
Keep an eye out for these if you’re sending to any of the aforementioned countries!
There is also a typical international postal address which is seen across many countries, which usually looks like:
- NAME
- STREET
- PROVINCE
- POSTCODE & TOWN
- COUNTRY
SEND A PARCEL TODAY
Ready to send your parcel domestically or internationally? Simply fill in the recipient’s details and all of the relevant information about the parcel, and our system will help you on your way.
Get a quick quote today, or get in touch for more information.