What Should I Enter for My Mailing Address?

What to enter as your mailing address

If a form asks for your mailing address, enter the address where you receive mail or deliveries.

Usually, that means:

1. Your name
2. Your street address or P.O. Box
3. Your apartment, unit, or suite number, if you have one
4. Your city or town
5. Your state, province, or region
6. Your postal code
7. Your country, when the form or delivery is international

For example, if you live in an apartment, you might enter:

Name: Jordan Lee

Address line 1: 245 Oak Street

Address line 2: Apartment 6B

City: Denver

State: Colorado

ZIP code: 80206

Country: United States

If the form has only one address box, combine the address into one line:

Jordan Lee, 245 Oak Street, Apartment 6B, Denver, Colorado 80206, United States

The exact order and labels can change from one country to another. Follow the form’s field names when they give you separate boxes.

Choosing a street address or P.O. Box

Use this quick guide:

• Choose your street address when a seller, courier, or service needs to bring something to your building or home.
• Choose your P.O. Box when you receive mail at a rented postal box and the sender accepts P.O. Box deliveries.
• Check the delivery rules first if you’re ordering a large package, furniture, or anything that may need delivery to a physical location.
• Use the address connected to the account when a bank, school, government office, or other service asks for your mailing address.

For baby footwear orders, use the address where someone can actually receive the package. Include the apartment or unit number so the delivery doesn’t stop at the wrong door.

The parts of a standard mailing address

A typical mailing address contains these pieces:

Recipient name

The person or household receiving the mail.

Street address or P.O. Box

A street address has a building number and street name. A P.O. Box has a box number instead.

City or town

Use the official city or town connected to the address.

State, province, or region

This may be a state, province, territory, county, or another local area, depending on the country.

Postal code

This is called a ZIP code in the United States. Other places use different postal code systems.

Country

Add the country when sending mail across national borders or when an online form asks for it.

Example: basic street address

Maya Chen

18 River Road

Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 2Y5

Canada

Example: U.S. address

Maya Chen

18 River Road

Austin, TX 78704

United States

A form may split this into fields such as “Address line 1,” “City,” “State,” and “ZIP code.” That’s normal. You don’t need to repeat the city or state in the street-address field if the form already gives you separate boxes for them.

Street address format, including apartment or suite numbers

A street address normally starts with the building number and then the street name:

72 Pine Avenue

If you live in an apartment, condominium, office suite, or unit, add that detail. Without it, the mail may reach the building but not the right person.

Line-by-line apartment example

Example: apartment delivery

Recipient: Taylor Morgan

Address line 1: 72 Pine Avenue

Address line 2: Unit 14

City: Portland

State: Oregon

ZIP code: 97205

Country: United States

On an envelope or label, it can look like this:

Taylor Morgan

72 Pine Avenue, Unit 14

Portland, OR 97205

United States

The apartment detail can also appear on its own line:

Taylor Morgan

72 Pine Avenue

Apartment 14

Portland, OR 97205

United States

Both layouts clearly connect the unit number to the street address. If an online form has an “Address line 2” box, put the apartment, unit, floor, or suite there.

What if the form has only one address line?

Put the building number, street name, and apartment or suite number together:

72 Pine Avenue, Unit 14

Don’t leave out the unit number just because the form has limited space. If the form allows a second line in the same box, you can also write:

72 Pine Avenue

Unit 14

How to enter a P.O. Box mailing address

A P.O. Box is a locked box at a post office or similar mail facility. It replaces the street-address line.

A P.O. Box address should include:

• The recipient’s name
• The words P.O. Box
• The box number
• The city and state or province
• The postal code
• The country, when needed

Example: P.O. Box address

Example: United States

Casey Rivera

P.O. Box 418

Madison, WI 53701

United States

On an online form, enter:

• Address line 1: P.O. Box 418
• City: Madison
• State: Wisconsin
• ZIP code: 53701

The ZIP code should be the ZIP code for that box. Don’t replace the P.O. Box with your home street address unless the form specifically asks for both.

Some forms ask for a “shipping address” and may not accept a P.O. Box. That usually means the delivery service needs a physical location. In that case, read the seller’s instructions or contact them before placing the order.

How to write an address on one line or an online form

When you’re entering an address online, use each field for the part it requests.

Typical online form

• Full name: Avery Patel
• Address line 1: 905 Cedar Lane
• Address line 2: Suite 203
• City: Columbus
• State or province: Ohio
• Postal code: 43215
• Country: United States

If there’s no apartment, unit, or suite, leave Address line 2 blank. Don’t type “N/A” unless the form requires something in that box.

One-line mailing address format

For a single address field, you can write:

Avery Patel, 905 Cedar Lane, Suite 203, Columbus, OH 43215, United States

If the form uses a separate name field, leave the name out of the address line:

905 Cedar Lane, Suite 203, Columbus, OH 43215, United States

A one-line address usually uses commas to separate the parts. Postal labels may use a different layout, so don’t assume the one-line version is the best format for an envelope.

If you’re checking a United States address, a USPS standard address format checker may help confirm the street spelling, city, state, and ZIP code. It can’t fix a missing apartment number or tell you whether a P.O. Box is accepted by a particular seller.

How to format the sender and recipient on an envelope

An envelope has two main addresses:

• The recipient is the person receiving the mail.
• The sender, also called the return address, is the person or organization sending it.

The recipient’s address goes in the main area on the front of the envelope. The sender’s address usually goes in the upper-left corner or on the back flap, depending on local postal practice.

Envelope example

Sender in the upper-left corner:

Sam Wilson

44 Lake Street

Bristol, BS1 4QA

United Kingdom

Recipient in the center:

Riley Adams

120 Market Road, Apartment 8

Manchester, M1 2AB

United Kingdom

Put the recipient’s full mailing address in the center area. Include the return address when you want undeliverable mail sent back to you.

If you don’t know the recipient’s personal name, some postal formats allow a general title such as Postal Customer, Occupant, or Resident. Use this only when it fits the type of mail and the destination’s postal rules.

International mailing address details and capitalization

International addresses don’t all use the same layout. The name of the local area, postal code, and region can appear in a different order depending on the destination.

For international mail, put the country name on the final line. Write it in English and in capital letters.

Example: international format

Nora Evans

16 Garden Street, Flat 3

Dublin D02 XY76

IRELAND

Some postal guidance recommends using capital letters, leaving out punctuation, using type that is at least 10 points, putting one space between the city and state, and leaving two spaces between the state and ZIP code. Those directions are useful for certain postal labels, especially in the United States, but they aren’t a universal rule for every country or every online form.

For a form, normal capitalization is usually easier to read:

Nora Evans

16 Garden Street, Flat 3

Dublin D02 XY76

Ireland

If the form has separate country options, select the destination from the list instead of typing it into the street-address box.

Mailing address versus physical address

Your mailing address is where you receive mail. It may be your home, another building, a workplace, or a P.O. Box.

Your physical address describes the actual location of a person, home, or business. It normally refers to a street location rather than a P.O. Box.

These addresses can be the same:

• Mailing address: 245 Oak Street, Apartment 6B
• Physical address: 245 Oak Street, Apartment 6B

They can also be different:

• Mailing address: P.O. Box 418, Madison, WI 53701
• Physical address: 72 Pine Avenue, Madison, WI 53704

If a form asks specifically for your mailing address, enter the address used to receive your mail. If it asks for your physical address, enter the street location. If it asks for both, provide both separately.

So, what should you put as your mailing address? Enter your name, street address or P.O. Box, apartment or unit number when needed, city, state or province, and postal code. Add the country when the mail is international.

If you’re ordering baby footwear, check those details one more time before submitting: your name, delivery address, apartment or unit number, city, state, and postal code should all be complete.