Address Types
How to address an envelope internationally
Write the full destination country name in capital letters on its own last line, never abbreviated. Everything above that line should follow the destination country own format, not US conventions, since postal code placement and address order both vary by country. Germany and France put the postal code before the city name. Japan reverses the order entirely when written in Roman letters. The United States is actually the exception, not the rule.
Checked July 30, 2026/8 min read
Written by Claire PostReviewed against USPS Publication 28
What is on this page6 sections
“International” addressing sounds like it should be one set of rules with a country name tacked on the end. It is not. It is at least as many formats as there are countries, and the differences are not cosmetic. Germany and France put the postal code before the city name, not after. Japan, written in Roman letters for a piece of mail leaving the country, reverses its own domestic address order entirely.
The one rule that holds everywhere is the last line: the full country name, spelled out, in capitals. Everything above that line needs to match the destination, not the habits you already have from addressing mail at home.
Step by step
Write the full country name on its own last line, always capitalized
This is the one truly universal rule. Never abbreviate the country name, and never leave it off, since it is what routes the piece internationally in the first place.
Follow the destination country own format for everything above that line
This is where most mistakes happen. US habits, city then state then ZIP, do not transfer to most other countries.
Know that postal code placement varies more than anything else
The US and UK put it near the end. Germany and France put it before the city name, on the same line. Getting this backwards is the single most common international addressing mistake.
HERR JORDAN REYESMUSTERSTRASSE 1210115 BERLINGERMANYCorrectGermany. Postal code before the city, same line. Write Japan in reverse order from the native convention
When addressing Japan in Roman letters from abroad, start with the smallest unit, room or building number, and work up to the postal code and prefecture last, the reverse of how a Japanese address is written domestically.
JORDAN REYES3-4-5 SHIBUYASHIBUYA-KU TOKYO 150-0002JAPANCorrectJapan, Roman-letter reverse order for international mail.
Quick reference
| Country | Format |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Name / Street / Town in capitals / Postcode / UNITED KINGDOM |
| Canada | Name / Street / City PROVINCE PostalCode / CANADA |
| Japan | Name / Building-Street / Ward, City, Prefecture Postcode / JAPAN |
| Germany | Name / Street Number / Postcode City / GERMANY |
| France | Name / Street Number / Postcode City / FRANCE |
| Australia | Name / Street / Suburb STATE Postcode / AUSTRALIA |
| Mexico | Name / Street Number / Colonia, Postcode / City, State / MEXICO |
| Italy | Name / Street Number / Postcode City (Province) / ITALY |
Special cases
The rule above covers most people. Here is what changes for the rest.
Should I write the country name in English or in the destination country own language?
English, when mailing from the United States, since the country name in the last line needs to be readable by US and international sorting staff who route it toward the correct country before it is handed off to the destination postal service. GERMANY works better for this purpose than Deutschland, even though a German recipient would use the latter domestically.
Do I still need a customs form for a plain letter, or just for packages?
A standard letter with no goods inside typically does not need a customs form. Anything with contents beyond a letter or card, including small items enclosed in an envelope, may require one, so check current requirements for the specific destination country and item type before mailing anything beyond paper.
Why does the Canadian postal code have a space in the middle but no hyphen?
That is simply the Canada Post standard format, three characters, a space, three more characters, such as K1A 0B1. Writing it with a hyphen instead of a space is a common US-habit mistake, since it looks similar to a US ZIP+4 code, but Canada Post specifically does not use a hyphen in this position.
Key terms on this page
- Postal code placement
- Where the postal code sits relative to the city name. The US and UK place it near the end of the address; Germany and France place it directly before the city on the same line.
- Reverse addressing order
- The convention, used for Japan when writing in Roman letters for international mail, of starting with the smallest address unit and ending with the largest, the opposite of the native domestic format.
- Customs form
- Required documentation for international mail containing goods, describing the contents and value for customs processing in the destination country.