This article was co-authored by Tami Claytor. Tami Claytor is an Etiquette Coach, Image Consultant, and the Owner of Always Appropriate Image and Etiquette Consulting in New York, New York. With over 20 years of experience, Tami specializes in teaching etiquette classes to individuals, students, companies, and community organizations. Tami has spent decades studying cultures through her extensive travels across five continents and has created cultural diversity workshops to promote social justice and cross-cultural awareness. She holds a BA in Economics with a concentration in International Relations from Clark University. Tami studied at the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned her Image Consultant Certification.
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Addressing an envelope correctly helps get your letter to the correct destination on time. Many people don't realize that there's a "right" way to address an envelope; if it arrives at the right place, you did it correctly. right? Unfortunately, this is not the case. If you're writing an address on an envelope to a business contact, it's especially important to write it correctly so that you are professional. This is a skill that you'll likely use time and time again for work, so you'll want to do it correctly.
If you're mailing from another country, write "United States" on the address. If you're sending a letter from outside the US, you'll need to change your format slightly. Write the city and state on one line, "United States of America" on the line beneath that, and the ZIP code on the last line.
Write the name of the organization on the second line. For instance, if you're writing to Paul Smith about a business matter and he works for Widgets, Inc., you'd write "Paul Smith" on the first line and "Widgets, Inc." on the second.
Write the name of the recipient on the first line. Include any necessary titles. You can probably skip titles for close friends and family members, but you might consider including them for government officials, military personnel, doctors, professors, or elderly people. This could be a person or an organization.
Write the address number and name of the street on the second line. It's important that you write the number first and the street second. For example: 10 Downing St.
Write the name of the county on the fourth line (if applicable). If, for instance, you're sending a letter to London, you probably don't need to write the county. But if you're sending a letter to a rural area, including it might be a good idea. If you know any other principal subdivisions, such as the province, state, or county, then include that as well. [3] X Research source
Include the name of the country (if applicable). If you're posting the letter from outside of Great Britain, write "UK" or "United Kingdom" on the last line.
Write the name of the recipient on the first line. This could be a person or an organization. Include any necessary titles. You can probably skip titles for close friends and family members, but you might consider including them for government officials, military personnel, doctors, professors or elderly people.
Write the name of the house on the second line (if applicable). This is especially relevant in rural areas where houses or estates are known by name instead of by address. For example, you could write Trinity College Dublin.
Write the street on the third line. You can include the street number if you only have the street address. If you know the name of the estate, though, the street name alone should be enough. For example, College Green.
Write the name of the town or city on the fourth line. If you're sending a letter to Dublin, you'll need to follow the city name with a specific one- or two-digit postal code for that area of the city. You could write, Dublin 2.
Write the name of the country (if applicable). If you're mailing something to Ireland from outside of the country, write "Ireland" on the last line.
Write the name of the recipient on the first line. Note that it is common to write a person's last name in all caps in France — for example, "Mme. Marie-Louise BONAPARTE." Include any necessary titles. You can probably skip titles for close friends and family members, but you might consider including them for government officials, military personnel, doctors, professors or elderly people.
Write the name of the house or estate on the second line. This is especially relevant in rural areas where houses or estates are known by name. You could write, for example, Chateau de Versailles.
Write the street number and name on the third line. The street name should be in all caps. For example, you might write "1 ROUTE de ST-CYR."
Write the country name on the fifth line (if applicable). If you're mailing between countries, include "France" on the last line.
Write the name of the house on the second line (if applicable). This is especially relevant in rural areas where houses or estates are known by name instead of by address.
Write the street name and number on the third line. For example, you might write "Neuschwansteinstraße 20."
Write the postal code, city and initials of the province (if applicable) on the fourth line. For example, "87645 Schwangau."
Write the country on the fifth line (if applicable). If you're mailing between countries, include the name of the country on the last line.
If the country you are looking for isn't listed here, check out an online database of international address formats. [4] X Research source
You don't need to write anything on the back (flap) side of the envelope. All information, including the address and return address, should go on the front of the envelope. If you'd like to be fancy, you can place a sticker over the bottom of the "flap" on the back of the envelope. This will give it an old-fashioned look.
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First line: name of specific person and position, if known. Second line: name of university. Third line: street address or P.O. Box. Fourth line: city, state, and zip or post code.
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What do you do with an envelope of an invitation where the invitees' names don't fit on the first line?
Top Answerer Take as many lines as necessary to list the invitees. List all of them above the mailing address.Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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Use the extended version of the postal code to speed the delivery of domestic mail. In the US, this is a 4-digit extension (ex. 12345-9789).
If mailing across borders, write the name of the country in all caps as the very final line. You could also use the country abbreviation — for instance "UK" instead of "United Kingdom."
Avoid placing tape over postage stamps. Postal processing equipment can't read the ultra-violet ink on a covered stamp and will return your mail.
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This article was co-authored by Tami Claytor. Tami Claytor is an Etiquette Coach, Image Consultant, and the Owner of Always Appropriate Image and Etiquette Consulting in New York, New York. With over 20 years of experience, Tami specializes in teaching etiquette classes to individuals, students, companies, and community organizations. Tami has spent decades studying cultures through her extensive travels across five continents and has created cultural diversity workshops to promote social justice and cross-cultural awareness. She holds a BA in Economics with a concentration in International Relations from Clark University. Tami studied at the Ophelia DeVore School of Charm and the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she earned her Image Consultant Certification. This article has been viewed 3,953,619 times.
6 votes - 93% Co-authors: 75 Updated: July 19, 2024 Views: 3,953,619 Categories: Addressing EnvelopesIf you’re sending a letter in the United States, the recipient’s address goes on the front of the envelope. Position the address approximately in the center of the envelope, near the bottom. Start by writing the recipient’s first and last name on the first line. If it’s a professional letter, you may want to include a formal title before their name, such as Mr., Ms., or Dr. In some cases, you may need to add some additional information below the recipient’s name and above the street address. For example, if you’re writing to somebody who doesn’t normally live at the address, you can put the letter in the care of the main resident. To do this, write something like “c/o John Smith” on the second line. Or, if you’re writing a professional letter, you might use the second line to write the recipient’s job title, such as “Director of Marketing.” If the address is an institution or a business rather than a home, write the name of the organization below the recipient’s name and title. On the next line, enter the street address. This usually includes the street number and the name of the street. If the address is located in an apartment building or an office building, you can also include the apartment, suite, or office number on this line. For instance, write something like, “57 Pinewood Ave., Apartment 3B.” If the address is a post office box rather than a physical street address, write the post office box number on this line instead. For example, “P.O. Box 1377.” Under the street address, write the city, state, and zip code. In an address, the name of the state is usually abbreviated to two letters. If you’re not sure of the right postal abbreviation for the state, you can always look it up online. For example, if you’re sending the letter to a Chicago address, this line would look something like “Chicago, IL 60637.” If you’re mailing the letter from another country, write “United States of America” or “USA” on the bottom line, below the city, state, and zip code. If you want to learn how to address a letter in different countries, keep reading the article!
