How to Write a Shipping Address on a UPS Package
It is very important to get the shipping address right when addressing a package because even a small error or a missing part of address can result in your shipment arriving late or not arriving at all. Postal and courier companies have addressing requirements to which you should adhere if you want your shipments delivered without any delays. Let’s figure out how to write a shipping address on a UPS package.
How to Write a US Shipping Address on a UPS Package
UPS uses pretty much the same format of domestic mailing addresses for packages shipped within the United States as the United States Postal Service (USPS). A US mailing address consists of three lines.
Line One: the recipient’s name or company name. You should write the full name of the recipient, including any professional or legal title they might have.
Line Two: the street address, including the apartment number if there is one and directional information for delivery (i.e. N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, SW).
Line Three: the town/city, the state (two-letter abbreviation), and the five-digit ZIP code. If the information does not fit on one line, you can separate it across two lines. If you don’t know the ZIP code, you can look it up online.
Example of a US shipping address:
JOHN JOHNSON
10 MAIN ST APT 2
ANYTOWN MI 48001
Keep in mind that UPS only delivers to street addresses and does not deliver to PO Boxes. It can, however, deliver to military addresses (APO/FPO/DPO) if you use UPS SurePost, a hybrid economy service where the UPS picks up your shipment, and the USPS is responsible for the last leg of delivery. US military addresses also consist of three lines.
Line One: the recipient’s full name and rank.
Line Two: the unit number and the APO/FPO/DPO box number.
Line Three: the APO/FPO/DPO designation, the region (AA – Armed Forces of the Americas, AE – Armed Forces of Europe, AP – Armed Forces of the Pacific), and the extended ZIP code (ZIP+4).
Example of a US military address:
SSGT JOHN JOHNSON
UNIT 2050 BOX 4190
APO AP 96278-2050
How to Write an International Shipping Address on a UPS Package
International addressing conventions are regulated by the Universal Postal Union (UPU). Some addressing rules are universal (for example, the name of the destination country should be written on the lowest line), but there are minor variations in address format among countries and territories. For example, most countries and territories use postal codes, but there are several dozen countries and territories that don’t have them. The placement of the postal code also varies; for example, in France it is included before the town or city name, while in India the name of the state precedes the postal code.
The best way to get an international address on your UPS package right is to consult the UPU website; it won’t take much time but it can make all the difference when shipping internationally. Click on the link, then click on Postal Addressing Systems (PAS). Scroll down a bit, select the country you’re shipping to from the drop-down list, and click Download to get a PDF file with addressing instructions (postal code type and position, address format, list of abbreviations, glossary, etc.) and examples of addresses for that country. The address must be written in Latin characters and Arabic numerals.
Addressing a UPS Package with PostageMaker
When you’re generating shipping labels online with PostageMaker, getting the shipping address right is easier because our shipping label form has fields for you to fill out:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Company
- Address
- City
- ZIP code (postal code for international addresses)
- Country (selected from a drop-down list)
- State (when shipping within the United States, selected from a drop-down list)
- Phone Number
Of course, you still need to place the elements that belong in the Address field (i.e. street name, building and apartment number, etc.) in the right order, so don’t forget to check in with the recommendations above before filling out the form.