The Post Office has issued guidance for UK customers on how to correctly address mail, highlighting a common mistake: using punctuation. According to the retailer's website, full stops and commas should be avoided, and lines should not be centred.
Key Rules for Addressing Mail
The advice states: "Don’t use full stops or commas. Start each line on the left (don’t centre the lines). You don’t need to write the name of the county if you’ve included the town and postcode."
The recommended format includes five lines: the recipient's name, house number and street name, locality name (if needed), town, and full postcode. Both the town and postcode should be written in capital letters.
Return Addresses and International Post
Customers are reminded to include a UK return address on every item. "If you want to make sure your post can get back to you, don’t forget to include your UK return address on each item. Items that cannot be delivered will be returned to you."
For international mail, the Post Office advises using the English name of the destination country and placing the postcode to the left of the town for European destinations (e.g., 11780 ATHENS). The town and country should be in capitals, with the full country name last, and no abbreviations. Air Mail stickers are required unless using International Economy.
Additional Tips
Customs labels are needed for packages sent outside the UK. The return address must be in the UK; addresses in the destination country are not accepted. The Post Office also echoes Royal Mail guidance, which recommends placing the address in the bottom-left corner of the envelope and avoiding commas and full stops.
