Royal Mail has clarified that including a county name in an address is optional, as long as the town and postcode are provided. The postal service's official guidance, available on its website, outlines the necessary components for addressing mail within the UK.
What Should an Address Include?
According to Royal Mail, a UK address should feature the recipient's name, house number and street name, a locality name if needed, the town, and the full postcode. The town and postcode should be written in capital letters. Royal Mail states: "You don't need to write the name of the county if you've included the town and postcode."
The guidance also advises against using full stops and commas, and recommends aligning each line to the left rather than centering the text. To ensure items can be returned if necessary, Royal Mail suggests including a UK return address on every item sent.
Why County Names Are Optional
In 2010, Royal Mail announced that county names would be removed from its Postcode Address File, a database listing every UK address, widely used by businesses and public bodies. At the time, Ian Beesley, chairman of the board advising Royal Mail on the database, told the BBC that county names had become "a kind of vanity attachment".
Royal Mail's current guidance notes: "You don't need to include a county name, as your letters and parcels will still reach the right place. However, you can include it if you prefer."
Formatting Your Address
For clarity, Royal Mail recommends writing the recipient's name on the first line, followed by the organisation name if applicable. The property number and street name should come next, with the street name on a separate line if the property has a name. The local area or village can follow, with the town in capitals beneath. The postcode, also in capitals, should be the final line for UK destinations.
