Colombia is located in the northwest of South America. It shares its borders with the Caribbean Sea and Panama in the north, Ecuador, and Peru in the south, the Pacific Ocean in the west, and Venezuela and Brazil in the east. People in different parts of Colombia write addresses differently. These varying structures of addresses in Colombia can be confusing for the postal service providers and lead to delay in deliveries or misdeliveries. 

Moreover, different types of addresses demand different address component requirements. For instance, it is necessary to write the street address for a residential address but you have to write the military unit to send mail to military personnel. If you want to send mail to a client or customer in Colombia but don’t know the address format, we have your back. We bring to you the Colombia address format with examples. You will learn how to structure postal addresses for different purposes.

Recipient Name

Write the complete name of the recipient. You can add a title like Senor for Mr. or Senora for Mrs. If you are sending the mail to a business, write the name of the company, followed by the person’s name and their department. If you want to ensure that mail lands at the right desk and office, write ATTN. in front of the recipient’s name.

Street Address

Write the street name and building/ house number for residential and business addresses. When writing the street name, write CALLE (Spanish for street) before it. In case the recipient has a PO box, write AA (Apartado Aéreo), and then the box number. Apartado Aéreo is Spanish for post office box.

Postal Code

They are called codigo postal in Colombia and are six-digit numbers. Every city or town has its postcode or ZIP code. Make sure you write the correct Colombian postal code.

City or Town

Write the name of the city or town where the person lives. Some of the major Colombian cities are Cali, Cartagena, Medellin, and Bogota.

Country Name

Write the name of the country in the last line. If you are sending international mail to Colombia, write the name of the country in capital letters. Whether it is for domestic or international purposes, never write the abbreviated version of the country.

Capitalization

It is advised to write the whole address in capital letters for legibility.

Address Line Alignment

All the address lines should be left aligned for postal processing and clarity.

Language

For domestic deliveries, write the address in the official language i.e. Spanish. But if you are sending international mail, you can either use English or Spanish depending on the destination.

Residential Address Format

Write the recipient’s name, street address or PO box number, city or town, postal code, and country.

Rural Address Format

Not all streets in rural areas are given an official name. In such cases, write the name of the village and the nearest large town, followed by the postal code, city or town, and country.

Business Address Format

Write the name of the company in the first line, the recipient’s name in the second line, and their department in the third line. The rest of the address elements will be at the same place as the residential address.

International Address Format for NGOs And Organizations

Write the name of the organization in the first line and the specific department in the second line. All the other address elements should be placed in the same way as the residential address.

PO Box Address Format

Instead of the street address, write AA and then the PO box number of the recipient. Place the rest of the address component exactly like you did for the residential address.

Military Address Format

Mail to military personnel in Colombia is written similarly to a civic address, but you need to change two things. Start with the rank and name of the person, followed by the military unit number in the next line.

Government Office Address Format

Write the name of the office in the first line, followed by the specific department in the second line. All the other address components will remain in the same place as the residential address.

Address Format for Multiple Recipients 

If you are sending mail to multiple recipients in the same household or a business, write each name separately in different lines.

Address  Format for Courier Services

If you are using a courier service like DHL, or FedEx, write the contact details of the recipient. This will help the courier service provider ensure accurate delivery.

The national postal system of Colombia is Servicios Postales Nacionales which is commonly referred to as 4-72. It is responsible for managing domestic and international mail deliveries. It has over 1400 offices throughout the country and it offers services like regular mail, express mail, parcel deliveries, and courier services. 

Sending direct mail to the wrong address reduces your chances of increasing sales, building relationships with prospects, or maybe nurturing networks with clients or customers. A simple typing error, spelling mistake, or formatting mistake can also affect your brand’s reputation. Hence, keeping the correct data in your database and watching for incorrect or incomplete data entering your system is essential. 

All of these problems can be solved when you have a perfect address verification solution, like PostGrid, in place. Autocomplete, verify, validate, and standardize addresses across 250+ countries & territories to local postal standards for better deliverability, up-to-date records, and eliminating return mail with PostGrid. Be it a single address at a time or verifying over 1 million addresses in one go our solution will assist in ensuring correct deliveries to Colombia mailing addresses.

Do you want to send mail to countries other than Colombia but don’t know the address format? Don’t worry, we have got covered. Head over to our international address format page and learn about address format for countries across the world.