The United Kingdom is located in Northwest Europe, off the coast of mainland Europe. By land, it shares its borders with only one country, the Republic of Ireland. People around the country have their way of writing the address when sending mail. Moreover, there are different types of addresses and each address has its specific element requirement. If you want to send mail to a client or customer in the United Kingdom but don’t know the correct address format, we will help you. We bring to you a list of different types of addresses, along with their format and examples for each.

Recipient Name

Start by writing the name of the recipient in the first line. You can add honorific titles like Mr. and Mrs. If you are sending the mail to a business, the company’s name will come in the first line. Write the name of the person and their department in the second and third lines respectively. If you want to ensure that the internal mail distribution system sends the mail to the right office and desk, add ATTN. in front of the person’s name.

Street Address

In the second line, add the street name and house/building number for the residential and business addresses. In case of a PO Box, write PO Box, and then the box number. 

City

Write the name of the city. Some of the major cities in the United Kingdom are London, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, and Glasgow.

Postal Code

They are called postcodes in the UK and are alphanumeric characters, written with a space between the fourth and fifth characters.

Country Name

Write the name of the country in the last line. If you are sending international mail to the United Kingdom, write the country name in capital letters.

Residential Address Format

Write the recipient’s name, street address, or PO box number, city, postal code, and country name. Every address element will come in separate lines.

Rural Address Format

Typically, rural addresses require a village name along with the street name. Write the name of the village, followed by the nearest larger town, above or below the street name. Add the rest of the address elements in the same way as the residential address.

Business Address Format

Write the name of the company in the first line. In the second line write the person’s name, and add their department in the third line. The rest of the address components will remain in the same place as the residential address.

International Address Format for NGOs and Organizations

In the residential address, instead of the recipient’s name, write the name of the organization in the first line and the specific department in the second line. 

PO Box Address Format

In the residential address, instead of the street address, write the term “PO Box” and then the PO box number.

PO Box and Civic Address Format

In case the address has both a PO box and a civic address, the civic address should be written before the PO box number.

British Forces Post Office Address Format

To write the military address format for mail to personnel commissioned in British Forces, follow the same structure as the residential address format except for the first two lines. Write the service number, rank, and full name of the person in the first line. In the second line write the military unit or regiment number.

Government Office Address Format

In the residential address, instead of the recipient’s name, write the office and department name on the first line and second line respectively.

Address Format for Multiple Recipients

If you are sending mail to multiple people in the same household or business, write each name in separate lines of the residential and business addresses.

Address Format for Courier Services

If you are using courier services like DHL or FedEx to send mail, add the contact details of the recipient in the last line of the residential address.

Postal Information