Knowledge Base How to address your UK mail correctly
Labelling your mail and parcels correctly will help reduce returns
Why is it important to use correct addresses?
It is important to address mail and goods correctly to ensure they get delivered to the correct address first time. Mail which is not addressed correctly may take longer to process or be returned to the sender, which delays delivery and often upsets your customers.
Who specifies what address format is best?
Royal Mail is the UK’s postal authority and requires a certain standard of address formatting to ensure their processing of mail is efficient.
How should an address be formatted?
Some examples of various addresses in their correct format are as follows:
| Business address with building number and street | |
|---|---|
| Information | Example |
| Addressee’s name | Mr A N Address |
| Company/Organisation | Allies Computing Ltd |
| Building number with thoroughfare (street) | 92 St. Faiths Lane |
| Post Town (printed in capitals) | NORWICH |
| Postcode (printed in capitals) | NR1 1NE |
Note: a county is not part of a postally correct address.
Other elements which can be added to this format are:
- Department
- Sub-Building Name
- Building Name
- Dependent Street (a business park or cul-de-sac)
- Double Dependent Locality (small village)
- Dependent Locality (large village)
- PO Box Number
| PO Box address (made up address to show correct formatting) | |
|---|---|
| Information | Example |
| Addressee’s name | Mr A N Address |
| Company/Organisation | ADD Ltd |
| Department | IT Department |
| PO Box Number | PO Box 789 |
| Post Town (printed in capitals) | LONDON |
| Postcode (printed in capitals) | W5 5YZ |
| Address with no street (made up address to show correct formatting) | |
|---|---|
| Information | Example |
| Addressee’s name | Mr A N Address |
| Premise | Church Farm |
| Post Town (printed in capitals) | COUNTRYLAND |
| Postcode (printed in capitals) | XY14 2LG |
| Address with dependent locality (made up address to show correct formatting) | |
|---|---|
| Information | Example |
| Addressee’s name | Mrs A D Dress |
| House number with thoroughfare (street) | 1 Flower Pot Crescent |
| Dependent Locality | Furtherton |
| Post Town (printed in capitals) | SHELBURY |
| Postcode (printed in capitals) | SH1 1NE |
Who will benefit from formatting addresses correctly?
Any business who collects customer address data over the phone, online, in the post, or who performs direct mailings, can benefit from addressing their mail correctly. Individuals sending personal post and packages will also benefit.
What are the benefits of using addressing tools?
For businesses
- Improves your record keeping so that customers address details are kept accurate and up-to-date
- Consistent format and ready for any mail shots you send out - nobody likes to receive badly addressed mail
- Speeds up address collection, saving you time
- Website purchase processes are easier and shorter, increasing online sales and conversion rates
- Increases the number of goods that get delivered first time
- Reduces the number of undelivered/returned items and associated costs and time
- A professional image of your company is presented to your customers
For individuals
You can be confident that you have prepared your mail as best you can ready for Royal Mail processing to help it get to the correct place, first time. This means you won’t have to pay to send it out again.
Postcoder address lookup and validation
Postcoder address lookup API by Allies provides the fastest, most reliable way to capture accurate addresses.
Postcoder enables people to use their postcode to lookup and fill in their address. Postcode lookup is up to 80% faster than typing an address manually. Automatic address verification provides addresses that are 100% up to date and postally correct.
