How to write a Macao address (and what to put for postal code)

Macao has no postal code system, and never has. CTT, the postal operator, delivers on the street name and the building name alone. That makes a Macao address short, but it also means a foreign form asking for a ZIP code is asking for something that does not exist. The answer is to leave it blank.

The order, line by line

Recipient name	Maria Chan
Floor and flat	5.º andar A
Building	Edifício Comercial
Number and street	N.º 429, Avenida da Praia Grande
Parish	Sé
Territory	Macau

A ready example

READY TO PASTE ADDRESS

In the order Macao Post uses.

5.º andar A
Edifício Comercial
N.º 429, Avenida da Praia Grande
Sé
Macau

The recipient and the flat number are illustrative. Avenida da Praia Grande is a real Macao avenue in the Sé parish.

The order reverses between languages

Written in Chinese, a Macao address runs from largest to smallest: territory, then parish, then street, then door number. Written in Portuguese or English it runs the other way, from the door number up to the territory. Both are correct, and Macao Post reads both. What you must not do is mix them, which is what happens when someone copies the Chinese order into a Latin script form.

The street name itself stays Portuguese in all three versions. Macao streets carry official Portuguese and Chinese names, and the Portuguese one is what appears on the sign and in the land registry.

What 999078 actually is

You will see 999078 listed as a Macao postal code on address databases and some shopping sites. It is an internal routing number used by China Post to move international mail toward Macao, in the same way 999077 is used for Hong Kong. Macao Post does not publish it, print it, or ask for it. Use it only when a form refuses to proceed without six digits. It changes nothing about how quickly a parcel arrives.

What to enter on a foreign form

Postal code / ZIP	Leave blank. If the field is required, enter NA, or 999078 when only digits are accepted.
City	Macau.
District	Your parish, for example Sé or São Lourenço.
State / Province	Macao, if the form offers it.
Phone	With the country code: +853 and eight digits.
Country	Macao SAR, China. The country code is MO.

Common mistakes

Inventing a postal code. Macao has never had one. A made-up number does not help sorting and may fail validation further down the line.
Translating the street name. Macao streets are officially named in Portuguese and Chinese. Avenida da Praia Grande stays as it is, even in an English address.
Using the Chinese order in a Latin address. Chinese runs from territory down to door number. Portuguese and English run the other way.
Choosing China and then a mainland province. Macao is a Special Administrative Region. Pick Macao if the form offers it, otherwise leave the province blank.

Find your parish

Open your parish on the Macao home page to see its name in Portuguese, Chinese and English, and a ready address format. Macao has seven civil parishes across the peninsula, Taipa and Coloane.