How to address an envelope for international mail
A clear label is read by a machine first and a person second. Keep it to a single block of left-aligned lines, put the recipient name on the first line, and order the rest from the smallest unit to the largest, finishing with the country in the sender's language. Write the country on its own line so a machine in the origin country can route the item before anyone reads the local detail.
The order by destination
Hong Kong: flat and floor, building, street number and street, district, then the region (Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, or New Territories), then Hong Kong. There is no postal code. Singapore: building, block number and street with the unit, then SINGAPORE and the 6-digit postal code. Taiwan: room and floor, building, street number and street, district, then the city with the 3-digit or 6-digit code, then Taiwan.
Print tips
- Use uppercase for the machine-read lines. Capital letters are easier for sorting equipment; the toggle above does this for you.
- Keep it in Latin script for an overseas leg. The destination country can add local script, but the origin country reads Latin letters.
- Leave a clear margin. Do not let the label touch the edge of the envelope or the window frame.
- Add your return address. Put it smaller in a top corner so the item can come back if it cannot be delivered.
Download or print
The label is drawn in your browser from the text you type, so nothing is stored or sent. Download it as a PNG image to place on a shipping document, or print it directly and stick it onto the envelope. To get the order right before you print, build the address with the address converter or the address formatter.