International Address Standards and Components

Correct address standards and components are essential elements in having your mail piece arrive to its end destination in a timely manner. And in most instances, arriving at all! A key part to any deliverable address no matter where it is resides globally is the postal code, a uniquely clear identifier of the addressee’s locality that assists in the transmission, sorting, and delivery of your mail piece.

To date, there are approximately 130 countries that use a postcode as part of their addressing structure. The two countries with the longest postcodes are the US and Iran, both with 10 characters each. However, did you know that there are countries that either don’t have a postcode as part of their addressing system or have postcodes but don’t use them?

Below are two useful charts that will ultimately help improve your mail deliverability; countries that utilize a postcode in their addressing system and countries that do not.

Kirkwood Direct has been a leader in direct mail and international mailing solutions for over 13 years. We can help you correctly transform your international address files while significantly improving deliverability of your mailings, increase your ROI, and save money on international postage. Contact us at (978) 642 – 0300.

* Reference Universal POST*CODE^® DataBase