Addressing Guidelines
Canada Post’s automated equipment can decipher a wide range of addressing styles, however consistent and accurate addressing eliminates the need for extra handling or redelivery by Canada Post. Standardized addressing helps ensure that mail is consistently delivered on time, the first time, every time. In addition, Canada Post’s commercial customers using machineable mail preparation options must follow Canada Post’s addressing guidelines to ensure their mailings achieve optimal read rates. Visit the applicable Designing module at canadapost.ca/postalservices for information on address printing and mail item requirements.
To avoid unnecessary delays in delivery of your mail items, follow these addressing guidelines:
The following sections illustrate Canada Post’s recommended addressing guidelines. Please note that in all cases the number of lines within the address block may not exceed six.
Civic addresses should contain the following information:
If mailers wish to include Additional Delivery Information, it should appear between the first line (the addressee) and the second-last line (the civic address):
Civic addresses are also commonly used in rural areas (with rural Postal Codes):
Postal box addresses should contain the following information:
If mailers wish to include Additional Delivery Information, it should appear under the first line (the addressee). If mailers wish to include the Civic Address, it should appear above the second-last line (postal box number and station information); see Figure 5.
Rural route addresses should contain the following information:
If mailers wish to include Additional Delivery Information, it should appear under the first line (the addressee). If there is a Civic Address for the rural area, it should appear above the second-last line (rural route identifier and station information); see Figure 7.
Rural addresses that do not contain a civic address may require Additional Address Information. The additional address information should appear above the second-last line (rural route identifier and station information); see Figure 8.
General delivery addresses should contain the following information (see Figure 9):
Bilingual addresses must have a solid black vertical line, at least 0.7 mm thick, separating the two addresses. There must be a clear space approximately 10 mm wide on either side of the black line (see Figure 10).
Military mail is defined as mail sent to or by the Department of National Defence, Canadian Forces personnel, their dependants and civilians attached to Canadian Forces served through Canadian Forces Post Offices and Fleet Mail Offices. See Canadian Forces Postal Service for more information about addressing guidelines for military mail.
Addressing elements on mail items handled by the United States Postal Service should be prepared according to their Postal Addressing Standards. The United States of America addresses should contain the following information:
International addresses should contain the following information (see Figure 12):
See International Destination Listing for a complete list of international destination names.
Addressee – Individual or company name or non-personalized descriptor (e.g., OCCUPANT). Additional address information – Often required for delivery to a rural address that does not have a civic address. In such cases, a SITE and COMP (compartment) is assigned. This should be placed above the rural route identifier and station information. Additional delivery information – Optional data that a mailer wishes to include, i.e. Attention line, title, floor, etc. It is always placed above the civic address. Civic address – Delivery information comprised of the following elements:
If the street name is numeric, it should be printed as follows:
Street type should be placed after the street name in abbreviated format (see Table 1: Street types for a complete list of common abbreviations.) The only street types that may be translated are: A French street type should be printed as follows:
General delivery indicator – Should be the two-letter abbreviation “GD.” Punctuation should not be used. Municipality name – The official name of the municipality. Abbreviations and valid alternates can be used, but cannot be translated, for example:
Province or territory – should be printed in the official two-letter postal abbreviation (see Table 4: Canadian provinces and territories names and abbreviations for a complete list of abbreviations). It may also be written in full: The province or territory must appear after the municipality name, on the same line. There should be one space between the municipality name and the province or territory. Postal Box number – Should always be placed on the line just above the municipality, province and Postal Code. The # symbol or the French equivalent no should not be used. Punctuation should not be used either. Postal Code – Should be printed in uppercase and placed two spaces to the right of the Province or Territory, with one space between the first three and the last three characters. A hyphen should not be used (ex. of unacceptable format: T0L-1K0).
Rural route identifier – Should use the two-letter symbol RR followed by the route number placed one space to the right. The # symbol or the French equivalent no should not be used. Punctuation should not be used either. Station information – Should be present to direct mail to the proper postal installation. This is especially important in larger areas where there is more than one installation within the same municipality. Station information should appear in abbreviated format, after the postal box number, rural route identifier, or general delivery identifier and after on the same line.
The following are the most technologically efficient unit designators. In some cases, because of individual preference or other considerations, a mailer may use other unit designators.
The Postal Code is an integral part of every postal address in Canada. The Postal Code was designed to aid in sorting mail by both mechanized and manual methods. It also enables the customer to presort mail, thereby bypassing a number of sorting processes within Canada Post and reducing costs.
The Postal Code is a six-character uniformly structured, alphanumeric code in the form “ANA NAN” where “A” represents an alphabetic character and “N” represents a numeric character. A Postal Code is made up of two segments: “forward sortation area” and “local delivery unit.” The forward sortation area is a combination of three characters (alpha-numeric-alpha). It identifies a major geographic area in an urban or a rural location. The local delivery unit is a combination of three characters (numeric-alpha-numeric). It identifies the smallest delivery unit within a forward sortation area.
The “forward sortation area” or “FSA” represents a specific area within a major geographic region or province. The forward sortation area provides the basis for the primary sorting of forward mail. The first character of the forward sortation area segment identifies one of the 18 major geographic areas, provinces or districts (as shown in Figure 14). The second character of the forward sortation area is an important component of mail preparation as it identifies either: The third character of the forward sortation area segment (E2J) in conjunction with the first two characters, describes an exact area of a city or town or other geographic area.
The “local delivery unit” or “LDU”, identified by the last three characters of the Postal Code, allows for a more final sort within a forward sortation area. In urban areas, the last three digits may indicate a specific city block (one side of a street between two intersecting streets), a single building or, in some cases, a large-volume mail receiver. In rural areas, the last three digits, together with the forward sortation area, identify a specific rural community.
Canada Post’s Postal Code address data is used to determine or verify the correct Postal Code for an address anywhere in Canada or identify the complete range of addresses that correspond to any one Postal Code. Delivery mode data and various types of Householder counts are also available. Visit canadapost.ca/lists for additional information on Postal Code data and mailing lists
Visit canadapost.ca/postalcode to use Canada Post’s free Postal Code look-up tool. Postal Codes can also be obtained by calling 1-900-565-2633 for service in English or 1-900-565-2634 for service in French. |