How to Write an International Address
Guide · Updated 2026-09-19
Every country writes addresses differently, but the differences are not random — they follow a handful of patterns. Learn the patterns and any national format becomes readable. This guide covers the rules that matter when you ship abroad, then points to our 40 country-specific pages for exact examples.
The one universal rule
The country name goes last, on its own line, in YOUR language or English — because the first postal system to handle your parcel is your own. Everything above the country line belongs to the destination's postal workers, which is why the rest of the address should follow their conventions, not yours.
Pattern 1: Small-to-large vs large-to-small
Western addresses build from the person outward: name, street, city, country. East Asian addresses run the opposite way — Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan all write the province first and the recipient last. When these addresses are converted to English, the order flips to Western convention, which is exactly what our Korean and Japanese converters automate.
Pattern 2: Where the number sits
House number before the street is the American-British habit (123 Main St). Most of continental Europe reverses it: Hauptstraße 15, Via Roma 22, Rue de la Paix 8. Japan dispenses with street names entirely and addresses by block (2-3-4 Marunouchi). Getting this wrong rarely loses a parcel, but matching local order speeds sorting and looks right to the person receiving it.
Pattern 3: Postal code placement
Three families: code before the city on the same line (most of Europe: 10115 Berlin, 75008 Paris), code after the city (English-speaking world: London SW1A 1AA, Sydney NSW 2000), and code on its own logic — Ireland's Eircode gets a whole line, Argentina's CPA mixes letters around digits. When a web form gives you a separate ZIP field, this ordering problem disappears — one reason to prefer field-by-field entry.
Pattern 4: The unit problem
Apartment and suite numbering is the least standardized part of any address. America appends "Apt 4B" to Line 1 or drops it in Line 2; Austria chains building/staircase/door as 15/3/7; Korea uses dong and ho (507-dong 402-ho); Poland marks the flat with "m." Our US formatter settles the Line 1 / Line 2 question, and each country page shows the local unit style.
Shipping form survival rules
When a checkout form fights you: put what the destination needs in Address Line 1 even if it looks odd in English; never leave a required Line 2 blank — repeat the district or write "N/A" only if the form insists; pick the country from the dropdown rather than typing it; and if a field is too short for the full address, prioritize street + number + postal code, since codes carry most of the routing information.