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UK address format & examples
How to write a UK address
If you want to leave your UK friends gobsmacked by sending them a package, you’ll need to start with the UK letter address format. You can look at our smashing UK address format examples here and try our suite of address validation tools for addresses in the UK below. Just enter an address, and we'll format, standardize, and validate the address instantly. Cheers, mate!
Now, let's get into it with the basics. The UK address format for shipping or mailing addresses should be written as follows:
- Addressee line - The recipient's name. If the recipient has a title, such as Total Star, include it here.
- Organization or department name - If applicable, add the organization or department name.
- Unit, apartment, flat - If applicable, add the unit or suite number.
- Building or house number - This includes the house or building number, thoroughfare (street name), dependent locality (optional, e.g. suburb), and double-dependent locality (e.g. upper).
- POST TOWN (city) - Ensure that this is written in all capital letters.
- Postal code - Include the city, followed by the 2-character ISO 3166-2 province or territory abbreviation and the postal code.
- COUNTRY - UNITED KINGDOM, written in all capital letters.
United Kingdom address examples
Typical address example5 Cherry Tree Avenue
Balerno
EH14 5AN
Midlothian
GBR
Address example with unitsFlat 10
16 Sutton Plaza
Sutton
SM1 4FW
Surrey
GBR
Postal box examplePO BOX 18144
Birmingham
B37 9EB
GBR
Smarty address validation tools
Smarty® has a suite of address validation tools that can format, standardize, and validate United Kingdom addresses, plus addresses in 240+ other countries and territories worldwide. Validate your British address with our tools.
Use the Single Address Verification Tool to verify and format 1 address at a time, the Bulk Address Validation Tool to verify and format a list addresses simultaneously, or use the International Street Address API to integrate address validation and formatting programmatically into your software systems and workflows.
Postal information
United Kingdom's national postal system, "Royal Mail," was established in 1660. As of recent data, Royal Mail services approximately 6,910,321 addresses, reflecting its extensive reach throughout United Kingdom. The organization manages a substantial network, indicative of its role as a major postal service provider in the region.
Administrative area types and count
4 countries and 14 British Overseas Territories
Administration area names and abbreviations
England - ENG
Scotland - SCO
Wales - WAL
Northern Ireland - NIR
Term to describe postal codes
postcode
Postal code in language
postcode
Postal code format
A9 9AA
Postal service provider and website
Royal Mail
Country information
Discover comprehensive details about the United Kingdom, encompassing its land area, capital city, and prominent urban centers.
Country/territory name
United Kingdom
ISO3
GBR
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code
GB
ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code
GBR
ISO 3166-1 numeric country code
826
Endonym
United Kingdom
Total land area
243,610 KM²
Capital
London
Other major cities
Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow
Population information
Total population
68,350,000 (2023)
Urban / rural distribution
84% / 16%
Urban population
57,414,000
Rural population
10,936,000
Official language
English
All languages spoken
English, French, German, Spanish
Most commonly used postal language
English
CC-BY 4.0 from worldbank.org
Now that you've seen our British address examples and have become a wizard at United Kingdom address formats, why not expand your expertise even further? Explore our detailed guides for related countries and territories to see how their address formats and examples vary.
Visit the global address formats page or Europe address formats page for more information on all the other countries and territories we cover. You can also read or read our article about international address verification to learn more.
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