When you are addressing an envelope to an apartment, you will do so in three (sometimes four) lines. The first line includes the name of the recipient. The second line will be the street address that includes the apartment number. Finally, the third will be the city, state, and zip code of the recipient. It will follow a format similar to the example below:
Bill Nye
565 Kentucky Street #8
Philadelphia, PA 87495
Steps to Address an Envelope to an Apartment
Write the Recipient’s Name
Add the Street Address
Choose the Proper Abbreviation for the Apartment
Decide If The Street Address Needs One or Two Lines
Finish the Address with the City, State, and Zip Code
Write Recipient’s Name
In the center of your envelope, the first thing you will want to write is the recipient’s name. Remember to use the recipient’s legal name, so if they need to show ID to receive their mail, there is no confusion. If you are addressing the envelope to a company rather than an individual person, use the company’s name here instead.
Add the Street Address
On a new line underneath the recipient’s name, write the street address. This includes the street number, the street name, and the apartment number. Typically, a pound sign (#) preceding the apartment number will suffice.
Jane Doe
1234 Sesame Street #4
Springville, NY 87654
You need to make sure you include the apartment number. If not, your letter can be returned to you or sent to a community mailbox where it can be lost amongst others.
Choose the Proper Abbreviation for the Apartment
There are other abbreviations to precede an apartment number rather than #. You’ll want to make sure you choose the proper option in order to send it to the appropriate location.
These can include:
APT: to denote an apartment. This is the standard abbreviation for any apartment. RM: used to denote a specific room within a building or apartmentBLDG: to denote a specific building within a community. STE: to denote a specific suite within a building. Unit: some buildings will call their apartments units instead. Mailbox/Box: some apartments will have a designated mailbox to send mail to.
If you are unsure which to use for the recipient’s apartment, APT or # are the most universally used and safest options.
Decide If The Street Address Needs One or Two Lines
In most instances, the street address will remain on one line. However, there are some rare instances where you may want to break the street address into two lines rather than one. One of these is when you need to leave “special instructions” to the postman, including if the package/envelope is addressed to a company, but needs to be delivered to someone specific within that group. In this case, you’ll want to use the abbreviation c/o (“Care of”) followed by the recipient’s name on a separate line.
Sesame Street Associates
222 New York Way STE 3
C/O Oscar the Grouch
New York City, New York 12345
Another instance can be when the street address runs rather long. It could include a street number, street name, building number, and apartment number. In this case, you would break the street address into two lines: the first including the street number and name, the second including the building number and apartment number.
Big Bird
555 Canary Boulevard
BLDG 4 APT 6
Staten Island, New York 12346
Finish the Address With the City, State, and Zip Code
The last line of the address should include the city, state abbreviation, and zip code. The city and state abbreviation should also be separated by a comma. If you are unsure of the state abbreviation, you can write the state’s name in full.
Remember to include this same formatting for your return address. While the recipient’s address goes in the middle of the envelope’s front, the return address should be written in the top left corner. Correctly writing the return address can ensure that the envelope is returned to the proper person (you!) if there are problems delivering the envelope.
- How do I format an address for more than one recipient?
If your letter is to be received by two or three people at the same address, you can write all names on the first line. If you are addressing an envelope to an entire family, you can write the family’s surname on the first line.
Mr. West and Ms. Kardashian
567 Rodeo Drive Box 35
Calabasas, CA 34057
Hanks Family
100 E 2000 N STE 9
Chicago, IL 83047
- How do I change my address if I have recently moved?
If you have recently moved and are worried about the mail piling up at your old address, do not fret. You can sign up for the USPS to forward mail from your old address to the new one. Just visit their website to do so!
