Tip #1 = Cleanse Your Data

When sending mail, the absolute last thing you want to happen is having that mail returned to you undelivered. Ensuring mailing addresses are clear and contain all required information is the best way to have your mail get to where it needs to go.  This can be easily accomplished by using our data cleansing services but also by following some of the below tips and formats from Canada Post

Addressing Mail

Tip #2 = Addressing and Best Practices

Below are our addressing tips and formats to follow when sending mail in Canada:

  • Write in uppercase letters (also known as block letters).
  • Put information such as title or floor above the street address.
  • Put a hyphen between the unit/suite/apartment number and the street number. Don’t use the # symbol.
  • Abbreviate the street type. Example: “AVE” for “Avenue.”
  • Abbreviate the street direction. Example: “SE” for “Southeast.”
  • Put the city, province and postal code on the same line.
  • Abbreviate the province. Example: “ON” for “Ontario.”
  • Separate the first and last 3 elements of the postal code with a space. Don’t use hyphens.
  • Put 1 space between the city and province.
  • Put 2 spaces between the province and the postal code.

Tip #3 = Preferred Destination Address Format

The proper sequence for information on a destination address is:

  • Non-Address Data (i.e. Attention, Confidential etc)
  • Addressee Information (i.e. Name, Title/Position, Company Name etc)
  • Delivery Address Information
  • City Province Postal Code
  • Country – only if out of Canada

Examples

Below is an example of how to address mail using sample information.

Sample Delivery Address Information

  • Street number: 10521
  • Street number Suffix: D
  • Street Name: RAINBOW
  • Street type: COURT
  • Street direction: SE
  • Unit designator and identifier: SUITE 101

Place the above information in one of the following formats:

10521D RAINBOW COURT SE SUITE 101

or

101 – 10521D RAINBOW COURT SE

or

SUITE 101
10521D RAINBOW COURT SE

Province and State Abbreviations

Canada:
AB Alberta NU Nunavut
BC British Columbia ON Ontario
MB Manitoba PE Prince Edward Island
NB New Brunswick QC Quebec
NL Newfoundland & Labrador SK Saskatchewan
NT Northwest Territories YT Yukon
NS Nova Scotia

USA:
AL Alabama MO Missouri
AK Alaska MT Montana
AS American Samoa NE Nebraska
AZ Arizona NV Nevada
AR Arkansas NH New Hampshire
CA California NJ New Jersey
CO Colorado NM New Mexico
CT Connecticut NY New York
DE Delaware NC North Carolina
DC Dist. Of Columbia ND North Dakota
FL Florida MP Northern Mariana Islands
GA Georgia OH Ohio
GU Guam OK Oklahoma
HI Hawaii OR Oregon
ID Idaho PW Palau
IL Illinois PA Pennsylvania
IN Indiana PR Puerto Rico
IA Iowa RI Rhode Island
KS Kansas SC South Carolina
KY Kentucky SD South Dakot
LA Louisiana TN Tennessee
ME Maine TX Texas
MH Marshall Islands UT Utah
MD Maryland VT Vermont
MA Massachusetts VA Virginia
MI Michigan VI Virgin Islands
FM Micronesia (Federated States of) WA Washington
MN Minnesota WV West Virginia
MS Mississippi WI Wisconsin
WY Wyoming

Preferred Street abbreviations
APT Apartment HARBR Harbour
AVE Avenue HTS Heights
BLVD Boulevard HWY Highway
CTR Centre HILL Hill
CIR Circle ISLAND Island
CRT Court LANE Lane
CRES Crescent MTN Mountain
CDS Cul-de-sac PKY Parkway
DR Drive PL Place
FARM Farm PLAZA Plaza
FOREST Forest PO BOX Post Office Box
FRY Freeway RD Road
GDNS Gardens RR Rural Route
GATE Gate SQ Square
GD General Delivery ST Street
GREEN Green STE Suite
GROVE Grove VLY Valley

Directional abbreviations
N North NE North East
S South NW North West
E East SE South East
W West SW South West

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