Key takeaways
- Write the recipient and US delivery lines in normal domestic order
- Keep city, two-letter state abbreviation, and ZIP Code together
- Add UNITED STATES as a separate final line
- Check postage, customs, and prohibited-item rules separately from address format
Authorship and review
Read our editorial and review principles- Written by
- Random Address Generator Editorial Team
- Reviewed by
- International Address Format Review Team
- Latest substantive update
- Published a cross-border guide to writing the domestic US block and adding the country line correctly.
Keep the American address block complete
An address entering the United States still uses the normal US order: recipient, delivery line, then city, state, and ZIP Code. Do not reverse the street number and name to match the sender country's order. The destination postal service needs the US elements in their expected form.
Include the apartment, suite, or PO Box exactly as supplied. The country line cannot make up for a missing unit or incorrect ZIP Code.
Put UNITED STATES on the final line
Write the destination country beneath the city-state-ZIP line. Use the country name rather than inserting US or USA into the state field. Postal operators use the country line to route the item internationally; USPS uses the lines above it for domestic delivery.
Omit the country line when the same address is printed on domestic US mail. Keeping domestic and international label templates separate prevents accidental duplicate country values.
| Context | Final lines | Country included? |
|---|---|---|
| Mail sent within the US | MEMPHIS TN 38188-1001 | No |
| Mail sent to the US from abroad | MEMPHIS TN 38188-1001 / UNITED STATES | Yes |
| Online form payload | state: TN / postal_code: 38188-1001 / country: US | As a separate field |
Do not translate the state or rewrite the ZIP Code
Use the two-letter postal state abbreviation, such as TN, CA, or NY. Do not translate state names or create a local-language abbreviation. Preserve a five-digit ZIP Code and a supplied ZIP+4 as text.
A foreign form may label the field Province or Region. The label can be localized, but the saved US value should still be the correct postal state code.
Entering a US destination in a foreign checkout form
Select United States before typing the address so the form can show State and ZIP Code. Put the street and unit in the address lines, city in the locality field, state in the region field, and US in the country field. If the form forces a numeric postcode, it is not safe for US ZIP Codes that begin with zero.
Review the formatted label before paying. A form can accept every field and still map the apartment into the wrong line or expand a state code incorrectly.
- Choose country first
- Use the two-letter state code
- Keep the unit with the street address
- Preserve leading zeros and ZIP+4 hyphens
- Do not paste the country name into Address Line 2
Address format is only one part of international mailing
Correct lines do not determine postage, customs forms, taxes, service availability, or prohibited items. Check the sending postal operator and carrier for current requirements. A package can have a perfect address and still be delayed because its declaration or service choice is wrong.
Use generated addresses only for software and layout testing. Real international shipments require a legitimate recipient and an address authorized for delivery.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write an American address from abroad?
Use the normal recipient, street and unit, then city-state-ZIP lines, followed by UNITED STATES on its own final line.
Should I write USA or United States?
Use the country name clearly on the final line. UNITED STATES is the unambiguous English form used in this guide.
Do I translate the US state name?
No. Use the USPS two-letter state abbreviation, such as CA or NY, regardless of the form's interface language.
Does a correct address cover customs requirements?
No. Customs declarations, postage, service eligibility, and prohibited-item rules are separate from the postal address format.