How to Write PO Box Address

A USPS PO box is an important tool that you can use to your advantage if you are a consistent USPS user. Not only will a USPS mailbox protect you from leaking your physical address but will also help you from keeping your mail safe. As PO boxes are used widely across the USA, properly addressing letters and envelopes to these PO addresses becomes essential. Any slightest mistake in writing the address can lead to a lot of confusion within the USPS distributions centers and your mails cannot be scheduled for delivery. Here is a proper guide that might help you know how to write PO box address properly.

How to Write PO Box Address

Before we address the topic of how to write PO box address, you need to know what a PO Box is. A USPS PO box is an essential component that keeps all your mails in one place. Not only are PO boxes used by business owners, but many residential customers are also signing up for these boxes. PO boxes, i.e., a Post Office Box is a service that is offered by USPS to anyone who requests it. These boxes are used to keep all your confidential mails in a single place, saving them from all kinds of dangers. PO Boxes are free for those who have an undeliverable home address(rare cases).

What does ‘the item is currently in transit to the destination‘ mean in USPS? Check it out from here.

It is very easy to sign up for a PO box. You simply need to visit the nearest post office and carry all the valid identification documents with you. Ask them for a PO box and complete the application. You need to select the PO box and make the necessary payment to be able to access the PO box. 

Benefits of Having a Usps Po Box

Before moving on to how to write PO box address, let’s look at the benefits offered by a PO Box. Many people wonder why they need to avail themselves off of this USPS service when they can receive mails at their street address. Well, there are many reasons why PO Boxes work best for you if you are someone who often receives important mails. 

Security of Your Mails:

Mail security is the primary reason why so many people across the USA have opted for PO Boxes. With regular mail delivery, the security and safety of your mail are not guaranteed. If you are not at home when the mail is delivered to your house, then the letter carriers leave it on the front porch or at the doorstep, leaving it as bait for theft. Other than mail theft, the parcels can also end up being damaged if they are left in the open for long during snow, rains, or under the sun for long hours. 

With a PO box, you can place your mail in your locker safely and access them with the key allotted to you. These lockers can only be opened with the key or the lock combination set up by the customer. 

Quick Delivery of Mails

Considering that postal offices are an affiliate network of USPS, mail delivery is rather quick when compared to the mails delivered at your doorstep. As soon as the mails reach the postal office, they are sorted and the ones that need to be placed in the lockers are taken away immediately. With no waiting time involved, your lockers will receive the mail without any further delays.

Great for Movers

If you are one of those people who is constantly moving or changing locations, then having to update the delivery address every often becomes overburdening. With a PO box, you do not have to worry about changing your address as mail gets delivered to your PO box. Mails remain in the PO boxes securely unless you pick them up yourself. 

How to Write Po Box Address

Many people keep asking how to write PO box address and if there is a huge difference between addressing a standard letter and a PO Box. Actually, there isn’t a big difference in addressing a mail to a PO box. The only difference between addressing a mail to a PO box and a real street address is that you need to replace the street address with a PO Box number. Here’s how to address a letter to a PO box:

Start by writing the recipient’s address in the middle of the package

• When addressing the mail to the recipient, the address must be written on the front of the letter or envelope and in the center. Start by writing the Full Name of the recipient in the first line of the address. If the recipient has a middle name, then include that on the letter as well
• Write down the name of the company right below the recipient’s full name. 
• Under this, write down the PO Box number. The PO box number should be addressed in this format: PO Box 2233. 
• Finally write down the zip code, city, and state of the destination country. It is recommended that you do not include any punctuations while writing down the address so that the automation machine can easily process the addresses. 

Take a look at the format given below to get a better idea.

Fill in the Return Address

The return address is the address of the sender and this address must be written in the top left corner on the form of the letter. Return addresses are an important part of sending mail as they inform the recipient about the sender. If the address of the recipient cannot be found, then the mail is returned to the sender. The address of the sender must be written in the same way as the address of the recipient. 

Verify the Address on the Letter 

You must always double-check the address that you have written on the letter and make any necessary corrections if needed before sending it off to the destination. Make sure to check every detail accurately as the automation address tools cannot identify an address if it is written poorly. Any slight change in the address will have your mails sent to a different location and USPS takes a significant amount of time to sort these issues. 

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Mailing Etiquette That You Need to Follow

Now that you know how to write PO box address, we also need to follow some basic etiquettes for sending a mail. When you are mailing a letter or a package to a specific destination, be it a domestic one or an international mail, you need to follow these basic etiquettes to help the automation machine identify the address.

• You should either write the street address or the post office PO Box address. You cannot use both while writing the address
• The abbreviations and periods must also be omitted while addressing the mails to the destination
• Either print or write the addresses clearly 
• Align all the address lines to the left 
• While writing letters, make sure to use capital letters only as they are a lot easier to be understood by the automation machines

Usps Address Lookup: How to Locate a Po Box Online

Now that you understand how to write PO box address, you should also be able to locate one if needed. You can locate a PO box address on the USPS website in this way:

• Navigate to the usps PO Box page 
• Type the zip code in the search bar 
• You can view the list of all the postal offices along with the post office box information
• Find the closest location using the filters 
• The search results give a list of PO boxes along with the fee and phone number for each postal office
• If you want to view more details, click on More Info under the name of the postal office

The Origin of Letter Writing

Letter writing was an important part of American history that united people from different corners of the world. Letters were a common way to interact with your family and friends who lived at a far-off distance.  As an only means of communication back then, letters took over the world. According to American history, letters started to gain popularity among noblemen who sponsored oceanic expeditions and would also help in establishing trade routes. The European sponsors would invest in the American expeditions and to make sure that the funds were invested in, the European explorers would report their research to the European sponsors via letters.

When economies started to grow, letters become popular as it was a means to connect to loved ones. These letters not only keep families close, but it was a means to learn and educate oneself. Many people used letters for practicing poetry and many kinds of writing styles. Letters became so popular that illiterate people paid the literate ones to write and read letters on their behalf. Even after the invention of the telegraph, letters were still used as a means of information exchange until email and fax were introduced. 

With the launch of the internet, letters took a new form as they were now transferred electronically, i.e., E-mails. Like two sides of a coin, letters, and email perform the same function of transferring written communication, but letters are commonly referred to as paper communication whereas emails are paper-less.

Check out the destination facility near you from here: USPS destination facility near me

Conclusion

For a person who has no idea how to write PO Box address, this guide covers all the basics of how you can address a mail to a PO box. Addressing a PO box is not really different from addressing a street address. You simply need to keep a few points in mind when you are addressing a mail to a PO box to help the automation machine understand which area you are addressing.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQ’s)