What’s the correct way to address a letter in Germany? Should it go before or after the recipient’s name? We take a look at some of the common questions about postal addresses in Germany.
If you already live in Germany, you understand the value of mail. All official information will be delivered by post in Germany. In order to mail a letter in Germany, you must use certain addressing techniques. Writing an address correctly is essential to sending mail to or within Germany successfully.
In Germany, all communications are done by mail. As a result, one must notify all involved authorities their current address. (For example, a bank, an insurance company, a mobile phone, and so forth.) If the post is not delivered, significant consequences may follow.
When you’re sending a letter in Germany, it’s important that you write an address correctly. Otherwise, your letter may not reach its destination or be delivered by the postal service. It’s equally important to know how to correctly spell out your German city or town name (Stadt) and state/province code (Land).
How to specify Sender & Receiver address?
- The address of the sender (German: Absender) should be in the upper left corner.
- The address of the receiver (German: Empfänger) should be in the lower right corner.
- The stamps should be placed in the upper front corner.
- Furthermore only write on the front of the envelope, and make sure there are no additional labels in the envelope that may be confused for postal labels.
Absender
The address of the sender (German: Absender) should be in the upper left corner.
Empfänger
The address of the receiver (German: Empfänger) should be in the lower right corner.
The address should be written in full and include the following elements:
Name of the recipient (first name, last name)
Address line 1 (street number, street name and city or town)
“Sample: How to address a letter in Germany”
How to address International Post correctly?
Likewise, if you are sending international posts, please include the city and country name in bold capital letters. [Never use short country codes such as NL, IND, or GER]
“Sample: How to address an International post in Germany”
How to Receive Post Correctly and Quickly?
The first and most important step after moving to a new address is to ensure that your name is available in the post box. If your name is not available as a result all posts will be returned undelivered, which might have significant consequences.
If there are multiple persons staying in the same house, please use the last name of both the person staying in the same Household.
“Example to Specify Name in the Mailbox”
Final Thoughts
That’s it! We hope this article has given you some useful tips on writing addresses in Germany. Remember to always double-check your work before sending off the envelope, and if you have any questions about how to address your letter correctly, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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1 Comment
Shela
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and actual effort to create a very good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a lot and never seem to
get nearly anything done.