Canada's main postal service is called Canada Post or Postes Canada. It is a government company that has been in operation since 1867. This service uses the same conventions as the US and UK postal systems; there are however some differences. For example, Canadian addresses must not contain punctuation marks. It is important to write them correctly as many addresses are read by sorting machines. If the address is written legibly according to Canadian postal conventions it will get to its destination much faster. This article will show you how to correctly write the address on envelopes for Canada.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Personal Envelopes
Step 1. Print the recipient's name in the center on the front of the envelope
Leave plenty of space above and below this line. You could add titles like Mr. or Ms., but that's not necessary.
Step 2. Print the name of the hotel, company or department under the recipient's name
Capitalize the name to make it more legible. This is only necessary if you are writing a personal letter to a business address.
Step 3. On the next line write the apartment or block number, followed by a dash and then the street address
For example, 2-234 Pine St. N
Step 4. Write the city, state and postal code in this order on the next line
Use capital letters. Leave two spaces between the province and the postal code.
The following address is spelled correctly, with newlines indicated by commas. Rachel Platt, PEARSON EDITORIAL INC., 2-234 Pine St. N, TORONTO ON M5V 1J2
Step 5. Write the sender's address using the same directions
Write it in the upper left corner of the envelope. You can also put it in the center of the back flap of the envelope.
- If you are writing an American address, do not use periods or commas to abbreviate. Use the two letters symbol of the state. Put the US abbreviation under the last line containing the city, state and zip code.
- If you are writing an international address to a country other than the United States, write the full country name on the line below the one containing the city and zip code. For example, you will need to write the address for the United Kingdom rather than "UK" on the envelope.
Part 2 of 2: Commercial Envelopes
Step 1. Write all business addresses in capital letters
If possible, use your computer to print. This can speed up the processing time because it is more readable.
Step 2. Write or print in the center of the envelope
You need to leave 15mm of space on both sides of the envelope. There must be 40mm of space from the top of the envelope and 19mm of space from the bottom.
If you have a graphic on the envelope, it should be placed to the left of the address. You have to leave the same spaces from the edge
Step 3. Write the person's name on the top line, with or without a title
Step 4. Write the name of the company or department on the next line
Step 5. Write the apartment or block number followed by a dash and then the street address
Step 6. Write the city, state and postal code on the next line
Leave 1 space between the city and the province and 2 between the province and postal code.
Step 7. Write the sender's address in the upper left corner
There is no need to leave border spaces for the return address.
Advice
- If you have to write to a French address in Canada, don't translate it. Write it as it is listed in French. The Canadian postal service is bilingual.
- If you need to ship to a PO Box, replace the street with the words "PO Box" and its number.