U.S. postal abbreviations
The United States Postal Service uses a standardized system of abbreviations for directing parcels to the U.S. states and territories and former territories of the U.S. A number of different classes exist, detailed here.
Locations
The abbreviations for states, territories, and former territories use two letters. Usage
The use of the abbreviations should be accompanied by a plain designation of "United States" in documents with an international circulation, since many are not readily recognized by themselves outside the U.S. Care must especially be taken not to be ambiguous about whether "Georgia" means the state (GA) or the country (GE).Common misspellings
Similar state codes may also be confusing even to some Americans, as MA (Massachusetts) is sometimes absent-mindedly used for Maine (ME), and MI (Michigan) mistaken for Missouri (MO), Mississippi (MS), or even Minnesota (MN). For this reason, correct ZIP codes should always be used.States
Capital district
Territories and commonwealths
* Note that territories are outside the U.S. Customs zone, therefore packages to and from the states and D.C. are subject to duties and inspections. Packages to Hawaii are subject to special state and USDA agricultural inspections to protect the islands' unique isolated ecosystem.Armed forces
These abbreviations are used in conjunction with APO or FPO addresses.
Canadian provinces and territories
The following abbreviations for the Canadian provinces and territories, used by Canada Post, are also recognized by the U.S. Postal Service.Other abbreviations
The USPS recommends the address be written in block capital letters, probably for better processing by their OCR machinery. Thoroughfares
Domiciles
Directions
See also
External link