Mail and Postal Abbreviations
35 abbreviations · part of Common Abbreviations
Mail and postal abbreviations appear on envelopes, packages, forms and order pages: c/o and Attn route a letter to the right person, SASE and IRC prepay a reply, CMRRR proves delivery, and APO, FPO and BFPO address military mail overseas. US Postal Service conventions favor capital letters without periods in the address block, while British usage has its own equivalents such as FAO, SAE and P&P. State codes and street-address abbreviations such as St and Ave are covered on their own pages.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| APO | Army Post Office | Written in place of a city name on mail to US Army and Air Force personnel overseas, as in APO AE 09001. |
| Attn | Attention | Directs a letter or package to a specific person or department within an organization, written on the envelope or in the inside address, as in "Attn: Accounts Payable." |
| BFPO | British Forces Post Office | Handles mail for British armed forces personnel and their families serving overseas, using BFPO numbers in place of foreign addresses so mail travels at UK prices. |
| c/o | Care of | Directs mail to a person at an address where they do not normally receive post by naming the person or organization who will pass it on, as in "Jane Smith c/o Acme Corp." |
| CMRRR | Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested | Describes a US mail service combination that provides proof of mailing, tracking and a signed receipt returned to the sender, used for legal notices, demand letters and… |
| COA | Change of address | Refers to the notice given to the postal service, banks and other organizations when someone moves, so mail is forwarded or records are updated. |
| DPO | Diplomatic Post Office | Postal designation for US embassies and consulates abroad that lets State Department employees and their families receive mail at domestic rates. |
| EMS | Express Mail Service | Names the international express service offered by postal operators that belong to the Universal Postal Union, providing faster delivery and tracking for documents and… |
| FAO | For the attention of | British and Commonwealth equivalent of Attn, directing a letter, parcel or email to a named person within an organization, as in "FAO: Mrs J. |
| FCM | First-Class Mail | Names the USPS service for letters, cards, bills and other lightweight items, with delivery typically in one to five days and free forwarding when the recipient moves. |
| FPO | Fleet Post Office | Designation for mail to Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel aboard ships or at overseas naval installations, written in the city field, as in FPO AP 96349. |
| HC | Highway contract route | Appears in some rural US addresses, such as "HC 1 Box 25," for mail carried by private contractors along a highway route rather than by Postal Service carriers. |
| HOLLAND | Hope our love lasts and never dies | Belongs to the playful acronyms written on the envelopes of love letters, notably during the Second World War, alongside SWALK and ITALY. |
| IMb | Intelligent Mail barcode | Names the USPS barcode of tall and short bars printed on letters and flats, encoding the ZIP+4 code, delivery point and mailer information for automated sorting and… |
| IRC | International Reply Coupon | A coupon sold at post offices that can be exchanged in another country for postage to send a reply, letting correspondents prepay return mail across borders. |
| ITALY | I trust and love you | Serves as an affectionate envelope code in love letters, especially from the Second World War era, paired with other country-name acronyms such as HOLLAND. |
| NCOA | National Change of Address | Names the USPS database of permanent change-of-address records, licensed to mailers so they can update customer lists before sending bulk mail. |
| P&P | Postage and packing | British and Commonwealth term for the charge added to cover mailing and packaging an order, the counterpart of the American S&H. |
| PMB | Private mailbox | Designates a mailbox rented from a commercial mail-receiving agency, such as a shipping store, rather than from the Postal Service. |
| PO | Post office | Refers to a post office, the local facility that handles mail, sells stamps and holds post office boxes. |
| POB | Post office box | Abbreviates a post office box, a lockable mailbox rented at a post office, in addresses and on forms. |
| PS | Postal Service (form prefix) | Prefixes the numbers of official US Postal Service forms, as in PS Form 3811 (return receipt) or PS Form 3575 (change of address). |
| PTO | Please turn over | Written at the bottom of a page, card or form to tell the reader that the text continues on the back. |
| RD | Rural delivery | Identifies a rural delivery route in New Zealand addresses, as in "RD 2, Hamilton," placed after the property number and road name. |
| RFD | Rural Free Delivery | Refers to the US postal service that delivered mail directly to farms and rural homes instead of requiring residents to collect it in town. |
| RR | Rural route | Identifies a rural delivery route in US and Canadian addresses, as in "RR 2 Box 152," used where homes lacked street numbers. |
| RRR | Return receipt requested | Indicates that the sender has asked for proof of delivery bearing the recipient's signature, usually with certified or registered mail. |
| RTS | Return to sender | Marks undeliverable mail for return to the person who sent it, written or stamped on the envelope by the postal service or the intended recipient. |
| S&H | Shipping and handling | Charge added to an order to cover delivery costs plus the seller's packing and processing, shown separately from the product price on US orders and invoices. |
| SAE | Stamped addressed envelope | British, Irish and Commonwealth term for an envelope addressed to the sender and stamped, enclosed so the recipient can reply. |
| SASE | Self-addressed stamped envelope | An envelope addressed to oneself and bearing postage, enclosed with a letter so the recipient can reply or return materials at no cost. |
| SWAK | Sealed with a kiss | Affectionate note written on the back of envelopes or at the end of love letters, signaling that the sender sealed the letter with a kiss. |
| SWALK | Sealed with a loving kiss | Written on the back of envelopes in love letters, especially by servicemen and their sweethearts during the Second World War. |
| UAA | Undeliverable as addressed | USPS term for mail that cannot be delivered as addressed, because of a move, an incomplete address, a vacancy or a refusal. |
| ZIP | Zone Improvement Plan | US postal code system introduced by the Post Office Department on July 1, 1963. |
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