how to address an envelope to someone you don't know

When mailing a letter to an address for which you do not know the householder's name, how should you label the envelope? Write the address on the front of the envelope in clear, all capital letters and using a pen or permanent marker. Ask MetaFilter is where thousands of life's little questions are answered. The title is optional and depends the context of addressing them. Approved. How many lines am I allowed to put on the envelope? If they are only a couple of blocks away, why not just hand deliver it? Mr. is the title designated for an adult man age 16 or older. Place the stamp in the upper right-hand corner of your envelope. ", examples. Can I add a title to the C/O? Lower case! Its quite a common way to address a letter to someone you don't know, it wont come across informal or rude as a lot of letters are sent starting like this. Can the "in care of" person named, open the mail? • Don’t use commas or periods. While different countries have different methods of addressing envelopes in care of someone else, though, the format is similar enough that your intent will likely be understood. This will tell the post office to affix a label containing the individual's new address on the envelope and send it back to you. Like for example, in the envelope you must write: Full name of the nurse practitioner; Designation; Name of practice, clinic or hospital; Address; Then in the main letter, you can write as: Dear (Name of the Nurse Practitioner) Instead, write "Apt. • Use the Zip Code™. A standard letter is under 1 oz. How to Address a Letter When You Don’t Have a Contact Person. This way you do not have to list all the individuals in the group, which is useful if you do not know all the individuals in the group. C/o, or CO, means "care of" and it's used on a letter to indicate that the envelope is being delivered to someone at an address where they don't normally receive their mail. I’m also torn on if I should join a team or not. In the center of the envelope, you should put the name of the intended recipient on the top line, his or her street address on the next line, and the city, state and zip on the third line – exactly how you would write the sender's information. A Google search for “how to address a letter” easily returns “to a woman,” and when you look at the recommendations for “how to address a letter to a woman,” the confusion only compounds:Clearly, nobody knows how to address those darn women in their letters. ", "Just needed some input on the c/o and you gave me that. This article will teach you the proper way to address your envelope to make sure it ends up in the right hands. [2] X Research source If the address includes and apartment number, box, or other unit, do not use a number or pound sign (#) to indicate the unit number. b). This approach is relevant whether you're writing to someone in a personal setting or in a business context. Please please do not knock on their door or hand deliver it. All my creep meters would go off that way. That goes along with the advice found at this website: What if I don’t know the person’s name? EDIT: Obviously, you don't give your name when calling! When writing a letter to someone you don’t know, your first paragraph should focus on introducing yourself and your business. USPS doesn't care if there's a name or not. The sender's address should be at the top of the letter, when a formal letterhead is not being used. If you want to be formal, the age old address for an known as well as unknown recipient is/are "Dear Sir/Madam". Is it Jane Smith, c/o ABC Co., Director of Fun, address? Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,234,349 times. He/she left a contact address but not a name, and I'd really love to write to this person, but I have no idea what the normal etiquette is for addressing a personal envelope to an unnamed recipient (to be clear, I don't mean the letter itself, but the envelope). If you don't feel comfortable going “outside the box,” you have one solution left: Next time you see Julie, ask her what her husband's name is. brother. If you do not know their address, you can write on the envelope “Moved – Return to Sender” and put it back in the mailbox so the US Post Office will then forward it. The other suggestions are good if you are a birdwatcher or some such, but if your hobby is something it would be inappropriate to describe on an envelope, you could just write "To A Fellow Enthusiast". Capital letters are preferred, but your letter will still be delivered if you write in upper and lowercase letters. Your return address (name, street address, city, state, and zip code) should be on the top left of the envelope, with the stamp on the top right. Kommunizma d. 24, kv. Some people have the point of view, that you must address the nurse practitioner in the letter by her first name. Most of us write, “To Whom It May Concern,” when they don’t know the other person’s details to greet the recipient. louromano on March 20, 2012: When addressing envelopes to the Williams family, should I use The Williams Family. I recently visited an online map where people who share a very unusual niche hobby place a pin where they live, voluntarily including an address or name if they'd like, and I found to my pleasant shock that a fellow enthusiast lives only a few blocks from me. Those are the most common and popular email etiquette to address an unknown person in an email. Questions such as ‘where to write an address on envelopes’ or ‘how to format your return address’ are important questions to ask. To … Mr. John Doe and spouse? Read this explainer for more details. I wouldn't hand-deliver it. That should be evident. It's a federal crime, at least in the US. Then, write the recipient's address slightly centered on the bottom half of the envelope. Yes, c/o precedes someone's name as it would be written if the letter were being sent to them. Home > Families & Relationships > In-law Issues Problems and Solutions > Rude Comments About Weight > Rudeness Prevention or Dealing With Difficult People > Shoes Taken Off Keeps Home Cleaner > Shoes On or Off in the Home? Below that, write C/O, which stands for "Care Of," a colon, and then the name and mailing address of the person or company responsible for passing the letter on. “Gentlemen” had long been used as a formal address to a business partners and corporate houses. ", "I just wanted to be sure I knew the right way to address an envelope. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Short for Mister or Monsieur in french. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. It's highly practical, but a little creepy. To address an envelope in care of someone else, write the name of the intended recipient on the front of the envelope. How do address an invitation label when you don't know the wife's name, but you do know they have a wife? • Leave about a half-inch of blank space across the bottom, because the post office will put a bar code there. ", "As stated above, I learned formatting the envelope and the right way to do it. Not necessarily; it is used also in Germany, for example, but not in France (replaced by "chez"). wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. For where to include your return address, read on! used when the sender is unaware of your title. Here are the scenarios you… 1 Keep It Simple With "Ms." Write "Ms." and the woman's given name and surname on the envelope if you're writing a letter or card to the woman. The postage office will handle it from there. Thank you. If he had access to a computer this would have helped him greatly to see the illustrations. is an excellent suggestion. Simply add s or -es to the last name—don't add any apostrophes! “Dear” is a fine stock option. When addressing a person in a business it is not a c/o. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Reading or opening someone else's mail is called "mail theft," and is punishable for up to five years in prison. You just speak to the person who answers the phone for the company. The subject line of the email should clearly state the nature of the correspondence, such as "RE: Clerical Career Opportunity," and if you don't know the person to whom you're writing, always begin with a formal salutation: "Dear Mr., Ms. or Dr." I just want the solid support and coaching Last Updated: June 19, 2019 Don’t believe it’s that important? Hi everyone. Thanks, "Thank you so much. A helpful reminder for making last names plural: You shouldn't address a family this way, but you may use it in the return address on your envelope (or certainly when signing your holiday card). Once the letter's author has the salutation figured out, he or she can begin constructing the letter. Some types of … Just use the address, but handwrite it so the recipient knows it's not junk. Addressing Envelope When You Don't Know Householders Name? It is gender non-identifying. I was looking up how to mail 'in care of' for my, "This site gave very clear directions in words. Since I am a very visual learner, I very much appreciated the clear, "I needed to know the proper way to use c/o to ensure that official documentation was received at the appropriate, "This was a nice friendly reminder of how to address the letter I was sending! Received mail by mistake: If you receive a letter to an unknown recipient, this probably means the address is incorrect. and you may see Mx. Greetings to Use When You Don't Know a Name By Liz Tomas Use special greetings when you do not know the recipient of the letter. Whether it's a hard copy or an electronic letter, correspondence should be treated in a professional manner. Thank you! This article has been viewed 2,234,349 times. It's nice not looking like a bigger, "I wasn't sure if I should list the person's name first, or the 'c/o' line first. So this method is about how to address a letter when you don’t know the name of the person or the receiver. Could you give a site-specific hint to the recipient? wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Lisa W. on March 17, 2012: Let Auntie Andie help you out. Don’t write over the stamp nor put the stamp on top of any writing. You know for sure that a few have not and you’re stuck on how to address cards and packages to these lovely folks. Ask MetaFilter is a question and answer site that covers nearly any question on earth, where members help each other solve problems. Is c/o used in other countries when addressing an envelope? Are you certain they gave their address? ", address, but was delivered to the appropriate person. Having more that one example helped clarify the information. If titles confuse you, you’re not alone. ", "Very helpful to address it the correct manner. 6," "Room 52," or "Box 230.". For example, you could say, “My name is Jane Donaldson, and I am the owner of Donaldson Foods.” Write the phrase "Address Correction Requested" prominently on the front of the envelope. Even if you identify specifically with a gender you may still use Mx. So, as a representative of the female gender, let me clarify a few things. In Russian addresses, the parts appear in the opposite order : region, city, then street, house number, and then the person's name. Blindly writing on an envelope without prior knowledge is only going to cause you problems. For where to include your return address, read on! ... Greetings for a group of people can use a collective noun. I loved how simple the directions were. Do I address someone with title when addressing an envelope? In these more enlightened days, knowing how to begin a letter to a person you don’t know is like walking through a minefield. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published. Mx. Join 6,470 readers in helping fund MetaFilter. Now I know you list their name, "It's been so long since I have used in C/O that I wasn't sure which name to use the C/O next to. If the author does not know the gender of the recipient, it is possible to use the job title in a salutation. Include your return address, then put your envelope in a post box to be delivered. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. References This article received 13 testimonials and 81% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. I think that identifying yourself in the return address as a "fellow [trekkie, birder, etc.]" If you don’t have a postage stamp or don’t know what type of stamp you should use, you could take your envelope to a postage office. All posts copyright their original authors. Greeting to use: To Whom It May Concern. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. [1] X Research source Don't write the address in pencil, crayon, or something else that could smudge or rub off. Jones” and a woman as “Ms. Then, write the recipient’s address slightly centered on the bottom half of the envelope. wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. He/she left a contact address but not a name, and I'd really love to write to this person, but I have no idea what the normal etiquette is for addressing a personal envelope to an unnamed recipient (to be clear, I don't mean the letter itself, but the envelope). I know they posted their address on this website, and they will probably be excited to hear from you, but People From The Internet coming to your door (even to drop something off) could be a little disconcerting. Where do you put your address on an envelope? Jones,” but that’s pretty simplistic, given the complications of … I usually do something like that: RUSSIA Tulskaya oblast g. Novomosskovsk, 123456 ul. % of people told us that this article helped them. But also… We’re big fans of mail art. Some of us use “Dear Sir/Madam,” or “Dear ABC Company,” or “Dear XYZ Department” to great email to an unknown person. Just want to know some beginning tips and traps to avoid. I’m about to start real estate. Next comes the salutation. Just make sure the address … Current letter-writing guidelines will tell you to address a man as “Mr. Write the return address in the top left corner. For example: C/O Mr. John Doe. For example, if the map were marking MeFites, could you say, "To the MeFite at 42 Wallaby Way"? Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Sometimes you can acquire this information over the phone from a receptionist or someone else who works at the company. I have seen in old English books ladies addressed as Mesdames, a sine-qua-non of English/ French aristocracy. "The article was well written, and especially well illustrated! Just make sure it is legible and no one line is longer than 40 characters, or the scanner will not be able to read the address. Calling the company is best, though. Addressing a Man. ", "The formatting of the envelope helped. Presumably, if they posted their address on the internet, they won't be overly shocked to be contacted that way, and will surely be curious enough to at least look inside. Then you don't have to worry about USPS. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. On some online maps, if you drop a pin, google will find a nearby address and display it, but it may not be the address intended by the pin-dropper, if any. As someone who did not change her name upon marriage and who lived with her significant other for many years before marriage, I’ve been the recipient of many letters, cards, and packages gone wrong. Here are several types of greeting or salutations that you can use in order to be formal and clear. Thank you, Lyssa . Forums Formal, General & Business Letter Writing 2 3,343 + 0. Mr. John Doe and wife? Tampering or stealing someone's personal belongings (e.g. Historically there has been no problem with delivering mail that doesn't specify a recipient, though I suppose there could be some new rule I'm not aware of. Dear Hiring Manager Not your job to alert other people as to what their hobby is - and maybe "Collecting French stamps from 1800 to 1850" isn't something you think would be a secret, you can't make that assumption for strangers. I think you should mail it instead of hand-delivering (or god forbid, knocking on their door). To create this article, 39 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 2,234,349 times. Or you could use "Dear Sir or Madam." In the 1950's this is what we were taught but we also used carbon paper and fountain pens. Mr. John Doe and guest? I wouldn't put "Fellow [XYZ] Enthusiast" either. How do I address in c/o with a title of the person? If it is in a working environment and you know the department they are in and a manager for example try something like Using an Inner and Outer Envelope Address the outer envelope to the parents only. Fill out the envelope as usual, including your return address and a stamp. Instead of #6, write # 6. It would be Jane Smith: Director of Fun, ABC Co., address. Next, put proper postage on the upper right hand corner of the envelope. I feel like the support would be there but I really don’t want to be labeled as a buyers agent. Begin your message with, "Dear Ms." and the woman's surname. How to address an envelope Write the return address in the top left corner. ", How to Address an Envelope in Care of Someone Else, https://www.usps.com/ship/preparing-domestic-shipments.htm, http://blog.cardsdirect.com/greetingcards/how-to-use-c-o-in-an-address/, http://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/2007/03/how_to_address_.html#sthash.LeBQmslk.dpuf, Indirizzare una Lettera all'Attenzione di Qualcuno, ponerle dirección a un sobre al cuidado de alguien más, Endereçar um Envelope Aos Cuidados de Outra Pessoa, rédiger une adresse postale à l'attention d'une personne précise, Een enveloppe per adres van iemand anders adresseren, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow, If the address includes and apartment number, box, or other unit, do not use a number or pound sign (#) to indicate the unit number. Write your return address at the top left corner of the envelope so the post office can return it to you if they're unable to deliver it. I do now. If you don't know what the number stands for, you may use the number sign, but make sure you leave a clear space between the symbol and the actual number. in the United States and requires one $.49 stamp. ", "Love that every how-to includes clear photos of what was written under each step. You can call the company and tell the receptionist that you want to send a letter to "Jamie" but don't know the gender. Is the universal title that can be used by anyone. Jun 26 2012 19:56:34. anonymous + 0. In addressing an envelope to Serbia, is it okay to use c/o? mail) would be a crime anywhere. Ensure that the recipient's name and address (contact person, company, street address, city, state, and zip code) are centered on the envelope. ". There are a lot of possibilities once you’re … To create this article, 39 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. The "care of" doesn't give that person any special mail opening privileges, it simply means they are responsible for getting the mail to the specific person because it's not their normal address. If you don't know the recipient's name, but you know the person's gender, you can address your e-mail to "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam." To finish, place the stamp in the top right corner. Write c/o to indicate "care of" on the second line of the address, after the name of the person the letter is addressed to. If you want to make things easy on the Post Office: • Print neatly in all capital letters. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/cc\/Address-an-Envelope-in-Care-of-Someone-Else-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Address-an-Envelope-in-Care-of-Someone-Else-Step-2-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/cc\/Address-an-Envelope-in-Care-of-Someone-Else-Step-2-Version-2.jpg\/aid13269-v4-728px-Address-an-Envelope-in-Care-of-Someone-Else-Step-2-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"