How to Address an Envelope in Care of

Often you need to send mail to someone who is staying somewhere other than their current address. This is called sending mail in care of someone else. For example, if you want to send a letter to a friend who is staying in a hotel in Paris for the summer, you would simply address the letter to your friend in care of the hotel and include the hotel's address. Addressing an envelope in care of someone else is easy to do and basically just requires adding an extra line to the address.

Instructions

1. Obtain the name and address of the place where the mail will be sent to the recipient.

2. Write the recipient's name on the first line near the middle of the front of the envelope.

3. Write "c/o" on the next line, followed by the name of the person or company who regularly receives mail at this address.

4. Write the street address on the next line. Include the full address including number and street name. Don't forget cardinal directions and other words associated with the street name. For example: W. Main St.

5. Write the city, state and zip code on the next line. Use postal abbreviations for the state--two capital letters only.

6. Place your name and return address in the upper-left corner of the envelope. Add postage to the upper-right corner of the envelope and it is ready to be mailed.

Resources

• USPS ZIP Code Lookup
• USPS Address Guidelines
• USPS State Abbreviations