Blindly writing on an envelope without prior knowledge is only going to cause you problems. ", "I just wanted to be sure I knew the right way to address an envelope. • Leave about a half-inch of blank space across the bottom, because the post office will put a bar code there. Some people have the point of view, that you must address the nurse practitioner in the letter by her first name. Hi everyone. 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. EDIT: Obviously, you don't give your name when calling! Can I add a title to the C/O? Even if you identify specifically with a gender you may still use Mx. Thanks, "Thank you so much. Whenever possible, take the time to find out the recipient’s name. If it is in a working environment and you know the department they are in and a manager for example try something like It's highly practical, but a little creepy. 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. 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) Include your return address, then put your envelope in a post box to be delivered. I think you should mail it instead of hand-delivering (or god forbid, knocking on their door). For where to include your return address, read on! Don’t believe it’s that important? Just want to know some beginning tips and traps to avoid. 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. Thank you. Capital letters are preferred, but your letter will still be delivered if you write in upper and lowercase letters. 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. When mailing a letter to an address for which you do not know the householder's name, how should you label the envelope? If he had access to a computer this would have helped him greatly to see the illustrations. Are you certain they gave their address? Received mail by mistake: If you receive a letter to an unknown recipient, this probably means the address is incorrect. Questions such as ‘where to write an address on envelopes’ or ‘how to format your return address’ are important questions to ask. Is it Jane Smith, c/o ABC Co., Director of Fun, address? 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. The title is optional and depends the context of addressing them. So this method is about how to address a letter when you don’t know the name of the person or the receiver. ", "The formatting of the envelope helped. Reading or opening someone else's mail is called "mail theft," and is punishable for up to five years in prison. in the United States and requires one $.49 stamp. This article has been viewed 2,234,349 times. References I have seen in old English books ladies addressed as Mesdames, a sine-qua-non of English/ French aristocracy. This article received 13 testimonials and 81% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. To finish, place the stamp in the top right corner. used when the sender is unaware of your title. 6," "Room 52," or "Box 230.". is an excellent suggestion. 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. When addressing a person in a business it is not a c/o. Then, write the recipient's address slightly centered on the bottom half of the envelope. You can call the company and tell the receptionist that you want to send a letter to "Jamie" but don't know the gender. All my creep meters would go off that way. All posts copyright their original authors. How many lines am I allowed to put on the envelope? Or you could use "Dear Sir or Madam." Whether it's a hard copy or an electronic letter, correspondence should be treated in a professional manner. 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. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,234,349 times. ", examples. ", "Love that every how-to includes clear photos of what was written under each step. Can the "in care of" person named, open the mail? wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. 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. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. But also… We’re big fans of mail art. Next, put proper postage on the upper right hand corner of the envelope. Do I address someone with title when addressing an envelope? In the 1950's this is what we were taught but we also used carbon paper and fountain pens. By using our site, you agree to our. Current letter-writing guidelines will tell you to address a man as “Mr. I think that identifying yourself in the return address as a "fellow [trekkie, birder, etc.]" We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. 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. Addressing a Man. ", 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. 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). ". You just speak to the person who answers the phone for the company. I’m about to start real estate. ", "Just needed some input on the c/o and you gave me that. Just use the address, but handwrite it so the recipient knows it's not junk. This article will teach you the proper way to address your envelope to make sure it ends up in the right hands. Write the address on the front of the envelope in clear, all capital letters and using a pen or permanent marker. 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. [1] X Research source Don't write the address in pencil, crayon, or something else that could smudge or rub off. How to address an envelope Write the return address in the top left corner. If they are only a couple of blocks away, why not just hand deliver it? Join 6,470 readers in helping fund MetaFilter. Those are the most common and popular email etiquette to address an unknown person in an email. That should be evident. Last Updated: June 19, 2019 It is gender non-identifying. Please please do not knock on their door or hand deliver it. Jones” and a woman as “Ms. Jun 26 2012 19:56:34. anonymous + 0. Sometimes you can acquire this information over the phone from a receptionist or someone else who works at the company. In addressing an envelope to Serbia, is it okay to use c/o? 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. I loved how simple the directions were. mail) would be a crime anywhere. Ask MetaFilter is where thousands of life's little questions are answered. 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. Where do you put your address on an envelope? How do I address in c/o with a title of the person? Let Auntie Andie help you out. 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. The sender's address should be at the top of the letter, when a formal letterhead is not being used. 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. 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. Yes, c/o precedes someone's name as it would be written if the letter were being sent to them. 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. {"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":"