Addressing S42 standard
The UPU has developed two addressing standards: S42 and S53.
Standard S42: International postal address components and templates
The S42 international addressing standard consists of two parts:
S42 part A defines:
- a set of postal address components used in worldwide addresses;
- languages for expressing address templates, i.e. formal descriptions of address formatting rules.
S42 part B:
- provides country-specific address templates. A country defining its S42 template provides precise information about its address elements and formatting rules.
- creates a library of templates that can be easily incorporated into computer systems for managing addresses.
Standard S 53: Exchange of name and address data
S53 facilitates exchange of name and address data between postal authorities, businesses, mailers and other organizations. It incorporates the S42 elements and templates.
S42 International Addressing Standards
The S42 international addressing standard comprises of a generic list of address elements (used in all UPU member countries) and country-specific templates that tell users how to transform address elements into an accurately formatted address.
- English [1MB]