General
The components of the delivery address are the primary address number, street name, secondary address identifier, and secondary address range.

Examples:

       125 CALLE MAIN           Primary address 
       URB HIGHLAND GDNS        Urbanization name 
                                (secondary address identifier) 
    
       1 COND AMAPOLA APT 103   Pri. & Sec. Addr. Range 

Street Names
Do not abbreviate street names. Consult the abbreviation tables in Publication 28, Postal Addressing Standards prior to making any abbreviation. Always write the word "CALLE" (Street), "AVE" (Avenue), etc., on the mailpiece before the street name unless the street name is equivalent to the word "CALLE." When the following words are used (in singular or plural), there is no need to write the word "CALLE" before the street name:

    PASEO
    PLAZA
    PASAJE
    CARR
    PARQUE
    VEREDA
    VISTA
    VIA
    CALLEJON
    PATIO
    BLVD
    CAMINO

Example:

    585 AVE FD ROOSEVELT
    105 CAMINO AMAZONA
    1025 PARQUE DEL REY    
    1212 VIA ANGELICA

Numbered Streets
Numbered streets must always contain the word "CALLE" to avoid misinterpretation of the delivery information between the numbered street and the house number(s).

Examples:

    A17 CALLE 1
    13 CALLE 191

Note: Remember not to translate "CALLE" to the suffix "ST." This translation makes the address undeliverable.

House Numbers
Always place the house number before the street name. When the house number is alphanumeric, do not use a hyphen to separate the letter from the number.

Examples:

    Incorrect Form                  Correct Form 
    CALLE 125 C-19                  C19 CALLE 125 
    A-17 CALLE AMAPOLA              A17 CALLE AMAPOLA 
    B-40 CALLE 1                    B40 CALLE 1 

Hyphens in the address range are sometimes necessary. When addresses contain block numbers and house numbers, use a hyphen to separate the block number from the house number. Identifiers commonly used to separate these elements (including "Bloque," "Numero," "Casa," "Lote," "#," etc.) need to be eliminated.

Examples:

    Incorrect Form                  Correct Form 
    CALLE 19 BLQ 199 CASA 31        199-31 CALLE 19 
    CALLE 117 BlOQUE 23 Num. 18     23-18 CALLE 117 

This process facilitates matching customer files against AMS files.

Urbanization
Because the urbanization name can be the most important part of the delivery address, the name is standardized. In most instances, use the abbreviated urbanization identifier "URB" followed by the urbanization name.

Example:

    Incorrect Form                  Correct Form
    URBANIZATION GOLDEN GATE        URB GOLDEN GATE 

Generally, urbanization names are not repeated within 5-digit zones and, in most cases, are served by the same carrier route. Therefore, a list of urbanization names serves as 5-digit ZIP Code® verification.

Certain words identify names as urbanizations. Words like "EXTENSION," "REPARTO," "ALTURAS," "ESTANCIAS," "QUINTAS," etc., are used instead of "URB." When these words are present, there is no need to place the abbreviation "URB" before the name of the urbanization. 

Example: 
 
Incorrect Form Correct Form
URB EXT VISTA BELLA EXT VISTA BELLA
URB ALTS DE CANA ALTS DE CANA

The following is a list of the most common cases in which the word "URB" is not used. Always use the appropriate abbreviation.

    Word         Abbreviation
    Altura       ALT 
    Alturas      ALTS 
    Colinas      COLINAS  
    Estancias    EST 
    Extension    EXT 
    Jardines     JARD 
    Mansiones    MANS 
    Parque       PARQ 
    Quintas      QTAS 
    Reparto      REPTO  
    Sector       SECT 
    Terraza      TERR 
    Villa        VILLA  
    Villas       VILLA  

Post Office Box
Always use the words "PO BOX" to identify post office boxes. Do not use Spanish words.

Example:

    PO BOX 1195
    PO BOX 193565  

Post Office box addresses are often written with the words "CALLER," "CALL BOX," "GPO BOX," "PO BOXS-," "APTDO," "APARTADO," "APT," "BOX," and "BUZON." All of these words should be changed to "PO BOX" on the mailpiece. This is the only authorized format.

The postal station name is not needed on the mailpiece, because the ZIP Code identifies the station. However, when the station name appears on the mailpiece, it should be placed above the delivery line as follows:

Example:

    OLD SAN JUAN STA
    PO BOX 9021190
    SAN JUAN PR 00902-1190

Rural Routes
The following addressing format is used for rural routes addresses: RR____ BOX____. Do not use the words "RURAL," "RUTA RURAL," "RFD," "BUZON," or "BZN." A leading zero before the route number is not necessary.

Examples:

    Incorrect Form              Correct Form
    Ruta Rural 3 Buzon 12000    RR 3 BOX 12000 
    RR02 Box 9800               RR 2 BOX 9800 
    RFD 1 Bzn 17-A              RR 1 BOX 17A 

There should be no additional designations, such as sector names, on the delivery address line of rural addresses. Using sector names with route and box numbers can create potential matching difficulty. Mailers are required to use only one style of addressing. Eliminate unnecessary information.

Examples:

    Incorrect Form              Correct Form
    RR 2 BOX 1980               RR 2 BOX 1980 
    SECTOR EL BRINCO  
    RR 3 BOX 3415               RR 3 BOX 3415 
    BARRIO VISTA ALEGRE  

Highway Contract Routes
Highway contract route addresses are written on mailpieces as HC___ BOX___ which is basically the same format used for rural routes. Likewise, a leading zero before the route number is not necessary.

Examples:

    Incorrect Form              Correct Form
    Ruta Estrella 1 Buzon 18    HC 1 BOX 18 
    HC03 Bzn 1050               HC 1 BOX 1050 

As with rural route addresses, there should not be any additional designations such as names of sectors in the delivery address line of HC addresses. Use only one style of addressing, and eliminate unnecessary information.

Private Mailbox Addresses
Private companies offering mailbox rental services to individuals or businesses may require a box number for final sortation. Print this number, called a "MailStop Code" (MSC), above the recipient line or the attention line. The words "POST OFFICE BOX" or "PO BOX" and the private mailbox number cannot be used on the delivery address line.

Note: Only the U.S. Postal Service™ is entitled to provide delivery to a PO box.

Examples:

    MSC 1587                    MSC 1587 
    ABC COMPANY                 ABC COMPANY 
    12 E MAIN AVE STE 209       PO BOX 7530 
    KRYTON TN  38188-0002       KRYTON TN 38188-7530 

The delivery address line shown is the standardized address of the private company.