Shipping APO/AE

Military Mail is a vital communication link with members of our armed forces. All Military Mail is treated as domestic mail, even if the destination is a foreign country.

This means that even though the address format is not formatted like a U.S. address, you will still pay domestic rates and not international shipping prices.

Here are a few examples of what a military address looks like. It's helpful to make sure you have a complete address.

Army/Air Post Office (APO)

GEN. GEORGE WASHINGTONPSC 5 BOX 4012APO AE 09112

Fleet Post Office (FPO)

LT JAMES CARTERUNIT 100100 BOX 4012FPO AP 98691

or

LCDR GERALD FORDUSS Monterey (CVL-26)FPO AP 98765-1234

Diplomatic Post Office (DPO)

FRANKLIN PIERCEUNIT 4800 BOX 0000DPO AE 09795-0044

Make sure you include the unit and box numbers, for APO/FPO/DPO shipping addresses (if assigned). To prevent mail from entering foreign mail networks, do not include city or country names in APO/FPO/DPO shipping addresses.

The military has postal clerks who sort and dispatch the mail for delivery. Here are the basics for the addresses they use:

APO stands for Army/Air Force Post Office for bases overseas.

FPO stands for Fleet Post Office and is for the Navy/USMC bases and ship abroad.

DPO is another US Post Office that sends mail to the US Embassies worldwide. DPO stands for Diplomatic Post Office. You may have a Marine or State Department member who uses this addressing feature.

The Suffixes after APO / FPO

Here are the meanings of the suffixes that you see after APO/FPO in Military Addresses:

AE: Armed Forces Europe

AA: Armed Forces Americas

AP: Armed Forces Pacific

The suffix designates which US Military Post Office your package will be delivered to within the United States before overseas and international transport occurs.

Mail sent to an APO/FPO address will go to California, New York, or Florida depending upon the suffix. Once it arrives at these locations, the US Post Office has delivered their package. It is now the Military Post Office's duty to get deliver your package to an overseas member. This is how postage for overseas military servicemen and women only costs domestic rates.

The US Postal System delivers APO and FPO mail to a military facility located on either the East or West Coast of the United States (depending on where the member is stationed/deployed), and then the military takes over from there, transporting the mail via military cargo aircraft to the overseas location or Navy ship.

History of Military / Diplomatic Mail

Back in the 1980’s, the Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA) was first created with the goal of delivering mail world wide to the men and women committed to serving their country. It is based in Washington DC.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) rules, regulations and various international laws still apply to the MPSA because it is responsible for the movement of military post and mail in over eighty-five countries. Formerly, each branch of the military had its own internal postal service and methods of operation. Now, the MPSA is the single point of contact for the USPS.

The Mission Statement of the MPSA is to:

"Achieve efficient and responsive processing, transportation, and distribution of personal and official mail within the Department of Defense".

Military and Diplomatic Mailing System is a global mailing system for United States members of the military and foreign service branches of the government. Every base or diplomatic embassy or consulate will be part of it's own zip code and United States Military Mail System.