A surprising number of lost letters and returned parcels in Spain come down to one thing: the address was not written the way Spanish postmen and couriers expect. A missing floor number, a door letter in the wrong place or an online checkout that turned “3º B” into nonsense is often enough for an item to go back to the sender.
If you have just moved to Spain, own a holiday home or are giving a Spanish address to a bank, shop or family member abroad, it helps to know how the format works. This guide walks through it line by line, with the common mistakes and how to avoid them.
The Basic Order of a Spanish Address
Spanish addresses run from the most specific detail to the most general. The Universal Postal Union’s addressing guide for Spain (PDF), based on Correos’ own standards, sets out the order like this:
- Recipient: the person’s full name or the company name.
- Building or complex name, if there is one (optional, on its own line).
- Street line: street type and name, then the building number, then staircase, floor and door, separated by commas.
- Postcode and town: the five-digit postcode first, then the town.
- Province, on its own line.
- SPAIN, in capitals, only when posting from another country.
The UPU guide gives this example of an urban address:
Sr. D. Jaime Lozano Seguí
Plaza de las Descalzas 27, Esc 2, 3º, C
45012 TOLEDO
TOLEDO
SPAIN
It is a sample address, so always copy the real details from the person or business you are writing to.
How to Write the Street Line Step by Step
The street line is where most mistakes happen, because it packs several pieces of information into a short space.
1. Start with the street type
Spanish streets are named with their type first: Calle (street, often shortened to C/), Avenida (Avda. or Av.), Plaza (Pl.), Paseo, Carretera and so on. Keep the type in, even if you think it is obvious. Many towns have a “Calle San Juan” and a “Plaza San Juan”, and the street type is what tells them apart.
2. Put the number after the street name
Unlike in the UK, the building number comes after the street name: “Avenida de la Playa 20”, not “20 Avenida de la Playa”. If a road has no numbers, you will sometimes see “s/n” (sin número, no number) or a kilometre point on a carretera, such as “Ctra. General, km 5”.
3. Add staircase, floor and door
In flats, the number is followed by the details that identify the exact home:
- Escalera (Esc): the staircase or block, used in larger buildings with several entrances.
- Piso: the floor, written with an ordinal sign, such as 1º, 2º or 3º. You will also see bajo (ground floor), entresuelo (mezzanine) and ático (top floor).
- Puerta: the door, usually a letter (A, B, C) or a number. “Izda.” and “Dcha.” mean left and right.
So “Calle Huertas 18, 4º, C” means building 18, fourth floor, door C. Leave the floor and door out and the postman has to guess which letterbox is yours, or simply return the item.
Postcodes, Towns and Provinces
Every Spanish postcode (código postal) has five digits, and the first two identify the province. Postcodes starting 35 belong to the province of Las Palmas, which covers Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Postcodes starting 38 belong to Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The postcode goes before the town on the same line, with no comma in between. If you are not sure of a code, use the official Correos postcode finder, which lets you search by postcode, town or street.
One thing that confuses newcomers is that the town on the envelope is not always the name people use day to day. Resort areas and neighbourhoods often sit inside a larger municipality, so a postcode search is the safest way to check which town name Correos expects.
Urbanisations, Complexes and Holiday Homes
In many coastal areas, homes are grouped in named urbanizaciones, apartment complexes or bungalow parks. The UPU guide shows that a building or district name can go on its own line above the street line. If your home is in a complex with a name residents and postmen recognise, include it, along with your unit or bungalow number.
If a complex has a shared reception or a bank of letterboxes, check that your name is on yours. Spain’s transport ministry, which oversees postal services, lists users’ postal obligations, including identifying the recipient and address completely and labelling your letterbox with your full postal details. An unlabelled letterbox is a common reason post never arrives.
Common Mistakes on Online Checkouts
Shop and courier websites built for other countries do not always fit Spanish addresses neatly. A few habits help:
- Use the second address line properly. Put the street, number and building on line one, and the staircase, floor and door on line two if the first line is too short.
- Do not drop the ordinal sign without a replacement. If a form rejects “3º”, write “3” followed by the word “piso” or “planta” rather than leaving a bare number that could be mistaken for the building number.
- Choose the province in the “State” or “County” field. Pick Las Palmas or Santa Cruz de Tenerife for the Canary Islands, not “Canary Islands” typed into a free-text box, where the form allows it.
- Add a mobile number. Couriers often phone or message before delivery, and a reachable number can save a failed attempt.
- Keep the spelling consistent. Use the same version of your name and address across orders, and match the name on your ID if you may need to collect from a post office or courier depot.
Orders to the Canary Islands also involve customs paperwork, even from mainland Spain, so a correct address is only half the job. We explain that side in Do You Pay Customs on Online Orders to the Canary Islands?
Writing a Spanish Address From Abroad
When family, a former employer or a UK bank writes to you in Spain, ask them to copy your address exactly as you give it, in the Spanish order, and to add SPAIN in capitals as the last line. They should not rearrange it into the UK format, move the number before the street or translate “Calle” into “Street”. Postal workers in Spain sort by the Spanish details, and the country line is mainly there to route the item internationally.
If you are sending post the other way, the same principle applies: follow the destination country’s format, with the country name in capitals at the bottom.
When You Are Not Home to Receive It
A perfectly written address still does not help if nobody is there when a parcel or signed-for letter arrives. That is a particular issue for second-home owners, people who spend months away and anyone living in a flat without a concierge. Our guides on receiving parcels in the Canary Islands without a permanent address and avoiding missed parcel deliveries abroad cover the options in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the house number come before or after the street name in Spain?
After. A Spanish address is written as street type, street name and then number, for example “Calle Mayor 15”, followed by any staircase, floor and door details.
What do 3º and 2ª mean in a Spanish address?
They are ordinal numbers. “3º” means third floor, and “2ª” usually refers to the second door on that floor. Both identify the exact flat inside the building.
Do I need to include the province?
The UPU guidance for Spain puts the province on its own line, and it is useful on international post. Within Spain the postcode already identifies the province, but including it does no harm.
Can I use a PO box (apartado de correos) for parcels?
An apartado de correos is a Correos box, written as “Apartado” plus its number, then the postcode and town. Many couriers deliver only to street addresses, so check with the sender first. Our PO box alternatives in Spain guide compares the options. For a side-by-side look at costs and how each works, see PO box vs virtual mailbox in Spain, and for which address suits official post, our guide to a postal address for non-residents in Spain.
A Reliable Address in Spain
If you want an address that is written correctly once and staffed when deliveries arrive, Letterbox.es can help. We offer a secure address in Gran Canaria, Cambrils and Barcelona, with mail scanning, parcel handling and storage, and forwarding wherever you are. Contact Letterbox.es to find out how it would work for you.