Military Mail | Overview

The Military Postal Service is an extension of USPS that provides our military departments and their families with mail services through partnerships around the world. While there may be slight differences in service depending on the country in which they are stationed, military personnel receive the same level of postal service overseas as is available back home.

Other agencies that are vital to the service provided by Military Mail are US Transportation Command, Military Sealift Command, Air Mobility Command, and Military Transportation Command.

Learn more about the Military Postal Service Agency.

Think of Military Mail as the best of both worlds – you get international delivery at a domestic price.

Mail sent to any military personnel who are serving overseas will adhere to the same address format as US domestic mail, although the information will be slightly different. Instead of a street address followed by a city, state, and ZIP code, there is a unit number followed by post type, region, and ZIP code.

An example of how to address military mail is as follows:

MSgt John Doe

PSC 123 Box 987

APO AP 96601-0098

This may look like just a series of letters and numbers to you, but it is important to ensure the formatting of the address is correct.

These are the most frequently used acronyms:

The USPS system works by funneling all of the military mail sent from within the United States to three cities that serve as distribution centers for a specific geographical area of the armed forces.

When it comes to tracking and extra services like insurance and registered mail, generally speaking, Military Mail is eligible for extra services, but extra services may not be available to all Military Post Offices.

Regardless of the class of mail or the shipment’s contents, all mail over 16 oz. must be accompanied by a customs form. All Military Mail weighing less than 16 oz. that may contain dutiable contents must also be shipped with a customs form.  Learn more about the types of customs forms .

If you have printed your label through ShippingEasy, we will generate these forms for you. Learn more about configuring your international shipment settings.