poste restante

(, "waiting mail"), also known as general delivery in North American English, is a service where the post office holds the mail until the recipient calls for it. It is a common destination for mail for people who are visiting a particular location and have no need, or no way, of having mail delivered directly to their place of residence at that time.

By country

Argentina

The Poste Restante service is run by the national postal company, Correo Argentino.

Letter or parcels can be addressed with either the recipient's full name or their ID card number:

: 'Recipient's full name'' or ''Recipient's ID number'':Poste Restante
: 'Post Office's Postal Code'' 'Office name'' ''City'')
There is no specified time period for the recipient to pick up the letter. Upon retiring, the recipient must provide proof of identity and pay a charge equivalent to a simple mail service.

Australia

(Counter Delivery) is a long-established service within Australia run by the national postal service, Australia Post, which allows one's post to be sent to a city-centre holding place. It will be held for up to 1 month and can be collected by providing proof of identity, such as a passport.

For example, for the Adelaide GPO (General Post Office, i.e. the main post office in the city of Adelaide) one would address a letter or parcel thus:

:Recipient's Full Name
:CARE OF POST OFFICE GPO Adelaide
:SA 5001
:Australia

The recipient would then need to go to the Adelaide GPO at 10 Franklin St to collect it when it was due to arrive or shortly afterwards.
The approved abbreviation is "CARE PO". For outward bound international mail, the form "POSTE RESTANTE" is recognised. Mail that is not addressed in the approved form may be delayed for hand sorting.

Austria

In Austria, can be used with a name or an agreed passphrase under which the envelope can be collected, followed by the indication (in capitals). A tax of €1 is collected from the addressee.

Belgium

Bpost uses the term (French), (Dutch) or (German) which needs to be indicated on the post together with the name, optionally the first name, full name of the post office, postal code and city. The recipient has one month to collect the post, after which it will be sent back to the sender. A special tax applies valued at the price of one stamp of value 2; this price is €1.74. This tax is usually paid by the recipient but can also be paid by the sender.

:Name of the recipient
:Poste Restante
:Full name of the post office
:B-1234 City
:Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, mail is addressed to , which is written after the full name of the recipient as shown in their ID document or passport.

:Name of recipient
:POSTE RESTANTE
:12345 City

Cambodia

In Cambodia, mail is addressed to , which is written after the full name of the recipient. Parcels and letters should contain a phone number, but recipients are more likely to get notified by phone for a parcel.

:Name of recipient
:POSTE RESTANTE
:City
:Postcode #####
:Province Name
:Cambodia
:Tel +855 ### ### ###

Canada

Canada Post uses the term ''general delivery'' in English, and in French. Travellers may use the service for up to four months, and it is also used in circumstances where other methods of delivery (such as post office boxes) are not available.

Canada Post guidelines for addressing of letter mail stipulate that general delivery mail should be addressed in the following fashion:

:MR JOHN JONES
:GD STN A
:FREDERICTON NB  E3B 1A1

where GD is the abbreviation for general delivery (alternatively "PR" for in French), and STN A is the station or post office (in this case, Station A). When the mail is to be delivered to a retail postal outlet, then the abbreviation RPO is used, and in French the station is indicated by SUCC for , or retail postal outlet by "CSP" for . In the above example, the French version of the address would use "PR SUCC A" for the second line.

Croatia

In Croatia, mail is addressed to , which is written after the full name of the recipient (as appears on the identification to be presented ID document or a passport, if abroad).

:Name of recipient
:POSTE RESTANTE
:12345 City

In Croatia letters received to address are kept in post office for 30 calendar days.

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, mail can be addressed to the post office if and the full name of the recipient is included. To retrieve the mail, the recipient has to have a valid ID, passport, or a driving licence. The mail will be retained for only 15 days.

:Name of the recipient
:Details (such as – summer camp etc.), or leave blank
:POSTE RESTANTE
:12345 City

Denmark

Mail is held for 14 days.

Finland

is offered widely throughout Finland in 425 post office addresses In Finland, letters received to address are kept in post office for 14 days after arrival.

Before 1 April 2013, it was possible to use a nickname instead of real name and without providing an ID. In 2019, picking up mail from was to become paid service, but the planned fee was cancelled.

France

In France, offers the service for letters at an additional cost to be paid by the receiver Letters are kept for 15 days. The service is offered at any post office. The only requirement is to add after the recipient's name and before the full address of the post office.

For the post office of Paris Louvre the address would be :

: Recipient's Name
: Poste Restante
: 50 rue du Louvre
: 75001 PARIS

Germany

offer the service for all mail items under the (General Delivery) service. Domestic items may make use of a passphrase instead of the recipients name if preferred. As of 2022, the item should be addressed to the (main post office) of the location or certain other post offices designated as offering this service; smaller post offices and post agencies (contractor outlets) do not accept poste restante and may return the item.

Address Format:
: Recipient Name
: Kennwort: assphrase''(optional)''
: Postlagernd
: Post Office address
: Post Office postcode/town

The phrase (Password) in front of the passphrase requires the consignee to specify the passphrase at time of collection.
Items may be collected from the designated post office upon production of valid identification (e.g. Passport) and the passphrase.

It is important to use the term in preference to, or in conjunction with, to prevent returned mail.

Gibraltar

Royal Gibraltar Post Office allows letters and parcels to be received.
ID is required for collection.

The address format is:
:Name of recipient
:Poste Restante
:General Post Office
:Gibraltar

Greece

In Greece you can send small parcels under 2 kg to th
Greece post office

Address Format:

:POSTE RESTANTE
: Recipient's Name
: Post office address
: Post office zip code
: Town
: Greece

To collect your mail if it is addressed and stamped to you by bring your passport and ID with you.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, Hongkong Post is responsible for handling the mail and mail can be sent to General Post Office only.

At the address side, mark the mail with or in bold.

The address format is like this:
:Name of recipient
:Name of post office (optional)
:Hong Kong

The name of recipient must be real and in full. No initial or figure is allowed.

Hungary

Hungarian post requires () delivery to be addressed to specific post offices. Additionally, the postal service provides a "pick-up" service for web-based businesses where a business can ship to a pick-up point.

India

India Post offers a Poste Restante service of up to two months at various post offices throughout the country. Mail is addressed thus:

: Mr./Mrs. SURNAME First name
:Poste Restante
:C/O POSTMASTER
:GPO or General Post Office:City name
:State name
:India

Carry a passport or some other form of national identification to pick it up.

In India, letters are said to be held for around a month, up to two in larger GPOs, before being returned; so senders should add their return address, or use the recipient's home address as a return destination.

Ireland

In Ireland, 's "Address Point" service is ″a fixed address for those without a fixed home.″

also offer , as a free service which allows visitors to a town to have their mail addressed to the local Post Office, where it will be held for collection.

Italy

In Italy, writing together with the full name of the addressee and postal code will activate general delivery at the relevant post office. Letter post is retained for 30 days; parcel post is normally retained for 15 days, with an exceptional period of 1 month.

Japan

In Japan, the term indicates a mail.

The Japan Post Service guidelines for addressing stipulate that general delivery domestic mail should be addressed in the following fashion:
: 163-8799
:
:
:
: (TEL 090-xxxx-xxxx)

For international mail,
:Mr. Taro Yamada
:Shinjuku-Yuubinkyoku-dome
:Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to 163–8799 JAPAN
:(TEL 090-xxxx-xxxx)

where "163-8799" is the postcode of the post office, "Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo-to" is the address of the post office, "Shinjuku-Yuubinkyoku" is the name of the post office, and "-dome" means "keep it there".

A mail will be kept in the post office for 10 days, identification is required for pickup.

Lithuania

In Lithuania, the words or (used locally in Lithuania) should be made bold.

For local mail:

:Name of recipient (in dative case)
:
:Name of post office
:12345 City
:Mob. tel.: 86xxxxxxx and/or ''(optional mobile number for notifying with SMS message about received registered mail)''
:[email protected] ''(optional e-mail address for notifying about received registered mail)''
:

Luxembourg

The Luxembourg Post has discontinued the service and is not possible anymore.

Macau

CTT (Macau) offers Poste Restante service (Posta Restante) to Macau's visitors or those who do not have a fixed residence in Macau. Upon collection, the addressee needs to pay MOP 6.50 as the administration fee (additional charges may apply). The recipient's address must include the words (in Chinese) or (in Portuguese). The addressee's name must be real name, in conformity to his/her name shown on an identity card or passport. The address format is as follows:

:Name of addressee
:POSTA RESTANTE
:Name of post office or branch office
:Locality (e.g. Macau, Taipa, etc.)
:Macau Special Administrative Region

Malta

MaltaPost offers service from a post office in the capital Valletta for up to three months, after which mail is returned to sender. Prior to using the service, the person must inform MaltaPost via email, and a means of identification needs to be provided when picking up the mail. Mail should be addressed as follows:

:Name of recipient
:Poste Restante
:Valletta Boxes
:75, Old Bakery Str
:IL-BELT VALLETTA
:VLT 1000
:MALTA

Netherlands

PostNL offers service for up to one month, after which the mail will be returned to the original sender (if provided). This service is provided by all Dutch post offices. Mail should be addressed thus:

:Last name of recipient
:First name of recipient
:Poste Restante
:Name and address of post office
:The Netherlands

New Zealand

New Zealand Post offers a service of up to two months at various post offices throughout the country. Mail is addressed thus:

:Name of Recipient
:Poste Restante
:Name of post office
:Post office's address
:Town and postcode

Norway

In Norway, Norway Post provides the service in all post offices. Ordinary mail is returned to sender three weeks after arrival. Parcels and registered letters are returned to sender after two weeks. Valid foreign identification for obtaining mail is limited to passports and European Identity cards. Mail is addressed according to the following format:
:Name of recipient
:POSTE RESTANTE
:Name of post office
:Post office's address
:Post office's postcode and place

Poland

Mail should be addressed according to the following format:

: Name of recipient
: Poste Restante
: 12-345 City 6

where 12-345 represents the postal code of the post office and 6 represents post office number within given city. (In Poland every post office is uniquely identified by city and number, e.g. "Warszawa 1" or "Kraków 35". These numbers are used only when the post office itself is the point of delivery, e.g. mailboxes or ). There is no address of a recipient on the envelope, and if no sender address is provided, mail is considered undeliverable after 14 days. Every office is valid target for delivery and the service is provided with no additional cost. All types of mail, e.g. letters, parcels and money orders, can be sent to .

Portugal

In Portugal, CTT provides the service () in all post offices. The mail will be kept in the post office until the last day of the following month after it was received. Mail is addressed according to the following format:

:Name of recipient
:Posta Restante Loja XXXXXXX (name of the post office)
:Address of Post Office
:Postcode and place

The recipient pays a levy to collect the mail.

Russia

The most widely available Russian mail delivery (state-run) company, Russian Post, provides services.

In order to collect a parcel, the individual is required to provide an ID document (usually a passport) that matches the indicated receiver's information. Alternatively, an electronic signature (SMS code) may be used if the package's tracking number is known. The parcel is stored for up to 30 days, depending on the type of mail. As of 2019, the packages delivered by courier may be stored up to 15 days and letters – up to 30.

The information on parcels should be as following (as per Russian Post) in order for the parcel to be stored:
: Name of recipient
: Address of destination (optional, may be omitted): city, street, building, entry (if any), apartment number
: Postal code
: DO VOSTREBOVANIYA / Poste restante

The Russian phrase may be used instead of . The phrase is a phonetic transliteration and indicates that the parcel has to be stored in a postal office () until the receiver collects it. The storage time is calculated from the moment when the parcel was received by the office. Parcels with such marks are not delivered to the mail boxes.

Russian Post advises outgoing international packages be marked with in the same way.

For incoming parcels, a certain fee must be paid if the package's cost or weight exceeds the duty-free limits. Until early 2022, the limits were €200 and 31 kg (approx. 68 lbs) per package (regardless of the number of packages received over a time period). After Russian imports had been sanctioned following the invasion of Ukraine, the cost limit was temporarily increased to €1,000.

Serbia

In Serbia, mail is addressed to or , which is written after the full name of the recipient (as appears on the identification to be presented ID document or a passport, if abroad).

The example of address is as follows :

:John Richmond
:POST-RESTANT or POSTE RESTANTE
:Sremčica
:11253
:Srbija

Upon arrival in the post-residual parcel section of the destination post office, the parcel is stored for 30 days, from the day of arrival.

Singapore

This service is only for the convenience of travelers to Singapore. The words or ''To Be Called For'' must appear next to the recipient's full name on a postal article.

Slovakia

In Slovakia, the post office will hold mail sent to an address containing words , even when the full address is specified. The post office will not notify the recipient about the delivery, and will hold the mail for 18 days, unless told otherwise by the sender. After that, the mail is returned to the sender.

To pick up the mail, the recipient needs to show their ID card or passport. They also may have to provide a tracking number.

:Full legal name of the recipient
:Poste restante
: PSČ City

Slovenia

In Slovenia mail is addressed to , which is written after the full name of the recipient (as appears on the identification to be presented ID document or a passport, if abroad).

:Name of recipient
:POŠTNO LEŽEČE
:1234 City

In Slovenia letters received for a address are kept in post office for 15 calendar days.

Spain

Mail can also be received at Spanish post offices. There is normally no charge for the service. letters should be addressed , followed by the address of the post office (including the postcode, town and province). Put the recipient's surname in capitals. An example address is:

:John SMITH
:Lista de Correos
:Pl. Rosa dels Vents 9
:46730 Gandia
:Valencia
:Spain

To find the address of the nearest to you, check a
www.correos.es
Click on the link for the .

When collecting mail from the post office recipients will need to show some form of identification such as a passport or photo driving license. They will need to specify that they are collecting a item as these are stored separately from the other stored mail. The mail is filed alphabetically and it may be worth asking them to check if an expected package was filed under your first name if they cannot find it under your surname. Post offices vary in how long they will hold your mail.

When addressing mail for Spain, always ensure that there is a return address on the parcel or packet.

Sweden

Not all post offices offer . The address is entered using the following format:

:Name of recipient
:Poste Restante
:123 45 City

Here, 123 45 represents the postal number of the post office. Post offices providing services can be located by searching for as "street address" in a given city (giving a postal number) and then searching for post offices with that postal number.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, all post offices offer for free for up to one month for letters only, no parcels. Addressing takes the following format:

:Name of recipient
:Poste restante
: treet/n° of the preferred post office:1234 City

Here, 1234 represents the postal number of the post office. The correct street address can be found online.

Thailand

In Thailand, only a destination post office with a storage facility for will offer this service. Senders should write ''Poste restante at ______ Post Office'' ( or ) or ''Poste restante at a destination Post Office'' (the second instance will place the mail at the distributional post office nearest to the recipient's address) after the name of the recipient. For example.

:Mr. Meedee Khonthai (Name of recipient ''must'' match Official ID or Passport)
:Poste restante at Phasi Charoen Post Office, 10160
:+66xx-xxx-xxxx

or

:Mr. Meedee Khonthai (Name of recipient ''must'' match Official ID or Passport)
:Poste restante at a destination Post Office,
:Bang Khae Nuea, Bang Khae
:Bangkok, Thailand 10160
:+66xx-xxx-xxxx

or in the Thai language:

: (Name of recipient ''must'' match Official ID or Passport)
:
:
:
: +66xx-xxx-xxxx

There is a small amount of storage fee (1–2 Thai baht) when picking up the mail or parcel. The recipient must track the delivery status themselves via the tracking number provided. Accordingly, it is recommended to deliver using registered mail or EMS as the regular mail delivery service does not provide a tracking number.

Turkey

For Istanbul, the main parcel and office is in Sirkeci, a few minutes walk from the Sirkeci tram stop.

: Name of recipient as appears on Passport or Official ID
: Post Restante (in large and clear letters)
: PTT Baş Müdürlüğü,
: Hobyar Mahallesi,
: Yeni Postane Caddesi No.25,
: Sirkeci, Istanbul

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, mail is addressed to , which is written after the full name of the recipient), then the name and full address of the destination post office, thus:

: Mr. John Smith
: POSTE RESTANTE
: Islington Post Office
: 160-161 Upper Street
: London N1 1US

If only addressed to a town name, for example "POSTE RESTANTE, LONDON", mail will go to the closest main post office branch (there being more than a hundred "crown offices" – directly managed post office branches – in London). Some small branches do not offer the poste restante service.

The sender should also include their return address. In the United Kingdom, the Royal Mail will hold mail posted from within the UK for 18 days, whereas mail posted from abroad is held for 21 days. Mail uncollected after these timescales is treated as undeliverable.

United States

In the United States, the U.S. Postal Service uses the term ''General Delivery''. Mail for general delivery to recipients in the United States is addressed in the following fashion:

: JOHN DOE
: GENERAL DELIVERY
: WASHINGTON DC 20090-9999

General delivery is normally available at only one facility under the administration of a post office with multiple facilities. Post offices that hold mail for general delivery may hold such mail for up to 30 days. When sending to general delivery, the optional ZIP+4 add-on code is ''-9999''.

See also

* Post office box
* Will call

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poste Restante
Postal systems
Philatelic terminology