The proper format to enter a military address is:

Military addresses must show the grade, full name with middle name or initial, and PSC number, unit number, or ship name. Replace the city name with “APO ” or “FPO,” and the state with “AA,” “AE,” or “AP,” and use a special ZIP Code. All APO / FPO shipments must be made by using the United States Post Office (USPS).

Overseas military addresses must contain the APO or FPO designation along with a two–character “state” abbreviation of AE, AP, or AA and the ZIP Code or ZIP+4 Code. AE is used for armed forces in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Canada; AP is for the Pacific; and AA is the Americas excluding Canada.

1. Name – First and Last.
2. Address Line 1 – Unit and Box numbers.
3. Address Line 2 – Usually not needed, but if the address includes an FOB (Forward Operating Base) it can be put here.
4. City – APO (Army Post Office)/FPO (Fleet Post Office)/DPO (Diplomatic Post Office)

APO and FPO packages must be sent via USPS. Overseas US military bases are considered a domestic shipment, which means you need to select the United States as the ship-to country. Do not select the country where the base is located. The address format for APO and FPO shipments is the same as for domestic shipments.

APO is used for Air/Army Post Office; FPO is used for Fleet Post Office; DPO is used for the Diplomatic Post Office. From the State field, select: Armed Forces – AE is the abbreviation for Armed Forces. Armed Forces America – AA is the abbreviation for Armed Forces America and it excludes Canada.

As can been seen, APOs, FPOs, and DPOs are just like the Post Office (P.O.) boxes one can rent at the local Post Office. The only real difference being is that they are located overseas on Military bases or in U.S. Embassies.

Army Post Office

a prefix occurring orig. in loanwords from Greek, with the sense “away, off, apart” (apogee; apocope); in English and New Latin, marking things that are detached, separate, or derivative (apoenzyme).

For most items, Amazon.com charged the same to ship to an APO address as a stateside address. If you select a different shipping method, a military APO/FPO address or an address outside the contiguous United States, your actual shipping cost may be higher.

Does It Cost More Money to Ship to Military Addresses? Nope! Believe it or not, USPS treats all military the addresses the same as domestic mail—even if the destination is in a different country. This is due to a whole lot of collaboration between USPS and the US Military.

Your parcel must be given to a USPS employee in order for it to be mailed to an APO/FPO. You can do this by visiting the Post Office or scheduling an in-person pickup at your home or business through Stamps.com via the carrier pick-up form.

Although USPS-provided supplies are free, you still have to cover the cost of actual shipping. When shipping to APO/FPO/DPO addresses, you only have to pay domestic postage rates.

So let’s dive in:

1. Step #1: Figure Out Your Service Member’s Military Address.
2. Step #2: Locate the Proper Form at the Post Office.
3. Step #3: Fill Out the Form.
4. Step #4: Fill Out Customs Information, and be Specific!
5. Step #5: Bring Your Package and Completed Customs Form to the Postal Worker.

After boot camp is the time to send military care packages.

• Necessities, such as sunblock, socks, underwear, flip-flops, lip balm and powder.
• Snacks, including chips, salsa, nuts, cookies, beef jerky, non-melting candy and trail mix in packaging that isn’t easily crushed.

Please use the Defense Manpower Data Center’s (DMDC) Military Verification service to verify if someone is in the military. The website will tell you if the person is currently serving in the military. The site is available 24-hours a day.

MREs are the main operational food ration for the United States Armed Forces. It originated from the c-rations and k-rations from World War II, and later developed into MCI (Meal, Combat, Individual) rations used in Korea and Vietnam. In 1980 the MRE was developed and is still the U.S. Army’s primary ration.