Canada Address Format Guide: Postal Codes, Province Codes & Canada Post Standards

2026-09-18 · US Address Generator

Formatting addresses in Canada shares similarities with the United States, but holds several critical distinctions governed by Canada Post. From the alphanumeric A1A 1A1 postal code format to French-language street conventions in Quebec and hyphenated unit numbers, here is everything you need to know for accurate address handling.

1. Canada Post Recommended Structure

Canada Post guidelines favor uppercase typography without punctuation for automated OCR scanning:

JOHN MACDONALD
101-456 YONGE ST
TORONTO ON  M4Y 1W9
CANADA

2. Province & Territory Abbreviations

Always use the standardized two-letter code following the city name:

• ON (Ontario), QC (Quebec), BC (British Columbia), AB (Alberta)
• MB (Manitoba), SK (Saskatchewan), NS (Nova Scotia), NB (New Brunswick)
• NL (Newfoundland and Labrador), PE (Prince Edward Island)
• NT (Northwest Territories), YT (Yukon), NU (Nunavut)

3. The A1A 1A1 Postal Code Logic

Canadian Postal Codes alternate letters and numbers strictly: Letter-Digit-Letter Space Digit-Letter-Digit. The initial Forward Sortation Area (FSA) points to a major regional boundary, while the final Local Delivery Unit (LDU) pinpoints specific addresses. The letters D, F, I, O, Q, and U are never used to eliminate optical reading ambiguities.

Explore full postal patterns in our Canada Postal Code Guide.

4. Hyphenated Unit Numbers

Canada Post natively supports placing the unit number before the street number separated by a hyphen, such as 302-123 Queen St W. Alternatively, "Apt 302" can reside on Address Line 2.

For testing Canadian commerce checkouts across all 13 provinces and territories, try our Canada Address Generator.