Shipping to International PO Boxes: Complete Guide

Carrier capabilities vary significantly for international PO box delivery:

• USPS - Can deliver to PO boxes in countries with postal agreements (most countries). Uses destination country's postal service for final delivery. Best option for PO box delivery abroad.
• DHL Express - Does NOT deliver to PO boxes. Requires physical street address with recipient present or security guard to sign. No exceptions.
• FedEx - Does NOT deliver to PO boxes internationally. Commercial address or residential street address required.
• UPS - Does NOT deliver to PO boxes internationally. Same requirements as FedEx—physical address only.
• Regional postal services - Asendia, GlobalPost, and other postal consolidators can deliver to PO boxes since they hand off to destination postal services.

PO box acceptance varies by destination country:

• Australia - Accepts international mail to PO boxes via Australia Post. Parcel Lockers also available. Express/courier services need street addresses.
• Canada - Canada Post PO boxes accept international mail from USPS. Large packages may require pickup from Post Office.
• United Kingdom - Royal Mail PO boxes accept international mail. Size restrictions may apply—oversized items held for pickup.
• Germany - Postfach (PO box) accepts international postal mail. Courier services require street address (Straße).
• Japan - Japan Post boxes accept international mail. Box size limits strict—many packages must be picked up.
• Mexico - Limited PO box system. Most international shipping goes to physical addresses or package receiving services.
• Caribbean nations - PO boxes common due to limited street addressing. USPS delivers to most island PO boxes.

If you need to use a courier service or the destination doesn't accept PO box mail:

• Work/business address - Have recipient use their workplace address if they can receive personal packages there.
• Package receiving service - Companies like MyUS, Shipito, or local equivalents provide street addresses for package receipt and forwarding.
• Hotel address - If recipient is traveling, ship to their hotel with arrival date noted. Confirm hotel accepts guest packages.
• Friend/family address - Ship to someone with a physical address who can forward or hold the package.
• Parcel lockers - Australia, Germany, and other countries have public parcel locker networks as alternatives to PO boxes.
• Customs broker address - For commercial shipments, customs brokers can receive and clear packages.