How to address envelope from Italy to US
 

I want to pre-address some envelopes (labels) to use while we're in Italy to send mail to the US. Do I address them the same way we do here?
Name
Street
City, State 00000

Do I add USA; if so where?
Thanks!

Maire, yes, show the address exactly as you have posted here. The last line should read USA. I always have done that and all the correspondence I receive from Italy is addressed that way. Everyone seems to make the USA letters just a tad larger than the rest of the address.

Just noted you are going to probably print the labels. Don't worry about the USA letters being a tad larger..just show USA on the last line by itself. And have a fun trip!!

Thanks, LI. Now, this is one little thing I can cross off my list. :)

Maire - Don't forget to use 'posta prioritaria' if you want your post to arrive home before you do :)

Steve

Thanks Steve - I might not have thought about that!

The general rule is, write an address so the local (destination) post office can understand it-- they are the ones who have to deliver it, after all.

The source post office just needs to see the destination country (USA) and drop it in the correct bag for outgoing mail.

And be sure to use the correct amount of paostage for that "priority" letter, too.

Block Print Addresses. Include an extra line between the local address and the city, state and ZIP code line. Oversize the USA on the bottom line, Move it to the far right. Next cover all the addesses and mail instructions with clear tape! Don't be afraid to use BOLD and size 16 fonts. Use a bit of tape on the flap to really seal it!

Also, does anyone know how much it costs to mail a post card from Italy to US? Thanks.

As a sidenote, if you're going to be in Rome at some point during your travels, save your postcards and mail them at Vatican City post office. We did and the postcards got home before we did. All the others mailed elsewhere arrived weeks later!

Just received another postcard from Italy. Received it 7 days after it was posted. Postage cost was o.85€

If you're concerned about doing this correctly, the bottom line of the address should be: Stati Uniti.

Postal regulations in most countries require that the destination country be written in the language of the origin country. For example, if you are mailing a letter from the United States to Japan, and you write Japan in Japanese, you will get the letter back for insufficient address.

That having been said, USA will do; and, in fact, if it's any well known place, eg, New York, California you won't even need USA. Prioritaria stamps are ugly, if you buy regular Italian stamps they are much more attractive. You will need two of them if you do this, otherwise, they will go boat mail and take forever. There is also no guarantee that prioritaria stamps will not go boat mail as well. As for the Vatican being faster, take this with a grain of salt. The vatican packs everything into a truck and turns it over to Italiaposte for handling. If they get there earlier, it's just luck.

To my everlasting shame, I work for the U S Postal Service but since I will never meet any of you I can admit that here; otherwise, I tell people that I work for the government and am not at liberty to discuss it.

Xander, you're right about the country name, sending to russia, I write the address in russian, and at the bottom the country name in english.

My father who's english is not very strong, had a letter to one of the former USSR republics which now a country. Instead of addressing it to the Republic of Georgia he just put Georgia on the envelope. He was so mad when he got this letter back 2nd time from the state of Georgia, USA :))

Thanks everyone who answered. A lot of good info, as always. :)

Maire, just a last comment. Writing on the very last line USA will guarantee that your mail will be sent from Italy to the the US. I have tons of correspondence from Italy to me that has been sent over the last 40 years. Stati Uniti is the Italian translation of United States but believe me no Italian has ever put Stati Uniti on the address to me. In fact I have postcards from Crotia and they even write on the last line USA.

I agree about writing USA on the last line, and not Stati Uniti. I live in Italy and always send letters back home to the states, and USA is fine. Besides, Italians actually say 'Usa' (as if it were one word and not individual letters) when referring to the states oftentimes anyway, so they definitely realize what USA stands for!

LoveItaly and Jackie in Italy,
If you read my post you would have seen that I said that "if you want to do it correctly" write Stati Uniti
"that having been said, USA will do"

I don't understand why you're being critical of doing things according to postal regulations; these agreements were made so that even the most simple-minded postal clerk could forward the letter to the correct destination. Everything I said is accurate as far as explaining postal regulations.

Xander:

sorry, wasn't trying to be critical at all. I have just not seen people write stati uniti, and since USA is actually used as a term in Italy, too (like I mentioned, they say 'usa' as if it's a linked word, to mean U.S.A.), I thought it would be simpler for Marie.

really wasn't trying to be critical though! sorry if I sounded snappy! :)