How to write an APO or FPO address

What APO and FPO addresses are

An Army Post Office (APO) address routes mail to a unit through the Army Postal Service, the part of the armed forces that runs post for units in field and operational areas. India Post carries the parcel to a base post office, and the Army Postal Service takes it the rest of the way. A Field Post Office (FPO) address works the same way for formations in the field.

The point of the system is that mail follows the unit, not a place. When a unit moves, its APO address can stay the same, and the sender never needs to know where the unit actually is.

The four lines, in order

1. Number, rank and name. The service number first, then rank and name, for example No. 1234567X Hav. R. Singh. Officers usually leave out the number and write rank and name, for example Maj. A. Rao.
2. Sub-unit and unit. Company, battery or squadron, then the unit, for example A Coy, 4 Rajput. Postal staff deliver by unit, so this line matters more than any street address would.
3. C/o and the APO number. For example C/o 56 APO. Copy this exactly as the unit gives it.
4. PIN. The six-digit Army Postal Service PIN, which begins with 9, for example PIN 908456.

Add a reachable civilian mobile number below the address if the form allows it. Couriers and post offices use it if a parcel is held up.

A worked example

No. 1234567X Hav. R. Singh
A Coy, 4 Rajput
C/o 56 APO
PIN 908456

This is an illustration, not a real address. Ask the person you are sending to for the exact form their unit uses for personal mail. Every unit has one, and it is the only version you should use.

Mistakes that delay parcels

• Using a town PIN. If you replace the 9xxxxx PIN with the PIN of the nearest town, the parcel goes into the civilian network and usually comes back.
• Leaving out the sub-unit. Large units receive a lot of mail, and the company or squadron is what gets it to the right hands.
• Abbreviating the unit differently. Write the unit the way the recipient writes it. 4 Rajput and 4th Bn The Rajput Regt may both arrive, but the unit's own form is fastest.
• Adding a location. Never write where you think the unit is. It is not needed, and it should not be on a parcel.

Ordering online to an APO address

Most courier companies do not deliver to APO PINs, so online orders to these addresses usually travel by India Post. At Fauji Funk, APO and FPO delivery is free whatever the order value, and parcels go by India Post to the Army Postal Service. Allow 7 to 14 days. Tracking stops updating once the parcel is handed to the Army Postal Service, which is normal. See shipping and delivery for the full policy.

For personalised pieces going to an APO, pay online rather than cash on delivery so production and dispatch are not held up.