Correct Addressing and Labeling for Austrian Post

Letters and packages must be addressed or labeled correctly; then fast processing by Austrian Post is guaranteed. But what exactly do you need to keep in mind? I admit, in the age of email and mobile phones, it is no longer very common to send a letter or a package. But anyone who has grandparents abroad or uses willhaben will more often find themselves needing to send something. For all those people, I would like to give a few tips in this article.

Labeling letters and packages correctly

In general, any labeling for the post is easier if the sender and recipient are printed out using a printer. If you want to write the details by hand, do not use cursive and write legibly with a dark pen on a light background. If you do not use labels, you can also print the details on normal paper and attach them with commercially available glue.

Sender

The sender is labeled left-aligned and about 40 mm from the top edge. It is best if the writing is as dark as possible and the background is white. If space does not allow otherwise, the sender can also be placed on the back of a letter.

It is also possible to place the sender right next to the recipient; this makes sense for window envelopes. In that case, the sender must be given on one line and clearly above the recipient. I then use a smaller font so that it clearly stands out from the recipient.

Recipient

Here too, the background should be as white as possible and the font color dark. There must be 5 mm of free space around the address. Here are a few illustrative examples of how mail should be labeled correctly:

Addressing letters

Window envelope

With a window envelope, it is important that the address details are clearly legible in the window and that no part of them disappears into the envelope. To ensure everything is clearly legible, you must observe these dimensions:

For the letterhead, 27 mm (for a small letterhead) or 45 mm (for a large letterhead) are used. After that comes the address field:

• Address: 40 mm
• Sender: + 5 mm high
• Width: 85 mm wide, starting at 20.0 mm from the left edge of the page (but the alignment line remains at 25 mm from the left edge of the page!)

Envelope

Place the envelope without contents horizontally in front of you, with the opening facing downward on the table.

1. Write your sender details in the upper left corner.
2.  For the postage, leave the area on the upper right side free up to 74 mm toward the center
3. Place the recipient 40 mm from the top edge, centered on the envelope

In both cases, leave the space in the upper right free so that there is room for the stamp.

Addressing padded envelopes

1.  Place the padded envelope without contents horizontally in front of you. The opening of the envelope should face downward on the right side.
2.  Place your sender details in the upper left corner.
3.  The recipient is glued or written in the middle to a little further down on the right of the mailing envelope.

Addressing packages

Once you have found the right box for your package and have packed everything well, it is time to label it. Here you have two options: package label or label it yourself.

Package label

A package label is conveniently created on your PC at home, paid for online, and printed out on normal paper or label paper. The sender and recipient address, the desired additional service(s), and a barcode are printed on this package sticker. Stick the package label on the largest surface of your package. If you do not have label paper on hand, you can also use ordinary glue to attach it.

Label it yourself

When labeling a package, it is again important that the details are clearly legible. It is advisable to write the sender and recipient on white paper with dark writing. I entered the details on my PC, printed them out, and attached them with glue.

Read also: Separating stamps that are stuck together