How to Mail a Care Package to an APO or FPO Address
To ship to an APO or FPO address, write it exactly as the service member gives it to you: their name, the unit or PSC and box line, then APO, FPO or DPO with the two-letter code that replaces the state (such as AE or AP) and the ZIP, and no city or country. Check the ZIP in USPS’s APO/FPO/DPO restrictions tool, do the customs form online before you get to the counter, and pay domestic prices. USPS gives away the military flat-rate boxes for free.
That’s the whole job. The rest of this page is the detail that keeps a box from coming back to you in six weeks with a sticker on it. Everything here comes from USPS’s military and diplomatic mail page as we read it on October 7, 2026. Mail rules change, so treat that page as the authority and this as the walkthrough.
Step 1: Get the address exactly right
USPS says every shipment to an APO, FPO or DPO address needs “the recipient’s name, rank, and unit, and the APO/FPO/DPO address with the 9-digit ZIP Code,” plus a return address. Copy it exactly as the service member sends it. Don’t tidy it up and don’t add anything.
The shape is three lines:
| Line | What goes on it |
|---|---|
| 1 | The recipient’s full name (and rank, if they’ve given it to you) |
| 2 | The unit, PSC or CMR number and the box number |
| 3 | APO, FPO or DPO, then the two-letter code (AE and AP appear in USPS’s examples), then the ZIP |
USPS’s page has worked examples of all three types. Two rules trip people up:
- No city and no country. USPS warns that including them can push the box into a foreign postal system. “APO AE” is the destination; the town it happens to be near is not.
- A real, named person. Mail “must be addressed to a specific person; addressing to ‘Any Service Member’ is no longer permitted.”
If anything about the address looks odd, ask the service member rather than guessing. Addresses change with moves between units, and the person at the other end is the only one who knows the current one.
Step 2: Check the ZIP for restrictions
Every military ZIP can carry its own limits on what it accepts. USPS has an APO/FPO/DPO restrictions tool: enter the ZIP and the date you plan to mail, and it shows the conditions for that destination. Do this before you pack, not at the counter with the box taped shut.
Then check the general lists. USPS’s military page sends you to its international prohibitions, which include aerosols, alcoholic beverages, nail polish and perfumes containing alcohol. USPS’s domestic restrictions page adds that hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes can’t go to APO/FPO/DPO destinations at all. Lithium batteries are allowed only when they are “properly installed in the equipment they are intended to operate,” and only where the destination permits them; loose spares are prohibited. The care package hub covers what is worth sending.
Step 3: Get the box (free) and pack it
USPS gives away Priority Mail APO/FPO Large Flat Rate Boxes. You can order them online from the Postal Store and your carrier delivers them at no charge. You don’t have to use them, but flat rate means the weight stops mattering, which is exactly when everyone in the house starts adding things.
Packing rules that matter more for military mail than for ordinary parcels:
- Pack for heat and cold. USPS notes that “desert temperatures typically exceed 100 degrees.” Chocolate, lotions and anything with a seal that softens are a gamble.
- Double-bag anything that could leak or crumble. A split bag of drink powder spreads to everything else in the box.
- Put a spare address inside. USPS suggests a second sheet in the box with “both the destination address and your return address,” in case the outside label is damaged.
- Tape every seam. A roll of proper Scotch heavy-duty packing tape costs less than a box that opens in transit.
Size limit for DPO addresses: USPS sets a maximum of 27 inches long, 14 inches wide and 14 inches high. APO and FPO boxes are bound by the ordinary class limits, but if you’re mailing to a DPO, measure.
Step 4: Do the customs form before you go
This is the step that sends people back home from the counter. USPS’s military page says plainly: “You often need a customs form to ship overseas.” Which form depends on the destination ZIP, and USPS’s Click-N-Ship tool “will also let you know which customs forms you need.”
The easy route:
- Do it online, with Click-N-Ship. It prints the postage label and walks you through the customs form for that military ZIP. You can then schedule a free package pickup and never stand in line at all.
- List the contents specifically and honestly. USPS now requires “more-detailed package descriptions” for every country, so “gifts” or “snacks” isn’t enough; “2 pairs socks, 6 packets cocoa, 1 card game” is.
The paper form people mention, PS Form 2976-R, is the one USPS names for the other direction: anyone mailing a package with an APO, FPO or MPO ZIP in the return address has to “create a customs form online or fill out PS Form 2976-R before visiting a retail counter.” So when the deployed parent mails something home, that’s their step.
Keep the receipt and the tracking number. For a box that will be in the system for weeks, the tracking number is the only way to find out where it got to.
Step 5: Pay domestic prices and mail it early
Military mail costs domestic prices “even if you’re sending mail overseas.” USPS Ground Advantage is the cheapest and slowest. Priority Mail is faster and is the class the free flat-rate box belongs to.
The real decision is timing. Overseas military mail moves slowly, and holidays slow it further. For 2026, USPS’s holiday table recommends mailing to APO/FPO/DPO addresses by Wednesday, November 4 for Ground Advantage and Wednesday, December 9 for First-Class and Priority to arrive before December 25. Our Christmas care package guide has the full table and what to pack in that box.
One small trick: if the postmark date matters to you (a letter the kids want stamped on a birthday), ask the counter to hand-cancel it. USPS does that for free.
When something goes wrong
USPS lists a dedicated inbox for APO/FPO/DPO questions, MilitaryMailOperations@usps.gov, alongside 1-800-ASK-USPS and your local Post Office. If a box comes back, read the sticker before re-sending: a returned box usually tells you which rule it broke, and the restrictions tool will tell you whether that ZIP’s conditions changed.
And keep mailing. A modest box every month beats one huge one, and the kids’ drawings fill the gaps. If you need ideas for what goes in next month’s, the care package themes by month cover a full year.
FAQ: shipping to APO and FPO addresses
How do you write an APO address?
Three lines: the recipient’s name, the unit or PSC line with the box number, then APO (or FPO or DPO), the two-letter code that stands in for a state, and the ZIP. Leave out any city or country, and copy the address exactly as the service member gives it to you.
Do I need a customs form to ship to an APO address?
Often, yes. USPS says you often need a customs form to ship overseas, and its Click-N-Ship tool tells you which form a given military ZIP needs. Do it online before you go, and describe the contents specifically.
Does it cost more to ship to an APO address?
No. USPS charges domestic prices for APO, FPO and DPO addresses, even when the mail goes overseas, and the Priority Mail APO/FPO flat-rate boxes are free to order.
How long does it take to ship to an APO address?
It varies by destination and season, and it is slower than ordinary domestic mail. USPS’s holiday table shows how much time it allows: for 2026, Ground Advantage to APO/FPO/DPO addresses should go by November 4 to arrive by Christmas.
