How to Write an Egyptian Address Correctly

Egyptian addresses are written in Arabic for domestic use and in a Latin transliteration for international mail and online forms. The order is from the specific to the general, and a number of local conventions, such as floors and landmarks, play a larger role than in many other countries.

The usual order

1. Recipient name
2. Building number and street name
3. Floor and apartment number
4. District or neighbourhood
5. City
6. Governorate
7. Postal code (five digits), where known
8. Country

A mobile number is customarily provided and is often more important to the courier than the postal code.

Language and transliteration

There is no single official Latin spelling of Egyptian street and district names, so the same name may appear as several variants, such as "El" or "Al" at the beginning of a name. When writing for a local courier, Arabic text avoids this problem. For an international form, choose a single spelling and use it consistently, and avoid mixing scripts in the same line.

Buildings, floors and compounds

Most urban homes are apartments in multi-storey buildings. The building number may be shown on a plate or may be missing, in which case the building is known by the name of its owner or by a nearby shop. Include the floor and apartment number, and the building or tower name if it has one. In gated communities and new urban developments, the compound name, the phase or the district, and the building or villa number are the key parts. Many new areas organise addresses by numbered districts and plots, which is different from the older street-based neighbourhoods.

Landmarks

A nearby landmark is commonly given, such as a mosque, a church, a school, a pharmacy or a well-known shop. It helps the driver, but it should come after the main address, not instead of it. Keep it short and use a permanent feature.

Formatted example

Placeholder values only:

Ahmed Example
12 Example Street, 3rd Floor, Apt 5
Example District
Example City, Cairo Governorate
11511
Egypt
Mobile: 010 0000 0000

An exact-location code can be added in a notes line. A UPCS code for Egypt starts with EG, as in EG-XXXX-XXXX, identifies a 3 m by 3 m cell, and is not issued by Egypt Post or the government. It does not replace the written address. The code format is described in Egypt postal code format explained, and you can look it up with the guidance in how to find an Egypt postal code. The Egypt overview lists the rest of the pages.