How to Write an Iranian Address Correctly

Iranian addresses are written in Persian, from the largest unit to the smallest, ending with the ten-digit postal code. Because streets, alleys and building plaques are the main identifiers, a clear sequence is essential.

Component order

1. Province (استان)
2. City (شهر)
3. District or neighbourhood (منطقه / محله), where used
4. Main street or boulevard (خیابان / بلوار)
5. Side street (خیابان فرعی) and alley (کوچه)
6. Building plaque number (پلاک)
7. Floor (طبقه) and unit (واحد)
8. Postal code (کد پستی)
9. Recipient name and phone number

Many addresses name a main street first and then a numbered or named side street, followed by one or more alleys. Alleys are often described relative to the previous one, such as the second alley on the left.

Key terms

• Khiaban — street; Bolvar — boulevard
• Kucheh — alley
• Pelak — building plaque number
• Tabaqeh — floor; Vahed — unit
• Meydan — square

Script and direction

Persian is written right to left and uses its own forms for some letters, while numbers inside the text still read left to right. In a mixed environment, such as a Latin-only website, enter the address in Latin transliteration and keep names consistent. Do not mix Arabic and Persian forms of the same letter (for example the Persian and Arabic variants of ye and kaf), as this can break searches in databases.

Buildings, areas and landmarks

Descriptions with landmarks are widespread, such as near a metro station, a park, a bank branch or a square. Large apartment complexes may be named towers with several blocks. For a courier, add the floor, the unit and a phone number, since entry phones may be labelled by the unit.

Example with placeholder values

Province: Example Province
City: Example City
Example Blvd., Sample St., Third Alley (Kucheh Sevvom)
Plaque 12, Floor 3, Unit 5
Postal code: 1234567890

Adding an exact location

Even with a precise address, a building may have more than one entrance. A UPCS code such as IR-XXXX-XXXX can be added in a note to mark the right one. It does not replace the postal code; see Iran postal code format and find a postal code in Iran.