Shipping to a PO box in Canada
Only Canada Post delivers to PO boxes in Canada. What UPS, FedEx, Purolator and UniUni do with a PO box address, and how to write one correctly.
Updated
Short answer. Only Canada Post delivers to PO boxes and general delivery in Canada. UPS, Purolator and UniUni need a street address, and FedEx Express holds a parcel addressed to a PO box at a FedEx location for the recipient to collect. Write the box number and postal station on the line above the city, for example PO BOX 4001 STN A.
Which carriers deliver to PO boxes
| Carrier | PO boxes | Rural addresses |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Post | Delivers to PO boxes and general delivery | Every address in Canada, it says, rural mailboxes included |
| UPS | Can't deliver to a PO box | Rural routes accepted with the receiver's full name and phone number |
| FedEx | Doesn't deliver to the box; FedEx Express holds the parcel at a FedEx location | Rural routes accepted with the receiver's area code and phone number |
| Purolator | Doesn't deliver to PO boxes | Every Canadian postal code, it says; guarantees stop at remote points |
| UniUni | Street addresses only, never PO boxes or post offices | Not published; some parcels go to Canada Post for the last leg |
Can UPS deliver to a PO box?
No. UPS’s Canadian terms say “UPS cannot deliver to a P.O. Box” and ask for a street address, including any apartment, suite or unit number, and the receiver’s phone number. UPS adds an address correction charge when it can’t deliver a package because it’s addressed to a PO box.
Can FedEx deliver to a PO box?
Not to the box. FedEx Express accepts shipments addressed to post office boxes in Canada, in the areas where it takes them, when the recipient’s phone number is on the air waybill. FedEx then contacts the recipient to pick the parcel up at the closest FedEx location, and its normal delivery commitments don’t apply.
FedEx Ground lists “post office box numbers for unaccepted areas or without the recipient’s telephone number” among the addresses that need a correction, which it charges for. FedEx Express adds that when it can’t find the correct address or reach the recipient, it may contact the sender, and a return is at the sender’s expense.
Purolator and UniUni
Neither delivers to PO boxes. Purolator’s terms ask for full addresses on the shipping document and state that post office box addresses are not permitted. UniUni’s support page says deliveries “cannot be made to post offices or PO boxes”.
How Canada Post delivers to a PO box
Canada Post puts the parcel in the box when it fits. When it doesn’t, or when it needs a signature, Canada Post leaves a Delivery Notice Card in the box, and the parcel waits at the post office. After 5 calendar days the addressee gets a final notice, and after 15 an unclaimed parcel goes back to the sender.
Canada Post’s delivery procedures treat general delivery the same way as a PO box. Its weekend delivery doesn’t cover PO boxes, so they stay on weekdays. Its FlexDelivery addresses, which send online orders to a post office of the shopper’s choice, are written like a PO box, with a PO BOX line and the outlet’s RPO, so they need Canada Post too.
How to write a PO box address
Canada Post’s addressing guidelines put the box on its own line just above the city line:
- The name of the person or business.
- Any extra delivery details, such as an attention line.
- The street address, if you include one. It goes above the box line.
- The box number and the postal station: PO BOX, the number, then STN for a station or RPO for a retail postal outlet.
- The city, the two-letter province code and the postal code, with two spaces before the postal code.
ALEX MARTIN PO BOX 4001 STN A TORONTO ON M5W 1A1
A general delivery address has the same shape, with GD and the station in place of the box:
SAM LEE GD STN MAIN WHITEHORSE YT Y1A 0A1
The names and numbers in these examples are made up; the layout is Canada Post’s.
- Leave out the # symbol and punctuation: PO BOX 4001, not P.O. Box #4001.
- Use the postal code the box holder gives you, which can differ from the street’s around the post office.
Our Canadian address format guide covers the rest of Canada Post’s rules, and the shipping label template lays an address out this way.
When a courier label goes to a PO box
The parcel doesn’t reach the box. UPS and FedEx Ground charge for an address correction, and FedEx Express holds the parcel for pickup where it accepts PO boxes. If no street address turns up, the parcel can come back to you, and FedEx says that return is at the sender’s expense.
- Ask for a street address at checkout, with the recipient’s phone number, and keep the PO box for mail.
- If the customer only has a PO box, ship that order with Canada Post.
- Check the address before you buy the label: a PO box, a general delivery line or a FlexDelivery address all need Canada Post.
Rural route addresses
A rural route address (RR 2, for example) isn’t a PO box. UPS accepts a rural route number when the receiver’s full name and phone number are on the package, and FedEx asks for the recipient’s area code and phone number when an address has no street number. FedEx adds that a rural route can delay delivery. Canada Post delivers to rural mailboxes, and tries the door when a parcel is too big for the mailbox and the door is within 500 m of its route.
SAM LEE SITE 5 COMP 10 RR 2 STN MAIN OKOTOKS AB T0L 1A0
PO boxes and ProtonShip
ProtonShip quotes cover UniUni, Purolator, UPS and FedEx today. Canada Post is coming soon. None of them delivers to a PO box, so a quote to an address that looks like a PO box or general delivery stops and asks for a street address. A rural route address works with UPS and FedEx once you add the recipient’s phone number; UniUni and Purolator drop out of those quotes. Parcels always ship from a street address.
Ship to the street address
One quote compares UniUni, Purolator, UPS and FedEx for any street or rural route address.
Questions about PO boxes
Can UPS deliver to a PO box?
No. UPS's terms for Canada say UPS can't deliver to a P.O. Box and ask for a street address, with the apartment, suite or unit number and the receiver's phone number. A package addressed to a PO box gets an address correction charge.
Can FedEx deliver to a PO box?
Not to the box itself. FedEx Express accepts parcels addressed to a post office box in Canada, in the areas it accepts them, when the recipient's phone number is on the label, and then contacts the recipient to collect the parcel at the closest FedEx location. Its normal delivery commitments don't apply. FedEx Ground treats a PO box in an area it doesn't accept, or without the recipient's phone number, as an address to correct.
Can Purolator deliver to a PO box?
No. Purolator's terms say the shipping document must show full addresses, and that post office box addresses are not permitted.
How do you write a PO box address in Canada?
Put the box number and the postal station on the line just above the city line, for example PO BOX 4001 STN A, with no # symbol and no punctuation. A street address, if you add one, goes above the box line, and the city, province and postal code stay on the last line.
Does a PO box have its own postal code?
It can. A PO box's postal code is often different from the street's around the post office, so use the one the box holder gives you.
How do you write a general delivery address?
The name on the first line, GD and the postal station on the second, then the city, province and postal code on the last. Like a PO box, general delivery needs Canada Post.
Sources, checked October 17, 2026
- Canada Post: Addressing guidelines (PDF)
- Canada Post: Parcel Services shipping in Canada (PDF)
- Canada Post: weekend delivery
- 2026 UPS Canada Terms and Conditions of Service (PDF)
- UPS Canada: 2026 Rate and Service Guide (PDF)
- FedEx Service Guide, Canadian edition (PDF)
- Purolator Terms and Conditions of Service (PDF)
- UniUni: support
Related reading
Ship to the street address
One quote compares UniUni, Purolator, UPS and FedEx for any street or rural route address.