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Is there an ISO standard address format? I can't seem to find one, and I'd like to know for object- and database-design purposes.

(One interesting document that shows a bunch of formats is this: http://www.bitboost.com/ref/international-address-formats.html, but it's insane!)

John Saunders
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anonymous
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    Given the variety of formats in use, I can't imagine an ISO standard for it getting passed, and even if one did it clearly wouldn't mean much. – Jerry Coffin Jan 30 '11 at 03:31
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    possible duplicate of [Is there common street addresses database design for all addresses of the world?](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/929684/is-there-common-street-addresses-database-design-for-all-addresses-of-the-world) – John Saunders Jan 30 '11 at 03:55
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    There is no single standard, even at a very generic level. See: [falsehoods programmers believe about addresses](https://www.mjt.me.uk/posts/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-addresses/) – Michał Kosmulski Jul 26 '18 at 14:42

3 Answers3

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No; each country defines its own standard.

There have been a number of questions about this in times past, including:

The second of those itself has references to a number of other SO questions.

You might want to check out the grandiosely named Universal Postal Union and its standards.

Community
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Jonathan Leffler
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  • I did come across the UPU site in searching around, but I was intimidated by it. "Grandiose" is apt. I don't suppose you could point me towards a page on the site that I should read? – anonymous Jan 30 '11 at 04:15
  • See [SO 929684](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/929684/is-there-common-street-addresses-database-design-for-all-addresses-of-the-world), which is referenced from the second question above. Also [here](http://www.upu.int/en/resources/postcodes/about-postcodes.html) under the UPU web site. – Jonathan Leffler Jan 30 '11 at 05:25
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There are none. However, you can also consider that place is usually contained in a bigger place.

So, you can also use the hierarchical structure of places in following an address format. Which also means it differs from country-to-country.

You can read stuffs about this on:

2023 Update

There is a new technological concept on this area. Some consider such solutions as de facto standards. The new concept is to use longitude and latitude coordinates to specifically pinpoint a location. However, since longitude and latitude coordinates are difficult to remember, you need to use a representation of these coordinates. Such solutions are:

Representation Vendor Example raw identifier Example
Plus codes Google HXJG+GFF HXJG+GFF, Roxas Blvd, Ermita, Manila, 1000 Metro Manila
3 words what3words ///storage.gazette.icons ///storage.gazette.icons, Roxas Blvd, Ermita, Manila, 1000 Metro Manila

Using such geocoordinates representations will make the names of the administrative locations as just mere supplementary details.

Abel Callejo
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Check out the address below.

Address standards A collection of information on address standards ISO 19160, Addressing

https://standards.iso.org/iso/19160/

http://www.isotc211.org/

user12855312
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John
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  • Your post is interesting, although the draft has barely made it beyond the basic-structure level. As it stands, it's of no help. – likeitlikeit Sep 17 '13 at 19:26