Mailing a Military Care Package Yourself [Step By Step Guide] – Hero Care Packages

We get tons of questions about sending military care packages. Imagine the frustration so many people experience: You spent time gathering your service member’s favorite meals, magazines, and toiletries. You’ve carefully selected photos of family members, pets, and included letters from Grandma and Grandpa. has created the perfect care package for your service member: a small portion of home to support your loved one while they serve overseas. fill out all the forms, drive to the post office and stand in line before being told you did it all wrong. It’s enough to drive anyone crazy.

That’s why we’ve created a step-by-step guide to sending a military care package to make it quick, simple, and easy to do. so let’s dig deeper:

Step #1: Find out your service member’s military address

Military addresses are a bit different than what you’re used to. a basic civil address might look like this:

john smith

address

city, state, zip code

a military service address is structured similarly, but generally looks like this:

john smith

psc 101 box 200

speed camp

apo, ae 10101-1001

The number one question we get has to do with confusion about this format. we’ll briefly summarize them here, and more in depth below.

name line:

like normal addresses, this is just the name of the service member.

unit line(s):

in the example above, these would be the second and third lines of the address. your service member will provide you with this information. many times, it just looks like mixed letters and numbers, but enter it as instructed. military branches love their acronyms and military directorates are no different.

city/state lines:

This last section is what usually confuses people. the apo/fpo part is just the city, while ap/ae etc is the state. The country is always the United States. Below is a list of the most common acronyms you will see and what they stand for. keep this in mind if the address seems unfamiliar to you.

aa: armed forces america

ae: armed forces of europe (includes the now defunct “am” designation, which covers the middle east)

ap: armed forces of the pacific

apo: army post office

cmr: community mail room

dpo: diplomatic post office

fpo: fleet post office

omdc: official mail distribution center

psc: postal service center

umr: unit mail room

Above all, trust that your military has given you the correct address. The military is very good at getting packages where they need to go, even with little information. all you need to do is bring it to the unit, and they will know who to give it to, usually by name. so if you don’t know the exact division and your service member didn’t give it to you, don’t worry!

zip code:

the numbers at the end are just the military zip code. it will be a 9 or 5 digit postal code, as in civil addresses.

Step #2: Find the right form at the post office

At your post office, they will have a form called customs declaration and consignment note. It may be at one of the desks in the lobby or you may have to ask a mail carrier. in any case, this is the form you must complete to send your package.

the form looks like this:

will fill it in (as described above) and paste it at the top of the box.

step #3: fill out the form

Sometimes addresses can seem quite complex or confusing, but don’t worry! we will guide you line by line. the top section of the customs form is just your return address, which you enter as you normally would. the biggest errors come in the “to” fields, where you must fill in the military installation information. we will tackle them line by line.

line 1: recipient’s name

the first line should only have the service member’s first and last name. the range is optional, but not required. if you have it, put it on, as it can make it easier for you to reach the service member once you are in the unit.

line 2: business

this can normally be left blank. If your service member is in the Navy, this line can be used for the ship’s name. Again, it’s optional, but having the name of the ship (eg USS Spruance) can’t hurt, especially if you make a mistake elsewhere.

line 3: address

this is where you put all the information after the name, but before the apo/fpo section. examples include things as simple as “ddg 111” or “oi div, cvn 68” (navy) or as complex as “hhc 1-123 air, 2act 82 abn div” (army). just fill in what your service member gives you.

line 4: zip code & city

this should include the 5 or 9 digit number at the end of the address (military zip codes usually start with 0 or 9) in the “zip code” box.

in the “city” box, you must enter one of apo/fpo/dpo, whichever your service member gave you. If they’re in the Marines or Navy, they’ll generally be FPOs. if it’s army or air force, they will usually be apo.

line 5: state/province & country

Military mail is divided into “armed forces” regions, indicated by a two-letter abbreviation depending on the region. ae are the armed forces of europe. aa is armed forces americas. ap is armed forces of the pacific. one of those two letter codes must appear in the “state/province” box.

the “country” box should always be the united states when shipping to an apo/fpo location. the most common mistake when sending to an apo/fpo address is that loved ones will put the country the service member is stationed in, instead of the united states. this will result in the return of the package. don’t make that mistake!

other:

Finally, don’t worry about anything on the right side. that’s it for commercial shipments. stick to filling the left side as completely as possible. the only thing left on the form to fill out is the customs section, which we cover next.

Step #4: Fill in the customs information and be specific.

The bottom of the sheet will require you to fill in a detailed description of the contents of your package. this is where you have to be a bit specific. the post office doesn’t want vague descriptions in case prohibited items are included. if the description is not specific enough, the package will be returned.

Specificity doesn’t mean you have to list every item in the box. For example, if you have a box of candy, protein bars, cards, and a board game, you can write “snacks” on one line and “games” on the other. but being too vague, such as including “care package” or “gift”, would not be allowed.

Usually, the post office seeks to stop the shipment of alcohol, compressed gases, explosives, flammable items, and unknown items. As long as your package is clear that it doesn’t contain these items, it’s usually clean. take a look at our page on military care package restrictions for more information.

After listing your items, it will ask you to place an estimate of the dollar value next to each item. this will determine the total monetary value of your package, which will play a role in insurance (discussed below).

then ask for quantities and weights of each. feel free to fill in the quantity as “1” for each item, if it doesn’t lend itself to easy counting. for example, if you have a pound of candy and some protein bars, just putting “snacks” and a quantity of “1” is fine.

Unless you know the weight of your package, leave the weight section blank until you go to the desk to have it weighed. the individual weights of each item must add up to the total weight of the package. again, this does not require a perfect measurement and is mainly used to secure the package.

The biggest customs form mistake is signing and dating the bottom of the form. make sure you do it! luckily, it’s the easiest to fix!

Step #5: Take your package and the completed customs form to the postman

You’re almost there! just bring your package and fill out the form from the postal worker at the front desk. They’ll ask you a few standard questions to make sure your package doesn’t contain explosives or dangerous chemicals, and they’ll check your answers against what you’ve entered on the customs form. this will also be the time the postal worker will review your form to make sure it has been filled out correctly. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask them for help.

If you estimate the contents of your package to be worth more than $100, the postal worker may ask if they can insure your package. this is something to keep in mind for the military, as boxes are frequently lost in transit. insurance prices vary according to the estimated value of the package. if you include something valuable in the package, it is worth considering. if you ship priority mail (which we recommend – that’s how we ship all of our hero care packages), your package will automatically be insured for $50.

For more information, check out our detailed post on getting the best shipping rates, completing online shipping forms, getting free shipping supplies, and restrictions on shipping a military care package. Plus, check out our posts on what to put in care packages, including ways to save on care packages, great product ideas on what to include, and (just as important) what not to include! Be sure to subscribe to our blog post updates (above) to be alerted when we post other useful information!

questions or concerns? feel free to email us: customerservice@herocarepackages.com!