1	Does an address standard exist in France ?
2	Does an international address standard exist ?
3	How can I become one of SNA’s business partners ?
4	I am a postal operator and I would like to improve the quality of addresses in my own country. What is the method used by the French Post Office, LA POSTE, to deal with this key point ?
5	I am based abroad and I would like to send a mailing to France. How do I go about it ?
6	How can I have my address software ratified by La Poste SNA ?

Answers :

1. Does an address standard exist in France ?
Yes. The address standard which is applicable in France is the AFNOR NF Z10-011 standard, dating from january 2013, otherwise known as the 38 standard. Addressing is a central part of customer relations. You must comply with this standard to have correct addresses and to correctly structure your customer files. Find out more about the French standard.

2. Does an international address standard exist ?
The standardisation of international addresses is established by the UPU (Universal Postal Union) , an organisation responsible for coordinating mail exchanges worldwide. Each country has formed its own system of addressing. 190 countries are currently members of the UPU. The wording of an address on an international mail item is subject to the recommendations put forward both by the country of origin (sender) and of destination (addressee) of this mail item. The part of the address that indicates the country of destination is determined by the recommendations made by the country of origin (sender), whilst the rest of the address is subject to the recommendations made by the country of destination (addressee). There is a European standard for the elements of postal addresses (standard n° 14142-1) : this standard is available from the AFNOR.

3. How can I become one of SNA’s business partners ?
The SNA, whose main role is supplying reference data, has signed agreements with computer companies specialised in address processing. For this reason, they are in possession of a considerable amount of the SNA’s data (geographical and/or change-of-address) which allows them to provide you with the solution which corresponds best to your requirements in terms of file processing or dealing with solutions for tackling the problems of returned mail. Please contact us if you would like to become one of our partners.

4. I am a postal operator and I would like to improve the quality of addresses in my own country. What is the method used by the French Post Office, LA POSTE, to deal with this key point ?
The French Post Office, LA POSTE, aware that improving the quality of address was a crucial point, created in 1996 a department specifically dedicated to dealing with this problem. Thus, the Service National de l’Adresse LA POSTE SNA was created.

  optimise the use of addressing in order to make communication by mail more attractive and more efficient.
  organise nominative and geographical addresses to obtain quality reference files.
  manage the use of addresses in the postal production process in order to enable mechanised processing.
  supply services to senders and also to addressees in order to promote communication by mail.

See how LA POSTE SNA is organised.

5. I am based abroad and I would like to send a mailing to France. How do I go about it ?
La Poste International Mail Solution is the partner best able to help you send messages, mail and parcels in France. Our experience and complete expertise of postal operations from A to Z, from address updating to logistics services, are regularly attracting new clients. These operations are all tailored to your requirements, along with our specialised services, such as handling all postal needs for your direct marketing (direct mailing and catalogues) and e-commerce.

6. How can I have my address software ratified by La Poste SNA ?
LA POSTE SNA grants ratification for software for French addresses which have satisfied the test specified by us. The aim of this ratification is to reward correction software that has proved its efficiency.