How to Write a German Delivery Address for a Parcel from China

A German delivery address is usually simple: use the recipient’s real name, put the street name and house number together, then put the five-digit postal code and town/city on the next line. For a parcel sent internationally, add GERMANY as the final country line.

Do not guess an apartment number, a DHL Postnummer, or a Packstation number. A delivery address that looks complete but contains one made-up field can be harder to deliver than a short, accurate one.

Policy and carrier information checked: 25 October 2026. This article is about address formatting for personal parcels from China. It is not an import-tax quote, product-compliance approval, or a promise that a carrier will accept a particular item.

Copy this home-address format

Use this order when the recipient is receiving the parcel at home:

First name Last name
Apartment, floor, c/o name, or building detail (only if the recipient uses it)
Street name House number
12345 TOWN/CITY
GERMANY

Example with fictional details:

Lea Beispiel
Wohnung 12
Musterstraße 47
50667 KÖLN
GERMANY

Deutsche Post’s address guidance puts the delivery line before the postal-code-and-town line. The house number belongs with the street name—not on a line by itself. The postal code should stay attached to the destination town or city. If a form separates the fields, copy the same information into its matching fields rather than rearranging it to fit an English-style template.

For an international parcel, write the destination country in full on the final line. Do not add a country code such as “D-” before the German postal code. Deutsche Post’s international addressing guidance explains this layout.

What to ask the recipient before you create the shipping label

Send this short checklist before the parcel leaves China:

Full recipient name exactly as it appears on the doorbell or mailbox.
Street name and house number, including any suffix such as 12A if the recipient uses one.
Five-digit German postal code and town/city.
Apartment, floor, building, or c/o detail only where it helps the courier find the correct recipient.
A reachable German phone number and email if your shipping route asks for them.
Whether the recipient wants home delivery or a DHL Packstation.

A postcode alone is not enough. A house number alone is not enough either. If the customer lives in a multi-unit building, ask them to copy their address from a recent utility bill, rental document, or a delivery that arrived successfully—without sending any unnecessary personal document to the seller.

Packstation is not a normal street address

A DHL Packstation can be useful for a customer who is already registered with DHL, but it is not a substitute for any German address.

DHL says a Packstation address needs all of the following:

Recipient’s full name
Personal Postnummer
Packstation 123
12345 TOWN/CITY
GERMANY

The Postnummer belongs to the DHL customer account and must match the recipient. DHL also states that direct Packstation delivery is for shipments carried by Deutsche Post or DHL; do not select it just because the recipient prefers locker collection. If the final-mile carrier for your China shipment is unknown or is not DHL/Deutsche Post, ask the recipient for a normal home address first. See DHL’s official Packstation instructions before using one.

Common mistakes that cause avoidable delivery questions

Reversing the street and house number

German addresses commonly read Musterstraße 47, not 47 Musterstraße. If the recipient has written the address in a particular order, preserve it.

Treating a building or apartment note as optional when it is needed

Do not delete “Wohnung”, “Etage”, “Hinterhaus”, a building letter, or c/o just to make a label shorter. Those details can distinguish two recipients at the same street address.

Using the recipient’s old address for a Packstation delivery

A Packstation has its own postal code and town/city. Do not mix the recipient’s home postcode with the Packstation number.

Using an address to solve a customs or product issue

A correct label does not make a restricted item eligible, set the import tax, or replace the recipient’s import documents. Before sending, confirm the actual product, quantity, packaging and available route. If a parcel is already held after arrival, use the Germany customs-notice document checklist instead of changing the delivery address.

Where YDA Express can help

YDA Express can help record China-side parcels, compare available shipping options, and confirm what address fields a chosen route requires. For a purchasing order, send the product link, quantity, the destination postcode, and the recipient’s confirmed address before international dispatch.

YDA Express cannot verify a home address by visiting it, issue a DHL Postnummer, decide the final carrier’s delivery rules, approve an item for import, or guarantee delivery. Carrier requirements, product restrictions and destination-country rules can change, so recheck the address and available route before payment and again before dispatch.

If you are still arranging the China side of the order, read the China parcel forwarding guide for warehouse-address and parcel-identification steps.

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