How Do I Validate an International Address?

Ecommerce administrators, research companies, and digital marketing agencies are some of the many professionals who daily ask themselves the question: How do I validate an international address? While ensuring that addresses are valid and formatted as per local postal standards is key for any company, the task gets even more complex when dealing with foreign formats.

Unlike with domestic addresses, there is no overarching authority dictating the rules of foreign address formatting. Instead, each country has its own set of standard addresses that are determined by the relevant authorities. This inconsistency, coupled with the fact that different countries use different types of writing systems, makes verifying international addresses a daunting task.

A global address validation solution is the only way to ensure that the data you collect and process is correct, consistent and valid across the globe. It is also an essential tool to help you avoid fraud and improve customer experiences.

When selecting an address verification service, make sure it provides support for the most common international address formats, including a wide range of special characters, letters in Cyrillic and other non-Roman alphabets, and Chinese Pinyin. Also look for solutions that offer transliteration, which converts characters from different writing systems into Latin and other standard symbols.

The most reliable and accurate global address validation solutions are those that provide high-quality, up-to-date data. Some address verification providers keep their own database of international addresses, while others integrate with multiple reliable external sources and provide a single API interface that is easy to work with. Regardless of the solution you choose, look for a HIPAA, PIPEDA, GDPR, and SOC-2 certified provider that will safeguard your customers’ data and privacy.