Military

Nine Digit ZIP Codes Now Required When Sending Mail To Navy Mobile Units

By Beth Ford Roth / Home Post Blogger

Published July 15, 2013 at 10:21 AM PDT

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

Sailors sort mail aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz while conducting a replenishment-at-sea.

Planning to send a care package to someone you love aboard a Navy ship? The Navy has announced you must now use a nine-digit zip code to ensure your mail gets delivered to any Navy Mobile Unit.

Just to clarify, a nine-digit zip code is actually a five-digit code and a four-digit code separated by a dash, like 12345-1234.

According to an all-service message from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus:

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"The United States Postal Service is resizing military mail processing operations from two coastal locations to one located in Chicago, Ill. to gain efficiencies in military mail delivery.

"As part of this effort, new procedures affecting configuration of mobile Fleet Post Office (FPO) addresses have been implemented to completely leverage automated mail sorting equipment and reduce manual sorting workload."

Any mail that doesn't have the nine-digit zip code, including mail that's already been sent, will be returned to the sender as undeliverable.