What each code means
| Code | Name | Covers | ZIPs start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| AE | Armed Forces Europe | Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Canada | 09 |
| AP | Armed Forces Pacific | The Pacific, including Japan and Korea | 962 to 966 |
| AA | Armed Forces Americas | Central America, South America and the Caribbean (not Canada) | 340 |
USPS’s addressing standard (Publication 28) puts it this way: AE is used for armed forces in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Canada, AP is for the Pacific, and AA is the Americas excluding Canada.
How to pick the right code
Don’t pick it by where the recipient is stationed. Take it from the ZIP code:
- A ZIP that starts with 09 is AE.
- A ZIP that starts with 340 is AA.
- A ZIP that starts with 962, 963, 964, 965 or 966 is AP.
If the code and the ZIP disagree, one of them is wrong, and the mail may be rejected or sent the wrong way. For example, “DPO AP 09498” is wrong because 09498 is an AE ZIP. The address checker flags a mismatch and shows which region the ZIP belongs to.
Delivery-time groups
USPS groups military ZIP prefixes into a few broader areas when it estimates delivery times. These are published groupings, not locations:
| Group | ZIP prefixes |
|---|---|
| Europe and Atlantic | 090 to 092 and 094 to 099 |
| Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East | 093 |
| Japan, Korea, Pacific islands and the Far East | 962 to 966 |
| Central America, South America and the Caribbean | 340 |
Regional groupings stop there on purpose. USPS and the Department of Defense don’t publish which base, ship or embassy a ZIP serves, to protect the people stationed there, and this site doesn’t guess.
Questions about AA, AE and AP
Is AE a state?
No. AE, AP and AA are two-letter codes that stand in for a state on military addresses. They name the region USPS routes the mail through.
Does AE include Canada?
Yes. USPS defines AE as Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Canada. AA, the Americas code, excludes Canada.
Which region code goes with ZIP 09021?
AE. Every ZIP that starts with 09 is an AE ZIP.
Can I leave off the region code?
No. USPS requires the two-character code on overseas military addresses. The checker can fill it in from the ZIP when it’s missing, and tells you it did.