This is the correct way to address a letter or package going to an APO in Korea.
Capt. John Smith
PSC 2 Box 1234
APO, AP 96123-1234
APO is written in place of the city, and AP (Armed Forces Pacific) goes in place of the state. Note that you DO NOT write South Korea, Republic of Korea, or any city name as part of the address.
Always address your package to a specific military member, dependent or civilian contractor by the person's full name. The Department of Defense no longer accepts packages addressed to "Any Service Member" because of security concerns.
APO mail uses the same postal rates as the USPS. You can send letters and packages at USPS prices to military members, their dependents and civilian contractors with an APO address in Korea. As of May 2009, it costs $0.44 to send a standard letter and $4.95 to send a small flat rate Priority package to an APO address from the United States and vice versa.
Letters and packages that are sent to APO addresses in Korea come through a post office for the Armed Forces Pacific in San Francisco. Letters and packages take an average of seven days to get their destination APO address from San Francisco. Therefore, the farther your local post office is from California, the longer your package will take to get to its APO destination in Korea.
Most APOs are open in Korea between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Keep in mind that the APOs in Korea will be closed for American federal holidays as well as Korean federal holidays. Although the dates change annually according to the lunar calendar, Koreans celebrate the Lunar New Year for three days in winter and Choesuk (Harvest Moon Festival) for three days in early fall.
For letters under 16 oz., no customs forms are required. However, all packages 16 oz. or over require PS Form 2976-A. This customs form can be picked up and filled out at a post office. You must fill out the contents of your package as well as the value and weight of each item. Packages with customs forms must be personally handed to a courier or dropped off at the counter of a post office--not dropped in the mailbox.
Packages cannot exceed 70 lb. or 130 inches in combined length and width. For example, if your package is 40 inches long and 20 inches tall, it is considered a 60-inch package and can be shipped.
Just like within the United States, you cannot ship liquids, firearms, hazardous or flammable materials to an APO address in Korea. Any perishable food is also restricted from shipment.
It is also illegal to ship black market items. In Korea, this specifically refers to mailing counterfeit handbags, clothing, and movies (Reference 5). Although common in Korea, these items are illegal in both Korea and the United States.
According to the Military Postal Service, APOs in Korea also do not accept packages with "securities, currency, or precious metals in their raw, unmanufactured state" (Reference 1, 4).
Unfortunately, you cannot use private couriers to send mail to an APO address in Korea. This means you cannot use UPS, FedEx, or other services other than the USPS (Reference 1, 4).
If you are ordering an item online, be sure that the company ships to an APO address. Fill out the information using APO as the city and AP as the state. Fill in the appropriate ZIP code (it should start with 96***). If the vendor asks for a country, be sure to fill in United States, NOT South Korea, as APO addresses are part of the USPS.
All mail to APOs in Korea is sent via space available air mail from San Francisco International Airport. Therefore, sending mail to an APO address via Priority or Express Mail services will not get your parcel or letter to its destination any qucker than First Class mail. However, sending your mail via Priority or Express will get the package to San Francisco more quickly if you live on the East Coast.
To get a package to an APO in Korea by Christmas, more time is needed than within the continental United States. For First Class and Priority Mail, ship no later than 11 December. For Express Mail, the Military Postal Service recommends 18 December as the latest date of shipment.
