Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa. It shares its borders with Mali in the northwest, Niger in the northeast, Benin in the southeast, Togo, Ghana in the south, and Ivory Coast in the southwest. Like many other countries in West Africa, it has experienced uneven development in urban planning and infrastructure, leading to inconsistencies in how addresses are structured and used. While Burkina Faso does have official addressing efforts, including sector and parcel numbers in some urban areas, the implementation is inconsistent. In wealthier or more developed neighborhoods, you may find addresses using official formats with sector names, street numbers, and parcel codes. In contrast, less developed areas often rely on locally understood identifiers like nearby mosques, markets, or well-known family compounds. Language and local customs also play a role. It is a multilingual nation, with French as the official language, but dozens of regional languages, like Mooré and Dioula, are commonly spoken. This diversity influences how people communicate and describe locations, often leading to localized address practices that reflect cultural norms more than administrative systems. Moreover, there are different types of addresses, each with a specific element requirement. If you want to send mail to a client or customer in Burkina Faso but don’t know the correct address format, we will help you. We have listed all the different types of addresses, as well as the format and examples for each.

Recipient Name

In the first line, start by writing the name of the recipient. You can also add honorific titles like Monsieur for Mr. or Madame for Mrs. If you are sending the mail to a business, the company’s name will come in the first line. Write the person’s name and department in the second and third lines. Add ATTN. in front of the person’s name to ensure the internal mail distribution system sends the mail to the correct office and desk.

Street Address

Write the name of the street, building, and house number. If the recipient uses a P.O. Box, write B.P. (Boîte Postale is French for P.O. Box) followed by the box number.

Postal Code and Locality

While it is not always necessary, Burkina Faso uses five-digit postal codes. Afterward, add the name of the locality, city, or town. Some known cities in Burkina Faso are Ouagadougou, Bobo-Dioulasso, Ouahigouya, and Koudougou.

Country Name

Write the name of the country on the last line. If you send international mail to Burkina Faso, write the name in capital letters.

Residential Address Format

Write the recipient’s name, street address, PO box number, postal code, locality, and country name. Every address element except the postal code and locality will come in separate lines.

Rural Address Format

Typically, the streets in rural areas of Burkina Faso do not have formal names. Write the village’s name and the nearest larger town, in this case. Add the rest of the address elements in the same way as the residential address.

Business Address Format

Instead of the recipient’s name in the residential address, write the company’s name in the first line. Write the person’s name in the second line, and add their department in the third line. Add the P.O. box number and post office details in the line above the postcode and locality.

International Address Format for NGOs and Organizations

Write the organization’s name in the first line and the specific department in the second line. Place all the other address components, except the recipient’s name, in the same way as the residential address.

P.O. Box Address Format

Instead of the street address, write the term “B.P.” and then the P.O. box number in the residential address.

Military Address Format

Except for the first two lines, the military address format follows the same structure as the residential address format. In the first line, write the rank and full name of the person. In the second line, write the military unit number.

Government Office Address Format

Instead of the recipient’s name, write the office and department names in the residential address on the first and second lines.

Address Format for Multiple Recipients

If you want to mail multiple people in the same household or business, write each name on separate lines of the residential and business addresses.

Address Format for Courier Services

If you send mail using courier services like DHL or FedEx, add the recipient’s contact details in the last line of the residential address.

Poste Restante

If the person you want to mail to is not at their residence, you can send a poste restante mail. The post office will keep the package, and the person can collect it when they are back home.

La Poste Burkina Faso is the national postal service provider of Burkina Faso, playing a crucial role in the country’s communication and logistics infrastructure. The organization provides various services, including traditional mail delivery (letters, parcels, express services), financial services such as money transfers through its subsidiary Postefinances, and digital services to support e-commerce and online communication. It has a network of post offices distributed across the country’s regions. It is also a member of international bodies like the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which allows it to participate in global mail exchanges and benefit from international cooperation and technical support.

So you have learned how to structure the address format for a recipient in Burkina Faso. But to ensure your address reaches the intended recipient, you need a verified address. PostGrid’s Address Verification solution verifies, standardizes, and offers real-time address autocomplete suggestions. Whether you want to verify a single or bulk address, we provide correct, complete, and up-to-date addresses in sync with the official postal service provider for over 245 countries and territories. 

If you are curious about the format of any other country, visit our global address format page and learn the format followed in countries worldwide.