CEDEX and TSA in a French Address: What They Mean

Quick answer

CEDEX stands for courrier d'entreprise à distribution exceptionnelle: a La Poste routing code for companies and public bodies that receive a lot of mail. It sits on the last line of the address, after the town, sometimes followed by a number (33506 LIBOURNE CEDEX). TSA (Tri Service Arrivée) is a La Poste service that sorts an organisation's incoming mail by department before it arrives, using the TSA number on the envelope. Both are part of the official address: copy them exactly, never drop them and never replace the CEDEX code with the town's ordinary postcode.

You are cancelling a contract or writing to a French administration, and the address ends in something like CEDEX 9 or contains a TSA number with no street. It is not a typo or an incomplete address: it is how large French organisations receive their mail.

1. What CEDEX means

CEDEX was introduced in 1972. It lets La Poste identify and sort large flows of mail addressed to the same recipient and deliver them through dedicated arrangements, such as a special round for large users, delivery at an agreed time outside the normal round (course de remise) or a PO box (boîte postale).

According to a 2009 decision of the French competition authority, there are two kinds of CEDEX code:

• individual codes, assigned to organisations that receive on average more than 1,000 items a day;
• collective codes, shared by a group of recipients (around thirty per code).

CEDEX is assigned by La Poste to organisations. It is not something you add to an ordinary home address.

2. How a CEDEX address is written

La Poste's addressing standard gives a French address at most six lines of 38 characters, written from the recipient's name down to the town. The last line is always in capitals, and from the street line down there is no punctuation.

For a CEDEX address, the last line holds the CEDEX code, the town of the delivery office and the word CEDEX, sometimes followed by a number:

33506 LIBOURNE CEDEX

The CEDEX code (here 33506) is usually not the ordinary postcode of the street (Libourne's is 33500). Keep the code, the town, the word CEDEX and any number exactly as the organisation writes them.

Here is the company address example from La Poste's addressing specification, with a PO box (BP) on line 5 and the CEDEX line last:

Société DUPONT Monsieur Martin Service Achats ZONE INDUSTRIELLE OUEST 35 IMPASSE DES GABARRES BP 18 ARVEYRES 33506 LIBOURNE CEDEX

You may also see CS (course spéciale), another La Poste delivery mention placed on line 5, like a BP. Copy it the same way.

3. What TSA means

TSA stands for Tri Service Arrivée. With this La Poste service, an organisation's incoming mail is sorted by department before it reaches its premises, without the envelopes being opened, using what is written on them. The TSA number identifies the department or sorting point that should receive your letter, for example customer service or cancellations.

La Poste's TSA example puts the TSA line just under the organisation's name, above the street:

Entreprise Durand TSA 10101 1 RUE DU CENTRE 75000 PARIS

Many organisations combine a TSA number with a CEDEX line, and some publish an address with no street at all. That is normal: the codes tell La Poste where to deliver.

4. Mistakes that delay your letter

• Dropping CEDEX or its number. The letter loses its dedicated routing and goes through the normal round.
• Replacing the CEDEX code with the town's postcode. The two numbers usually differ; use the one the organisation gives.
• Adding a street you found online to a TSA or CEDEX address, or mixing lines from two different addresses.
• Using an old address. Organisations change their TSA and CEDEX addresses; check their current terms, website or most recent letter, especially for a cancellation.
• Adding punctuation or extra lines. Keep to six lines (seven from abroad) and capitals on the last line.

5. Registered letters to a CEDEX or TSA address

A CEDEX or TSA address is an ordinary postal address for La Poste, so you can send a registered letter, with or without acknowledgment of receipt, as usual. Many organisations publish a TSA or CEDEX address precisely for cancellations and complaints. When the date of receipt matters, use the address the organisation names for that purpose and keep your proof of posting.

6. Writing to a CEDEX address from abroad

Write the French address exactly as published, then add FRANCE in capitals on a final line of its own. La Poste allows up to seven lines for mail coming from abroad:

Société DUPONT 35 IMPASSE DES GABARRES BP 18 ARVEYRES 33506 LIBOURNE CEDEX FRANCE

Sending with MaisonMail

When you send a letter to France with MaisonMail, enter the CEDEX code in the postcode field and the town followed by CEDEX and its number in the town field (for example LIBOURNE CEDEX). Put a TSA mention in the Apartment, floor, unit field, which prints just above the street, where La Poste expects it; if the address has no street, put it in the street field instead. A BP or CS mention goes on the street line, after the street if there is one. Your letter is printed, put in an envelope and posted for you, so you never need to rewrite the address by hand.