# Checkout address fields for the Gulf: phone, landmarks, address line 2

> In Settings > Checkout, set the shipping address phone number to Required if your courier calls, keep address line 2 Optional and leave out company name. Shopify's form has no postcode for the UAE or Qatar and no landmark field anywhere, so collect landmarks another way.

URL: https://khaleejicod.com/guides/gulf-checkout-address-fields/  
Updated: 2026-10-26  
Publisher: Trifid Media LLC

For Gulf deliveries, go to **Settings > Checkout** in your Shopify admin and set **Shipping
address phone number** to **Required** if your courier calls before delivering. Keep **Address
line 2** on **Optional**, and set **Company name** to **Don't include** unless you sell to
businesses. Shopify's checkout has no landmark field in any GCC country, so ask for landmarks in
a cart note or your confirmation message.

## Which checkout settings matter for Gulf deliveries?

All of these are in **Settings > Checkout**, in the customer contact and customer information
options. Shopify says changes can take up to 30 seconds to show on your checkout.

| Setting | Choices | A sensible choice for COD in the Gulf |
|---|---|---|
| Customer contact method | Phone number or email; Email | Phone number or email, so shoppers can check out with a phone number |
| Full name | Only require last name; Require first and last name | Require first and last name |
| Company name | Don't include; Optional; Required | Don't include |
| Address line 2 (apartment, unit, etc.) | Don't include; Optional; Required | Optional |
| Shipping address phone number | Don't include; Optional; Required | Required |

These are starting points. Change them if your courier or customers need something different.
One reason to avoid **Required** for company name: Shopify says customers who pay with Apple Pay
or Google Pay then have to type a company name when their wallet doesn't include one.

## Should the phone number be required?

For COD, usually yes. A courier may need to call to find the building or agree a delivery time,
and without a number that call can't happen.

Shopify's settings work like this:

- **Customer contact method** decides how the shopper identifies themselves: **Phone number or
  email**, or **Email** only. Email is the default on new stores. Shopify says there is no option
  to require both an email address and a phone number as the contact method. If you require
  customers to sign in, they can only check out with an email address.
- **Shipping address phone number** is the phone field inside the shipping address. It is
  **Optional** by default on new stores, so the field shows but doesn't block checkout. Shopify
  suggests **Required** when your payment provider or shipping carrier needs the number.

So to be sure you get a phone number on every order that ships, set **Shipping address phone
number** to **Required**. Shopify notes this only applies when checkout has a shipping address
step, which happens when at least one item in the cart needs shipping.

Shopify's address data lists each Gulf country's calling code: +971 (UAE), +966 (Saudi Arabia),
+965 (Kuwait), +974 (Qatar), +973 (Bahrain) and +968 (Oman).

## What is address line 2 for?

Shopify says the **Address line 2 (apartment, unit, etc.)** field should only be used for the
apartment or unit number. It warns that setting it to **Required** or **Don't include** can stop some
customers from buying, depending on their type of home.

That fits the Gulf well. A villa may have no unit number, while a flat in a tower needs one.
**Optional** lets both through. Ask for the building number and name in the first address line.
Shopify's address data marks the UAE as a country where an address needs a building number.

## What does Shopify's checkout ask for in each GCC country?

Shopify publishes its address data, including the regions its checkout asks for, in its
open-source worldwide project. Here is what the data shows for each Gulf country:

| Country | Region field | Postcode | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | Emirate (7 choices) | None | Yes |
| Saudi Arabia | None | Optional, 5 digits | Yes |
| Kuwait | Governorate (6 choices) | Optional | Yes |
| Qatar | None | None | Yes |
| Bahrain | None | Optional | Yes |
| Oman | None | Optional | Yes |

Every format also has the name, company, two address lines and a phone field. Three points
follow from this:

- **Don't depend on postcodes.** They are missing in the UAE and Qatar and optional elsewhere,
  so you can't count on having one.
- **Regions exist only in the UAE and Kuwait.** In the other four countries, the city is the
  only area the form records. Rules based on location have to use city names there.
- **A neighbourhood field may appear.** Shopify's data also describes a more detailed layout for
  the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, with a separate neighbourhood or district field marked as
  required. Shopify's checkout help says some regional fields, such as **Neighborhood**, are
  required in certain countries and that you can't change this. Whether your checkout shows that
  layout is Shopify's choice, so place a test order with a Gulf address and look.

Khaleeji COD follows the same data: it offers emirate rules for the UAE and city rules (in English
or Arabic) for every Gulf country. See
[how to limit COD by emirate, region or city](/guides/limit-cod-by-emirate-or-city/).

## Where can shoppers add a landmark?

Shopify's checkout has no landmark field, and address line 2 is meant only for the unit number.
You have three places to collect landmarks and delivery notes:

1. **The cart note.** Shopify says order notes let you collect special instructions about how to
   prepare and deliver an order, and any free Shopify theme can show one on the cart page. In
   the theme editor, choose **Cart**, click **Sections**, click **Subtotal** under **Template**,
   check **Enable cart note** and save. Label it clearly, for example "Landmark and delivery
   notes". Shoppers who skip the cart page won't see it.
2. **Your confirmation message.** Ask for a landmark or a map pin when you confirm the COD order
   by phone, SMS or WhatsApp. A reply also tells you the shopper is expecting the parcel.
3. **A checkout field (Shopify Plus only).** A checkout UI extension can add a field to the
   shipping step. Shopify says extensions for the information, shipping and payment steps are
   available only to Shopify Plus stores.

UAE and Saudi address systems can replace a vague landmark with something exact. See
[better UAE addresses: landmarks, Makani numbers and delivery notes](/guides/uae-addresses-makani/)
and [Saudi National Address and fewer failed deliveries](/guides/saudi-national-address/).

## How do you check your settings work?

1. Save your settings and wait about 30 seconds.
2. Open your store, add a product that needs shipping, and go to checkout.
3. Choose a Gulf country and fill in the form. Check that the phone field is required and that
   address line 2 is optional.
4. Repeat with a second Gulf country you ship to, because the fields change with the country.
5. If you offer an Arabic checkout, check the labels there too.

> **Note:** Customer information settings apply to the customer profile and shipping address,
> not the billing address, and Shopify says they don't apply to B2B checkouts.

Good address data is only one part of fewer failed COD deliveries. For the full checklist, see
[ways to cut COD refusals before the order is placed](/guides/reduce-cod-refusals/).

## Sources

- [Shopify Help Center: Checkout form options](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/checkout-settings/checkout-form-options)
- [Shopify worldwide: address data for each country (data/regions: AE, SA, KW, QA, BH, OM)](https://github.com/Shopify/worldwide/tree/main/data/regions)
- [Shopify worldwide: README (extended and structured address layouts)](https://github.com/Shopify/worldwide/blob/main/README.md)
- [Shopify Help Center: Add order notes on your cart page](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/online-store/themes/customizing-themes/common-customizations/add-order-notes)
- [Shopify.dev: Checkout UI extensions](https://shopify.dev/docs/api/checkout-ui-extensions/latest)