Saudi National Address and fewer failed deliveries

The National Address is the official address format run by SPL (Saudi Post). It gives every registered place a building number, street, district, city, postal code and secondary number, and a short address of four letters and four numbers. Saudi newspapers report that, since January 2026, parcel companies in Saudi Arabia may not accept shipments that don't carry a National Address. Shopify's checkout has no field for it, so ask for it in your store and check it before a COD parcel leaves.

What is the Saudi National Address?

SPL describes the National Address as an official description of a place that follows international standards. It has six parts:

SPL says registering a National Address is free, and that every individual and organisation has a responsibility to register one.

What is the short address?

The short address is the National Address in a form that's easy to remember: four letters followed by four numbers, such as ABCD1234 (a made-up example). It's the version a shopper can type into a form or send in a message with the least room for typing mistakes.

According to SPL, people can find their short address through SPL Online, Absher, Tawakkalna and Sehhaty, and through SPL's virtual assistant, Maha. Name these apps when you ask, so shoppers know exactly where to look.

Why do parcel companies need it now?

The Saudi newspaper Al Eqtisadiah reported in April 2025 that Saudi Arabia's Transport General Authority (TGA) had decided that, from January 2026, parcel transport companies may not accept or carry any shipment without a National Address. The TGA's stated goals were a better customer experience, faster deliveries and fewer unnecessary calls between couriers and recipients. In early January 2026, the Saudi newspaper Okaz reported that the TGA had started enforcing the rule and was applying fines to companies that don't comply.

For your store, the effect is simple: a COD order without a National Address may not be accepted by your courier. The time to collect it is before you book the shipment.

How does it help with COD orders?

A National Address helps in the cases where the shopper wants the parcel but the courier can't find them:

• The courier can find the building from the building number, street and secondary number, instead of calling for directions.
• Fewer calls are needed. A COD delivery that waits for a call-back can slip to another day, and the shopper has more time to change their mind.
• The data can be checked. A short address has a fixed pattern, so your team can catch typing mistakes before shipping.

What does Shopify's Saudi checkout collect?

For a Saudi address, Shopify asks for the address, a second address line, the city and a postal code, which is five digits and optional. There is no field for the National Address or the short address, and no district field. Shoppers write the building number, street and district in the address lines, in whatever order and language they like. Shopify's own example Saudi address is written in Arabic.

How can you ask for the National Address?

Pick the methods that fit your store. Using two together catches more orders than one.

Use the cart note

Shopify describes order notes as a way to collect special instructions about how to prepare and deliver an order. To turn on the cart note:

1. In your theme editor, choose Cart from the page menu at the top.
2. Click Sections, then Subtotal under the Template section.
3. Check Enable cart note and save.

Change the label to something like "Your short address (4 letters and 4 numbers, from Absher or Tawakkalna)". Put the same request in Arabic if you sell in Arabic.

Ask in the confirmation message

For COD orders, a confirmation message is the one method that reaches every order on any plan. Ask for the short address in the same message where you confirm the order total. See confirming COD orders by phone, SMS or WhatsApp.

On Shopify Plus

A checkout UI extension can add a field to the shipping step. Shopify's developer tutorial builds a delivery instructions field this way and saves the answer on the order. A short address field works the same way. Checkout UI extensions in the shipping step need Shopify Plus.

How do you check a National Address before shipping?

Before you book the courier, check what the shopper sent:

1. Short address: exactly 8 characters, 4 letters then 4 numbers.
2. Building number and secondary number: 4 numbers each.
3. Postal code: 5 numbers.
4. City: does it match the city in the Shopify shipping address? If not, ask.

Then add the National Address to the shipment in the format your courier asks for.

If a COD shopper doesn't answer and you have no National Address, don't ship the order as COD. Ask them to pay online, or cancel. For a shopper who keeps ordering without completing delivery, see how to block COD for specific customers with tags. For the wider picture of COD in Saudi Arabia, read cash on delivery in Saudi Arabia.