Design Address and Phone Inputs

Forms & Inputs · forms, internationalization, checkout

Updated 2026-07-28

Do not model the world on one country's address format. Field names, order, and which parts are required all change, and a rigid form makes valid addresses impossible to enter.
Ask for the country first, then adapt the rest. It is the one field that determines the shape of everything below it.
Rename fields to local terms rather than forcing a single vocabulary. Postal code, ZIP, postcode, state, province, and county are not interchangeable words.
Allow a free-form fallback. Some addresses simply do not fit structured fields, and losing a customer over a form is worse than storing a slightly untidy record.
Use lookup where you can, but never trap the user in it. Address autocomplete misses new buildings and rural addresses, so always allow manual entry.
Accept phone numbers the way people write them. Strip spaces, dashes, brackets, and leading zeros yourself instead of rejecting the input.
Handle the country code explicitly. A separate selector with the dial code prevents the most common failure, which is a valid national number that cannot be reached from abroad.
Say why you need it. People are far more willing to give a phone number when the form says it is for delivery updates rather than asking with no reason.
Verify only when it matters, and never block the whole form on a slow verification service.

An address form is the point where an international product either works or quietly refuses to sell to half the world.