A mailing address is an address that senders can use to send postal mail, and it is where a person receives physical mail. It can be linked to an office where mail is collected for all apartments or offices, or it can be the location of a PO Box. A mailing address is not always a physical address, and sometimes it is a virtual address. For example, a P.O. box is a mailing address but not a physical address. A physical address, on the other hand, is a geographical location where a person resides or a business is located. A permanent address is the location where a person resides, while a mailing address is the place where they would like to receive their mail.