What does foe mean on returned mail

A common question!

When you see "F.O.E." on returned mail, it's an abbreviation that stands for "Forwarding Order Expired". This means that the postal service was unable to forward the mail to the intended recipient because the forwarding order (also known as a forwarding address) has expired.

Here's what typically happens:

1. The sender moves to a new address and updates their forwarding order with the post office.
2. The post office holds the mail for a certain period (usually 1-3 months) to allow the sender to receive any important mail.
3. If the sender doesn't update their forwarding order or claim the mail within the specified time frame, the post office considers the forwarding order expired.
4. The mail is then returned to the sender as "F.O.E." with a notation indicating that the forwarding order has expired.

In this case, the sender will need to update their address with the post office or claim the mail to receive any outstanding mail.