"Country Estonia, city Hamburg": what happens when parts of an address contradict each other? Here is exactly how AddressHero handles mismatches, and where the platform sets limits.
Detection happens post-checkout
Mismatches between postal code, city and country are detected by the post-checkout validation, not in the checkout. In-checkout, AddressHero checks the format only (for example whether a house number is present). Cross-checking ZIP against city against country requires the database lookup that runs right after the order.
This also covers orders paid through PayPal Express, Apple Pay or Google Pay: these payment methods bypass the checkout form entirely, so no in-checkout rule ever sees them (see Express wallets and landing-page checkouts). Post-checkout validation still catches a country mismatch for these orders, typically 1 to 2 minutes after the order comes in. Post-checkout validation is part of AddressHero Pro only: on Lite, these wallet orders are not checked for country mismatches at all.
What happens on a mismatch
AddressHero corrects based on the strongest signal, and only with high confidence:
Example: street and postal code clearly identify an address in Germany, but the country says France. The databases agree unambiguously, so the mismatching component is corrected.
No clear winner: if the signals do not point to one unambiguous address, nothing is corrected. The order is flagged, the customer sees the prompt on the Thank You and Order Status page, and depending on your settings the order is tagged or put on hold. We never guess.
The country is a special case
ā ļø The delivery country can never be changed or blocked by any app. Shopify does not allow apps to adjust the delivery country of an order. When the country is the wrong component, AddressHero flags the order and asks the customer; in unresolvable cases the customer is directed to contact your support. You CAN however automatically put such orders on hold: the error type "Delivery country mismatch" is available in the on-hold settings. See Customer emails and on-hold orders.
US specifics: ZIP+4
For US addresses, the setting "Skip ZIP+4 code correction" lets you validate only the 5-digit ZIP format instead of enforcing the full ZIP+4. Recommended for most stores, since customers rarely know their +4 extension.
One settings gotcha
If you restrict AddressHero's validation to specific countries in the settings, orders from countries not on your list are not validated at all, and their mismatches go unnoticed. If you ship internationally, our recommendation is to leave the country restriction empty so every order gets validated.
Related: Country coverage for which countries our databases cover.
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