A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.
In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems. Countries that do not have national systems include Ireland and Panama. Although Hong Kong and Macau are now Special Administrative Regions of China, each maintains its own long-established postal system, which does not utilize postal codes for domestic mail, and no postal codes are assigned to Hong Kong and Macau. Mail between Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China is treated as international.
Although postal codes are usually assigned to geographical areas, special codes are sometimes assigned to individual addresses or to institutions that receive large volumes of mail, such as government agencies and large commercial companies. One example is the French CEDEX system.
; postal code: The general term is used directly in Canada. ; postcode: This portmanteau is popular in many English-speaking countries. ; ZIP code: The standard term in the United States and the Philippines; ZIP is an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan. ; PIN code / pincode: The standard term in India; PIN is an acronym for Postal Index Number.
Postal codes in Canada do not include the letters D, F, I, O, Q, or U, as the OCR equipment used in automated sorting could easily confuse them with other letters and digits. The letters W and Z are used, but are not currently used as the first letter.
Andorra, Ecuador, Latvia, Moldova, Slovenia use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 as prefix in their postal codes.
In some countries (such as those of continental Europe, where a postcode format of four or five numeric digits is commonly used) the numeric postal code is sometimes prefixed with a country code to avoid confusion when sending international mail to or from that country. Recommendations by official bodies responsible for postal communications are confusing regarding this practice. For many years, licence plate codes — for instance "D-" for Germany or "F-" for France — were used, although this was not accepted by the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
When it follows the city it may be on the same line or on a new line.
In Japan, China, Korea and the Russian Federation, it is written more to the beginning of an address.
Format of 6 digit numeric (8 digit alphanumeric) postal codes in Ecuador, introduced in December 2007: ECAABBCC : EC - ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code : AA - one of the 24 provinces of Ecuador (24 of 100 possible codes used = 24%) : BB - one of the 226 cantons of Ecuador (for AABB 226 of 10000 codes used , i.e. 2.26%. Three cantons are not in any province) : CC - one of the parishes of Ecuador.
Format of 5 digit numeric Postal codes in Costa Rica, introduced in 2007: ABBCC : A - one of the 7 provinces of Costa Rica (7 of 10 used, i.e. 70%) : BB - one of the 81 cantons of Costa Rica (81 of 1000 used, i.e. 8.1%) : CC - one of the districts of Costa Rica. In Costa Rica these codes are also used by the National Institute for Statistics and Census (INSEC).
The first two digits of the postal codes in Turkey correspond to the provinces and each province has assigned only one number. They are the same for them as in ISO 3166-2:TR.
The first two digits of the postal codes in Vietnam indicate a province. Some provinces have one, other have several two digit numbers assigned. The numbers differ from the number used in ISO 3166-2:VN.
The UK post designed the postal codes in the United Kingdom mostly for efficient distribution. Nevertheless, with time, people associated codes with certain areas, leading certain people wanting or not wanting to have a certain code. See also postcode lottery.
Structure is alphanumeric with the following seven valid permutations, as defined by BS 7666:
A9 9AA A9A 9AA A99 9AA A99A 9AA AA9 9AA AA9A 9AA AA99 9AA
There are always two halves: the separation between outward and inward postcodes is indicated by one space.
The outward postcode covers a unique area and has two parts which may in total be two three or four characters in length. A postcode area of one or two letters, followed by one or two numbers, followed in some parts of London by a letter.
The outward postcode and the leading numeric of the inward postcode in combination forms a postal sector, and this usually corresponds to a couple of thousand properties.
Larger businesses and isolated properties such as farms may have a unique postcode. Extremely large organisations such as larger government offices or bank headquarters may have multiple postcodes for different departments.
There are about 100 postcode areas ranging widely in size from BT which covers the whole of Northern Ireland to ZE for Shetland. Postcode areas may also cross national boundaries, such as SY which covers a large, predominantly rural area from Shrewsbury and Ludlow in Shropshire, England, through the eastern Welsh town of Welshpool, Powys in Wales to the seaside town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion on Wales' west coast.
Seven British overseas territories use nine postal codes: three for Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and one apiece for the others. Note that the former has two ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes, and the British Antarctic Territory has none, so the number of ISO codes is seven.
French overseas territories use the five-digit French postal code system, each code starting with the three letter department identifier. Monaco also uses the French system.
Italy, San Marino and Vatican City use one system. Liechtenstein and Switzerland use one system. Slovakia and the Czech Republic base their systems on the codes of Czechoslovakia, their ranges not overlapping.
In Greenland the postal code 2412 is for Julemanden (Santa Claus)
In Canada the amount of mail sent to Santa Claus increased every Christmas, up to the point that Canada Post decided to start an official Santa Claus letter-response program in 1983. Approximately one million letters come in to Santa Claus each Christmas, including from outside of Canada, and all of them are answered in the same languages in which they are written. Canada Post introduced a special address for mail to Santa Claus, complete with its own postal code:
:SANTA CLAUS :NORTH POLE H0H 0H0
In the United Kingdom, the non-conforming postal code GIR 0AA was used for the National Girobank until its closure in 2003.
!Country | !Introduced | ISO 3166-1 alpha-2>ISO | !Format | !Note | |
Afghanistan | - no codes - | ||||
NNNNN | With Finland, first two numbers are 22. | ||||
NNNN | |||||
NNNNN | First two as in ISO 3166-2:DZ | ||||
2004 | CCNNN | ||||
- no codes - | |||||
1974, modified 1999 | 1974-1998 NNNN; From 1999 ANNNNAAA | Codigo Postal Argentino (CPA), where A is the province code as in ISO 3166-2:AR | |||
1963-07-01 | NNNNN | U.S. ZIP codes | |||
2006-04-01 | NNNN | ||||
Ascension island | AAAANAA one code: ASCN 1ZZ | UK territory, but not UK postcode | |||
1967 | NNNN | ||||
1966 | NNNN | ||||
CCNNNN | |||||
NNNN | |||||
BB | CCNNNNN | ||||
BY | NNNNNN | ||||
BE | NNNN | First number indicates the province. (not completely correct) | |||
BZ | - no codes - | ||||
BJ | - no codes - | ||||
NNNNN | |||||
1972 | BR | NNNNN | Código de Endereçamento Postal (CEP) | ||
1992 | BR | NNNNNNNN (NNNNN-NNN) | |||
British Indian Ocean Territory | AAAANAA one code: BIQQ 1ZZ | UK territory, but not UK postcode | |||
VG | CCNNNN | ||||
AANNNN | |||||
1975 | NNNN | ||||
NNNNN | |||||
1971–1975 | ANA NAN | The system was gradually introduced starting in April 1971 in Ottawa | |||
CV | NNNN | The first digit indicates the island. | |||
NNNNNNN (NNN-NNNN) | |||||
NNNNNN | |||||
NNNNNN | |||||
2007-03 | CR | NNNNN | First codes the provinces, next two the canton, last two the district. | ||
HR | NNNNN | ||||
1994-10-01 | CY | NNNN | |||
1973 | CZ | NNNNN (NNN NN) | with Slovak Republic, Poštovní směrovací číslo (PSČ) - postal routing number | ||
1967-09-20 | DK | NNNN | |||
2007-12 | EC | CCNNNNNN | |||
EG | NNNNN | ||||
EE | NNNNN | ||||
Falkland Islands | AAAANAA one code: FIQQ 1ZZ | UK territory, but not UK postcode | |||
1971 | FI | NNNNN | |||
1972 | FR | NNNNN | First mostly as in ISO 3166-2:FR. | ||
NNNN | |||||
1941-07-25 | -- | NN | Postleitzahl (PLZ) | ||
1962 | DE | NNNN | Postleitzahl (PLZ) | ||
1993 | DE | NNNNN | Postleitzahl (PLZ) | ||
1983 | GR | NNNNN | |||
1963-07-01 | NNNNN | U.S. ZIP codes | |||
1993 | AAN NAA | UK-format postcode (first two letters are always GY not GG) | |||
Hong Kong | - no codes - | ||||
HU | NNNN | ||||
IS | NNN | ||||
1972-08-15 | IN | NNNNNN, | NNN NNN | Postal Index Number (PIN) | |
ID | NNNNN | Kode Pos | |||
NNNNN-NNNNN | کد پستی | ||||
2004 | NNNNN | ||||
- no codes - | Alphanumeric system planned, however no known rollout date | ||||
1993 | CCN NAA, CCNN NAA | UK-format postcode | |||
IL | NNNNN | ||||
1967 | NNNNN | Codice di Avviamento Postale (CAP) | |||
1968 | JP | NNNNNNN (NNN-NNNN) | |||
1994 | CCN NAA | UK-format postcode | |||
NNNNNN | Reference: | ||||
LV | CC-NNNN | ||||
1964 | LI | NNNN | With Switzerland, ordered from west to east | ||
LT | NNNNN | References: http://www.post.lt/en/?id=421 http://www.post.lt/en/?id=271 | |||
LU | NNNN | References: http://www.upu.int/post_code/en/countries/LUX.pdf | |||
Macau | MO | - no codes - | |||
MY | NNNNN | ||||
MT | AAANNNN (AAA NNNN) | Kodiċi Postali | |||
1963-07-01 | NNNNN | U.S. ZIP codes | |||
MX | NNNNN | ||||
1963-07-01 | NNNNN | U.S. ZIP codes | |||
MD | CCNNNN (CC-NNNN) | ||||
1972 | MC | 980NN | |||
ME | NNNNN | ||||
1997-01-01 | MA | NNNNN | |||
1977 | NL | NNNN AA | |||
2008-06 | NZ | NNNN | Postcode | ||
NI | NNNNNN | ||||
1963-07-01 | NNNNN | U.S. ZIP codes | |||
1968-03-18 | NO | NNNN | From south to north | ||
1963-07-01 | NNNNN | U.S. ZIP codes | |||
NNNNNN | |||||
PK | NNNNNN | ||||
PY | NNNN | ||||
PE | Alphanumeric | New National Postal Code system to be implemented in February 2011 | |||
PH | NNNN | ||||
Pitcairn Islands | AAAANAA one code: PCRN 1ZZ | UK territory, but not UK postcode | |||
1973 | PL | NNNNN (NN-NNN) | |||
1976 | NNNN | ||||
1994 | PT | NNNN-NNN (NNNN NNN) | |||
1963-07-01 | NNNNN | U.S. ZIP codes | |||
2003-05-01 | RO | NNNNNN | |||
1971 | NNNNNN | ||||
NNNNN | With Italy, uses a five-digit numeric CAP of Emilia Romagna | ||||
2005-01-01 | NNNNN | Poshtanski adresni kod (PAK) | |||
1950 | NN | ||||
1979 | NNNN | ||||
1995 | NNNNNN | ||||
1973 | SK | NNNNN (NNN NN) | with Czech Republic from west to east, Poštové smerovacie číslo (PSČ) - postal routing number | ||
CCNNNN (CC-NNNN) | |||||
1975 | NNNN | ||||
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | AAAANAA one code: SIQQ 1ZZ | UK territory, but not UK postcode | |||
NNNNNN (NNN-NNN) | |||||
1976 | NNNNN | First two indicate the province, range 01-52 | |||
NNNNN | Reference: http://mohanjith.net/ZIPLook/ | ||||
1968-05-12 | NNNNN (NNN NN) | ||||
1964 | NNNN | With Liechtenstein, ordered from west to east | |||
NNNNN | includes some territories administrated by Japan | ||||
1982-02-25 | TH | NNNNN | The first two specify the province, numbers as in ISO 3166-2:TH, the third and fourth digits specify a district (amphoe) | ||
Tunisia | NNNN | ||||
Turks and Caicos Islands | AAAANAA one code: TKCA 1ZZ | UK territory, but not UK postcode | |||
NNNNN | The first two specify the province as in ISO 3166-2:TR | ||||
NNNNN | |||||
1959–1974 | A(A)N(A/N)NAA (A[A]N[A/N] NAA) | Postcode, letters before the first number identify a town or district. AN NAA, ANN NAA, ANA NAA, AAN NAA, AANN NAA, AANA NAA. Complex as incorporates early non-systematic postal districts. | |||
1963-07-01 | NNNNN (optionally NNNNN-NNNN or NNNNN-NNNNNN) | ZIP code | |||
1963-07-01 | NNNNN | U.S. ZIP codes | |||
NNNNN | with Italy, uses a five-digit numeric CAP of Rome | ||||
NNNNNN |
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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