List of postal codes

This list shows an overview of postal code notation schemes for all countries that have postal or ZIP Code systems.

List

Legend
Country In use since / from ... to ISO Area format Street level format Note
Afghanistan 21 March 2011 AF NNNN The first two digits (ranging from 10 to 43) correspond to the province, while the last two digits correspond either to the city/delivery zone (range 01–50) or to the district/delivery zone (range 51–99).[citation needed]
Åland AX NNNNN, CC-NNNNN With Finland, first two numbers are 22. CC-NNNNN used from abroad.
Albania 11 October 2006 AL NNNN Introduced in 2006, gradually implemented throughout 2007.
Algeria DZ NNNNN First two as in ISO 3166-2:DZ
American Samoa 1 July 1963 AS NNNNN, NNNNN-NNNN U.S. ZIP codes (range 96799)
Andorra 31 July 2004 AD CCNNN Each parish now has its own post code.
Angola AO no codes
Anguilla 9 October 2007 AI AI-2640 Single code used for all addresses.
Antigua and Barbuda AG no codes
Argentina 1974, modified 1999 AR NNNN NNNN, ANNNNAAA 1974–1998 NNNN, and from 1999 ANNNNAAA. Codigo Postal Argentino (CPA), where the first A is the province code as in ISO 3166-2:AR, the four numbers are the old postal codes, the three last letters indicate a side of the block. Previously NNNN which is the minimum requirement as of 2006, but ANNNNAAA is not mandatory.
Armenia 1 April 2006 AM NNNN Previously used NNNNNN system inherited from former Soviet Union.
Aruba AW no codes
Australia 1 July 1967 AU NNNN In general, the first digit identifies the state or territory.
Austria 1 January 1966 AT NNNN The first digit denotes regions, which are partly identical to one of the nine provinces—called Bundesländer; the last the nearest post office in the area.
Azerbaijan AZ CC NNNN Previously used NNNNNN system inherited from former Soviet Union.
Bahamas BS – no codes - Bahamas used Post Office system instead of Postal Code [1]
Bahrain BH NNN, NNNN Valid post code numbers are 101 to 1216 with gaps in the range. Known as block number (Arabic: رقم المجمع) formally. The first digit in NNN format and the first two digits in NNNN format refer to one of the 12 municipalities of the country. PO Box address does not need a block number or city name, just the PO Box number followed by the name of the country, Bahrain.
Bangladesh 16 December 1972 BD NNNN
Barbados BB CCNNNNN 5 digit postal code preceded by BB [2]
Belarus BY NNNNNN Retained system inherited from former Soviet Union.
Belgium BE NNNN In general, the first digit gives the province.
Belize BZ no codes
Benin BJ no codes
Bermuda BM no codes AA NN, AA AA AA NN for street addresses, AA AA for P.O. Box addresses. The second half of the postcode identifies the street delivery walk (e.g.: Hamilton HM 12) or the PO Box number range (e.g.: Hamilton HM BX). See Postal codes in Bermuda.
Bhutan 21 February 2010 BT NNNNN Written Behind the village name. Digits: postal region (Dzongdey), district (Dzongkhag), sub district (Dungkhag), delivery area (two digits).
Bolivia BO no codes
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba BQ no codes
Bosnia and Herzegovina BA NNNNN
Botswana BW no codes
Brazil 31 May 1971 BR NNNNN, NNNNN-NNN NNNNN-NNN NNNNN only from 1971 to 1992. Código de Endereçamento Postal (CEP): -000 to -899 are used for streets, roads, avenues, boulevards; -900 to -959 are used for buildings with a high postal use; -960 to -969 are for promotional use; -970 to -989 are post offices and regular P.O. boxes; and -990 to -998 are used for community P.O. boxes. -999 is used for special services.
British Antarctic Territory AQ BIQQ 1ZZ One code for all addresses (AAAA NAA). UK territory, but not UK postcode.
British Indian Ocean Territory IO BBND 1ZZ One code for all addresses (AAAA NAA). UK territory, but not UK postcode.
British Virgin Islands VG CCNNNN Specifically, VG1110 through VG1160[3]
Brunei BN AANNNN
Bulgaria 1 August 1975 BG NNNN
Burkina Faso BF no codes
Burundi BI no codes
Cambodia Updated 2017 KH 120000 Cambodia Post [EMS]
Cameroon CM no codes
Canada 1971–1975 CA ANA NAN The system was gradually introduced starting in April 1971 in Ottawa. The letters D, F, I, O, Q, and U are not used to avoid confusion with other letters or numbers.
Cape Verde CV NNNN The first digit indicates the island.
Cayman Islands KY CCN-NNNN
Central African Republic CF no codes
Chad TD no codes
Chile CL NNNNNNN, NNN-NNNN May only be required for bulk mail.
China CN NNNNNN A postal code or yóu biān (邮编) in a subordinate division will have the same first two digits as its governing one (see Political divisions of China. The postal services in Macau or Hong Kong Special Administrative Regions remain separate from Mainland China, with no post code system currently used.
Christmas Island CX NNNN Part of the Australian postal code system.
Cocos (Keeling) Island CC NNNN Part of the Australian postal code system.
Colombia CO NNNNNN First NN = 32 departments
Comoros KM no codes
Congo (Brazzaville) CG no codes
Congo, Democratic Republic CD no codes
Cook Islands CK no codes
Costa Rica 31 March 2007 CR NNNNN NNNNN-NNNN Was NNNN until 2007. First codes the provinces, next two the canton, last two the district.
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) CI no codes
Croatia HR NNNNN
Cuba CU NNNNN May only be required for bulk mail. The letters CP are frequently used before the postal code. This is not a country code, but an abbreviation for "codigo postal" or postal code.
Curaçao CW no codes
Cyprus 1 October 1994 CY NNNN The postal code system covers the whole island, but is not used on mail to Northern Cyprus. Northern Cyprus uses a 5-digit code commencing 99, introduced in 2013. For mail sent there from abroad, the line "Mersin 10" is written on the line above that containing the postal code, and the country name used is "Turkey".
Czech Republic 31 December 1973 CZ NNN NN With Slovak Republic, Poštovní směrovací číslo (PSČ) – postal routing number. The first digit is from the range 1–7.
Denmark 20 September 1967 DK NNNN Numbering follows the dispatch of postal trains from Copenhagen.[4] Also used by Greenland, e.g.: DK-3900 Nuuk.
Djibouti DJ no codes
Dominica DM no codes
Dominican Republic DO NNNNN
East Timor TL no codes No postal code system in use since Indonesian withdrawal in 1999.
Ecuador 31 December 2013 EC NNNNNN
El Salvador SV NNNN
Egypt EG NNNNNNN
Equatorial Guinea GQ no codes
Eritrea ER no codes
Estonia EE NNNNN
Eswatini SZ ANNN The letter identifies one of the country's four districts, either H, M, S or L. The four district regions are Hhohho region (H), Manzini region (M), Shiselweni region (S), and Lumombo region (L).[5]
Ethiopia ET NNNN The code is only used on a trial basis for Addis Ababa addresses.
Falkland Islands FK FIQQ 1ZZ Single code (AAAA NAA). UK territory, but not UK postcode
Faroe Islands FO CC-NNN 3-digit postal code preceded by FO. Self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, but does not use Danish postal codes, and is addressed internationally as Faroe Islands, not Denmark.[6]
Fiji FJ no codes
Finland 31 December 1971 FI NNNNN A lower first digit indicates a place in south (for example 00100 Helsinki), a higher indicates a place further to north (99800 in Ivalo). The last digit is usually 0, except for postal codes for PO Box number ranges, in which case it is 1. Country code for Finland: "FI". In Åland, the postal code is prefixed with "AX", not "FI". Some postal codes for rural settlements may end with 5, and there are some unique postal codes for large companies and institutions, e.g. 00014 HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO (university), 00102 EDUSKUNTA (parliament), 00020 NORDEA (a major Scandinavian bank).
France 3 June 1972 FR NNNNN The first two digits give the département number, while in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, the last two digits of the postal code indicate the arrondissement. Both of the 2 Corsican départements use "20" as the first two digits. Also used by French overseas departments and territories. Monaco is also part of the French postal code system, but the country code MC- is used for Monegasque addresses.
French Guiana GF 973NN Overseas Department of France. French codes used. Range 97300 – 97390.
French Polynesia PF 987NN Overseas Collectivity of France. French codes used. Range 98700–98790.
French Southern and Antarctic Territories TF – no codes - French codes in the 98400 range have been reserved.
Gabon GA no codes
Gambia GM no codes
Georgia GE NNNN
Germany 25 July 1941 – 1962 resp. 1965 DE NN Postleitzahl (PLZ)
Germany 1962 resp. 1965–1993 DE NNNN Postleitzahl (PLZ) – Two separate systems in Western Germany (Federal Republic) and East Germany (German Democratic Republic). Between German reunification in 1990 and 1993 the old separate 4-digit postal codes of former West- and East-Germany were distinguished by preceding "W-" ('West') or "O-" ('Ost' for East).
Germany 1 July 1993 DE NNNNN Postleitzahl (PLZ) – Totally new system introduced about 4 years after the German reunification.
Ghana 18 October 2017 GH A?NNN,

A?NNNN, A?NNNNN

Ghana uses a digital address system. A digital address is made up of two main components: a postcode (e.g. EN-200) and a unique address (e.g. 1987). The first letter in the postcode represents a region (E for Eastern Region in this case), the second letter/digit (N) represents the district (N for New Juaben). The next batch of numbers (200) represent the area code. The regional, district and area codes come together to form the postcode. The last batch of numbers (1987) represent the unique address of the location. A combination of the postcode and the unique address make up the digital address.[7]
Gibraltar GI GX11 1AA Single code used for all addresses.
Greece 31 December 1983 GR NNN NN
Greenland GL NNNN Part of the Danish postal code system.
Grenada GD no codes
Guadeloupe GP 971NN Overseas Department of France. French codes used. Range 97100 – 97190, which still includes the distinctive postal codes for Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy.
Guam 1 July 1963 GU NNNNN, NNNNN-NNNN U.S. ZIP codes. Range 96910–96932.
Guatemala GT NNNNN The first two numbers identify the department, the third number the route and the last two the office.
Guernsey 30 June 1993 GG AAN NAA, AANN NAA UK-format postcode (first two letters are always GY)
Guinea GN NNN
Guinea Bissau GW NNNN
Guyana GY no codes
Haiti HT NNNN
Heard and McDonald Islands HM no codes
Honduras HN AANNNN, NNNNN NNNNN is still being used [8]
Hong Kong HK no codes The dummy postal code of Hong Kong is 999077.

However, if you provide this dummy code where your address label will be electronically created, the system may change the destination country to "Hong Kong S.A.R, CHINA". The addition of "CHINA" can significantly delay delivery. Use an alternate dummy instead (e.g. 00000).[9]

Hungary 31 December 1973 HU NNNN The code defines an area, usually one code per settlement except the six largest towns. One code can identify more (usually) small settlements as well.
Iceland IS NNN
India 15 August 1972 IN NNNNNN,

NNN NNN

Postal Index Number (PIN) consists of six digits: first digit for region, second digit for subregion, third digit for revenue/sorting office and last three digits representing the post office of the area.
Indonesia ID NNNNN [10]
Iran IR NNNNN-NNNNN (Persian: کد پستی)
Iraq 31 December 2004 IQ NNNNN
Ireland 13 July 2015 IE ANN

(Routing key, which is never used on its own)

[D6W/ANN] [A/N][A/N][A/N][A/N]

(Single exception where its D6W ????) [11]

Note: A valid postcode never contains the letters: B, G, I, J, L, M, O, Q, S, U, Z.[12]

Ireland's postcode system (called Eircode) refers to individual properties – not to streets/areas. It is presented in the format A12 A1BC The first 3 characters are a routing key referring to a postal district, and the second 4 characters are a unique, pseudorandom identifier for individual properties. The codes are only used in full 7-character format. See: www.eircode.ie for more information. See also Republic of Ireland postal addresses.

Isle of Man 31 December 1993 IM CCN NAA, CCNN NAA UK-format postcode. The first two letters are always IM.
Israel 1 February 2013 IL NNNNNNN In 2013, after the introduction of the 7 digit codes, 5 digit codes were still being used widely.
Italy 1 July 1967 IT NNNNN Codice di avviamento postale (CAP). Also used by San Marino (prefix SM) and Vatican City (prefix VA). First two digits identify province with some exceptions, because there are more than 100 provinces.
Jamaica 12 February 2007 JM NN Before suspension: CCAAANN. Jamaica currently has no national postal code system, except for Kingston and Lower St. Andrew, which are divided into postal districts numbered 1-20[13]

Before the 2007 suspension, the first two letters of a national post code were always 'JM' (for Jamaica) while the third was for one of the four zones (A-D) into which the island was divided. The last two letters were for the parish, while the two digits were for the local post office.[14]

Japan 1 July 1968 JP NNN-NNNN See also Japanese addressing system.
Jersey 31 December 1994 JE CCN NAA, CCNN NAA UK-format postcode. The first two letters are always JE.
Jordan JO NNNNN Deliveries to PO Boxes only.
Kazakhstan KZ NNNNNN [15]
Kenya KE NNNNN Deliveries to PO Boxes only. The postal code refers to the post office at which the receiver's P. O. Box is located.
Kiribati KI no codes
Korea, North KP no codes
Korea, South 1 August 2015 KR NNNNN Previously NNN-NNN (1988~2015), NNN or NNN-NN (1970~1988)
Kosovo XK NNNNN A separate postal code for Kosovo was introduced by the UNMIK postal administration in 2004. Serbian postcodes are still widely used in the Serbian enclaves. No country code has been assigned.
Kuwait KW NNNNN The first two digits represent the sector and the last three digits represents the post office.
Kyrgyzstan KG NNNNNN
Laos LA NNNNN
Latvia LV CC-NNNN
Lebanon LB NNNN, NNNN NNNN The first four digits represent the region or postal zone, the last four digits represent the building see also.[citation needed]
Lesotho LS NNN
Liberia LR NNNN Two digit postal zone after city name.
Libya LY no codes
Liechtenstein 26 June 1964 LI NNNN With Switzerland, ordered from west to east. Range 9485–9498.
Lithuania LT CC-NNNNN Previously 9999 which was actually the old Soviet 999999 format code with the first 2 digits dropped.[16]
Luxembourg LU NNNN 4Digit postal code, 1st digit represent the Region[citation needed]
Macau MO no codes 999078 is the dummy code used in China to represent Macau, but it is not used.
Madagascar MG NNN
Malawi MW NNNNNN [17]
Malaysia MY NNNNN
Maldives MV NNNNN
Mali ML no codes
Malta MT AAA NNNN Kodiċi Postali
Marshall Islands 1 July 1963 MH NNNNN, NNNNN-NNNN U.S. ZIP codes. Range 96960–96970.
Mauritania MR no codes
Mauritius MU NNNNN
Martinique MQ 972NN Overseas Department of France. French codes used. Range 97200–97290.
Mayotte YT 976NN Overseas Department of France. French codes used. Range 97600–97690.
Mexico MX NNNNN The first two digits identify the state (or a part thereof), except for Nos. 00 to 16, which indicate delegaciones (boroughs) of the Federal District (Mexico City).
Micronesia 1 July 1963 FM NNNNN, NNNNN-NNNN U.S. ZIP codes. Range 96941–96944.
Moldova MD CCNNNN, CC-NNNN
Monaco 3 June 1972 MC 980NN Uses the French Postal System, but with an "MC" Prefix for Monaco. Code range 98000-98099
Mongolia MN NNNNN First digit: region / zone, Second digit: province / district, Last three digits: locality / delivery block[18]
Montenegro ME NNNNN
Montserrat MS MSR NNNN Range 1110–1350
Morocco 1 January 1997 MA NNNNN
Mozambique MZ NNNN
Myanmar MM NNNNN
Namibia NA NNNNN Formerly used South African postal code ranges from 9000-9299.[19] Withdrawn from use after independence in 1990.[20] Namibia has introduced a 5-digit postal code in 2018.[21]
Nauru NR no codes
Nepal NP NNNNN
Netherlands 31 December 1977 NL no codes NNNN AA The combination of the postal code and the house number gives a unique identifier of the address. The four numbers indicate an area, the two letters indicate a group of some 25 habitations, offices, factories, or post office boxes.
New Caledonia NC 988NN Overseas Collectivity of France. French codes used. Range 98800–98890.
New Zealand 30 June 2008 NZ NNNN Postcodes were originally intended for bulk mailing and were not needed for addressing individual items. However, new post codes for general use were phased in from June 2006 and came into force by July 2008.
Nicaragua NI NNNNN
Niger NE NNNN
Nigeria NG NNNNNN
Niue NU no codes
Norfolk Island NF NNNN Part of the Australian postal code system.
North Macedonia MK NNNN
Northern Mariana Islands 1 July 1963 MP NNNNN, NNNNN-NNNN U.S. ZIP codes. Range 96950–96952.
Norway 18 March 1968 NO NNNN,

CC-NNNN

From south to north

NO- prefix is used recommended, but not mandatory to be used for international mail to Norway[22]

Oman OM NNN Deliveries to P.O. Boxes only.
Pakistan 1 January 1988 PK NNNNN
Palau 1 July 1963 PW NNNNN, NNNNN-NNNN U.S. ZIP codes. All locations 96939 or 96940.
Palestine PS NNN not yet implemented in practice. Codes 100-899 are in the Westbank, 900-999 in the Gaza Strip
Panama PA NNNN
Papua New Guinea PG NNN
Paraguay PY NNNN
Peru PE NNNNN, CC NNNN
Philippines PH NNNN
Pitcairn Islands PN PCRN 1ZZ Single code used(AAAA NAA). UK territory, but not UK postcode
Poland 1 January 1973 PL NN-NNN (PNA) Pocztowy Numer Adresowy
Portugal 31 December 1976 PT NNNN
Portugal 31 December 1994 PT NNNN-NNN
Puerto Rico 1 July 1963 PR NNNNN NNNNN, NNNNN-NNNN U.S. ZIP codes. ZIP codes 006XX for NW PR, 007XX for SE PR, in which XX designates the town or post office and 009XX for the San Juan Metropolitan Area, in which XX designates the area or borough of San Juan. The last four digits identify an area within the post office. For example, 00716-2604: 00716-for the east section of the city of Ponce and 2604 for Aceitillo St. in the neighborhood of Los Caobos. US Post office is changing the PR address format to the American one: 1234 No Name Avenue, San Juan, PR 00901.
Qatar QA no codes
Réunion RE 974NN Overseas Department of France. French codes used. Range 97400–97490.
Romania 1 May 2003 RO NNNNNN Previously 99999 in Bucharest and 9999 in rest of country.
Rwanda RW no codes
Russia 31 December 1971 RU NNNNNN Placed on a line of its own.
Saint Barthélemy BL 97133 Overseas Collectivity of France. French codes used, still within the same range used for Guadeloupe
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha SH AAAA 1ZZ Part of UK system (AAAA NAA). Saint Helena uses one code STHL 1ZZ, Ascension uses one code ASCN 1ZZ, Tristan da Cunha uses one code TDCU 1ZZ.
Saint Kitts and Nevis KN CCNNNN
Saint Lucia 3 December 2015 LC CCNN NNN The first two letters are always LC. There are two spaces between the second and third digits.
Saint Martin MF 97150 Overseas Collectivity of France. French codes used, still within the same range used for Guadeloupe
Saint Pierre and Miquelon PM 97500 Overseas Collectivity of France. French codes used.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 31 December 2010 VC CCNNNN
Samoa WS CCNNNN
San Marino SM 4789N With Italy, uses a five-digit numeric CAP of Emilia Romagna. Range 47890 and 47899
São Tomé and Príncipe ST no codes
Saudi Arabia SA NNNNN-NNNN, NNNNN NNNNN for PO Boxes. NNNNN-NNNN for home delivery. A complete 13-digit code has 5-digit number representing region, sector, city, and zone; 4-digit X between 2000 and 5999; 4-digit Y between 6000 and 9999.[23] Digits of 5-digit code may represent postal region, sector, branch, section, and block respectively.[24]
Senegal SN NNNNN The letters CP or C.P. are often written in front of the postcode. This is not a country code, but simply an abbreviation for "code postal".
Serbia 1 January 2005 RS NNNNN Poštanski adresni kod (PAK)
Seychelles SC no codes
Sierra Leone SL no codes
Sint Maarten SX no codes
Singapore 6 March 1950 SG NN
Singapore 1 July 1979 SG NNNN
Singapore 1 September 1995 SG NNNNNN Each building has its own unique postcode.
Slovakia 1 January 1973 SK NNN NN with Czech Republic from west to east, Poštové smerovacie číslo (PSČ) – postal routing number. The first digit is from 8, 9, 0.
Slovenia SI NNNN, CC-NNNN before 1996 all postcodes were 6NNNN (part of the former Yugoslav system), in 1996 they removed the "6"
Solomon Islands SB no codes
Somalia SO AA NNNNN Two letter postal codes for each of the nation's 18 administrative regions (e.g. AW for Awdal, BN for Banaadir, BR for Bari and SL for Sool).[25]
South Africa 8 October 1973 ZA NNNN Postal codes are allocated to individual Post Office branches, some have two codes to differentiate between P.O. Boxes and street delivery addresses. Included Namibia (ranges 9000–9299) until 1992, no longer used.
South Sudan SS no codes
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GS SIQQ 1ZZ One code for all addresses.
Spain 3 March 1976 ES NNNNN First two indicate the province, range 01-52
Sri Lanka LK NNNNN Incorporates Colombo postal districts, e.g.: Colombo 1 is "00100". You can search for specific postal codes here "Department of Posts". Retrieved 2024-03-03.
Sudan SD NNNNN
Suriname SR no codes
Sweden 12 May 1968 SE NNN NN The lowest number is 100 12 and the highest number is 984 99.
Switzerland 26 June 1964 CH NNNN With Liechtenstein, ordered from west to east. In Geneva and other big cities, like Basel, Bern, Zürich, there may be one or two digits after the name of the city when the generic City code (1211) is used instead of the area-specific code (1201, 1202...), e.g.: 1211 Geneva 13. The digit identifies the post office. This addressing is generally used for P.O. box deliveries. Büsingen am Hochrhein (Germany) also has a Swiss postal code. [26]
Svalbard and Jan Mayen SJ NNNN Norway postal codes
Syria SY no codes A 4-digit system has been announced. Status unknown.
Taiwan 20 March 1970 TW NNN, NNN-NN, NNN-NNN The first three digits of the postal code are required; the last two or three digits are optional. Codes are known as yóu dì qū hào (郵遞區號), and are also assigned to Senkaku Islands (Diaoyutai), though Japanese-administered, Pratas Island and the Spratly Islands. NNN-NNN 3+3 digit codes were launched on March 3, 2020. See List of postal codes in Taiwan.
Tajikistan TJ NNNNNN Retained system from former Soviet Union. First two numbers: Republic and Province, Second two numbers: District, last two numbers: Post Office. [27][28]
Tanzania TZ NNNNN
Thailand 25 February 1982 TH NNNNN The first two specify the province, numbers as in ISO 3166-2:TH, the third and fourth digits specify a district (amphoe)
Togo TG no codes
Tokelau TK no codes
Tonga TO no codes
Trinidad and Tobago 31 December 2021 TT NNNNNN First two digits specify a postal district (one of 72), next two digits a carrier route, last two digits a building or zone along that route
Tunisia TN NNNN
Turkey TR NNNNN First two digits are the city numbers.[29]
Turkmenistan TM NNNNNN Retained system from former Soviet Union.
Turks and Caicos Islands TC TKCA 1ZZ Single code used for all addresses.
Tuvalu TV no codes
Uganda UG no codes
Ukraine UA NNNNN
United Arab Emirates AE no codes UAE does not use a postal code system; instead, they use a post office system to send and receive parcels.
United Kingdom Phased introduction, from 1966 to 1974. Still in use. GB A[A]N[A/N] A[A]N[A/N] NAA Known as the postcode. The first letter(s) indicate the postal area, such as the town or part of London. Placed on a separate line below the city (or county, if used). The UK postcode is made up of two parts separated by a space. These are known as the outward postcode and the inward postcode. The outward postcode is always one of the following formats: AN, ANN, AAN, AANN, ANA, AANA, AAA. The inward postcode is always formatted as NAA. A valid inward postcode never contains the letters: C, I, K, M, O or V. The British Forces Post Office has a different system, but as of 2012 has also adopted UK-style postcodes that begin with "BF1" for electronic compatibility.
United States 1 July 1963 US NNNNN NNNNN, NNNNN-NNNN Known as the ZIP Code with five digits 99999* or the ZIP+4 Code with nine digits 99999-9999* (while the minimum requirement is the first five digits, the U.S. Postal Service encourages everyone to use all nine). Also used by the former US Pacific Territories: Federated States of Micronesia; Palau; and the Marshall Islands, as well as in current US territories American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. An individual delivery point may be represented as an 11-digit number, but these are usually represented by Intelligent Mail barcode or formerly POSTNET bar code.

The first digit is assigned regionally (for example, ZIP codes beginning with 9 are found in the western coastal states, Alaska, Hawaii, and islands in the Pacific), and ZIP codes with the same first three digits are served by the same USPS sorting facility (which sometimes serve multiple such groupings), so will be geographically clustered (for example, all ZIP codes in 919XX, 920XX, and 921XX are found in San Diego County, California).

United States Minor Outlying Islands UM 96898 Mostly uninhabited. There is only one postal code in use, 96898 Wake Island.
Uruguay UY NNNNN
U.S. Virgin Islands 1 July 1963 VI NNNNN, NNNNN-NNNN U.S. ZIP codes. Range 00801–00851.
Uzbekistan 13 May 2005 UZ NNNNNN [30]
Vanuatu VU no codes
Vatican VA 00120 Single code used for all addresses. Part of the Italian postal code system.
Venezuela VE NNNN, NNNN-A
Vietnam VN NNNNNN First two indicate a province.
Wallis and Futuna WF 986NN Overseas Collectivity of France. French codes used. Range 98600 – 98690.
Yemen YE no codes System for Sana'a Governorate using geocoding "عنواني" based on the OpenPostcode algorithm is inaugurated in 2014.[31]
Zambia ZM NNNNN
Zimbabwe ZW no codes System is being planned.

On the use of country codes

The use of the country codes in conjunction with postal codes started as a recommendation from CEPT (European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations) in the 1960s. In the original CEPT recommendation the distinguishing signs of motor vehicles in international traffic ("car codes") were placed before the postal code, and separated from it by a "-" (dash). Codes were only used on international mail and were hardly ever used internally in each country.

Since the late 1980s, however, a number of postal administrations have changed the recommended codes to the two-letter country codes of ISO 3166. This would allow a universal, standardized code set to be used, and bring it in line with country codes used elsewhere in the UPU (Universal Postal Union). Attempts were also made (without success) to make this part of the official address guidelines of the UPU. Recently introduced postal code systems where the UPU has been involved have included the ISO 3166 country code as an integral part of the postal code.

At present there are no universal guidelines as to which code set to use, and recommendations vary from country to country. In some cases, the applied country code will differ according to recommendations of the sender's postal administration. UPU recommends that the country name always be included as the last line of the address.

In the list above, the following principles have been applied:

  • Integral country codes have been included in the code format, in bold type and without brackets. These are also used on internal mail in the respective countries.
  • The ISO 3166 codes is used alone for countries that have explicitly recommended them.
  • Where there is no explicit recommendation for ISO 3166 codes and the codes differ, both "car codes" and ISO 3166 codes are listed, with the "car code" listed first.

See also

  • Universal Postal Union
  • International Postcode system using Cubic Meters (CubicPostcode.com)
  • International Postcodes database (mapanet.eu)

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Bahamas Postal Code". Retrieved 2020-11-23.
  2. ^ "Barbados" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
  3. ^ "What are the postcodes for addresses in the British Virgin Islands? – Government of the Virgin Islands". www.bvi.gov.vg.
  4. ^ "postnummer – Gyldendal – Den Store Danske". denstoredanske.dk. March 2016.
  5. ^ "SwaziPost – a division of Swaziland Post and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC)". www.sptc.co.sz.
  6. ^ "Faroe Islands" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-21. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
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Notations