A postal code is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail.
A ZIP Code is a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service (USPS). The term ZIP was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently and quickly when senders use the code in the postal address.
A Canadian postal code is a six-character string that forms part of a postal address in Canada. Like British, Irish, and Dutch postcodes, Canada's postal codes are alphanumeric. They are in the format A1A 1A1, where A is a letter and 1 is a digit, with a space separating the third and fourth characters. As of October 2019, there were 876,445 postal codes, using forward sortation areas (FSAs), from A0A in Newfoundland to Y1A in Yukon.
A Postal Index Number refers to a six-digit code in the Indian postal code system used by India Post. On 15 August 2022, the PIN system celebrated its 50th anniversary.
POSTNET is a barcode symbology used by the United States Postal Service to assist in directing mail. The ZIP Code or ZIP+4 code is encoded in half- and full-height bars. Most often, the delivery point is added, usually being the last two digits of the address or PO box number.
Postal codes were introduced in France in 1964, when La Poste introduced automated sorting. They were updated to use the current 5 digit system in 1972.
Postal codes in Argentina are called códigos postales. Argentina first implemented a four-digit postal code system in 1958, aiming to improve mail distribution efficiency. However, it wasn't until 1998 that the more detailed and comprehensive Código Postal Argentino (CPA) system was launched, significantly enhancing both accuracy and efficiency in mail delivery. Until 1998 Argentina employed a four-digit postal code for each municipality, with the first digit representing a region in the country, except in the case of the city of Buenos Aires. The unique codes became the base for the newer system, officially called CPA.
Four-digit postal codes were introduced in Romania in 1974. Beginning with 1 May 2003, postal codes have six digits, and represent addresses to the street level in major cities. The digits represent the postal area; the county; the city/commune; the last three, depending on the size of the city/commune, represent the commune/city, the street, or the house/building.
The Intelligent Mail Barcode (IMb) is a 65-bar barcode for use on mail in the United States. The term "Intelligent Mail" refers to services offered by the United States Postal Service for domestic mail delivery. The IM barcode is intended to provide greater information and functionality than its predecessors POSTNET and PLANET. An Intelligent Mail barcode has also been referred to as a One Code Solution and a 4-State Customer Barcode, abbreviated 4CB, 4-CB or USPS4CB. The complete specification can be found in USPS Document USPS-B-3200. It effectively incorporates the routing ZIP Code and tracking information included in previously used postal barcode standards.
Postal codes in Austria were introduced in 1966. known locally as 'Postleitzahlen' are a fundamental aspect of the nation's logistical infrastructure, providing a systematic means of organizing mail delivery and geographical categorization. The term 'Postleitzahlen' translates to 'postal codes' in English.
Postal codes in Brunei Darussalam are known as postcodes, and they are alphanumeric; consisting of two letters followed by four digits. Postcodes in Brunei are issued by the Postal Services Department, a government department under the Ministry of Communications.
Postal codes in Nigeria are numeric, consisting of six digits. NIPOST, the Nigerian Postal Service, divides the country into nine regions, which make up the first digit of the code. The second and third digits, combined with the first, are the dispatch district for outgoing sorting. The last three digits represent the delivery location. A delivery location can be any of the following; a post office facility, a rural area, or an urban area.
Postal codes in Thailand are five digit numbers. The first two digits of the postal code denote the province or special administrative area, while the last 3 digits represent the post office within the province. There are exceptions, for example, Bangkok and Samut Prakan province shared the first two digits 10xxx. It's typical to use postal code ended with zero 0 because they are assigned to post office that are responsible for delivering mail to the district. For example, mails to Dusit district destinations uses postal code 10300 except within Chitralada Palace where postal code 10303 is used. 10300 is postal code of Dusit Post Office which handles the delivery throughout Dusit district while 10303 is postal code of Chitralada Palace Post Office which does not deliver mails outside the palace. Other post offices in Dusit district exist, such as Bang Krabu Post Office with postal code 10301, the code used for mails to be delivered to P.O. Box in the post office.
Germany introduced postal codes on 25 July 1941, in the form of a two-digit system that was applied initially for the parcel service and later for all mail deliveries. This system was replaced in 1962 in West Germany by a four-digit system; three years later East Germany followed with its own four-digit system. Whereas the Federal Republic introduced a system with space left for the East German postal system after a possible reunification, such as by omitting all codes starting with '1' and '9', the German Democratic Republic had a system that used all codes starting from '1' to '9' just for East Germany.
Postal codes in Singapore have consisted of six digits since 1995, replacing the four-digit system introduced in 1979. They are administered by Singapore Post.
The Greek postal code system is administered by ELTA. Each city street or rural region has a unique five-digit number, its Ταχυδρομικός Κώδικας 'postal code' (ΤΚ). The first three digits identify the city, municipality or prefecture. In major cities, the final two digits identify specific post offices.
Russian Post has a system of postal codes based on the federal subject a place is located in. Each postal code consists of six digits with first three referring to the federal subject or the administrative division with special status. Some larger subjects have multiple three-digit prefixes. For instance, Moscow's postal codes fall in the range 101–129.
In Poland, postal codes were introduced in 1973. They are five-digit codes of two-then-three digits, with a hyphen between them. The first digit indicates one of the 10 large postal regions the country is divided into. These areas do not follow the administrative divisions. The second and third digits specify a particular smaller region, and the last two are the number of a postal delivery branch.
Yugoslavian postal codes were introduced on January 1, 1971 and consisted of five digits. The first two digits roughly corresponded to the routing zones, mostly matching each of the Yugoslav republics: 1, 2 and 3 for Serbia, 4 and 5 for Croatia, 6 for Slovenia, 7 for Bosnia and Herzegovina, 8 for Montenegro and 9 for Macedonia. District seat cities usually had 000 as the last three digits, while smaller towns and villages had non-round last three digits.
Postal codes used in Saudi Arabia are colloquially known as postcodes.
