This list shows an overview of

postal code A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or numerical digit, digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, inclu ...

notation schemes for all countries that have postal or ZIP Code systems.

List

; Legend * A = letter * N = number * ? = letter or number * CC = ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code

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 The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) was established on 26 June 1959 by nineteen European states in Montreux, Switzerland, as a coordinating body for European state telecommunications and postal orga ...

) 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 ISO 3166 is a standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that defines codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, special areas of geographical interest, and their principal subdivisions (e.g., pro ...

. 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 The Universal Postal Union (UPU, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations and facilitates a uniform worldwide postal system. It has 192 member states and is headquartered in Be ...

). 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

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

codes is used alone for countries that have explicitly recommended them. * Where there is no explicit recommendation for

codes and the codes differ, both "car codes" and

codes are listed, with the "car code" listed first.

References

Footnotes

Notations

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Postal Codes * Postal codes, List of Postal codes L Communication-related lists by country

List

On the use of country codes

See also

References

Footnotes

Notations