It is a hierarchical system, working from left to right — the first letter or pair of letters represents the area, the following digit or digits represent the district within that area, and so on. Each postcode generally represents a street, part of a street, or a single premises.
How do postal codes get assigned?
ZIP Codes are numbered with the first digit representing a certain group of U.S. states, the second and third digits together representing a region in that group (or perhaps a large city) and the fourth and fifth digits representing a group of delivery addresses within that region.
Who allocates postcodes in the UK?
The Royal Mail
The Royal Mail is responsible for the allocation of postcodes to postal addresses, although we will request a postcode on your behalf.
How do Australian postcodes work?
Postcodes in Australia have four digits and are placed at the end of the Australian address, before the country. Postcodes were introduced in Australia in 1967 by the Postmaster-General’s Department and are now managed by Australia Post, Australia’s national postal service.
How are London postcodes decided?
Basically, the current system (introduced during WWI) identifies a ‘central’ district, historically housing the main sorting office and ending with a ‘1’: W1, N1, SE1 and so on. From then on, numbering follows alphabetical order according to the district names: E5 is Clapton, E6 is East Ham, E7 is Forest Gate, etc.
Can 2 places have the same postal code?
When looking at postal codes around the world, there are cases where two different cities are served by the same postal code. For example, the zip code 94608 in California is used for both Emeryville and parts of Oakland. One postal code, two cities.
Who is responsible for allocating postcodes?
Royal Mail
Royal Mail owns postcode data and is responsible for allocating postcodes.
Does each house have its own postcode?
Each postcode covers an average of about 15 properties. However, this is not a definitive number, where postcodes can hold up to 100.
How are postcodes divided?
Elements of a Postcode
The maximum number of delivery points covered by one postcode is 100 and the average is 15. Postcode District – Each postcode area is divided into a number of districts which are represented by the numerical portion of each part of the postcode. These numbers range from 0 to 99 eg MK42.
Are postcodes unique to each House UK?
No. The Royal Mail says that each postcode covers an average of 15 addresses, though of course it can be more as that’s an average – I live in a block of 94 flats and that shares only two postcodes. Addresses that have a lot of post will have a unique postcode.
How often are postcodes updated?
approximately every six months
The Royal Mail announces changes to Postcodes approximately every six months and these changes are notified to all customers in the affected areas via their Postcode Update publications.
Can post codes change?
Changes to addresses and postcodes
When new addresses are added to the street Royal Mail will often change the entries of existing addresses in the Postal Address File and may allocate a new postcode.
Do postcode boundaries change?
Postcode boundaries change over time and it can take a long time for respondents and coding systems to adjust to a change in a postcode.
How is a UK postcode made up?
The structure of a postcode is two alphanumeric codes that show, first, the Post Town and, second, a small group of addresses in that post town. The first alphanumeric code (the Outward code or Outcode) has between two and four characters and the second (the Inward Code or Incode) always has three characters.
Why is there no North East London postcode?
In regard to the reason why NE is not a London postcode. Essex (NE) was not originally part of London, it only became part of the London Borough of Redbridge about 50 years ago.
What is the biggest postcode area in England?
Smallest size is EC2N, East Central London (0.03 square miles ). Largest size is IV27, (1,393 square miles). Average size 33 square miles.
Which country has no postcode?
Aruba, Bahamas, Togo, Tokelau, Tonga and many others have no ZIP codes. Very little island countries never needed ZIP codes. Some little countries use postal codes from country around, for example San Marino and Vatican city use Italy postal code system.
What’s the longest postcode in the world?
There is no maximum size for a postcode. Currently, the longest postal code is 10 char. Iran has 10 diguts and the US have 4 and 5 seperated by a hyphen. Brazil is 9 and Canada is 7, I think.
Which countries do not have a postcode?
However, some countries do not have a postcode system or have one but do not use it. Here you can find two lists: a list of countries with a postcode system and a list of countries without a postcode system. Antigua and Barbuda Curaçao Mauritania Syrian Arab Rep.
How addresses are determined?
When municipalities determine how to number addresses, they start by measuring the distance the property sits from an established zero point, or baseline (such as the city center). This central point gives the city or county a consistent location from which to measure and number all existing and future addresses.
Can I change my postcode Royal Mail?
If you have any queries relating to changing postal addresses, or require further information about postal address changes, please contact Royal Mail’s Address Maintenance team on 08456 01 11 10. Please also call our Customer Service Centre if you are experiencing problems relating to a change to your address.