What is my ZIP code or PIN code?

How to find the postal code of your location

1. Tap “Show my exact location” and allow location access.
2. The page pins your position using GPS or nearby Wi-Fi networks.
3. The postal code appears in large type at the top, with your neighborhood and city below it and a button to copy it.

The code belongs to the spot where you are right now: at home it is your home's postal code, at work or on the road it is the code of that place.

PIN code of my location (India)

In India the postal code is called a PIN code (Postal Index Number). It has 6 digits, for example 110001 for Connaught Place in New Delhi. The first digit stands for the postal region, the second for the sub-region, the third for the sorting district, and the last three for the delivery post office. With your exact location on, the page shows the PIN code of the spot where you are, together with your locality, city, district and state.

A PIN code usually covers a whole locality or a group of villages, so neighbors a few streets apart can have different codes. If an official form needs it, confirm the code with the PIN code search on the India Post website.

What is my ZIP code? (United States)

In the United States the postal code is the ZIP code: 5 digits, such as 10001 in Manhattan or 90210 in Beverly Hills. The first digit stands for a group of states, the next two for a regional sorting center and the last two for a post office or delivery area. Many addresses also have a ZIP+4 code, where four extra digits after a hyphen narrow delivery down to a block, a building or a group of P.O. boxes.

The page shows the ZIP code recorded on the map for the spot where you are, normally the 5-digit form. For the full ZIP+4 of a street address, use the USPS ZIP Code lookup.

Postal code formats by country

Some codes are far more precise than others. A full UK postcode covers about 15 addresses on average, often one side of a street, and a Canadian postal code in a city often a single block face or one large building. A US ZIP code or an Indian PIN code covers a much larger area, often a whole neighborhood or several villages.

Postal code of another address, street or area

You don't need to be there. There are two ways to look up the postal code of any point:

• With the search box. Type the street and city into “Or look up another place” and tap “Search”. If there are several matches, they appear as a list.
• With the map. Zoom in to the block you are interested in and tap the spot. The page shows the postal code, address and neighborhood of that point.

In big cities a long road often runs through several postal codes. The search may then list the street more than once, one result per section. Pick the section in your neighborhood, or tap the building directly on the map.

How reliable is the postal code shown?

The postal code comes from OpenStreetMap, a map maintained by volunteers. In cities it is very reliable. In rural areas, in new developments or on the border between two postal codes it may be missing or belong to the next area. When there is no code for the exact point and we use the one for the surrounding area, it is marked “approx.”

For official paperwork or important mail, confirm it with the postal service: USPS ZIP Code lookup, India Post, Royal Mail postcode finder or Canada Post postal code finder.

When you need your postal code

• Online orders and deliveries. Shops use it to work out shipping costs, delivery times and whether they deliver to you at all.
• Forms. Banks, insurers and government offices use it to complete your address.
• Card payments. Some terminals, such as gas pumps in the US, ask for the ZIP code of your card's billing address, which is not necessarily where you are now.
• Finding local services. Pharmacies, polling places, courier pickup points and repair services are often searched by postal code.

Need the street and house number too? See what is my address. Everything together on one map is on my current location.