How to Find an Address With a Post Code

Postal codes divide a country into districts.

Postal codes are designed to give the post office in any country a quick idea of where mail needs to be sent. A country is divided into separate districts that correspond to a postal code. While you will not be able to find the exact location of an address with a postal code, you can find which area of the country, which part of a city (in some cases), and even which street a postal code corresponds to.

Instructions

1. Find as complete a postal code as you can. For example, in the United States, the ZIP (zone improvement plan) code system, first developed in the 1960's when business mail expanded dramatically, now has an added four digits that help the U.S. Postal Service find even more specific areas for mail.

2. Input the postal code into an online address finder keyed to that country, such as the UK Postcode Finder for UK post codes or the National Address and ZIP + 4 Browser or the US Postal Services ZIP Code Lookup service for U.S. ZIP codes. When you type "G12 0QA" into the UK Postcode Finder, for instance, you learn that addresses with that postal code are not only in Glasgow but on Winton Drive in Lanarkshire.

3. Type in as much information about the postal code as possible to ensure better and complete results. If you have the four digits for the U.S. ZIP code, enter it to find the specific area of the ZIP code the address is in.

4. Use an online mapping service such as MapQuest or Google Maps to help you find the exact location of a certain area of a city for a postal code.

References

• History of ZIP Code - US Postal Service

Resources

• UK Postcode Finder
• National Address and ZIP + 4 Browser
• USPS: ZIP Code Lookup