Postal code - what is it?

Everyone who has ever sent a package by mail knows for sure what zip postal code is. In Russian this will mean the postal code. If you still do not know what it is, then this article is for you.

Definition

Postal code (postal code) is a set of digits and characters assigned to a postal item. Simply put, in order to simplify the sorting and transfer of parcels, a special code was introduced. If the destination country and postal code are known, the letter or parcel will be able to reach the desired post office, even if the rest of the address was erased.

Currently, zip codes are used in 192 countries of the world, which are part of the Universal Postal Union. Despite the fact that the countries are united in a single system, in different regions it is customary to introduce a different designation.

Some countries use the alphanumeric alphabet to number their post offices, others only numbers.

Using

If you need to send a parcel to another city, let alone another country, the knowledge of the index is a prerequisite for registration. Without it, you simply can not accept the departure. And if the mail worker is still able to tell you when sending to Russia, then when you deliver abroad, you better specify it from the recipient. Otherwise your parcel can leave in a completely different direction.

When you specify an address on a letter or box, the index can be located in different places. In most English-speaking countries, the index is accepted to be registered after the recipient's settlement, but in Russia and some other countries (for example, Germany), the index is placed to the city. However, often this is a recommendation character, and you can finish indexing at the end of the address, if you forgot to do it earlier.

Format

As already mentioned, the postal code or postal code can be written in different ways. Let's take a look at some examples, and start with our homeland.

• In Russia, the postal code is written in the form of XXXYUU, where the first three digits of XXX are the city code, and the UUU is the post office number. Thus, when the parcel is delivered at the index of 236010, it will come to the city of Kaliningrad to 10 post offices, and if the code 236039 - to the same city, but already to mail 39. Therefore, if you order something on the Internet, it is very important Write an index, otherwise your parcel can come to the other end of the city.
• In Germany, indices are used, not too different from ours. For example, D-80331 München, where "D" is the country code, and the digits are the number of the region and the postal zone.
• In the US, the postal code consists of nine characters: XXXXX-UUUU, in which X is the locality number (city, district), and U - postal service numbers.