Validation & Standard Mailing Envelope Results
How Does PostalCodes.info Validate International Postal Codes & Format UPU S42 Addresses?
The PostalCodes.info UPU S42 Postal Code Validator & Address Format Builder verifies batch postal codes against regular-expression masks and live WGS84 centroids across 249 ISO-3166-1 countries, automatically generating compliant Address Line 1, Address Line 2, and Locality/Postcode envelope layouts. It prevents the three primary causes of cross-border parcel rejection: spreadsheet leading-zero truncation (US 00501–09898, Spain 01–09, Germany 01–09), alphanumeric separator errors (UK SW1A 1AA, Canada M5V 2T6, Ireland Eircode D02 AF30), and mandatory checkout failures in non-postal countries (UAE 00000). Developers can also install our open-source SDK postalcodes-upu-regex v1.0.0.
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International Postal Code Systems & Address Formats by Country
| Country | Format | Example | Directory & Cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (ZIP) | NNNNN / NNNNN-NNNN | 10001 (New York) | US Cities → · Prefixes → |
| Spain / España (CP) | NNNNN (01001–52006) | 28001 (Madrid) | Cities → · Prefixes → |
| Mexico / México (SEPOMEX / SAT) | NNNNN (5 digits) | 06600 (CDMX) | Cities → · Prefixes → |
| Brazil / Brasil (CEP Correios) | NNNNN-NNN (8 digits) | 01000-000 (São Paulo) | Cities → · Prefixes → |
| Portugal (CTT) | NNNN-NNN (7 digits) | 1000-001 (Lisboa) | Cities → · Prefixes → |
| Colombia (4-72) | NNNNNN (6 digits) | 110111 (Bogotá) | Cities → · Prefixes → |
| United Kingdom (Royal Mail) | AA9A 9AA / A9 9AA | SW1A (London) | Cities → · Prefixes → |
| Canada (Canada Post FSA) | A9A 9A9 (Alphanumeric) | M5V (Toronto) | Cities → · Prefixes → |
Address Line 1 & Line 2 Builder + International Format Checker
Select a country and enter your street & apartment/suite/floor to generate the exact postal standard (USPS Pub 28 / Royal Mail / Canada Post / UPU S42) and checkout fallback code.
✈️ Countries Without Postal Codes & International Checkout Guide (UAE 00000, HK, Eircode)
Over 50 jurisdictions either do not use traditional numeric postal codes for door-to-door delivery or recently introduced alphanumeric smart routing codes. Here is what to enter when an online checkout or billing form marks the ZIP / Postal Code field as mandatory:
| Country / Territory | Official Addressing System | Mandatory Checkout Fallback | Directory Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi) | Emirates Post P.O. Box + 10-digit Makani building number | 00000 (or N/A) + P.O. Box | Explore UAE → |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland (Dublin, Cork, Galway) | 7-character alphanumeric Eircode (Routing Key + Unique Identifier) | D01 F5P2 / A65 F4E2 | Explore Ireland → |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR | District + Street/Building + Floor/Flat (no domestic postal code) | 000000 or 999077 (CN post) | Explore HK → |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar (Doha) / 🇧🇸 Bahamas | Qatar Enwani (Zone + Street + Building) / P.O. Box | 00000 | Explore Qatar → |
Frequently Asked Questions: Postal Code Validation & Formats
How do I validate if a postal code or ZIP code is real?
Enter a single code or paste up to 25 codes in our Validator. It verifies both the official country syntax pattern and real existence in our 1.82M+ global postal database, returning the verified city, region, coordinates and standard envelope lines.
What is the standard international address format (UPU S42)?
International mailing addresses follow Universal Postal Union (UPU S42) rules: in the US, UK, Canada and Australia the postal code goes after the city/state (e.g. NEW YORK, NY 10001); in mainland Europe and Latin America it precedes the city (e.g. 28001 MADRID); and in Brazil the 8-digit CEP goes on its own line below the city-UF (01001-000).