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Your questions answered
Frequently asked questions postcode/address finder
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How do I search for a postcode?
To search for a postcode, select the Postcode Finder tab at the top of the Postcode/Address Finder page. Then enter as much of the address information as you know. The more you can enter, the more likely we are to be able to find the right match and limit the amount of results you’ll have to look through.
To get the best results, always try to enter any of the following combinations: - Number, Building, Street and Town;
- Number, Street and Town;
- Building, Street and Town;
- Building and Town;
- Building and Street;
- Street and Town;
- Street only;
Then click Search.
You’ll then be shown a list of any addresses that match your search.
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How do I search for an address?
To find an address, you must enter its full postcode, e.g. SE10 5RJ
Select the Address Finder tab at the top of the Postcode/Address Finder page, fill in the postcode field and click Search.
You’ll then be shown a list of all addresses that match your search.
To narrow your search, you can also add a house number and/or building name.
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Why do I have to type in a code before I can use the Postcode/Address Finder?
Postcode and address information is a valuable asset both to Royal Mail and other businesses. Many businesses use postcode address information on mailings, to update their own databases, or to provide services to other businesses such as internet applications or data cleansing. The code you type is part of something called a Turing Test, and this is purely to prevent automated systems being able to unlawfully exploit the information. Alan Turing was a pioneer of computer science. He defined a test in which a computer and a person would be asked the same questions to see if human and artificial intelligence could be distinguished. In this instance they can: the code you are asked to enter is presented in a way that is unreadable by a computer.
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The address I’m using is not in a town and/or is not on a street.
Town
If the address you’re using doesn’t have a town as such, you can enter a district, village, city or offshore island name (e.g. Jersey) in the ‘town’ field’ instead. Please remember that you will still need to enter either a street or building name, or both.
Street
You can enter any type of street in this field, whether it’s called ‘Road’, ‘Street’, ‘Lane’ or anything else. If the address you’re using isn’t on a street of any sort, either try searching by completing as many of the other fields as possible, like building name, town or building number.
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How do I search by building?
Postcode Finder
To find a postcode enter the building along with any or all of the following: - house/building number
- street
- town.
Address Finder
To find an address, enter the building name along with the postcode. You can also enter the house or building number
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How do I search by street?
You can search using a street name on its own or in conjunction with a number, building and/or town.
Please note: you can only search by street for postcodes, not addresses.
You can use the following abbreviations: | Abbreviation | Whole Word | Abbreviation | Whole Word |
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| Av or Ave | Avenue | La | Lane | | Cl | Close | Pde | Parade | | Cres | Crescent | Pk | Park | | Ct | Court | Pl | Place | | Dr | Drive | Rd | Road | | Est | Estate | Sq | Square | | Gdns | Gardens | St | Street | | Gr | Grove | Ter | Terrace |
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How do I search by town?
In the field marked ‘town’ you can enter a district, village, town, city or offshore island name (e.g. Jersey), not just a town. You’ll also need to enter the street and/or building information.
If your search is unsuccessful, try entering less information. Alternatively, try replacing the town name you’ve entered with the name of a larger town near the address you’re looking for.
The Postcode Finder will not be able to complete a search with just a county name in the town field.
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How do I search by building, business, street or town if I’m not sure of their names?
Try to spell any words as best you can, as the system uses a “sounds like” facility, which may be able to find a match.
Remember, you can refine your search by entering any other address information you have in the other fields.
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How do I search by flat number or business name?
These options are available in our detailed search for postcodes. You can get to this using the button at the bottom of the Postcode Finder page.
Whichever of these you search by, you must also enter a street and/or building name.
You can also enter a house number or town to refine your search.
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My newly built house is not listed
If you’ve recently moved into a newly built house and your address or postcode is not listed, please use our Enquiry form to let us know.
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I can’t find the postcode or address I’m looking for
If you can’t find a postcode, you may want to try using our Detailed Search, allowing you to add flat numbers and/or business names to your other search entries. If your search is still unsuccessful, please use our Enquiry Form to let us know and we’ll be in touch shortly after receiving your enquiry.
If you can’t find an address, try adding a building or business name and/or the building/house number if you know them. If you still aren’t able to find what you’re looking for, please use our Enquiry Form to tell us about it.
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Welsh/English address versions
Welsh and English versions are available for some street names and towns in Wales. To see if there is a Welsh version available of an address, simply click on the ‘Welsh’ link on the search page. And vice versa if you have searched in Welsh and want to know if an English version is available.
If you click on the link and the address doesn’t change, this is because it is only available in one language.
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Why do I have to register for the Postcode/Address Finder?
We know that many people do not like having to register and log in whenever they want to look up a Postcode, so we've introduced three searches before customers are asked to register or log in. Our research shows that this number of daily searches is sufficient for most of our customers. We also provide a 'Remember Me' facility. Postcode and address information is a valuable asset both to Royal Mail and other businesses. Many businesses use postcode address information on mailings, to update their own databases, or to provide services to other businesses such as internet applications or data cleansing. More details on Royal Mail address products.
Registration and log-in mean that we are protecting the postcode and address information by preventing people from having unlimited access to our data.
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Why can I only make 15 searches per day?
When the Postcode/Address Finder was first launched it was freely accessible but some businesses were downloading lots of postcode and address information every day.
Registration and login means we’re protecting the postcode and address information, preventing people abusing the system and making it fair for everyone.
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What if I need to make more than 15 searches per day?
If you often need to make a lot of searches, we have a range of address management products to help with all your address and postcode needs, and they’re available from Royal Mail direct, or from licensed resellers. You can find out about these on our Managing Address Data page (see question 21) or by calling us on 0845 606 6854.
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Why is it important for me to get an address right?
Whatever you send through the post, whether it's business post or a holiday postcard, the right address, including the full postcode, ensures we get it there in the quickest possible time.
As you would expect, many of our sorting processes are automated these days, and correctly addressed mail passes through them more quickly and efficiently.
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How should an address be laid out on an envelope?
A correct address is made up of the following elements, in this order: - number and street name, e.g. 3 High St
- locality name (optional), e.g. Hedge End
- town (please print in capitals), e.g. SOUTHAMPTON
- postcode (please print in capitals, in full, and on a separate line), e.g. SO31 4NG
- county (optional. You do not need to include a County name if the Town and Postcode are used).
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Are there any rules for typing an address on an envelope?
There are a few simple guides which make for good readability by both humans and our machines, and these are: - When typing an address on an envelope or postal label, a sans serif typeface is best, particularly Courier, Courier New, Arial, Avant Garde, Franklin Gothic, Geneva, Helvetica or Univers
- Use black type between 8 and 27 point (10 to 15 is ideal)
- Do NOT use an italic typeface or one that resembles calligraphy.
Following these guidelines will help our system process your item as fast and efficiently as possible.
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What is a postcode?
A postcode is a group of numbers and letters that give precise and essential information about a mail item’s destination. It’s made up of several parts, each of which provides us with specific information.
Example: SO31 4NG
This breaks down as follows:
Outward Code: SO31
SO = the postcode area. One or two letters identify the main office the mail initially goes to.
31 = the postcode District. One or two characters, numeric except, occasionally, in central London. This helps to sort the item at the main office.
Inward Code: 4NG
4 = the Sector. A number defining a neighbourhood within a district.
NG = the Unit code. Two letters that identify a group of approximately 15 addresses.
Please make sure you use full, correct postcodes. The Postcode Finder is designed to help you do this.
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How does “Remember me” work?
We have a 'remember me' facility where you only need to log in once. When you register or log in a 'cookie' will be placed on your computer. This means that the next time you come to Postcode/Address Finder the website will know you are already logged in so you won't have to do it again. Please note that you should not use this facility on shared computers.
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Further help
If you have any more questions about postcodes or addresses call us on 08456 066 854. Our opening hours are 08.30 - 17.00 Monday to Friday. Here's more information on our address management products.
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