Global Sourcebook for International Data Management

                                         by Graham Rhind

Postal country codes

For international mail posted in certain countries (mainly in Europe), a country code may be used immediately in front of the postal code, split from the code with a hyphen. This should be used in addition to the country name. This enables mail to be machine-read and routed automatically. These codes may only be used when the mail is posted within one of the participating countries. You should check with the postal authorities on whether they participate in this scheme and which codes are used.

Note that those countries where the postal code starts with letters, such as the United Kingdom, prefer that these codes are not used as they cause confusion. Thus, the letter posted to CH-1234 may end up in Chester, UK, rather than Switzerland, causing delays.

These are some of the country codes used:

The ISO 3166-2 letter code may, in some cases, also be used instead of the codes given above. Thus, both E and ES may be used for Spain. The rules applying to the use of country codes should be verified with the postal authorities of the country of origin.

These countries are currently using country codes on their international mail:

   Bulgaria
   Croatia
   Finland
   Greece
   Haiti
   Hungary
   Iceland
   Latvia
   Lithuania
   Luxembourg
   Macedonia
   Moldova
   Norway
   The Netherlands
   Slovenia
   Sweden

Every effort is made to keep this resource updated. If you find any errors, or have any questions or requests, please don't hesitate to contact the author.

All information copyright Graham Rhind 2024. Any information used should be acknowledged and referenced.