China
China Postal Code Format Explained
China's postal code is six digits. Learn how province, city and delivery area are encoded, what valid formats look like and common input errors.
Updated 14 October 2026 · 3 min read
A Chinese postal code is six digits long, written as NNNNNN. It is used throughout the national postal system operated by China Post, and also appears on courier forms and online shop checkouts.
What the six digits represent
The code is hierarchical, with the leading digits describing the larger area and the later digits narrowing down to a delivery office:
| Digits | Meaning |
|---|---|
| First two | Province-level region (province, municipality or autonomous region) |
| Third | Postal zone or city within that region |
| Fourth | County, district or delivery area |
| Last two | Specific delivery office or post office |
Because of this structure, codes in one city usually share the first three or four digits. The detail of which number belongs to which place is something to look up, not to work out from a pattern.
Valid format examples
The values below are generic and only illustrate form:
NNNNNN— six digits, no separators: valid.NNN NNN— a space in the middle: not the standard form, remove the space for forms.NNNNN— five digits: incomplete.NNNNNNN— seven digits: too long, possibly mixed with another country's format.
Common mistakes
- Using the code of the city centre for a suburb. Large cities and surrounding districts have more than one code, so the one for the actual district should be used.
- Mixing up with phone area codes. Chinese phone area codes are also used in conversation, and they have a different length and purpose.
- Typing the code in the wrong field. Some forms in China ask for the code before the province, while international forms put it last. Match the layout of the form in front of you.
- Confusing it with a UPCS code.
CN-XXXX-XXXXis an unofficial exact-location code with a country prefix and two blocks, and it is a different thing from the six-digit postal code.
Where the code stops being useful
The six-digit number gets a parcel to the right area. Within a city, couriers rely on the district, street, compound name, building and room. A UPCS code can be attached to the address to mark the precise entrance, which can help with large compounds and gated communities. It does not replace the postal code, and you can generate one on the UPCS map.
Continue with how to write a China address or return to the China overview.
Frequently asked questions
How many digits is a Chinese postal code?
It has six digits, written as one continuous number with no spaces or hyphens.
Where is the postal code placed in a Chinese address?
In domestic Chinese addresses it is usually written at the top, before the province and city. In English-style addresses it is placed at the end of the address with the city.