How to Find an Italian CAP (Postal Code)

The most reliable way to find an Italian CAP is the lookup published by the national postal operator, Poste Italiane. Enter the town, the street and the house number, and the tool returns the code that its sorting system uses.

Small towns and large cities

In a small comune, the town name is enough, because there is typically one CAP for the whole municipality. In a large city the code depends on the zone, and a single street can cross zone limits. In those cases the house number decides which code applies, so always look up the full address and not only the street.

Using the province

Many Italian town names repeat across provinces. When a lookup returns several results with the same name, use the province abbreviation to pick the right one. If the province is missing from the address you were given, ask for it.

Other sources

• Earlier letters, bills and invoices addressed to the property.
• An account with a retailer that has already validated the address.
• The municipality, which keeps records of streets and numbers.
• A neighbour, a building administrator (amministratore) or the landlord for apartment buildings.

Verifying the result

First confirm the shape: five digits and no other characters, as covered in Italy postal code format explained. Then check that the town and province in the result match what you expect. If the street number has a letter or a colour suffix, make sure you used it in the search.

If you are unsure

• Do not guess. A CAP from the next district looks plausible but may slow delivery.
• Ask the recipient to send a photo or transcription of a recent letter.
• For new housing areas or recently renamed streets, check with the municipality.
• Add the name on the doorbell and a note about how to reach the entrance.

Adding an exact point

For addresses in historic centres, courtyards or rural areas, a UPCS code can sit beside the CAP. Select the entrance on the UPCS map and keep the IT code (placeholder: IT-XXXX-XXXX) with the address. It is not issued by the postal operator and does not change the CAP. Return to the Italy overview or see delivery and addressing challenges.