UPCS Code vs Postal Code Compared

A postal code and a UPCS code answer different questions. A postal code tells a postal operator which area a delivery belongs to. A UPCS code tells a person exactly where, within a 3 m x 3 m cell, to go. They are designed to be used together.

Side by side

	Postal code	UPCS code
Purpose	Mail sorting and routing	Exact location sharing
Covers	An area, street or group of addresses	A 3 m x 3 m cell
Issued by	National postal operator or authority	UPCS, not a government
Official	Yes, for postal purposes	No
Format	Varies by country	CC-XXXX-XXXX
Available everywhere	Not in every country	In 25 supported countries

Purpose

Postal codes exist so that mail can be sorted efficiently. They are part of an official address and are used by postal and many commercial systems. A UPCS code exists so a driver, guest or technician can open a pin and arrive at the right entrance.

Size

A postal code usually covers many addresses. Even in countries with fine-grained postcodes, the area is normally larger than a doorway, and some countries use one code for an entire district. A UPCS code corresponds to one small cell. For the cell size, see what a 3 m x 3 m UPCS cell means.

Format

Every country defines its postal code format; some use digits, some letters and digits, and some have none. A UPCS code has the same shape everywhere: CC-XXXX-XXXX, with a two-letter country prefix. See UPCS code format explained.

Status

A UPCS code is not an official postal code and does not replace national postal systems. See are UPCS codes official.

How to use both

Fill in the official postal address and postal code as usual. Add the UPCS code as an extra line so the last-mile driver knows exactly where to stop. See how to write a digital address in forms.

Wider comparison

For the general contrast between digital and postal addresses, read digital address vs postal address. For country-specific postal code formats, browse the countries hub.