A ZIP code is a US postal code. The term “postal code” is the general name used in most other countries. The underlying job is the same: route mail to a delivery area.
US ZIP codes
A US ZIP code is five digits. ZIP+4 adds four digits for a more specific delivery segment. The first digit represents a broad region, and the following digits narrow it down.
International postal codes
Canada uses an alphanumeric code, the UK uses a variable alphanumeric postcode, Germany uses five digits, Japan uses seven digits with a hyphen, and Hong Kong does not use postal codes at all.
What to do in a form
Label the field correctly for the country. Do not force a five-digit pattern on every country, and allow leading zeros. Store the value as text, not as a number.
Questions
- A spreadsheet or database may treat the code as a number. Format the column as text before importing or exporting.
- No. Hong Kong and the UAE are common examples of places that do not use postal codes for mail delivery.
Why do leading zeros disappear?+
Does every country have postal codes?+
Examples are synthetic. Do not use a generated address for identity checks, account registration, or delivery.