ADDRESS GUIDES

ZIP, postcode, postal code, or PIN?

Different names, different shapes. A practical guide to keeping postal fields flexible.

One field, several conventions

ZIP is the US label, postcode is commonly used in the UK, and PIN is used in India. Postal code is a useful international label. The field should be text rather than a number.

United States   02108
United Kingdom  SW1A 1AA
Canada          M5V 2T6
India           110001
Japan           160-0022

Preserve spaces and leading zeros

A spreadsheet can silently turn 02108 into 2108. Set imported postal columns to text. CSV quoting alone does not force a spreadsheet’s data type; choose the type in the import dialog or use JSON for automated workflows.

preserving leading zeros in CSV imports →

Validate in context

Do not use one global regular expression as proof of address quality. Select a format rule using the country, keep optional fields optional, and distinguish a formatting error from a delivery verification failure.

Generator →