Editing Postal code (section)

{{short description|Series of letters and digits for sorting mail}}
{{redirect|Post code|computer POST codes|Power-on self-test}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2015}}
[[File:Farrer post code.jpg|thumb|300px|Post office sign in [[Farrer, Australian Capital Territory]], showing [[Postcodes in Australia|postcode]] 2607]]

A '''postal code''' (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a '''postcode''', '''post code''', '''PIN''' or '''ZIP Code''') is a series of letters or [[numerical digit|digits]] or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a [[postal address]] for the purpose of sorting [[mail]].

{{As of|2021|8|post=,|url=https://www.upu.int/en/Postal-Solutions/Programmes-Services/Addressing-Solutions?csid=20&cid=315}} the [[Universal Postal Union]] lists 160 countries which require the use of a postal code.<ref>{{citation|title=General Addressing Issues|date=3 August 2021|access-date=1 June 2022|url=https://www.upu.int/UPU/media/upu/documents/PostCode/General-Addressing-Issues.pdf|publisher=[[Universal Postal Union]]|article=Addressing knowledge centre|article-url=https://www.upu.int/en/Postal-Solutions/Programmes-Services/Addressing-Solutions?csid=20&cid=315}}</ref>

Although postal codes are usually assigned to geographical areas, special codes are sometimes assigned to individual addresses or to institutions that receive large volumes of mail, such as government agencies and large commercial companies. One example is the French [[Cedex (France)|CEDEX]] system.