Editing Postal codes in Canada (section)

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{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

A '''Canadian postal code''' ({{langx|fr|code postal}}) is a six-character [[String (computer science)|string]] that forms part of a [[mail|postal]] [[address]] in [[Canada]].<ref name=canadapostglossary_postalcode>{{cite web|title=Canada Postal Guide – Addressing Guidelines|publisher=Canada Post|date=11 January 2016|url=https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGaddress-e.asp#1449273|access-date=11 January 2016}}</ref> Like [[Postcodes in the United Kingdom|British]], [[Postal addresses in the Republic of Ireland#Eircode|Irish]], [[Postal codes in the Netherlands|Dutch]], and [[Postal codes in Argentina|Argentinian]] postcodes, Canada's [[postal code]]s are [[alphanumeric]]. They are in the format ''A1A 1A1'', where ''A'' is a letter and ''1'' is a digit, with a space separating the third and fourth characters. As of October 2019, there were 876,445 postal codes,<ref name="GreatData.com Canadian Postal Code">{{cite web|title=Canadian Postal Code Database|url=https://greatdata.com/product/canada-postal-code-database|website=GreatData.com|access-date=21 October 2019|ref=CanadaPost.ca}}</ref> using ''forward sortation areas'' (FSAs), from A0A in [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]] to Y1A in [[Yukon]].

[[Canada Post]] provides a postal code look-up tool on its website<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/postalcode/fpc.jsf|title=Canada Post – Find a Postal Code|author=Canada Post|access-date=11 April 2016}}
</ref> and via its mobile application,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/tools/mobileapp/default.jsf|publisher=Canada Post|title=Mobile Apps|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110519093024/http://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/tools/mobileapp/default.jsf|archive-date=19 May 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and sells hard-copy directories and [[CD-ROM]]s. Many vendors also sell validation tools, which allow customers to properly match addresses and postal codes. Hard-copy directories can also be consulted in all post offices, and some libraries.

In writing out the postal address for a location within Canada, the postal code follows the [[Canadian postal abbreviations for provinces and territories|abbreviation for the province or territory]].

{{Canada provinces map|border=none|align=right|BC = List of V postal codes of Canada|AB = List of T postal codes of Canada|SK = List of S postal codes of Canada|MB = List of R postal codes of Canada|ON = List of P postal codes of Canada|QC = List of G postal codes of Canada|NB = List of E postal codes of Canada|PE = List of C postal codes of Canada|NS = List of B postal codes of Canada|NL = List of A postal codes of Canada|YT = List of Y postal codes of Canada|NT = List of X postal codes of Canada|NU = List of X postal codes of Canada|map=Canadian postal district map.svg|width =300px|caption=Postal codes by province and territory}}