GN 02605: Processing Change of Address

Effective Dates: 06/05/2018 - Present

TN 33 (06-18)

A. Introduction to Foreign Postal Codes

Like the U.S. postal system, most foreign postal systems rely on postal codes to sort mail for fast delivery. Show foreign postal codes only if available from the file or if the beneficiary provides one, unless instructed differently below. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) website provides a list of foreign postal codes. The UPU has 192 member countries, including the United States, and is a specialized agency of the United Nations. The UPU website is a source to obtain the correct foreign postal code. To access the UPU website use this link: (http://www.upu.int/en/resources/postcodes/looking-up-a-postcode/list-of-sites-by-country.html).

Select the country name, and then select ‘Search for a postcode’. Following are guidelines on entering postal codes for some specific foreign locations.

B. Description of the Belgian Postal Codes

The Belgian postal system uses four-digit postal codes. A Belgian address for any locality with a post office shows the four-digit number before the name of the locality, on the same line. Example:

First and Last Name

Street and Address Number

Postal Code and City

BELGIUM

Locate the Belgian postal code from the Belgian postal system website via the UPU website. The Belgian postal system webpages are in French and Flemish (Belgian Dutch), but require no special foreign language skill. The French term for locality is ‘localité’, and the French term for postal code is ‘code postal’.

If you know the locality and need to know the corresponding postal code, enter the locality, and the postal code(s) for that locality will appear. This webpage also has links to .pdf webpages that provide lists of postal codes by code, alphabetically by locality name, and by province. If the correct code is uncertain do not show any code.

C. Description of the Canadian Postal Codes

The Canadian postal system uses postal codes consisting of six alphabetical (A) and numerical (N) characters as follows:

There is always a space between the first three characters and the last three characters.
ANA NAN where “A” represents a letter of the alphabet and “N” represents a number.

Locate Canadian postal codes by street address, locality, and province from the Canadian postal system website via the UPU website. Make every effort to locate the correct postal code for all awards and changes of address. However, do not show a code if you cannot locate the correct one. The postal code is the only entry on the last line of the address, followed by the consular code on the same line. Example:

First and Last Name

Number and Street

Town/City Province Canada

ANA NAN

D. Description of the German Postal Codes

The German postal system uses five-digit numeric postal codes. Each city, town, village, and hamlet has a postal code. Example:

First and Last Name

Street and Address Number

Postal Code and City

GERMANY

Postal code not provided

When the beneficiary or claimant does not provide the postal code, refer to the UPU website in GN 02605.915A in this section to find the correct postal code. The person preparing the letter or input form will provide the correct postal code. Show the postal code in all written correspondence. Enter the postal code before the named city, town, village, or hamlet in the address, on the same line.

E. Description of Italian Postal Codes

The Italian postal system assigns each city a five-digit postal code. Show the postal code on all Italian correspondence. Enter the postal code in front of the named city in the address, on the same line. A two-letter provincial code follows the named city. Example:

First and Last Name

Street and Address Number

Postal Code and Village/Town/City and Two-Letter Provincial Code

ITALY

Locate the postal code and the provincial code from the Italian postal system website via the UPU website. If the correct code is uncertain, do not show any code.

F. Description of Mexican Postal Codes

The Mexican postal code is a five-digit number. The postal code should be the first entry on the next to the last line of the address. Only show the postal code if it is available in the file or if the beneficiary provides it. A three-letter state code (or the abbreviation ‘CDMX’ for Mexico City) follows the name of the locality. Example:

First and Last Name

Street and Address Number

Postal Code and Village/Town/City, Three-Letter State Code (or CDMX for Mexico City)

MEXICO

IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not, under any circumstances, show the Mexican postal code on the last line of the address. The U.S. postal authorities airmail checks to Mexico, and can misroute a check if the Mexican postal code is on the last line of the address, since the postal code looks like a U.S. ZIP code.

G. Description of Philippines Postal Codes

1. General Information about Philippines Postal Codes

Under the Philippines postal system, each post office has a four-digit code. The first two digits represent the province and the last two digits represent the post office within the province. Example:

First and Last Name

Address Number and Building Number

Street and Village/Town/City/Suburb

Postal Code and Name of Province or Metropolitan Area

PHILIPPINES

2. Postal Code Not Provided

When the beneficiary or claimant does not provide the postal code, refer to the UPU website in GN 02605.915A in this section to find the correct postal code. Enter the Philippines postal code before the name of the province, on a different line from “Philippines.” The province's name and the postal code should be on a separate line of the address. If the correct code is uncertain, do not show any code.

H. Description of Swiss (Switzerland) and Liechtenstein Postal Codes

1. General Information about Swiss and Liechtenstein Postal Codes

Swiss and Liechtenstein postal codes are four-digit numbers. Example:

First and Last Name

Street and Address Number

Postal Code and Town/City

SWITZERLAND

First and Last Name

Street and Address Number

Postal Code and Town/City

LIECHTENSTEIN

2. Postal Code Not Provided

When the beneficiary or claimant does not provide the postal code, please refer to the UPU website in GN 02605.915A in this section to find the correct postal code through the search feature on the Swiss postal service website. This is in English, as well as other languages. Locate the postal code for all Swiss and Liechtenstein addresses. Enter the code before every locality that has a post office. If the correct code is uncertain, do not show any code.

I. Countries of the Former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia-Postal Codes

The names of the countries that emerged from the break-up of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are as follows:

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Slovenia

Croatia

Macedonia (the former Yugoslav Republic of)

Montenegro

Serbia

Kosovo

If possible, obtain the postal codes for locations in these countries from their postal system websites via the UPU website in GN 02605.915A in this section. Postal codes for their capital cities are below.

1. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Enter the five-digit postal code before the name of the location in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina is Sarajevo. The postal code for Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina is 71000. If the correct code is uncertain, do not show any code. Example:

First and Last Name

Street and Address Number