What is PIN code? A PIN code is the 6-digit number that India Post uses to sort and deliver mail to the right post office. Every address in India has one, and every Indian form that asks for your address asks for it.
PIN code full form
The PIN code full form is Postal Index Number. People also call it pincode, pin code or postal code. Since "PIN" already includes the word number, "PIN code" is a little repeated, but it is the most common way to say it.
History of the PIN code in India
The PIN system was introduced on 15 August 1972. It was brought in by Shriram Bhikaji Velankar, who was then an additional secretary in the Ministry of Communications.
Before PIN codes, postal workers had to read the full address and know place names by heart. India has many towns and villages with the same or similar names, and addresses are written in many languages. A number solved this. A sorter could send a letter in the right direction just by reading six digits.
Today India Post runs 23 postal circles, plus a separate Base Circle for the Army Postal Service. The India Post directory on data.gov.in lists over 19,000 pincodes and more than 1.65 lakh post offices.
What each digit of the 6 digit pin code of India means
A PIN code is read from left to right, from the biggest area to the smallest. Take 110001 as an example:
| Digit | In 110001 | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| 1st digit | 1 | Postal zone (one of 9) |
| 2nd digit | 1 | Sub zone within the zone |
| 3rd digit | 0 | With the first two digits, the sorting district |
| 4th to 6th digits | 001 | The delivery post office within that sorting district |
So 110 means the Delhi sorting district, and 001 is a delivery area in central New Delhi that includes Connaught Place and Sansad Marg. Every pincode in Delhi starts with 110. Every pincode in Lucknow starts with 226, and every pincode in Mumbai city starts with 400.
A large state can have several sorting districts, so it can have several three-digit starts. A sorting district is a mail handling area. It does not always match the revenue district that you see on a map.
The 9 PIN code zones of India
India is split into 9 postal zones. Eight are regional zones. The ninth is a functional zone for the Army Postal Service. The first digit of every India pin code tells you the zone.
| First digit | Region | States and union territories |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North | Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Chandigarh |
| 2 | North | Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| 3 | West | Rajasthan, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |
| 4 | West | Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh |
| 5 | South | Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka |
| 6 | South | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep |
| 7 | East | West Bengal, Odisha, the North East (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura), Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| 8 | East | Bihar, Jharkhand |
| 9 | Army Postal Service | Army Post Offices and Field Post Offices for the armed forces |
A few post offices near state borders carry a pincode from the next zone, because they are served by a sorting office across the border. So the first digit is a strong guide, but always check the district and state on the pincode page.
Pin code vs zip code vs postal code
All three do the same job. They are numbers or codes that help the post office sort mail by area. The name changes by country.
- PIN code is the Indian name. It always has 6 digits.
- ZIP code is the name used in the United States. ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan. The US Postal Service started it on 1 July 1963 with a 5-digit code.
- Postal code is the general term used around the world. The UK calls it a postcode and mixes letters and numbers.
So what is postal code or what is zip code for India? If a foreign website asks for a "zip code" or "zip/postal code", simply type your 6-digit Indian pincode. The zip code meaning is the same as pincode here: the code of your postal area. Postal code meaning is also the same.
Pin code kya hota hai (पिन कोड क्या होता है)
पिन कोड 6 अंकों का एक नंबर है। भारतीय डाक (India Post) इसकी मदद से चिट्ठी और पार्सल को सही डाकघर तक पहुँचाता है। पिन कोड का पूरा नाम पोस्टल इंडेक्स नंबर (Postal Index Number) है। इसकी शुरुआत 15 अगस्त 1972 को हुई थी।
पिन कोड का पहला अंक डाक क्षेत्र (zone) बताता है। दूसरा अंक उप क्षेत्र बताता है। पहले तीन अंक मिलकर छँटाई जिला (sorting district) बताते हैं। आख़िरी तीन अंक उस डाकघर को बताते हैं जो डाक बाँटता है। जैसे दिल्ली के सभी पिन कोड 110 से शुरू होते हैं।
ज़िप कोड (zip code) और पोस्टल कोड (postal code) का मतलब भी यही है। ज़िप कोड अमेरिका में इस्तेमाल होता है। अगर कोई फ़ॉर्म zip code या postal code माँगे, तो अपना 6 अंकों का पिन कोड लिख दें।
How to do a pin code search
- Type a 6-digit pincode or an area name in the search box on the home page.
- Pick the result with the right district and state.
- Open the pincode page to see every post office it covers.
Do not know where you are? Use pincode of my location. To check how far two pincodes are, use the pincode distance tool.
Post office words you may see
- H.O is a Head Office, S.O is a Sub Office and B.O is a Branch Office. Branch offices are small offices, mostly in villages.
- BPM full form in post office is Branch Postmaster. The BPM runs a branch office.
- ABPM full form in post office is Assistant Branch Postmaster. The ABPM helps the BPM and often delivers mail. Both are Gramin Dak Sevak posts.
- Delivery and non-delivery offices: a delivery office sends postmen to homes. A non-delivery office books mail but does not deliver it.
- Missent meaning in post office: missent means an item was sent to the wrong office by mistake. It is sent on to the right office, which can add a day or more.