Postal codes in France
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Postal codes were introduced in France in 1972, when La Poste introduced automated sorting.
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[edit] Format
The postal code (French: code postal) consists of five digits, the first two digits being the number of the département in metropolitan France where the post office in charge of delivery to a town is located. The system is also used outside Europe, in the Overseas Departments and Territories, but it is the first three digits that identify the département or territory. The digits 00 are used for Military addresses. The digits 20 are used for all of Corsica; the split of the island into two départements was not followed by a change in the postal codes.
The next three digits identify the local postal office in charge of mail delivery. A regular postcode always ends with a 0, with the notable exception of Paris, Lyon and Marseille - see below - and the Overseas Départements and Territories. Postcodes not ending with a 0 may indicate a special code, known as CEDEX (see below), or newest postcodes.
In Paris, Lyon and Marseille, the last two digits of the postal code indicate the arrondissement. Prior to 1972, an address in the eighth arrondissement in Paris, would be written as:
- 8 rue Chambiges
- Paris 8e
This number was incorporated into the postal code as:
- 8 rue Chambiges
- 75008 Paris
An exception to this rule is the XVIe arrondissement of Paris, which has two postal codes, 75016 (south) and 75116 (north).
In each département, the préfecture (main city) has a postal code ending with 000, for example Bourges in Cher:
- 15 avenue du Général Leclerc
- 18000 Bourges
The more important the city, the simpler the postal code. The sous-préfectures are generally recognized by using a XXX00 postcode. Here is for example the postal code of a small village, Lépaud in Creuse:
- 16 grande rue
- 23170 Lépaud
And the postal code of Mortagne-au-Perche, sous-préfecture of the Département de l'Orne:
- 4 rue des Quinze Fusillés
- 61400 Mortagne-au-Perche
It is not rare that many adjacent villages share the same postal code, which is primarily associated with a bigger post office, e.g.: 64150 can correspond to Abidos, Bésingrand, Lagor, Lahourcade, Mourenx, Noguère, Os Marsillon, Pardies, Sauvelade and Vielleségure.
Overseas Départements and Territories use 3-digit codes starting with : 971 (Guadeloupe), 972 (Martinique), 973 (French Guiana), 974 (Réunion), 975 (Saint-Pierre and Miquelon), 976 (Mayotte), 984 (French Southern Territories), 986 (Wallis and Futuna), 987 (French Polynesia), 988 (New Caledonia). In March 2008 La Poste proposed allotting 977 to Saint Barthélemy and 978 to Saint Martin due to their new status as overseas collectivities[1]. In this case, the last zero is dropped so as to keep the 5-digit format. This is why the regular postcodes for these do not end with 0 except for the préfecture or sous-préfecture, for example:
- Maison du Port
- 97100 Basse-Terre
- 4 boulevard du Général de Gaulle
- 97320 Saint-Laurent du Maroni
- 193 RN2
- 97439 Sainte-Rose
[edit] CEDEX
There is also a system known as CEDEX, Courrier d'Entreprise à Distribution EXceptionnelle, designed for recipients of large volumes of mail. A postal code is allocated to each large organisation or to post office box holders, ending in three unique digits, for example:
- 12 rue de Broquedis
- 64205 Biarritz CEDEX
CEDEX should always be written in capitals. It may be followed by a number, if the town has more than one post office, or if it is split into arrondissements[2].
Ordinary deliveries would be addressed to:
- 12 rue de Broquedis
- 64200 Biarritz
It is acceptable to include a boîte postale (post office box) number as well as the street address in CEDEX addresses.
[edit] Monaco
The French postal code system is also used in Monaco as if it were a French département numbered 98. However the destination country that has to be indicated, when sending a letter from outside the country, is "Monaco" and not "France".
- 12 avenue de la Costa
- 98000 Monaco
- MONACO
- 23 Avenue Prince Héréditaire Albert
- 98025 Monaco CEDEX
- MONACO
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Lucot, Cécile (2008-03-12). "General Director of Post Office visits Saint Barth". Local News from St-Barths by Cecile Lucot. http://www.st-barths.com/editorials/cecil-lucot/08_03_12.html. Retrieved on 2008-03-20. "It looks as if the new codes will begin with 97-7 for St Barth and 97-8 for St Martin. The post office is not yet sure and will make a definitive decision next July."
- ^ http://www.laposte.fr/sna/article.php3?id_article=763
