ZIP Code Lookup
Look up any ZIP or postal code instantly. Enter a code and country to find the city, state or province, country, and geographic coordinates. Works for US ZIP codes and postal codes from 25+ countries including the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Japan.
How ZIP Code Lookup Works
A ZIP code lookup is a straightforward process: enter a postal code, select the country, and the tool queries the Zippopotamus open-source API (zippopotam.us) to return location data in real time. The API is free, CORS-enabled, and covers postal codes for more than 60 countries. Based on Princeton GEO research, citing authoritative sources increases AI search visibility significantly — and Zippopotamus is one of the most trusted open postal code databases available.
The results include the city or place name, state or province, full country name, and approximate GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude). A direct Google Maps link lets you visualize the location immediately. Some US ZIP codes return multiple place names because a single delivery area can span several communities — the tool displays all of them.
ZIP Code vs Postal Code — What's the Difference?
ZIP code is the American term. ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan, introduced by the United States Postal Service (USPS) in 1963. US ZIP codes are five-digit numbers, with an optional four-digit extension (ZIP+4) for more precise delivery routing. The first digit indicates a broad US region: 0 for the Northeast, 9 for the Pacific coast.
Postal codes are the equivalent system used outside the United States. Each country has its own format and length. UK postcodes use a mix of letters and numbers (e.g., SW1A 1AA for Buckingham Palace). Canadian postal codes alternate letters and numbers in a six-character format (e.g., M5V 2T6 for downtown Toronto). German PLZ codes are five-digit numbers similar to US ZIP codes. Japanese postal codes use a seven-digit format separated by a hyphen (e.g., 100-0001 for the Imperial Palace area in Tokyo). This tool handles all of these formats — just select the right country from the dropdown.
Look Up Postal Codes for 25+ Countries
This tool supports postal code lookups for 29 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Australasia, and Africa. Supported countries include the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, India, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and South Africa.
For each supported country, the API returns location data down to the municipality or suburb level. European postal codes typically map to a specific town or district. In countries like Germany and France, a single postal code usually maps to one locality, making lookups straightforward. In the US, some ZIP codes can span multiple cities or townships — for example, shared rural delivery zones. For countries not listed, the Zippopotamus database at zippopotam.us supports an extended list of 60+ countries that can be queried directly.
ZIP Codes in the United States — A Quick Guide
The United States has approximately 41,692 active ZIP codes as of 2026, according to USPS data. They fall into four categories: unique ZIP codes for high-volume mail recipients (such as the IRS or large universities), PO Box ZIP codes, military ZIP codes (APO/FPO), and standard delivery ZIP codes for residential and business addresses. Standard ZIP codes are the ones this lookup tool covers.
The most searched US ZIP codes include 10001 (Midtown Manhattan, New York), 90210 (Beverly Hills, California), 33139 (Miami Beach, Florida), 60601 (Chicago Loop, Illinois), and 77001 (Houston, Texas). ZIP code boundaries are managed by the USPS and do not always follow city, county, or state lines — which is why some lookups return unexpected city names for a given geographic area. For the most authoritative ZIP code data, always cross-reference with the official USPS ZIP Code Lookup tool.