What is Pin (Postal Index Number)?

Pin Code means Postal Index Number Code. The purpose of introducing the PIN code system in the country was to help the postal department to manually sort the mail and deliver it to the exact address. It also helps eliminate confusion over similar place names, different languages ​​and incorrect addresses used by people.

PIN code is a six digit long code used by the Indian Postal Department. Each digit of the PIN code has a specific meaning. The first digit indicates the area of ​​India. The second digit is the sub-region, while the third digit is the sorting district. The last three digits represent the particular post office within the district.

There are nine PIN zones in India, eight of which correspond to geographical areas, while the digit 9 is used for the Army Postal Service.

Structure of Pin Code (Postal Index Number)

Postal Index Number or PIN consists of six long numerical digits and each of them indicates an area.

  • The first digit denotes the zone

  • The second digit indicates sub-zone

  • The third digit along with the first two will indicate the sorting district within the area

  • The last three digits indicate individual post offices within the sorting districts.

Find your postal code by selecting your state, district, post office of your locality from Code toolflick Pin Code Finder.

Postal Zones in India

There are nine postal zones in India, including eight territorial zones and one functional zone (for the Indian Army). The first digit of the PIN indicates the region and it is allocated into 9 sectors as follows:

PIN Code Digits

Zone

1.

Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi

2.

Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand

3.

Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Rajasthan, Gujarat

4.

Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa

5.

Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka

6.

Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Kerala

7.

Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, West Bengal, Odisha

8.

Bihar, Jharkhand

9.

Army Post Office (APO), Field Post Office (FPO)

Sorting Districts

The third digit of the postal code number together with the first two digits will represent a specific geographical area (the only exception here is the functional area which is for the military) and is called a sorting district whose headquarters is at the main post office. This is the largest part of the area. It is a big city and is known as the sorting office.

Every state may have one or more sorting districts accordingly, purely based on the volume of mail handled in the region.

PIN Prefix

ISO 3166-2:IN

Region

11

DL

Delhi

12 -13

HR

Haryana

14 – 15

PB

Punjab

16

CH

Chandigarh

17

HP

Himachal Pradesh

18 – 19

J&K

Jammu & Kashmir

20 – 28

UP, UK

Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand

30 – 34

RT

Rajasthan

396210

DD

Diu & Daman

396

DN

Dadra & Nagar Haveli

36 – 39

GJ

Gujarat

403

GA

Goa

40 – 44

MH

Maharashtra

45 – 48

MP

Madhya Pradesh

49

CT

Chhattisgarh

50

TG

Telangana

51 – 53

AP

Andhra Pradesh

56 – 59

KA

Karnataka

605

PY

Puducherry

60 – 66

TN

Tamil Nadu

682

LD

Lakshadweep

67 – 69

KL

Kerala

737

SK

Sikkim

744

AN

Andaman & Nicobar Islands

70 – 74

WB

West Bengal

75 – 77

OR

Odisha

78

AS

Assam

790 – 792

AR

Arunachal Pradesh

793 – 794

ML

Meghalaya

795

MN

Manipur

796

MZ

Mizoram

797 – 798

NL

Nagaland

799

TR

Tripura

80 – 85

JH, BR

Jharkhand – Bihar

90 – 99

APS

Army Postal Service

All about Indian Postal System

The Department of Posts or Postal Department in India does business under the name of India Post and is primarily run by the Government of India.

This postal system is also popular by the name of the Post Office in India. This special department comes under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India.

India is divided into 22 postal districts, each headed by a postmaster. Each of these postal districts is divided into areas supervised by a postmaster, which are further divided into divisions, which are further subdivided.

Over the years, the Indian postal service has undergone a great transformation, becoming the fastest service provider to reach the remotest parts of the country, enabling people to send mail at a very low cost. Apart from handling mail, India Post has also emerged as one of the small financial institutions that help in the safety of the money of the citizens of the country.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. When was the PIN code introduced in India?

It was introduced on August 15, 1972, by Shriram Bhikaji, the erstwhile Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Communications.

Q. How many digits are in the PIN code?

There are six digits in a Pin Code.

Q. How many PIN codes are there in India?

Excluding Army Post Offices, there are a total of 19,101 PINs across 154,725 post offices in India (as of 2014).

Q. What is the full form of PIN?

PIN represents Postal Index Number.

Q. How many PIN Code zones are in India?

India has nine postal zones, eight of which represent different geographical regions and the last one is reserved for providing postal services to the armed forces.

Q. How should a PIN Code be written?

The first digit represents the region of India, the second digit represents the sub-region,  the third digit represents the sorting district, and the last three digits represent the individual post offices within the district.

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