Using Find a Postal Code

Which search method should I use - Quick Search or Advanced Search?

The Quick Search is designed for searches where all of the search fields (Street Number, Street Name, Street Type, Municipality, and Province) must be completed. This search method searches against street addresses. For other address types (PO Boxes, Rural Routes, etc), the Advanced Search must be used. Refer to the example below:

The Advanced Search offers greater search capabilities. Users must enter information in at least 2 search fields; one of which must be the province field. Refer to the example below:

How do I complete the Search fields?

Information entered in the search fields must match the title of each field. For example, trying to enter a street name in the field called "Street #" will not work. Please remember that not all of these fields have to be completed for the Advanced Search. Only two fields must be completed, one of which must be the province field.

Below are examples for both the Quick and Advanced Search:

• Street Number:
  The street number can only be entered in a numerical format (e.g. 416). The Street Number must not include spaces between the number (e.g. 416 is valid, 4 1 6 is invalid).
• Number Suffix: (Advanced Search)
  Please select the number suffix in this field from the drop down menu (¼, ½, ¾, A, B, C, D, E, F, G). When a suffix is alphabetic, there is no space between the street number and the suffix, e.g. 416B. When a suffix is a fraction, a space is required between the street number and the suffix, e.g. 416 ½.
• Unit/Suite/Apt: (Advanced Search)
  If the addressee lives/works in an apartment, flat or multi-unit building, you would include the unit information in the address. For example, it may be apartment 5 on 13E CHURCH ST. In this example, you would enter 5 in the unit field.

The search query will return the correct address:

• Street Type:
  The street type defines the street. For example, the street type could be ST, AVE, BLVD among many others.


• Street Direction:
  In the street direction field, the appropriate direction symbol should be placed if it is part of the address. For example, this may be North (N), West (W), East (E), South (S), North West (NW), North East (NE), South East (SE), or South West (SW). This field has a drop down menu to assist you in selecting the appropriate street direction. Please note that many addresses do not have a street direction. This search field is only available in the Advanced Search.


• Municipality:
  This is the official name of the city, town, municipality, village or community. In some instances, some commonly used municipality names will not be officially recognized by Canada Post, since they are no longer recognized by those municipalities. If you enter one of these names, the program will attempt to locate the associated postal code. There may be sufficient data to make the match, but the search results screen will display only the official municipality.


• Province:
  This is a mandatory field. You must select a province from the drop-down menu. You may notice that on the menu, each province has an associated two character designator. These designators are recognized nationally and internationally, and all search result screens will only display the official designator, not the full province name. We encourage you to use these designators when you address your mailing articles.


• Delivery Mode: (Advanced Search)
  The delivery mode indicates the type of delivery service a customer receives: General Delivery (GD), Post Office Box (PO BOX), Rural Route (RR) or Suburban Service (SS). When there are addresses involving these types of delivery services, it is necessary to select the delivery service from the drop-down menu that matches the addresses you are searching. The alpha symbols (PO BOX, RR) that are attached to each delivery type will be displayed in the search results screen. We encourage you to use these symbols on your mail pieces.

Search Results Screen

Once you have submitted a search, the program matches the criteria entered to the information contained in Canada Post's database. If there are several addresses that match your search query, the results will be displayed in a range format. This means that you are most likely to see a range of addresses displayed. The address and postal code that you are searching for will be displayed within this list. Select the address from this list and the address will be formatted according to Canadian addressing standards. For more information on addressing standards, see the Canadian Addressing Guidelines.

Below are examples of sample input and Search Results in the Quick Search:

Below are examples of sample input and Search Results Screen in the Advanced Search:

Reverse Search

Canadian Postal Codes are always formatted in the same sequence:
Letter/Number/Letter FULL SPACE Number/Letter/Number (eg. K1A 0B1)
For the Reverse Search, the system will attempt to retrieve the address information even if the postal code is not in the proper format.
Once the postal code is entered, submit your search by clicking on the "Find" button.
Below are examples of sample Reverse Search input and result:

New Municipal Names

If you are searching for addresses that may have new municipal/city names as a result of municipal amalgamations that have occurred, it is possible that some of these changes are still pending in the Postal Code Look-Up application. When municipalities change their official names they must advise Canada Post. In due course, Canada Post will update the Postal Code Look-Up application with the new official municipality names. Customers should not change their mailing address until notified by Canada Post.

If your search result is unsuccessful in retrieving a postal code for an address where the municipality/city has changed (e.g. North York to Toronto), try the search again using the former municipality/city name (in this case Toronto).

Rural Addresses and Post Office Boxes Search

The best method to find a postal code for an address in a rural area is to use the Rural Addresses and Post Office Boxes Search. This will allow a user to enter a municipality and the province, and in return, receive a results screen containing the rural routes for the municipality with the associated postal codes.

Below is the search results screen that would appear for this example, after the postal code search is submitted:

Hints on improving your Postal Code Search

1. If you have not received a postal code from your search using the Quick Search, try the Advanced Search. The Advanced Search offers greater capabilities. Users must enter at least 2 address fields, one of which must be the province field.
2. If you are attempting to locate a postal code for a municipality or city that has recently been amalgamated/renamed, please conduct the search again using the former municipality name.
3. If you are unsure of the municipality name, please use the Municipality List to verify the official name. Once this is found, it will be necessary to try the search again using the official municipality name.

Spelling

Verify the spelling of your street and municipality names to ensure that they are correct. Although the application does allow for minor spelling errors, there are limitations to this capability.

Should a street name or municipality name be misspelled, the application will attempt to search for the correct name. If possible, the application will return a message indicating the input name cannot be found but will display a list of options for the user to choose from. Once the correct name is selected, the name will be populated back into the input screen for the user to continue with his search.

E.g. If a customer enters Kinston in the municipality name with a province indicator of ON in the advanced search, the search engine will return Kingston as an option for the user to choose from. Once Kingston is selected, the application will populate Kingston back into the municipality field of the input screen and the user will be required to submit his search.

Should you have difficulty with your search, you can use the Municipality List to search for the official municipality name. Once you have retrieved the official municipality name, you can try your search again.

Language Considerations

Street and municipality names are the official names recognized by the municipalities. These names cannot be translated. Street types will also be as designated by the municipality and are not translatable unless they are one of the three street types that have a unique equivalent in the other official language - ST/RUE; AVE/AV; BLVD/BOUL.

Municipality List

This is a list of all recognized municipalities within Canada. It is accessible by a link from the right hand menu of the screen of the Postal Code Look-Up. This list is alphabetical and divided into sub-lists by province/territory within Canada.

This list acts as an information tool to assist customers in conducting their postal code searches. If customers are unsure as to what the municipality name is or how it is spelled, the list can be verified in two ways:

1. A user can enter the province and select the first letter of the city for which they are searching.
2. A user can enter the province and enter the complete municipality name and press the Submit button. This can be useful when there is a possibility that the municipality may have amalgamated or may be commonly referred to by another name that is not valid.

Are you moving to a new residence or business?

If you have not been able to find your postal code and have moved to a new residence or business within the last 30 days, please contact your local post office to confirm your new postal code. When new addresses are added to our system, there is a delay in displaying this information in the application, as the Postal Code Look-up is updated monthly.