How Pin Codes Work?

What is a PIN Code? (Postal Index Number)

A Postal Index Number or PIN or pin code is a code in the post office numbering or post code system used by India Post, the Indian postal administration. The code is six digits long.

The PIN Code system was introduced on 15 August 1972. The system was introduced to simplify the manual sorting and delivery of mail by eliminating confusion over incorrect addresses, similar place names, and different languages used by the public.

We found a total of 26 post offices linked with the postal code 110001. This PIN Code is associated with the Central Delhi district of Delhi in India. The first digit of ZIP Code 110001 i.e. 1 represents the region of Delhi, the second digit 1 denotes the sub-region, and the third digit 0 indicates the sorting district of Central Delhi.

Source: https://www.icbse.com

 

The first digit of the PIN CODE indicates below:

First Digit

Region

States Covered

1

Northern

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

2

Northern

Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal

3

Western

Rajasthan and Gujarat

4

Western

Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chattisgarh

5

Southern

Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka

6

Southern

Kerala and Tamil Nadu

7

Eastern

West Bengal, Orissa, and North Eastern

8

Eastern

Bihar and Jharkhand

9

APS

Army Postal Service

Let us check the above example Pin code. The pin code 456001 is from Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. The first three digits of the PIN represent a specific geographical region called a sorting district that is headquartered at the main post office of the largest city and is known as the sorting office. So in this case it’s in Ujjain. A state may have one or more sorting districts depending on the volumes of mail handled.

The fourth digit represents the route on which a Delivery office is located in the sorting district. This is 0 for offices in the core area of the sorting district.

The last two digits represent the delivery office within the sorting district starting from 01 which would be the General Post Office or Head Office. The numbering of the delivery office is done chronologically with higher numbers assigned to newer delivery offices. If the volume of mail handled at a delivery office is too large, a new delivery office is created and the next available PIN is assigned. Thus two delivery offices situated next to each other will only have the first four digits in common.

The first 2 digits of the PIN CODE indicates below:

First 2 Digits of the PIN CODE

Circle

11

Delhi

12 and 13

Haryana

14 to 16

Punjab

17

Himachal Pradesh

18 to 19

Jammu & Kashmir

20 to 28

Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal

30 to 34

Rajasthan

36 to 39

Gujarat

40 to 44

Maharashtra

45 to 49

Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh

50 to 53

Andhra Pradesh

56 to 59

Karnataka

60 to 64

Tamil Nadu

67 to 69

Kerala

70 to 74

West Bengal

75 to 77

Orissa

78

Assam

79

North Eastern

80 to 85

Bihar and Jharkhand

90 to 99

Army Postal Service (APS)

FAQs on How India’s PIN Code Works?

  1. What is a PIN code?

A Postal Index Number (PIN) code is a six-digit code used by India Post in the Indian postal code system.

  • How many digits are present in a PIN code?

A PIN code consists of 6 digits.

  • How can I find my PIN code?

You can visit https://www.indiapost.gov.in/vas/pages/findpincode.aspx to find your PIN code.

  • How many postal zones are present in India?

India has a total of nine postal zones.

  • When was the PIN code system introduced in India?

Shriram Bhikaji Velankar introduced the PIN code system on 15 August 1972.