German Postal Codes and Addresses

Posting a letter in Germany? Information about addresses and the post code numbers of Germany...

German postal services are provided by Deutsche Post, the former state owned monopoly that was privatised in 2000.

There are post offices in nearly every town and city in Germany, over 13,000 in all, although they are disappearing in smaller villages. In general post offices open between 08:00 and 08:30 and close at 18:00. Smaller offices may close for lunch. Many post offices are also open on Saturday mornings, and main post offices are open for a limited number of hours on Sundays. Post office signs are yellow with a black horn.

  • For information on Deutsch Post services
    Tel: 01802 3333
    Website

German Postal Codes

Until reunification postal codes in Germany were four digits. In 1993 five digit postal codes (Postleitzahl – PLZ) were introduced. The first two digits indicate the area and the last three digits indicate the postal district. The postal regions are not divided up following the borders of the different Länder which can be confusing.

To find a German address or postal code

  • White Pages postal code finder
  • Postal code finder (in German)
    • To find a town name with a postal code, type in the postal code number in the Postleitzahl box and click on Suchen
    • To find a postal code for a given town, type in the name in the Ort / Stadt box and click on Suchen

German Addresses

Addresses in Germany are written in a particular way:

  • Line 1: Form of Address (optional)
  • Line 2: Recipient
  • Line 3: Street name followed by property/house number
  • Line 4: Postal code followed by town name
  • Line 5: Country (if outside Germany)

For example:

  • Herrn
    Dieter Wellhausen
    Lansstraße 81
    D-11179 Berlin

As Germany is not the only country to use the five digit format it is often recommended to use the country code (D) before the numeric post code when writing addresses for international mail.