The PIN (Postal Index Number code) system was introduced on 15 August 1972 by Shriram Bhikaji Velankar, an additional secretary in the Union Ministry of Communications.
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.
- The first digit of a PIN indicates the region
- The second indicates the sub-region
- The third, combined with the first two, indicates the sorting district within that zone.
- The final three digits are assigned to individual post offices within the sorting district
Sample Pincode structure
| REGION | SUB-REGION | Sorting District | PINCODE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1st digit of PINCODE and zone
| 1 | Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Chandigarh |
| 2 | Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| 3 | Rajasthan, Gujarat, Daman and Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli |
| 4 | Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh |
| 5 | Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka |
| 6 | Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Lakshadweep |
| 7 | West Bengal, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Sikkim |
| 8 | Bihar, Jharkhand |
| 9 | Army Postal Service (APS), Field Post Office (FPO) |
Sorting district
The third digit of a PIN, combined with the first two digits, represents a specific geographical region
| PIN prefix | Region | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | DL | Delhi |
| 12–13 | HR | Haryana |
| 14–15 | PB | Punjab |
| 16 | CH | Chandigarh |
| 17 | HP | Himachal Pradesh |
| 18–19 | JK, LA | Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh |
| 20–28 | UP, UT | Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
| 30–34 | RJ | Rajasthan |
| 396210 | DD | Daman and Diu |
| 396 | DN | Dadra and 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 and 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 | BR, JH | Bihar, Jharkhand |
| 90–99 | APS | Army Postal Service |
What is Pincode and How is it designed
![What is Pincode and How is it designed]()
Reviewed by Vishwas Palankar
on
January 25, 2021
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