Overview of postal codes in Switzerland and Liechtenstein
On 26 June 1964, Swiss Post introduced postal codes as the third country after Germany (1941) and the United States (1963).
In Switzerland, the postal codes have four digits. As with the postcode system introduced in Germany in 1993, a municipality can receive several postcodes. A locality (settlement) having its own postal code does not mean that it is an independent political municipality, but only that it is an official locality. In addition, a postcode can include several political communes (e.g.: 3048 Worblaufen, includes parts of the communes of Bern and Ittigen) or several cantons (e.g.: 8866 Ziegelbrücke, includes parts of the cantons of Glarus and St. Gallen), which is why it is not possible to assign it unambiguously in both directions. In addition, it is often not possible to assign a unique postcode to post offices (post boxes) in larger cities. For this reason, six-digit postcodes are used internally.[citation needed]
The Principality of Liechtenstein is also included in the Swiss postal code system, as is the German enclave of Büsingen am Hochrhein, which has its own Swiss postal codes in addition to its national one, DE-78266. Before January 2020, the Italian enclave of Campione d'Italia also had a Swiss postcode, CH-6911, but this ceased to be valid, and all mail requires the use of the Italian postcode IT-22061.[1] This followed the enclave's entry into the European Union's Customs Area.[2] Also in Italy, Swiss Post previously held an office in Domodossola with the code CH-3907.[3] This is now used for the village of Simplon.[4]
Format of postal codes (PLZ/NPA)
The Swiss postal codes are assigned geographically, from west to east. They do not follow political divisions (cantons, districts), but they follow a routing allocation, following railways and PostBus routes. The postal code of big cities finish with 00, and it is not allocated if in the region there is not a big center.[citation needed]
Switzerland is divided into nine postal districts, numbered from west to east. Each district is subdivided into postal areas.
Each area contains a maximum of one hundred units.
The postal codes are made up as follows:
- 3436 Zollbrück
- 3 = district (Bern)
- 34 = area (Burgdorf)
- 343 = route (Burgdorf - Langnau)
- 3436 = post office number (Zollbrück)
Today, the third digit has no real meaning anymore. In the past, mail was assigned to fixed railway or truck routes, but modern logistics do not need this practice any more.
Postal codes of Liechtenstein are included in the same structure, using the range from 9480 to 9499.
