Switzerland Postal codes

A comprehensive list of Postal codes in Switzerland by Canton and an interactive map with address lookup tool for instant postal code retrieval.

Switzerland postal codes, Also known as Swiss Postleitzahl (PLZ) or Numéro Postal d'Acheminement (NPA) in French and Numero Postale di Avviamento in Italian, plays a crucial role in facilitating the sending and receiving of mail. Introduced on June 26, 1964, Switzerland became the third country to adopt postal codes, following Germany in 1941 and the United States in 1963. The primary objective of this system is to simplify the sorting and delivery of mail. Over time, the NPA system has undergone adjustments to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness.

To find a comprehensive list of Postal codes in Switzerland, please refer to the table below or click on any location on the Interactive map to instantly find the postal code and address for your mail's destination:

List of Postal codes in Switzerland

Canton (Kanton)	ISO code	Postal codes (Range)
Aargau	AG	4303 to 8967
Appenzell Innerrhoden	AI	9050 to 9442
Appenzell Ausserrhoden	AR	9035 to 9428
Berne	BE	1595 to 6197
Basel-Landschaft	BL	2814 to 4497
Basel-Stadt	BS	4000 to 4126
Fribourg	FR	1410 to 3286
Geneva	GE	1200 to 1298
Glarus	GL	8750 to 8874
Graubunden	GR	6534 to 7748
Jura	JU	2336 to 2954
Luzern	LU	4806 to 6404
Neuchatel	NE	2000 to 2616
Nidwalden	NW	6052 to 6387
Obwalden	OW	6010 to 6391
St. Gallen	SG	7310 to 9658
Schaffhausen	SH	8200 to 8455
Solothurn	SO	2540 to 5746
Schwyz	SZ	6402 to 8864
Thurgau	TG	8252 to 9573
Ticino	TI	6500 to 6999
Uri	UR	6377 to 8751
Vaud	VD	1000 to 1892
Valais	VS	1868 to 3999
Zug	ZG	6300 to 6345
Zurich	ZH	8000 to 8955

Interactive Map of Switzerland Postal codes

Interactive Postal code lookup Map: Simply click on any location on the map to instantly reveal its Postal code and address details. For a more immersive experience, engage Fullscreen mode to maximize your exploration capabilities and enable smooth navigation with scroll gestures.

Format of Switzerland Postal Codes:

Switzerland postal codes are made up of four numbers. They're assigned based on geography, from west to east, kind of following where railways and PostBus routes go. Unlike some other places, they don't follow political divisions like cantons or districts. Instead, they use a routing system.

The first number in the postal code shows which of the nine postal districts in Switzerland it belongs to. These districts are numbered from west to east. The second number shows the routing district within that postal district. Then, the last two numbers point out the exact place in that routing district. The nine postal districts are:

1xxx - Western Switzerland Region (the southern part of the western region of Switzerland)
2xxx - Western Switzerland Region (the northern part of the western region of Switzerland)
3xxx - Bern/Upper Valais Region
4xxx - Basel Region
5xxx - Aarau Region
6xxx - Central Switzerland (Innerschweiz), Tessin Region
7xxx - Graubünden Region
8xxx - Zürich Region
9xxx - Eastern Switzerland Region

History of Switzerland Postal Codes:

When Switzerland introduced the postal code system in 1964, it was a big deal for its postal service. The idea was to make sorting mail easier, so people didn't need to know every little detail about where everything is. Over time, the system changed to keep up with how things work and how much Switzerland has grown. For example, the third number in the postal code used to mean something about the route, but now it doesn't really matter much because things work differently with modern transportation.

Implementation of Switzerland Postal Codes:

The postal code system has really changed how mail gets sorted and delivered in Switzerland. It's made things much smoother and more reliable. With this system, a town can have more than one postal code, and one postal code might cover more than one town or even more than one canton. This flexibility helps because Switzerland's geography and politics can be pretty complicated.

Besides Switzerland, the postal code system also includes Liechtenstein and a German place called Büsingen am Hochrhein, both of which have their own Swiss postal codes. Before 2020, an Italian place called Campione d'Italia also used Swiss postal codes, but not anymore—now, they use Italian ones instead.