Postal codes in Taiwan (Chinese: 郵遞區號; pinyin: Yóudì qūhào; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Iû-tē khu-hō) is a system of three plus three (3+3) numeral digits used by Chunghwa Post, the government-owned postal service in Taiwan.
The first three digits of postal codes mainly correspond to the 368 townships, county-administered cities, and districts in Taiwan. However, the districts under the cities of Chiayi and Hsinchu share a single code. In addition, the published table includes 3 island entries in addition to administrative divisions: Tungsha (Pratas Island), Nansha (Spratly Islands), and Tiaoyutai (Senkaku Islands). These brings the total three digit postal codes in use to 368.
Omitting the supplementary three digits is ordinarily acceptable, especially for general public, while using a six-digit code is expected for corporate customers who send large-volume mails, which will speed the delivery of the mail.
History
In the 1960s, unified postal code systems have been developed in different countries to improve the process of automatic mail sorting machines. These includes ZIP Code of United States Postal Service (5 numeral digits) and Postal codes in Japan (3+2 numeral digits).
On March 20, 1970 the first table of three (3) numeral digit Taiwanese postal codes are announced by the Directorate General of Posts, Ministry of Transportation and Communications (then Chunghwa Post).
On July, 1 1985, the Directorate General of Posts extends the postal code plan to three plus two (3+2) numeral digits. This makes the format of Taiwanese postal codes coincide with that of United States ZIP Code and Japanese postal codes at that time. The new format makes Taiwanese mails recognizable by the automatic mail sorting machines imported from Japan and United States.
On March 3, 2020, the postal codes are further extends to three plus three (3+3) numeral digits, in order to support more fine grained delivery section codes. For example, a bank with a high volume of mail or a community with a mailroom could have a unique code.
The initial three digit division codes remain unchanged, only the supplemental two digits were updated to three digits. The previous three plus two digit system had been in service for 29 years, since February 1, 1991.
As of November 2020, three + two digit postal codes are still in common use and accepted by the post office. A significant proportion of forms and systems provide space for only three + two digit postal codes.
There are apps for Android and iOS/iPadOS to look up the 3+3 postal codes.
Postal codes by administrative divisions
The first digit is for a greater postal zone, each three digit postal code corresponds to a township, county-administered city, or district. In the hierarchy of administrative divisions of Taiwan, districts are under a special municipality or a provincial city; while townships and county-administered cities are under a county.
Despite the wide range of codes, there are only 368 postal codes are actively in use, some codes are omitted due to changes on administrative divisions.
| 3-digit code range |
Special municipality county, and city |
3-digit code range |
Special municipality county, and city | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 00–16 | Taipei | 6 | 00 | Chiayi City | |
| 2 | 00–06 | Keelung | 02–25 | Chiayi County | ||
| 07–08 | New Taipei | 30–55 | Yunlin | |||
| 09–12 | Lienchiang (Matsu) | 7 | 00–45 | Tainan | ||
| 20–53 | New Taipei | 8 | 00–52 | Kaohsiung | ||
| 60–72 | Yilan | 80–85 | Penghu | |||
| 3 | 00 | Hsinchu City | 90–96 | Kinmen | ||
| 02–15 | Hsinchu County | 9 | 00–47 | Pingtung | ||
| 20–38 | Taoyuan | 50–66 | Taitung | |||
| 50–69 | Miaoli | 70–83 | Hualien | |||
| 4 | 00–39 | Taichung | — | |||
| 5 | 00–30 | Changhua | ||||
| 40–58 | Nantou | |||||
The 3 districts of Hsinchu City shares a single code 300. The 2 districts of Chiayi City shares a single code 600.
Postal codes of disputed islands
In addition to the administrative division postal codes, 3 additional postal codes are included in the table published by Chunghwa Post. They are: Tiaoyutai islands (290), Tungsha islands (817), Nansha islands (819). These entries were created to enhance the territorial claims of the government of the Republic of China.
In reality, Chunghwa Post delivers mails to the established Taiwanese Coast Guard stations on Pratas Island (Tungsha) (817) and Taiping Island, the largest island of the Spratly Islands (819). There is no mail delivery to the Senkaku Islands (Tiaoyutai) (290), as they are controlled by Japan and have been uninhabited for many decades.
| Postal code entry | Mail delivery | International name | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 290 | Tiaoyutai Islands | No | Senkaku Islands |
|
| 817 | Tungsha Islands | Yes | Pratas Island |
|
| 819 | Nansha Islands | Partial (Taiping Island only) |
Spratly Islands |
|
See also
References
- "postalservices Zip Code". Post.gov.tw. 7 January 2020.
- "郵遞區號3月改3+3碼 一般民眾可僅寫前3碼｜卡優新聞網". 郵遞區號3月改3+3碼 一般民眾可僅寫前3碼｜卡優新聞網 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- "Liberty Times 郵件「3+3郵遞區號」中華郵政新制明起上路 Yóu Jiàn "3+3 Yóu Dì Qū Hào" Zhōng Huá Yóu Zhèng Xīn Zhì Míng Qǐ Shàng Lù". news.ltn.com.tw. 2 March 2020.
- ^ 中央通訊社 (2020-03-02). "郵遞區號變3加3碼 新制3日起實施 | 生活 | 重點新聞". 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-06-02.
- "Taiwan 3+3 ZIP Postal code, Post office/MailBox - Apps on Google Play".
- "台灣3+3郵遞區號 Tái Wān 3+3 Yóu Dì Qū Hào".
