The 9 Postal Zones of India Explained

September 2, 20266 min read

India is a vast country with diverse geography, languages, and cultures. To manage the postal system efficiently, India Post divided the country into 9 postal zones. The first digit of every Indian PIN code tells you which zone an address belongs to.

The 9 zones

Zone 1 - Northern India

Covers Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chandigarh. PIN codes in this zone start with 1. Examples: 110001 (New Delhi), 160001 (Chandigarh).

Zone 2 - Northern India (UP/Uttarakhand)

Covers Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. PIN codes start with 2. Examples: 226001 (Lucknow), 248001 (Dehradun).

Zone 3 - Western India (Rajasthan/Gujarat)

Covers Rajasthan, Gujarat, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. PIN codes start with 3. Examples: 302001 (Jaipur), 380001 (Ahmedabad).

Zone 4 - Western/Central India

Covers Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. PIN codes start with 4. Examples: 400001 (Mumbai), 411001 (Pune).

Zone 5 - Southern India (AP/Telangana/Karnataka)

Covers Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. PIN codes start with 5. Examples: 560001 (Bangalore), 500001 (Hyderabad).

Zone 6 - Southern India (Kerala/TN)

Covers Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep. PIN codes start with 6. Examples: 600001 (Chennai), 695001 (Thiruvananthapuram).

Zone 7 - Eastern India

Covers West Bengal, Odisha, North Eastern states, Sikkim, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. PIN codes start with 7. Examples: 700001 (Kolkata), 795001 (Imphal).

Zone 8 - Eastern India (Bihar/Jharkhand)

Covers Bihar and Jharkhand. PIN codes start with 8. Examples: 800001 (Patna), 834001 (Ranchi).

Zone 9 - Army Postal Service

Covers military mail and Field Post Offices. PIN codes start with 9. These are used by armed forces personnel and their families regardless of where they are stationed.

How is this useful?

Next time you see a PIN code, you can instantly identify which part of India it belongs to just by looking at the first digit. It is a quick and reliable way to verify addresses and understand India's postal geography.

Try it yourself on multisheets.com - enter any PIN code and see the full zone breakdown.