How to find a postcode in the UK and Lithuania

Why the postcode matters

For door to door delivery, the postcode does much more than help the sat nav. In the UK, it tells us straight away whether an address is in our collection area and which part of the route it belongs to. In Lithuania, it helps our drivers find addresses quickly, especially in villages and new housing estates where street names can be confusing.

A wrong or missing postcode is one of the most common reasons for phone calls and delays. Two minutes spent checking it before you book saves a lot of back and forth later.

This applies in both directions. When your family in Lithuania books a collection to send you a parcel, they need your full UK postcode for the delivery address. When you send a parcel home from England, we need the Lithuanian postcode of the recipient. Keep both written down in your phone so you have them ready whenever you book.

How UK postcodes work

A UK postcode has two parts separated by a space. The first part, the outward code, shows the postcode area and district. The letters at the start stand for a town or region: HA is Harrow, LU is Luton, PE is Peterborough, NN is Northampton, B is Birmingham, and London uses codes such as E, N, NW, SE, SW, W and WC. The number after the letters is the district.

The second part, the inward code, is always a number followed by two letters, such as 1BH. It narrows the address down to a street or even part of a street. Our own office address, 166 College Road, Harrow, has the postcode HA1 1BH.

• Example: HA1 1BH, area HA, district 1, inward code 1BH
• Example: RM1 1EA for Romford
• Always include the space between the two parts

Finding a UK postcode

The easiest way is to ask the person who lives there: postcodes appear on council tax bills, utility bills and bank letters. You can also use the UK postcode finder linked on our order page: type the house number and street name and select the address from the list. Online maps usually show the postcode when you search for a full address.

Then enter the postcode in our address checker. It compares your address with our service area and tells you instantly whether we collect and deliver there. If the result is unclear, call us and we will check manually.

How Lithuanian postcodes work

Lithuanian postcodes consist of the country prefix LT and five digits, for example LT-01100 for an address in central Vilnius. The digits identify the area and the street, and in cities a long street can have several different codes for different house numbers, so always check the code for the exact address.

When you write a Lithuanian address, put the postcode before the town name, for example LT-44280 Kaunas. Include the house and flat number, and for villages the name of the village and the municipality.

Finding a Lithuanian postcode

Use the Lithuanian postcode search linked on our order page: enter the town, street and house number to get the code. Older relatives often know their postcode from letters and utility bills. If the address is in a rural area with house numbers that are hard to find, add a short note for the driver, for example the colour of the house or a nearby landmark.

Farmsteads and homes in small villages sometimes share one postcode across a wide area. In that case, the recipient's phone number is just as important as the postcode, because our driver calls before delivery and can ask for directions on the way.

Common postcode mistakes

These small errors cause the most confusion. Double-check before you submit your order.

• Mixing up the letter O and the number 0 in UK postcodes
• Leaving out the space in a UK postcode
• Using an old postcode after a street was renamed
• Giving the postcode of a workplace instead of a home
• Missing flat numbers in large blocks