Postal code

Postal code

A postal code is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems...

s in Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

are numeric and consist of five digits. They are assigned from north to south, thus, Metula in the north has 10292 as its postal code, and Eilat in the south was assigned 88xxx. Jerusalem postal codes start with the digit 9, although this does not correspond with its geographical location. Each postal code corresponds to a mail carrier route or RR, thus, when the letters are sorted by the postal code, they are assigned to a specific carrier.

Army unit postal codes start with a 0 and are not changed even if a unit is roaming.

In practice, the postal code is not required on mail in Israel, and not including a postal code does not delay delivery. Most private mail sent in Israel does not include a postal code, and many citizens are not even aware of their postal code.