How to Find Postal Codes (Postleitzahlen) Using Deutsche Post, the German Postal Site
By Carol McKenzie
The Deutsche Post Site (http://www.deutschepost.de/) is excellent, with an English language version that makes searching for a postal code quick and easy. To access the English site, click the word "English" in the pale yellow box in the center of the screen.
After opening the homepage, under the Online Services title on the left side of the screen you'll find a link for Postal Code Search. Opening in another window will be several search options; Postal Code/Town, Post Office Boxes, and Major Recipients.
If you're looking for a code for a home address, on the Postal Code tab, enter the street and number, along with the city. Click Search and you'll get the postal code. You can click the Home button at the bottom of that window and search for additional codes if you need them.
The next tab contains two radio buttons, the first to search for postal codes associated with P.O. boxes for a specific city. Again, enter the city and you'll get the ranges of the post office box numbers associated with that city, and the postal code associated with those box numbers.
The second radio button searches not only for the postal code, but the location of the poste restante collection location for that city. Poste restante (French for "post that remains") is a service that holds mail until the recipient calls for it, frequently used by those on vacation or traveling in Germany for extended periods of time. The United States equivalent is General Delivery.
The final tab is the major recipient search. Called Großkunden, these are large businesses who have enough volume of mail that they have their own postal codes. Enter the name of the recipient and the city, click search, and you'll get their postal code.
Deutsche Post also offers a feature to integrate searches into your Firefox browser, if you do a large volume of searches for German postal codes. It is compatible from version 1.5. through current versions. Two clicks of the mouse will have it installed.
On the aforementioned page with the Firefox activation feature, there are links to accept postal cipher advice in several formats; harder copy, CD ROM or a bank chart. However, at that point, the website switches to German accent instructions. If you're absolutely absorbed in advancing a acquirement from Deutsche Post, I'd advance Yahoo! Babel Fish to advice with somewhat of a translation.
Finally, abode your mail application the able format. The archetype beneath gives the able adjustment of the postal code, to the larboard of the city. Add the country name at the basal of the address.
Frida Frolich
Hermannst. 64
53225 Bonn
GERMANY
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
