Germany Address Format Guide: Street Order, 5-Digit PLZ Postcodes & DIN Standards

2026-09-20 · US Address Generator

German postal conventions are standardized under DIN 5008 and enforced by Deutsche Post. For international developers and merchants, the most distinctive rule is straightforward: the street name comes before the building number, and the 5-digit postcode precedes the city name.

1. Standard DIN 5008 Address Layout

Thomas Müller
Friedrichstraße 123     ← Street name followed by number
10117 Berlin            ← 5-digit PLZ Postcode before City
GERMANY

2. Key Formatting Rules

• Street Suffixes: The word Straße (Street) is often fused directly to the name (e.g. Hauptstraße or abbreviated Hauptstr.). If the character ß is unsupported by legacy encodings, ss (Hauptstrasse) is universally accepted.
• Postcode before City: Always write [PLZ] [City] without commas, such as 80331 München.
• State is omitted: German federal states (Bundesländer) are rarely written on shipping labels; the 5-digit PLZ routes mail directly to the distribution center.

3. The 10 PLZ Zones

Germany divides into 10 postal zones from 0 to 9: 1xxx designates the Berlin capital zone, 8xxx/9xxx represents Bavaria (Munich), and 6xxx centers around Frankfurt financial hubs.

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