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Postalcode from france are now up to 14 chars long  XML
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Martin Richter



Joined: 06/10/2009 13:05:18
Messages: 5
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Hi!

I got the postalcodes in February the last time.
Now I see a change for France. Postalcodes are now up to 14 chars long. (Example: 69129 CEDEX 08).
The description still says, that the postalcode maximum length is 10.

What happened?

- Martin
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geotree


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Joined: 23/07/2007 18:28:40
Messages: 138
Location: France
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A few days ago we have updated the french postalcodes according to recent changes by LaPoste.
Normal codes are still 5 chars long.
Special codes for business are called CEDEX.
To separate the two groups (normal/business) we have added CEDEX to the second ones.
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_postal_en_France

Christophe
geotree.geonames.org
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marc



Joined: 08/12/2005 07:39:47
Messages: 4412
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Thanks Martin. I forgot to update the readme file. It is now 20 chars for the postal code.

Best Regards

Marc

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Martin Richter



Joined: 06/10/2009 13:05:18
Messages: 5
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Thanks for your answers!

Why is the separation needed and the addition needed?
The CEDEX addition is normally placed behind the town name and does not belong in a DB field for the postal code.

This confuses me.

I just wrote a filter that removes all this information from the postal code field.
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marc



Joined: 08/12/2005 07:39:47
Messages: 4412
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It is just a way to include the CEDEX info in the existing fields. Delete the records if you don't need or like them.

Marc

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jkehlet



Joined: 07/09/2011 16:16:53
Messages: 3
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There are more than just CEDEX, you also have SP 07 for Paris and CITYSSIMO for Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

The first 5 digits are unique anyway, so I simply took everything from position 6 to the end, appended to the city name (i.e. Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines CITYSSIMO or Paris SP 07), while keeping the postal code 5 digits (e.g. 78078 or 75350).

You could argue that it should be like this in the file to begin with, but without knowing what the original La Poste files look like, it's difficult to assess whether this is a change by La Poste, or a decision by GeoNames.
geotree


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Joined: 23/07/2007 18:28:40
Messages: 138
Location: France
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In the original file from LaPoste, format is :
75359 PARIS SP 07
78066 ST QUENTIN EN YVELINES CEDEX
...

To store postcode in GeoNames we just remove the city name :
75359 SP 07
78066 CEDEX
...

Christophe
geotree.geonames.org
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jkehlet



Joined: 07/09/2011 16:16:53
Messages: 3
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I would argue that it should be split as such:

75359 PARIS SP 07
78066 ST QUENTIN EN YVELINES CEDEX

becomes

Postal code: 75359
City name: PARIS SP 07

Postal code: 78066
City name: ST QUENTIN EN YVELINES CEDEX

Thoughts?
lzerner



Joined: 24/05/2018 00:01:10
Messages: 2
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@geotree, I believe you have made an error in this case, and @jkehlet is correct. La Poste itself will verify this (see below).

The postal code remains a five-digit number. The CEDEX, SP, or CITYSSIMO designator is appended to the name of the town or city, similarly to an arrondissement number.

Let's consider the examples you provided:

75359 PARIS SP 07
La Poste (correct) postal code: 75359
GeoNames (incorrect) postal code: 75359 SP 07

78066 ST QUENTIN EN YVELINES CEDEX
La Poste (correct) postal code: 78066
GeoNames (incorrect) postal code: 78066 CEDEX

1) Visit La Poste's official postal code lookup application at https://www.laposte.fr/particulier/outils/trouver-un-code-postal.
2) In the Que cherchez-vous ("what are you looking for") drop-down menu, leave the default value of "Une ville" ("a town").
3) In the Quel est son code postal? ("what is its postal code?") field, enter the six-digit postal code 75359.
4) Click the Valider ("validate") button to validate the postal code and request the corresponding town name from La Poste's postal code database.

Here's what you'll get:

Code Postal: 75359
Ville: PARIS SP 07

Note that the postal code is six digits long, and the SP 07 designator is appended to the end of the city field.

Now try again, but enter the incorrectly-parsed GeoNames postal code: 75359 SP 07

You'll get the following response:
0 Résultat pour votre recherche
("0 results for your search")

In other words, 75359 SP 07 is not a valid postal code for any city in La Poste's postal code database.

You'll find similar results if you enter 78066:

Code Postal: 78066
Ville: ST QUENTIN EN YVELINES CEDEX

Again, the postal code is six digits long, and the CEDEX designator is appended to the city field.

And again, the incorrectly-parsed GeoNames postal code 78066 CEDEX is not a valid postal code for any city.

I hope this makes the case clearly enough. The GeoNames postal code field contains invalid postal code values for French CEDEX, SP, and CITYSSIMO delivery locations.
lzerner



Joined: 24/05/2018 00:01:10
Messages: 2
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In France, a postal code is always a sequence of five digits, consisting of (in metropolitan France) the two-digit département number where the post office is located, followed by a three-digit number identifying a local post office within that département.

Some localities have CEDEX delivery centers for special business mail delivery services. A single CEDEX delivery center handles mail for several postal codes designated for special business mail delivery service in that locality.

The CEDEX appellation is not part of the postal code. The CEDEX appellation must be appended to the name of the delivery locality to indicate the CEDEX delivery office in that locality.

La Poste's official postal code validator and city-name lookup tool at https://www.laposte.fr/particulier/outils/trouver-un-code-postal illustrate this. Postal code 78066 designates the CEDEX delivery center called ST QUENTIN EN YVELINES CEDEX. In contrast, 78066 CEDEX is not a valid postal code, and designates no locality.

La Poste's international standard for postal addresses, as submitted to the Universal Postal Union (of which France is a member country), confirms this:
Postcode type and position: 5 digits to the left of locality name.
...
The name of the town in the address may be followed by [my emphasis] the word CEDEX (Courrier d’Entreprise à Distribution EXceptionnelle – special business mail).
In certain cases, the word CEDEX is followed by a one or two-digit number. This is the case for cities with a several delivery centres or the postal districts of Paris, Lyon or Marseille.
...
Examples
Private address
33500 LIBOURNE
postcode + locality
...
Company address
33506 LIBOURNE CEDEX
postcode and CEDEX delivery office
 

Citations:
Postal addressing system in France, Service national de l'adresse, La Poste, http://www.upu.int/fileadmin/documentsFiles/activities/addressingUnit/fraEn.pdf
Retrieved from Postal addressing systems in member countries, Universal Postal Union, http://www.upu.int/en/activities/addressing/postal-addressing-systems-in-member-countries.html
Quentin



Joined: 17/10/2018 08:07:35
Messages: 1
Offline

Hi !

Is there any plan to move the CEDEX part in the city field in the files and/or on the servers ?

Thanks !
 
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