Old vs new Nepal postal codes
Nepal replaced its 1991 postal codes with new ones in 2025. Both have 5 digits, but the old codes belonged to post offices, while the new ones belong to local levels (palikas), and each ward also has a 7-digit code. Use the new code. For example, the old code for Kathmandu was 44600, and the new code for Kathmandu Metropolitan City is 30608.
What changed
| What | Old codes | New codes |
|---|---|---|
| In use from | 1991 | 2025 |
| Given to | Post offices | Local levels (palikas) and their wards |
| Digits | 5 | 5 for a palika, 7 for a ward |
| How many | 917 in the 1991 list | 753 palika codes and 6,743 ward codes |
A new code is built from the country's own structure: the first digit is the province, the next two are the district, and the next two are the palika. A ward code adds the two-digit ward number. Our guide to how Nepal postal codes work takes one apart digit by digit.
Which code should I use?
Use the new 5-digit code of your palika, or the 7-digit code of your ward where a form accepts 7 digits. The old codes are retired, but many international forms still accept them, and some still ask for one. If a form insists on the old code, look it up in the old to new converter.
The same number can mean two places
Because both kinds of code have 5 digits, 67 numbers are an old code for one place and a new code for another. For example, 10101 was the old code of the Rapla post office in Darchula District. Today it is the new code of Phaktanglung Rural Municipality in Taplejung District.
So check a code against its place name before you rely on it. Every code on this site is shown with the name of its place. A code that starts with 6 or 7 is always a new one: no code in the 1991 list starts with those digits.
Converting an old code to a new one
An old code named a post office, and a new code names a palika or a ward. A post office's old area does not always fit inside one palika, so an old code does not always turn into one new code. For each office in the 1991 list, the converter shows one of three answers:
- Confirmed (8 old codes): we have checked which palika the post office is in.
- Please confirm (411 old codes): the post office has the same name as a palika or a former VDC in its district, so the new code is probably that palika's. We have not checked where the office is.
- Not mapped (498 old codes): we do not know yet which palika the office is in, so we show no new code.
Palika pages show an old code only when it is confirmed.
Confirmed old and new codes
| Old code | Post office | New code |
|---|---|---|
| 33300 | Baglung | 41101 Baglung Municipality |
| 33700 | Kaski | 40504 Pokhara Metropolitan City |
| 44600 | Kathmandu | 30608 Kathmandu Metropolitan City |
| 44618 | Kirtipur | 30609 Kirtipur Municipality |
| 32907 | Butwal | 50802 Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City |
| 32914 | Lumbini | 50813 Lumbini Sanskritik Municipality |
| 33900 | Tanahun | 40702 Vyas Municipality |
| 33912 | Khairenitar | 40704 Shuklagandaki Municipality |
Common questions
Can I still use my old postal code?
The old codes were retired in 2025, but many international forms still accept them. The new code is the current one, so use it wherever you can.
Why do the old and new codes of a place look unrelated?
They were made in different ways. The old code belonged to a post office. The new code is built from the province, district, and palika, so its digits follow the map of local levels instead.
How do I write my full address with the new code?
The code goes after your district and province. See how to write a Nepal address, or let the address formatter lay it out for you.
Where do the old codes on this site come from?
From the 1991 postal code list. The Sources page explains how we match them to palikas.