Postcode Anywhere - a closer look at our UK address management

The data - Royal Mail PAF®

• We draw updates from Royal Mail's Postcode Address File (PAF®) every day
• That means we apply almost 5,000 automatic changes daily - or around 100,000 per month
• PAF® data covers the entire UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man
• It includes over 28 million records, comprising 25 million residential addresses and three million businesses. There are also around 400,000 points in the Multi-Residency file
• We can supply regional, street or complete address extracts to suit

The easiest way to add reliable "what's my postcode?" look-up to your website or software

As an authorised reseller of Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF®), Postcode Anywhere has specialised in UK address validation for over ten years. We’ve spent the time perfecting our easy-install wizard and developing integrations across a wide range of coding languages. Now, you can install address look-up onto any desktop application in just a few clicks. Website forms are fast and easy for users to fill out, and integration takes just a few cut-and-paste lines of code.

More about Royal Mail's PAF®

PAF® is the most recognised mailing address database in the UK and is maintained by Royal Mail on a rolling schedule. We combine this with the Royal Mail's Multi-Residency file. This file contains unique locations where the postman can’t ordinarily access a letter box (e.g. flats within a house). There are approximately 400,000 records held within the MR file.

How frequently do you update?

We set ourselves apart from every other PAF® supplier by providing daily updates as standard. And because we distribute our data using our industry-leading web service APIs, you don't have to lift a finger. Simply sit back and leave the legwork to us.

What's the difference between premise and street-level PAF®?

There are a number of different options available for taking the data. Premise-level PAF® covers all 28 million addresses in the UK and gives address details down to individual building name. With roughly 20 addresses in each postcode, finding the correct address with premises PAF® is quite easy. Street-level PAF® is a less expensive option, and covers the 1.8 million postcodes in the UK, resolving down to the name of the street. In using this service the customer will typically fill in their house name or number to complete the address. Here’s an extract of search results with the postcode WR2 6NJ using the premise-level data (full PAF®):

Using the street level data the same search will give the following result:

The user would be prompted where necessary to provide any building name or number to complete the address.

What's Postcode Anywhere Regional?

If your customers come from a limited area then Postcode Anywhere Regional is the perfect product as you can select just the postcode outcodes (eg B, RG) you want. With a single user licence costing from just £30 annually for one area with additional areas at £5 each, it's not only great value, but a perfect way to improve your data entry.

Data sample