How to find your DIGIPIN (India Post digital address)

Anyone who has ordered a delivery to a house on an unnamed lane knows the problem: a written address in India is often more of a description than a location. “Behind the temple, third gate after the chai shop” works for neighbours but not for a courier or an ambulance driver who has never been there. DIGIPIN is India Post’s answer. It turns any spot in India into a short code that points to a patch of ground about the size of a small room, so the right door can be found every time.

What exactly is a DIGIPIN?

DIGIPIN (short for Digital Postal Index Number) is an open, government-backed digital addressing system developed by the Department of Posts. It divides the map of India into a fine grid and gives every square a unique code. A few things make it different from the six-digit PIN code you already know:

It is exactly 10 characters long, for example 39J49LL8T4. It is often written in three groups for easy reading, like 39J 49LL 8T4.
It is precise to roughly 4 × 4 metres. A PIN code covers a whole postal area; a DIGIPIN covers a single doorstep, shop counter or gate.
It comes from latitude and longitude, not from a database. The same location always gives the same code, and the code can be turned back into the location.
It uses only 16 characters: the digits 2 to 9 and the letters C, F, J, K, L, M, P and T. Letters like O and I, and digits like 0 and 1, are left out on purpose so the code can’t be misread when spoken or written by hand.
It is not personal data. A DIGIPIN describes a place, not a person. It does not reveal your name, phone number or anything else about you.

DIGIPIN does not replace your address or PIN code. It sits alongside them. You still write your house number, street and six-digit PIN code, and add the DIGIPIN so that anyone delivering to you can navigate to the exact spot.

How to find your DIGIPIN in under a minute

Because the code is worked out from your coordinates, all you need is your location. The easiest way is to stand where the code should point to (your front door, shop entrance or building gate) and let your phone’s GPS do the work:

Open a DIGIPIN finder on your phone, such as DigiPinV linked below. It works in any browser, with no sign-up.
Allow location access when asked. Stand outdoors or near a window for a few seconds so the GPS reading settles; indoors it can drift by 10–20 metres.
Read your 10-character code. The finder shows your DIGIPIN along with a small map, so you can check that the pin is on the right building.
Adjust if needed. If the pin has landed on the road or the neighbour’s roof, tap the map on your actual entrance and the code updates to that spot.
Save or share it. Copy the code, save it with a label like “Home” or “Shop”, or share it on WhatsApp.

Not at the location right now? You can also paste a Google Maps link for the place, or type in latitude and longitude, and get the same code. One tip: use the full Maps link (the long one containing the coordinates). The short maps.app.goo.gl links don’t contain the location, so open one in your browser first and copy the full address from there.

DigiPinV — DIGIPIN Finder & DecoderGet your DIGIPIN from GPS or a Maps link, decode any code, share as QR. Free, works offline. Open →

Going the other way: decoding a DIGIPIN

If someone sends you their DIGIPIN, you can decode it back into a location. Enter the 10 characters and the finder shows the spot on the map with its coordinates, and gives you a link to open directions in your maps app. The decoded point is the centre of that roughly 4-metre square, which is close enough to walk straight up to the door.

Shorter codes also make sense. If you only use the first 6 characters, you get an area about 1 km across, which is handy when you want to share a neighbourhood rather than a doorstep.

Where a DIGIPIN is genuinely useful

Deliveries and couriers: add it to the address line in shopping apps so riders stop calling for directions.
Shops and small businesses: print it on your visiting card, rate list or Google listing so customers find your exact entrance, not just the market.
New or unnamed areas: new colonies, villages and farmhouses where lanes have no names or numbers.
Emergencies: save the DIGIPIN of an elderly parent’s home so you can pass an exact location to an ambulance or a relative in seconds.
Events and meeting points: a wedding venue’s side gate, a parking area, or the right platform entrance at a busy station.

Frequently asked

Is DIGIPIN official?

Yes. It was developed and published by India Post (the Department of Posts, Government of India), and the method used to calculate it is published openly. That means any correctly built finder gives the same code for the same spot. India Post also offers its own lookup tool.

Does my DIGIPIN change if I move house?

Your DIGIPIN belongs to the location, not to you. If you move, your new home simply has its own code. The old code keeps pointing to the old building.

Do I need internet to find it?

The calculation itself needs no internet at all; it’s pure maths on your coordinates. A finder like DigiPinV works offline once loaded. Only the background map needs a connection.

Is it safe to share?

Sharing a DIGIPIN is like sharing your written address: it reveals where a place is, so share it with the same care. It contains no personal information on its own.