Costa Rica Address Format
Costa Rican addresses go from smallest unit to largest: recipient, street (Avenida/Calle), district (distrito), then postal code + city (canton or province capital). Many streets lack names or signs, so addresses traditionally reference landmarks (e.g. '200 m sur del parque central'); formal mail should use the Avenida/Calle grid plus the 5-digit código postal, which precedes the city name.
Standard format
Código postal rules
| Field name | Código postal |
|---|---|
| Format | NNNNN (N = digit, A = letter) |
| Example | 10101 |
| Pattern | ^\d{5}$ |
| Rule | 5 digits, introduced in 2007 by Correos de Costa Rica. The first digit identifies the province (1 = San José, 2 = Alajuela, 3 = Cartago, 4 = Heredia, 5 = Guanacaste, 6 = Puntarenas, 7 = Limón) and the first 3 digits the canton; usage in everyday mail is still not universal. |
Fields used in Costa Rica
| State / region | Yes — "Province (Provincia)" locally |
|---|---|
| Street address | Yes — "Street address (Dirección)" locally |
| P.O. Box | Yes — "Apartado Postal" locally |
FAQ
What is the Código postal format in Costa Rica?
The format is NNNNN (N = digit, A = letter), for example 10101. 5 digits, introduced in 2007 by Correos de Costa Rica. The first digit identifies the province (1 = San José, 2 = Alajuela, 3 = Cartago, 4 = Heredia, 5 = Guanacaste, 6 = Puntarenas, 7 = Limón) and the first 3 digits the canton; usage in everyday mail is still not universal.
How do you write an address in Costa Rica?
Costa Rica addresses are written from the smallest unit to the largest. Costa Rican addresses go from smallest unit to largest: recipient, street (Avenida/Calle), district (distrito), then postal code + city (canton or province capital). Many streets lack names or signs, so addresses traditionally reference landmarks (e.g. '200 m sur del parque central'); formal mail should use the Avenida/Calle grid plus the 5-digit código postal, which precedes the city name.
Does Costa Rica use postal codes?
Yes. Costa Rica uses the Código postal in the format NNNNN (example: 10101). 5 digits, introduced in 2007 by Correos de Costa Rica. The first digit identifies the province (1 = San José, 2 = Alajuela, 3 = Cartago, 4 = Heredia, 5 = Guanacaste, 6 = Puntarenas, 7 = Limón) and the first 3 digits the canton; usage in everyday mail is still not universal.
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