DIGIPIN is a digital address code introduced by India’s Department of Posts. Where a PIN code identifies a delivery post office’s whole area, a DIGIPIN identifies a small square on the map — roughly four metres by four metres. It is meant to make locations precise even where there is no house number or street name.
The two codes do different jobs. You will keep using your six-digit PIN code on every address; DIGIPIN is an optional extra for pinpointing a door, a gate or a field.
How DIGIPIN works
DIGIPIN is calculated directly from latitude and longitude. India’s territory is divided into a grid, each cell is divided again, and so on, ten times over. Each step adds one character, so the full 10-character code describes a very small square. The system was developed with IIT Hyderabad and ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre, and India Post has published the method openly.
Because it is pure geometry, a DIGIPIN does not depend on anyone having named the street or numbered the house, and it does not change when a building is renamed. It also stores no personal information — it describes a place, not a person.
PIN code vs DIGIPIN at a glance
- Length: PIN code is 6 digits; DIGIPIN is 10 characters (letters and numbers).
- What it covers: a PIN code covers a delivery office’s area, often several square kilometres; a DIGIPIN covers about 4 m × 4 m.
- How it is assigned: PIN codes are allocated by India Post to post offices; DIGIPIN is calculated from coordinates.
- Where you use it: PIN codes go on every postal address and form; DIGIPIN is an optional extra where a form or service asks for it.
Do I need a DIGIPIN?
For most people, not yet. Couriers, banks and government forms still route by PIN code and address. DIGIPIN is most useful where addresses are vague — a farmhouse, a new layout with no house numbers, a shop inside a large market — and for emergency services or deliveries that need an exact gate.
How to find yours
India Post offers an official tool to find the DIGIPIN for any point; search for "Know Your DIGIPIN" on the India Post website. Because the code is calculated from your position, stand at the exact spot you want a code for, or pick it carefully on the map.
This site does not generate DIGIPINs. It focuses on the six-digit PIN code: you can detect the PIN code for your current location or browse the full PIN code directory.
Will DIGIPIN replace the PIN code?
There is no sign of that. The PIN code is built into postal sorting, courier networks and decades of records, and DIGIPIN has been presented as a complement to it. Think of the PIN code as "which post office" and the DIGIPIN as "which exact doorway". For the history of the six-digit system, see how the PIN code began in 1972.
Details of DIGIPIN, including where it is accepted, may change as it is rolled out. Check India Post’s website for the current position.
FAQ
Is my DIGIPIN private?
A DIGIPIN describes a square on the map, the same way coordinates do. It contains no name or personal details, but like any precise location, think before sharing it publicly.
Can two houses have the same DIGIPIN?
Yes, if they fall inside the same small grid square — for example, flats stacked vertically in one building. Combine it with the flat number and your normal address.