PostNL Address Validation

PostNL is the name of the Netherlands’ postal organization. It has been delivering mail and parcels for 225 years. In 2023, it delivered 1.7 billion letters and 343 million parcels. The country has over 11,000 mailboxes, making it easy for businesses and individuals to drop off their mail. 

Like other postal organizations, PostNL offers address validation to individuals and businesses wanting to check address validity. It allows you to ensure your letters, postcards, parcels, etc., reach the recipients without delay. 

PostNL address validation lets you check addresses in the Netherlands and Benelux. However, you can also check international addresses to send something abroad. Since global postage rates are expensive, verifying the mailing locations beforehand is better to avoid receiving mail returns.

This blog discusses everything you need to know about PostNL’s address verification tool so you can use it appropriately. Additionally, we discuss its limitations, letting you decide whether it is the right choice for your business. Let’s dig in!

Key Takeaways

• PostNL address validation tool helps businesses verify their customers’ delivery addresses to ensure they can mail to the correct recipients. The post office checks whether the address exists in its data records and makes necessary modifications. 
• You can use Adrescheck Basis Nationaal to check Dutch mailing addresses and Adrescheck Internationaal to check Benelux and other global addresses. These PostNL services let you reformat and cleanse the records in real-time. 
• PostNL is designed to help individuals and businesses check addresses to complete deliveries. Thus, it has several limitations, such as restrictions on checking remote addresses and not showing unserviceable areas. 
• PostGrid’s address verification API is a better alternative because it offers international address autocomplete, geocoding, bulk verification, etc., at low prices.

Finding mailing addresses using postcodes in the Netherlands is simple and quick, thanks to the “Find an Address” tool. It lets you enter the postcode and the house number and click “Show address” to get the entire, accurate street address to which you want to ship. 

This free PostNL address validation service enables you to verify whether the addresses you have match the associated house numbers and postcodes. Otherwise, it shows “No result,” which is your clue to knowing that the address has errors.

You entered the correct postcode and house number and got the appropriate street address. If you type incorrect details, you see this:

Next is the “Find a postcode” PostNL address validation tool. Enter a street name, house number, and town or city to get the associated postcode. You can also add additional details, such as a landmark. 

These tools are helpful to businesses and individuals because they can ensure their addresses are accurate and deliverable. It also shows that PostNL services specific streets/ neighborhoods, so they can confidently ship their mailpieces via the post office.

Businesses can use these tools to create a marketing list. They can enter the city and street they want to target with random house numbers to get a segmented, verified mailing list to which they can send promotional items.  

 Also Read: Austrian Post Address Validation: Meaning, How It Works, and More

PostNL rejects letters and other mailers with delivery address issues. Please note that it processes and sorts mail using automated machines. Thus, you must follow the post office-approved mailing address format to ship items. Here is the structure you may use for Dutch addresses:

Salutation (optional)

Recipient’s full name or company name

Street name and house number*

Postcode and city

Country

*The suffix for your house numbers must appear with a space after the number. If it begins with a number, use a hyphen. 

Please enter the entire 4-digit postcode using two letters. Also, add the city in capital letters. When sending international mail, only add the country name. Do not add any country code, ISO number, or other details.

You can use this format to send addresses with PO boxes:

Salutation (optional)

Recipient’s full name or company name

PO box number

Postcode and city

Country

Here are some sample mailing addresses you can use:

Jamie Bakker

Postbus 81269

5701 BG MAASTRICHT

Aldert Van Dijk

t.a.v dhr M. Van Dijk

Herestraat 8 B

9711 LL Groningen

Note: 

• t.a.v dhr refers to “to the attention of.”
• Postbus means PO box

 Also Read: Correos Address Validation: How Does It Work, Limitations and Its Alternatives

Dependent on User Inputs

PostNL address validation relies on users to enter their addresses correctly. If a person makes a mistake, such as a typo or missing details like an apartment number, the system may not catch it. It means that if someone enters “Overdoom” instead of “Overtoom” or forgets to include their house number, the tool might accept the incorrect address or fail to validate it. Unlike advanced solutions, like PostGrid, that can auto-correct or suggest the correct address, PostNL depends on what the user provides, making it less foolproof.

Database Not Updated Regularly

The post office uses a database of delivery addresses, but it is not updated in real-time or as frequently as needed. If a new street is built, a postal code is changed, or a building gets a new address, PostNL may not recognize it for a while. It can cause issues for businesses or individuals sending mail to newly developed areas. Even when updates do happen, they might not cover every change, which means some addresses could still be missing or incorrect.

Internal Data Units, like Room Numbers, Not Validated

PostNL only checks the primary address, such as a street name and house number, but it does not verify internal unit details like apartment numbers, office suites, or specific rooms inside a building. It can be a problem in large buildings where multiple units share the same street address. For example, if an office building at “5 H Javastraat” has ten different businesses inside, PostNL will not confirm whether “Suite 7N” exists, leading to potential delivery issues.

No Geocoding Functionalities

PostNL does not provide geocoding, which means it cannot convert an address into map coordinates (latitude and longitude) or vice versa. Many modern address validation tools offer this feature to ensure accurate location-based services, like finding the closest store, routing deliveries efficiently, or verifying that an address is physically real. Without geocoding, there is no way to check whether an address exists on a map or is accessible for deliveries. Hence, you might encounter many false positives. 

Limited Global Coverage

PostNL address validation primarily works for the Netherlands and Benelux and does not cover all countries. If a business needs to validate addresses outside the list of countries it serves, it might have to use a different tool. It can be a big challenge for international shipping companies, as incorrect foreign addresses can lead to delays, undelivered mail, or returned packages. Businesses that operate worldwide may need a separate system for verifying international addresses accurately.

High Prices

The tool can be expensive, especially for businesses that verify addresses in bulk. Many alternative address validation providers offer similar or even better features at a lower cost. Smaller companies or startups might find the pricing too high for their budget, making it difficult for them to afford this service. The costs can add up quickly if a company needs frequent address validation. 

Limited Integration Options

PostNL address validation does not easily integrate with all CRM, ecommerce, or marketing platforms. Some businesses need address validation that works seamlessly with tools like Shopify, Salesforce, or other logistics software. If the system does not offer an easy way to connect with these platforms, businesses might have to invest in extra development work or third-party services to make it compatible. It can increase costs and complicate the process, especially for companies that rely on automation.

PostNL address validation allows you to ensure the post offices send your mail and parcels using their optimal delivery routes and on time. However, it might not be helpful to your company if the addresses you want to verify don’t exist in its database. As discussed above, it has many other drawbacks and challenges, compelling businesses to seek an alternative. 

You might not want to spend €100 and more to check international delivery addresses or €49 and more for addresses in Benelux. Hence, consider another solution, like PostGrid’s address verification API, to verify national and global mailing locations at the lowest rates!

PostGrid complies with your regulatory requirements, ensuring your data remains confidential and secure. Also, you can keep records for compliance audits to prove how you manage your customer data. Aside from these benefits, you can check addresses of 250+ countries in one place. 

PostNL has different APIs to check addresses within and outside the Netherlands, but you can do it simultaneously using PostGrid. Integrate our address verification API into your system, and you get

• National address verification
• Global address verification
• Autocomplete
• Standardization
• Fuzzy address matching
• Geocoding
• Reverse geocoding, etc., all in a single solution. 

PostGrid serves businesses in all sectors, helping them validate their delivery addresses whenever needed for various reasons. They can verify their mailing lists to conduct direct mail marketing campaigns. It allows them to ensure that promotional items reach the intended recipients who are most likely to buy their products and services. 

Many businesses also use PostGrid address verification to fulfill orders. They might have buyers from the Netherlands and overseas countries, and using PostGrid to validate addresses ensures they don’t receive return shipments. Furthermore, they might use our solution to ship transactional, compliance, and other mailpieces. 

In addition to shipping, firms leverage our address verification API or dashboard to enrich their databases. Our solution adds missing details, such as postal codes, street names, cities, towns, provinces/states, etc. Hence, their data records are always ready to access for business decision-making. 

Here are some more of our features:

1. Address Updates: PostGrid combines several data files, like the authoritative databases of postal organizations globally and their mover records. This allows it to update your delivery addresses, primarily if most customers, suppliers, or associates often move to new locations. This feature ensures you can always stay updated, even if they don’t personally contact you to send their new mailing details.
2. Rooftop Geocoding: You can get the geographical coordinates, like latitudes and longitudes, along with PostGrid’s method to obtain them. The best part is you don’t pay anything extra for this service and can get precise geocodes for all delivery addresses. Furthermore, you can also get reverse geocoding, which gives you accurate and complete mailing addresses for your geocodes. These details facilitate data mapping, mail deliveries, market research, and more.
3. Bulk Address Verification: As discussed above, you can check up to a million addresses simultaneously. Thus, businesses have a flexible and reliable option to check their records at scale without breaking them down into smaller files or segregating their data. The process is quick and easy, giving you complete, accurate, and ready-to-use results in no time.
4. Metadata: PostGrid address validation provides extensive metadata on the verified addresses, including information on the internal units, such as house, suite, and floor numbers. You also get county, census, and other details to enhance your database with as many additional details as possible.
5. International Address Autocomplete: Embed our autocomplete functionality into your website, CRM, marketing, and other platforms to get international address suggestions. PostGrid can suggest delivery addresses as you type something in the address field, regardless of which country’s records you want to enter. 
6. Integrations: We support D35, Stripe, Salesforce, and other integrations for real-time address verification. To complete the process hassle-free, you can leverage our dev-friendly API docs and 24/7 customer support. 

Get a demo now to see how PostGrid address verification can help your business achieve address deliverability and accuracy!