French Addresses
Number Then Street, Bis and Ter, Postal Codes
Updated May 2026
French addresses follow a clear order: street number first, then street type (rue, boulevard, avenue, place, etc.), then street name. The order matters because some neighbouring countries reverse it. 12 rue de Rivoli and 8 boulevard Haussmann are correct French. Rue de Rivoli 12 is what you would write in some Belgian and Italian conventions but not in France. The number-then-street order is universal in France, prescribed by La Poste address standards, and is the only form expected by automated mail-sorting equipment.
This page covers the standard address order, the bis/ter/quater suffix system, the 5-digit postal code structure (and what the first two digits encode about the département), the Paris arrondissement notation that makes Paris addresses uniquely informative, and the La Poste 5-line address standard for postal mail.
The Number-Then-Street Convention
Every French street address starts with a number. The number identifies a specific door or building entrance on the street; the street name comes after. 12 rue de Rivoli means “the building at number 12 on rue de Rivoli”. The standard street types include rue (street), boulevard (originally the wide tree-lined ring roads of Paris but now used generally), avenue (a wide approach road, often radial), place (square or plaza), impasse (cul-de-sac), passage (a narrow passage or covered walkway), quai (riverside or quayside road), cour (courtyard), villa (a private residential alley, common in Paris).
Rural addresses in France often have no street number; they use lieu-dit (locality) names instead. Lieu-dit Le Vieux Moulin, 12345 Saint-Jean-de-Cuculles is a typical countryside address with no street and no number. The 5-digit postal code and the city name are still mandatory; La Poste relies on those for sorting. Lieu-dit names are recognised in the Base Adresse Nationale (BAN) and in the official IGN cartographic database.
For very long addresses (corporate offices, university buildings), additional sub-address detail goes on a separate line. Université Paris-Saclay, Bâtiment 660, 12 rue Joliot-Curie, 91405 Orsay CEDEX. The CEDEX suffix is special: it indicates a high-volume sorting destination (large companies, public institutions) and is used by La Poste to route mail through different processing channels.
Bis, Ter, Quater: The Sub-Number Suffix System
French street numbering is sequential along each side of a street: even numbers on one side, odd on the other, starting from the lowest-numbered end of the street. When a new building is inserted into the street, French addressing handles the gap with a sub-number suffix rather than renumbering the whole street. 12 bis is the building inserted after 12. 12 ter is the second insertion. 12 quater would be the third.
The Latin counters (bis = twice, ter = third time, quater = fourth, quinquies = fifth, sexies = sixth) come from medieval Latin numbering used in legal documents. They survived in French addressing because they avoided the disruption of full street renumbering, which would have invalidated property deeds and confused the residents. The system is documented in the official Base Adresse Nationale (BAN) and is honoured by all French postal and emergency-services systems.
For an address with a bis/ter suffix, the suffix MUST be included exactly as registered. 12 rue de la Paix and 12 bis rue de la Paix are different addresses and may belong to entirely different households. La Poste address-validation systems will reject mail with the wrong suffix. The IGN cartographic database (BD ADRESSE) stores each suffix as a distinct address point with its own coordinates.
Postal Codes: Five Digits, First Two Encode the Département
French postal codes (codes postaux) have five digits. The system was introduced in 1972 by La Poste to enable automated sorting. The first two digits identify the département (the administrative subdivision of France). The next three digits identify the postal sector within that département.
The département numbering is itself worth knowing because it shows up everywhere in French life: car licence plates (the old format ended with a 2-digit département code, the modern AB-123-CD format hides it but signs and stickers often display it), the first two digits of social security numbers (sex digit + year of birth + month + département of birth + commune + serial), tax identification, voter registration, and the postal code.
| Code | Département (and main city) |
|---|---|
| 01 | Ain |
| 06 | Alpes-Maritimes (Nice) |
| 13 | Bouches-du-Rhône (Marseille) |
| 14 | Calvados |
| 21 | Côte-d'Or (Dijon) |
| 31 | Haute-Garonne (Toulouse) |
| 33 | Gironde (Bordeaux) |
| 34 | Hérault (Montpellier) |
| 44 | Loire-Atlantique (Nantes) |
| 59 | Nord (Lille) |
| 67 | Bas-Rhin (Strasbourg) |
| 69 | Rhône (Lyon) |
| 75 | Paris |
| 78 | Yvelines (Versailles) |
| 92 | Hauts-de-Seine (La Défense) |
| 95 | Val-d'Oise (CDG airport) |
The full numbering is 01 to 95 for metropolitan départements (with 20 split into 2A Corse-du-Sud and 2B Haute-Corse), then 971 to 976 for overseas départements (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon as a collectivity). Source: INSEE Code officiel géographique.
Paris Arrondissements: 75001 to 75020
Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements arranged in a clockwise spiral starting from the central Louvre area. The 1st arrondissement (Louvre, Tuileries, Châtelet) carries the postal code 75001. The 2nd (Bourse, Sentier, Opéra) is 75002. The pattern continues: 75003 for the 3rd (Marais), 75004 for the 4th (Île de la Cité, Marais), and so on, ending with 75020 for the 20th (Belleville, Père-Lachaise).
The arrondissement number is also written in Roman numerals as part of common Parisian shorthand: le Vᵉ (the 5th, Latin Quarter), le VIᵉ (Saint-Germain-des-Prés), le VIIᵉ (Eiffel Tower / Invalides). In writing, you typically see Paris 5e or Paris 5ᵉ arrondissement rather than the Roman form, but the Roman numerals show up in real estate listings, restaurant guides, and editorial style.
The 16th arrondissement uniquely has two postal codes: 75016 covers most of it (the eastern, larger part), and 75116 covers a small western enclave (Auteuil-Boulogne side). This is a historical legacy of the 1959 redistribution and you will sometimes see Parisian residents distinguish “seizième nord” (16th north, 75116) from “seizième sud” (16th south, 75016).
Paris Hauts-de-Seine (92), Seine-Saint-Denis (93), and Val-de-Marne (94) form the inner ring (petite couronne) around the city itself. Major Paris-region addresses outside the city use those codes: La Défense in 92800-92927 (Hauts-de-Seine), Saint-Denis in 93200, Vincennes in 94300, Boulogne-Billancourt in 92100. The full Île-de-France region (Paris, petite couronne, and the four outer departements 77, 78, 91, 95) collectively holds about douze millions d’habitants.
La Poste 5-Line Address Standard
La Poste prescribes a 5-line maximum format for postal addresses, optimised for automated sorting. The standard layout:
Line 1: Madame Marie DUPONT
Line 2: (optional company / department)
Line 3: 12 bis rue de la Paix
Line 4: (optional building / floor)
Line 5: 75002 PARIS
The most important rule for line 5: the city name must be written in CAPITAL LETTERS. This is a La Poste standard for automated optical character recognition; lowercase city names slow down sorting machines. The postal code precedes the city name, separated by a single space. There is no comma or punctuation between them.
For international mail to France, the country name (FRANCE) goes on a 6th line, also in capitals, in the language of the originating country (so “FRANCE” from English-speaking countries, “FRANCIA” from Italian-speaking countries, etc.). The 6th line is omitted for domestic French mail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you write a French address?
Number first, then a comma (sometimes omitted), then the street type and name. So: 12 rue de Rivoli, 8 boulevard Haussmann, 3 avenue Foch, 25 place de la République. The number-then-street order is opposite to some Italian and Belgian conventions; in France, this order is universal and prescribed by La Poste address standards.
What does "bis" or "ter" mean in a French address?
Bis (literally "twice") and ter ("third time") indicate sub-units of the same street number. 12 bis is the building immediately after 12, sharing the same number block. 12 ter is the third in the block. Quater (fourth) and quinquies (fifth) are rarer but exist. The system handles cases where new buildings have been inserted into an established street numbering without renumbering everything. Postal addresses must include the suffix exactly as the property is registered.
How are French postal codes structured?
Five digits. The first two digits identify the département (administrative region): 75 for Paris, 13 for Bouches-du-Rhône (Marseille), 69 for Rhône (Lyon), 06 for Alpes-Maritimes (Nice), 33 for Gironde (Bordeaux), 31 for Haute-Garonne (Toulouse). The next three digits narrow down to the postal sector. CEDEX codes (special professional/business addresses) follow the same format with a CEDEX suffix.
How does Paris arrondissement notation work?
Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements. The postal code follows the pattern 750XX where XX is the arrondissement number: 75001 for the 1st arrondissement, 75002 for the 2nd, up to 75020 for the 20th. There is no 75021. Address writing often shows the arrondissement after the city name: Paris 8e (8th arrondissement), Paris 11e, etc. The 16th arrondissement uniquely has two postal codes: 75016 (most of it) and 75116 (a small western part), a historical legacy of the 1959 redistribution.
What is the order of lines in a French address?
Five lines maximum, per La Poste standards. Line 1: name (Mr / Mrs / Mlle and full name). Line 2: optional company or apartment details. Line 3: number, street type, street name (and bis/ter if applicable). Line 4: optional building, floor, lieu-dit or other locality detail. Line 5: postal code (5 digits) followed by the city name in CAPITALS. The CAPITALS-for-city rule is a La Poste convention to make automated sorting reliable.
How do you say a French address aloud?
Number first ("douze rue de Rivoli"), then the street type ("rue", "boulevard", "avenue", "place", etc.), then the street name. Postal codes are read as five-digit groups in pairs ("soixante-quinze, zéro zéro un" for 75001). The city name is read normally. Long addresses with multiple components are read line by line.
Are French street numbers ever paired with letters?
Yes, in addition to bis and ter. Some streets use letters: 12A, 12B, 12C for sub-units. This is more common in modern developments (lotissements) than in historic city centres. The bis/ter system is the historic pattern; the letter system is the modern alternative. Both are valid postal addresses.