New to DubaiDoes Dubai have a postcode? What to write on forms
No, Dubai doesn't have a postcode, and neither does the rest of the UAE. When a form asks for a Dubai postcode, type 00000 (five zeros). If the form won't accept that, leave the box blank or try N/A.
Nobody here uses that box to find you. Your parcel gets to you because of everything else you write: the building, the flat number, the area and your phone number. Below you'll find what to put in each field, plus two local extras worth knowing (a P.O. Box and a Makani number). We'll also give you our firmest piece of advice on deliveries: use couriers, not regular post.
Why Dubai has no postcodes
Addresses here work differently. You don't give a house number and a code. You describe where you live: building name, flat number, the street if there is one, and the area or community, such as Dubai Marina or Al Barsha. Couriers find you with that, plus a phone call or a map pin.
Emirates Post, the national postal service, mostly delivers letters to its branches and to P.O. Boxes (numbered mailboxes you rent at a post office). Door delivery is limited. Its MyHome service fits mailboxes outside villas, but only in selected communities. The country has never needed postcodes to get things delivered, and it still doesn't use them.
Our advice is simple. Don't rely on regular mail. For anything you actually want to receive, use a courier.
What to type in the postcode box
Try these in order and stop at the first one the form accepts.
Don't make up a code or borrow one from another country. It won't help anyone find you, and it puts a wrong detail on your address.
- 00000. This is the usual placeholder, and forms that insist on a number will usually take it.
- Leave it blank. If the box isn't marked as required, skip it.
- N/A or 0. Some forms accept letters. Others only take a single digit.
- Your P.O. Box number. Only if the form clearly wants a postal address and you actually have a box (more on that below).
Shopping on international websites
This is where the postcode question comes up most. Overseas shops are built around postcodes, and some won't let you check out without one.
Put 00000 in the postcode box, choose United Arab Emirates as the country and type Dubai as the city. If there's a state, province or region box, put Dubai there too. Then fill in the address lines properly:
When a shop lets you pick how it ships, choose a courier over standard post. The NTD Team's picks for parcels from abroad are Aramex, DHL and FedEx.
Your mobile number matters more than any of the boxes above. Couriers here usually call or message before they arrive, and that call is often how they find your door. Use a UAE number starting +971 if you have one. No local number yet? Here's how to get a SIM card.
- Line 1: flat or villa number and building name
- Line 2: street name (if your building has one) and the area or community
- Any space left over: the nearest landmark, such as a metro station, a mall or a well-known building
Local forms: banks, tenancy and utilities
Most Dubai forms won't ask for a postcode at all, because they're built for local addresses. When you open a bank account, register your lease with Ejari or set up utilities, expect to give your building name, unit number and area. Some will also want your tenancy contract or a Makani number.
Now and then a local form has a postcode box anyway, because it runs on generic software. Same rule: 00000, or leave it empty.
Write your address the same way every time, ideally exactly as it appears on your tenancy contract. A small spelling difference in a building name rarely causes trouble by itself, but keeping it identical saves you questions later.
Do you need a P.O. Box?
For most people, no. Parcels, groceries and takeaways come to your door through couriers and apps, using your building and flat number.
A P.O. Box is also a hassle. Post doesn't come to you: you have to go to the post office to collect it. It only makes sense if you still get physical letters, such as documents from overseas organisations that only send things by mail.
If you do need one, ask your HR team first. Some employers let staff use the company's P.O. Box. Otherwise Emirates Post rents personal boxes to UAE residents aged 18 or over. Check its website for the current options and how to apply.
What a Makani number is (and isn't)
Makani is Dubai's official location numbering system, introduced by Dubai Municipality in 2015. Every building entrance has its own 10-digit Makani number. You'll usually find it on a plate next to the entrance, and you can look it up in the Makani app or on the Makani website.
It isn't a postcode. It points to one exact entrance, not an area, and international forms won't recognise it. It's still handy. Add it to a delivery note or your second address line and a driver can look up exactly where you are. Some local forms ask for it directly.
Living in another emirate
Plenty of people live in Sharjah or another emirate and work in Dubai. The postcode advice doesn't change: there are no postcodes anywhere in the UAE, so 00000 or a blank box works the same way. Pick the emirate you actually live in as the city and region, not Dubai.
Makani is a Dubai system, so don't assume your building in another emirate has a Makani number. Ask your landlord or building management how your address should be written, and copy it from your tenancy contract.
A Dubai address, written out
Here's a layout that works on almost any form. Swap in your own details.
- Name: your full name, as it appears on your ID
- Address line 1: Flat 1204, [building name]
- Address line 2: [street name], [area], near [landmark]
- City: Dubai
- State or region: Dubai
- Postcode: 00000
- Country: United Arab Emirates
- Phone: +971 followed by your mobile number
Mistakes that slow deliveries down
When a delivery fails or runs late, the cause is usually something missing from the address lines. The postcode box is rarely the problem.
- Choosing Dubai as the country. Dubai is a city and an emirate. The country is the United Arab Emirates.
- Leaving out the flat number because the building name feels like enough. In a tower with hundreds of flats, it isn't.
- Giving a foreign phone number that doesn't get calls or messages here.
- Writing only the area, with no building name. Communities such as Jumeirah Village Circle have a lot of buildings.
- Copying an old address where the building name is spelled differently from your contract.
- Sending things by regular post when a courier would bring them to your door.
What to do next
Once your address is written down properly, the rest of the paperwork gets easier. One more thing we tell every newcomer: ask people who've lived here how they do things, but get a second opinion, because rules and processes here change quickly. If you're still working through the early admin, our guide to getting started in Dubai covers what to sort out first. And if you're about to start ordering things to your new door, read our take on delivery apps in Dubai.