Common components

Postcode lookup

Part of
Architecture: work in progress collection
Last reviewed
14 October 2026
Owner
Head of Architecture

Postcode lookup

We’re helping service delivery teams make the right strategic choices for delivering postcode capabilities within their service by identifying a set of common postcode lookup solutions.

The solutions identified below provide functionality to search address details across the UK. They can return results ‘as you type’, meaning users can choose the correct address as they go. Using these solutions can help your service to:

  • reduce inaccuracies from manual entry
  • avoid the chances of having duplicate data
  • improve user experience for data entry and retrieval

Postcode lookup components

These are the products and services in use and available across the department:

They each bring a slightly different set of features and capabilities that fit different use cases.

This Excel table (DfE SharePoint users only) provides an overview of each of the postcode tools capabilities.

Further guidance

If you’re considering your options and want more advice, get in touch with your Architecture lead.