Overview
A pincode lookup API built from the All India Pincode Directory published by the Department of Posts, Government of India. One call returns the full picture for a PIN code: district and state with its ISO 3166-2:IN code, the India Post circle, region and division, a coordinate taken as the median of its offices, and every post office under the PIN marked as head, sub or branch office with its delivery status and own coordinates. Reverse lookups find PIN codes by post office name, district or state. The coordinates and the post office list are on paid plans, as is nearby=true, which lists the PIN codes within a radius of up to 50 km, nearest first.
Live Test India Pincode Source →
Formula
One function covers the whole catalog: the first argument names the source, the next are its inputs, and the field after them says which single value lands in the cell. Formulas covers the grammar that applies to all of them.
=VERVE("indiapincode", "count")=VERVE.CALL("indiapincode", "count")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below, followed by the field. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after that — the same shape as SUMIFS. Premium inputs are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
pincodeOptional | string | "pincode", value | Six-digit PIN code |
officeOptional | string | "office", value | Post office name or part of it length 0–100 |
districtOptional | string | "district", value | District name length 0–80 |
stateOptional | string | "state", value | State or union territory name length 0–80 |
nearbyOptionalPremium | boolean | "nearby", value | With pincode, include the PIN codes within radius km |
radiusOptional | number | "radius", value | Radius in km for nearby (1-50) default 10 · range 1–50 |
limitOptional | integer | "limit", value | Maximum PIN codes to return for searches (1-50) default 10 · range 1–50 |
Passing an option
=VERVE("indiapincode", "count", "pincode", 110001)=VERVE.CALL("indiapincode", "count", "pincode", 110001)What lands in your sheet
The field — the argument after the inputs — is what makes the formula resolve to one cell. Its value is a dot-path from the table below, so swapping it is how you pull a different value — one formula per column.
Seeing everything at once
Leave the field out and the formula returns the whole response instead: two columns, field name on the left and value on the right, spilling from the cell you typed in.
=VERVE("indiapincode")=VERVE.CALL("indiapincode")The second row's table would land on top of the first's, and every cell after the first reads #REF! (#SPILL! in Excel). Keep one per sheet, or name a field, and leave the cells below and to the right empty.
Response fields
Paths are relative to data. Each one is exactly what the field argument accepts, so swapping it is how you pull a different value into a cell. On a plan without a Premium field the cell reads #PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.
| Use as the field | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
count | number | 1 | Number of PIN codes returned |
totalMatches | number | 1 | Number of PIN codes that matched before the limit |
results | array[1] | ||
results.0.pincode | string | 560001 | Six-digit Indian postal index number |
results.0.district | string | Bengaluru Urban | District |
results.0.state | string | Karnataka | State or union territory |
results.0.stateCode | string | KA | ISO 3166-2:IN subdivision code, e.g. KA |
results.0.circle | string | Karnataka Circle | India Post circle |
results.0.region | string | Bengaluru HQ Region | India Post region; null where the division reports straight to the circle |
results.0.division | string | BANGALORE GPO DIVISION | India Post division |
results.0.latitudePremium | number | 12.98247 | Latitude of the PIN: the median of its post offices' coordinates |
results.0.longitudePremium | number | 77.59456 | Longitude of the PIN |
results.0.timezone | string | Asia/Kolkata | IANA time zone (Asia/Kolkata) |
results.0.postOfficeCount | number | 10 | Number of post offices under the PIN |
results.0.deliveryOfficeCount | number | 1 | Number of those offices that deliver mail |
results.0.postOfficesPremium | array[10] | Every post office under the PIN, head office first | |
results.0.postOffices.0.namePremium | string | Bengaluru G.P.O. | Post office name |
results.0.postOffices.0.officeTypePremium | string | head_office | head_office, sub_office or branch_office |
results.0.postOffices.0.deliveryPremium | boolean | true | The office delivers mail |
results.0.postOffices.0.latitudePremium | number | 12.9716 | Latitude of the office; null when the directory gives none or an implausible one |
results.0.postOffices.0.longitudePremium | number | 77.59456 | Longitude of the office |
results.0.nearbyPremium | array[2] | PINs within radius km (nearby=true): pincode, district, state, distanceKm | |
results.0.nearby.0.pincodePremium | string | 560009 | |
results.0.nearby.0.districtPremium | string | Bengaluru Urban | |
results.0.nearby.0.statePremium | string | Karnataka | |
results.0.nearby.0.distanceKmPremium | number | 1.57 |
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() will not catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead. Error handling covers the rest.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | A preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in indiapincode | An option name this source does not take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The field path is not in the response. Check it against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan does not include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The cycle's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet does not leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Use cases
- Checkout Address Autofill
- Fill district and state as soon as a shopper types a 6-digit PIN code, and reject PIN codes that do not exist.
- Delivery Serviceability
- Check whether a PIN code has a delivery post office and list nearby PIN codes for courier zone planning.
- Address Cleaning
- Standardise district and state names and attach ISO state codes to customer records.
- Store and Agent Locators
- Find the PIN codes around a branch to define its catchment area.
Other ways to use India Pincode
Set up India Pincode on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
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