Dubai Postal Code, Zip Code and PO Box: What to Write on Forms

There is a common question about the Dubai postal code and the Dubai zip code, and the practical answer comes from the official pages: Emirates Post asks for a P.O. Box number, a physical address and the emirate, and the address format it publishes does not include a postal code. The same applies to an Abu Dhabi zip code search, because the format is the national postal service's. Dubai also has its own official addressing system, Makani, which gives each building entrance a 10 digit number. This guide explains what to write on forms, how a PO Box works, what a Makani number is and why it matters when you rent or buy a home. Everything below comes from Emirates Post and Dubai Municipality pages read on 4 November 2026.

Does Dubai have a postal code or zip code?

Emirates Post's published address format does not ask for a postal code or zip code. Its FAQ gives an address format for shipments to the UAE that lists the recipient's name, the P.O. Box number, the physical address (building name, street name and flat number), the emirate and a telephone number. Treat any website that insists on a numeric code as a requirement of that website, not of the postal service.

What is the Emirates Post address format?

The FAQ asks senders to follow this order when sending shipments to the UAE.

1. "To", then the recipient's title and name
2. The P.O. Box number
3. The physical address: building name, street name and flat number
4. The emirate, for example Dubai or Abu Dhabi
5. A telephone number

The telephone number is the last item in the official format, so keep it on every address block you write.

What should you enter when a form demands a postal code?

Online forms from abroad often make the postcode field compulsory. Because Emirates Post gives no official placeholder, we cannot quote one. Use these steps in order.

• Read the form's help text or the company's address guide for the UAE.
• If the form has a P.O. Box field, use your P.O. Box number there.
• Ask the company's support team which entry it accepts, and keep the reply.
• For official forms such as bank, visa or tenancy paperwork, write the P.O. Box, building, street, area and emirate exactly as the receiving organisation instructs.

Do not invent a number, because a made-up code can send a parcel to the wrong place or fail a verification.

What is a PO Box in Dubai?

A P.O. Box is a mailing address that Emirates Post rents to individuals and companies. For a personal box, the Emirates Post page says the applicant must be a UAE resident aged at least 18 and must have an Emirates ID. You apply with UAE PASS online, through the Emirates Post app or at a branch, and payment is by card online, with cash accepted only at branches. The page lists contract terms of one, two, three, five or ten years with optional auto-renewal, and says a customer should renew within 30 days of contract expiry to avoid cancellation. We quote no fees, because the plans page shows the current rates.

Corporate P.O. Box rental and renewal are separate services on the same site.

What is a Makani number?

Dubai Municipality's geographic information site describes Makani as the official geographic addressing system in Dubai. Each Makani number is a 10 digit number, numbers only, and it points to the entrance of a specific building rather than a general area. It is used with electronic maps on smartphones, tablets, computers and navigation systems. The Makani app lets you search for a number, tap a building to see its virtual plate in 360 view, or use augmented reality to display building plates in an area. The page lists purposes including shorter emergency response times, support for government inspectors, and lower vehicle trip times.

How do you find the Makani number of a building?

The official page says a number can be obtained through the search tools in the Makani application, and the app lets you tap a building on the map. Once you have the number, save it in your phone's contacts for your home, so that visitors, delivery drivers and taxis can find the right entrance. For a villa with more than one gate, check which entrance the number refers to.

Should you use Makani or a PO Box as your address?

They do different jobs. A P.O. Box is for post and parcels sent through the postal service, while a Makani number identifies where a building entrance is for people navigating to it. Many residents use both: the P.O. Box for official letters, and the Makani number plus building and flat details for deliveries. Emirates Post's own format asks for the P.O. Box and the physical address together. Give your Makani number as an extra, not a replacement, since couriers may not require it.

What about an Abu Dhabi zip code or other emirates?

People searching for an Abu Dhabi zip code usually need to complete an overseas form or an online order. The Emirates Post format is not specific to Dubai: it is published for shipments to the UAE, and the emirate is its own line, so Abu Dhabi goes on that line, with the P.O. Box and physical address above it. u.ae confirms that Emirates Post provides postal, regular and express delivery services in the UAE. The Makani numbers described here belong to Dubai's system; check whether they apply in other emirates.

What does a clean address block look like?

Use this layout as a template, replacing the example words with your own details. Following the Emirates Post order keeps the form valid for both postal and courier use.

What are the common mistakes with Dubai addresses?

Common mistakes are leaving out the flat or villa number, writing only a district name such as the area without the building, using an old P.O. Box after it has lapsed, and giving a Makani number for the wrong gate. Renewing a P.O. Box within 30 days of expiry avoids cancellation, according to Emirates Post. If you move home, update your address with your bank, your employer and your utility provider, and cancel or transfer the P.O. Box as the service allows. Keep proof of your address, such as your tenancy contract, because some services ask for it.

What does this mean when you rent or buy a home in Dubai?

When you sign a tenancy, the contract, your Ejari registration and your utility accounts use the property's details, not a postal code. Keep a copy of the building name, the unit number and the Makani number in one note. If you are new to the city, read our relocation guide and tenant guide for the order of paperwork, and note that a P.O. Box is optional for many residents. If you are buying, the title and the registered address come from the Dubai Land Department; see buying as a foreigner.

Which area names should you use in an address?

Dubai's official guide describes areas such as Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina, Business Bay and Deira as neighbourhoods, and u.ae notes that a 2016 addressing system divided Dubai into 14 districts. Use the area name your tenancy contract shows, because delivery apps match it, and add the building and unit.

What is the next step?

Decide whether you need a P.O. Box at all, and if you do, apply through Emirates Post's official page. Look up your building's Makani number in the app and store it. Then keep one standard address block, with name, P.O. Box if any, building, street, area, emirate and phone, ready to paste into forms.

How do you write a Dubai address on a form?

• Name of the person who will receive the item.
• Building or villa name and the flat or villa number.
• Street name and area, for example the community name shown on your tenancy contract.
• Your Makani number, if the form has a free text field for it.
• PO Box number, if you or your company have one.
• City and emirate, then United Arab Emirates.
• A mobile number with the country code, so the courier can call you.

When a website insists on a postcode field, look for a note on that site about what to enter for the UAE, and keep the rest of the address as complete as you can.