Manila is the capital city of the Philippines, and 1,846,513 people were counted there in the 2020 census. Its districts each have their own history: Intramuros is the walled city from the Spanish period, Binondo is the oldest Chinatown in the world, and Quiapo is home to one of the most visited churches in the country.
In the Philippines, the postal code and the zip code are the same thing. The Philippine Postal Corporation, PHLPost, calls them ZIP codes, and most Filipinos say "zip code", but the four digit number is the same either way. Manila has 19 of them, from 1000 to 1018, one for each district or part of a district. This guide lists every Manila postal code from the PHLPost directory, grouped by district so you can find yours, and explains how to write the code on an LBC parcel and check it on the official PHLPost finder.
What Is the Postal Code for Manila?
The main postal code for Manila is 1000. That is the code for the Manila Central Post Office, and for Ermita, the district where the post office stands. If someone asks for the postal code of Manila without naming a district, 1000 is the answer they usually mean.
But 1000 is only the starting point. PHLPost gives Manila 19 codes in the range 1000 to 1018. The right code depends on the district in the address. A letter to Quiapo uses 1001, a parcel to Binondo uses 1006, and a delivery to Tondo uses 1012 or 1013, depending on which part of Tondo it is. Using 1000 for all of them will still reach Manila, but the mail has further to travel inside the city, and a wrong local code is one of the small mistakes that delay parcels.
Manila is a small city in land area but a dense one, and its districts are packed close together. Ermita and Malate run along Manila Bay, Intramuros sits inside its old walls near the Pasig River, and Tondo, the largest district, stretches across the north.
The Full List of Manila Postal Codes by District
Every code in this table comes from the PHLPost Zip Code Locator directory, the official list published by the Philippine Postal Corporation at phlpost.gov.ph. The directory lists each locality with its code, and this table keeps those pairings exactly as PHLPost lists them.
| Postal code | District in Manila |
|---|---|
| 1000 | Manila CPO - Ermita |
| 1001 | Quiapo |
| 1002 | Intramuros |
| 1003 | Sta Cruz South |
| 1004 | Malate |
| 1005 | San Miguel |
| 1006 | Binondo |
| 1007 | Paco |
| 1008 | Sampaloc East |
| 1009 | Sta. Ana |
| 1010 | San Nicolas |
| 1011 | Pandacan |
| 1012 | Tondo South |
| 1013 | Tondo North |
| 1014 | Sta Cruz North |
| 1015 | Sampaloc West |
| 1016 | Sta Mesa |
| 1017 | San Andres Bukid |
| 1018 | Port Area (South) |
A few things in this table are worth noting. First, the big districts are split: Santa Cruz is divided into 1003 for the south and 1014 for the north, Sampaloc is divided into 1008 for the east and 1015 for the west, and Tondo is divided into 1012 for the south and 1013 for the north. Always check which half of the district the address is in. Second, Pandacan, 1011, is the one code in this table that comes from the live PHLPost locator, because the archived directory this guide is built from does not list it. It was checked against the live table and against a second copy of the same directory, and both agree on 1011.
The Manila Central Post Office
The Manila Central Post Office is the most important post office in the country. It is the head office of PHLPost itself, at 3F Manila Central Post Office Building, Magallanes Drive, Liwasang Bonifacio, Barangay 659-A, Ermita, 1000 Manila.
The building is a landmark in its own right. It stands on the south bank of the Pasig River, at the end of Jones Bridge, with its columned facade facing the river. It was damaged by a fire in 2023, and restoration work was still under way in 2025. The photo below shows the building from the Binondo side of the river, with the fire damage visible on the roofline.
If you need to visit a post office in Manila, the Central Post Office is the main one, but there are post offices in the districts as well, and any of them can confirm a code for you.
How to Find and Check Your District Code
Start with the table above and match the district in your address. If you know the area but not the district name, these are the codes people search for most:
- Ermita and the Manila Central Post Office: 1000.
- Quiapo: 1001.
- Intramuros: 1002.
- Malate: 1004.
- Binondo: 1006.
- Paco: 1007.
- Sampaloc: 1008 for the east side and 1015 for the west side.
- Santa Ana: 1009.
- San Nicolas: 1010.
- Pandacan: 1011.
- Tondo: 1012 for the south and 1013 for the north.
- Santa Cruz: 1003 for the south and 1014 for the north.
- Santa Mesa: 1016.
- San Andres Bukid: 1017.
- Port Area: 1018.
If your district is not in the table, do not guess a code from the pattern. Look at a recent utility bill or a piece of mail that reached the address, because the code printed there is usually right. You can also check the official PHLPost Zip Code Locator at phlpost.gov.ph/zip-code-locator/ and search by locality name.
One honest note about that tool: the table on the live site currently shows only a small part of the full directory when you browse it, listing only Pandacan, 1011, for Metro Manila. The codes above were checked against the full directory behind it. If the finder search does not return your district, confirm the code at a post office counter instead of replacing it with a guess from another website.
How Philippine Zip Codes Work
A Philippine zip code has four digits, and PHLPost, the Philippine Postal Corporation, is the body that assigns them. The code is not required by law, but PHLPost strongly recommends using it, because it tells sorting offices which town or which part of a city a letter or parcel belongs to.
The first digit gives the broad area. Codes starting with 1 belong to Metro Manila, 2 and 3 to northern and central Luzon, 4 and 5 to southern Luzon and Bicol, 6 to the Visayas, and 7, 8 and 9 to Mindanao. That is why every Manila code starts with 1, and why Cebu City uses 6000 and Davao City uses 8000.
Inside Metro Manila, a code usually stands for a district or a small group of barangays, which is why one city can have dozens of codes. Outside Metro Manila, a code usually stands for a whole town or city, so most provincial places have just one.
PHLPost has said it plans a longer seven character alphanumeric ZIP Code PH in the future, announced by the Postmaster General in early 2024. As of November 2026 the official locator still shows the four digit codes, and those are the codes to use on parcels today.
How to Write the Postal Code on an LBC Parcel
The postal code goes on the last line of the address, right before the city name. PHLPost gives this exact order in its own guide. A Manila address for an LBC parcel looks like this:
Maria Santos
123 Escolta Street, Barangay 291, Binondo
Manila, Metro Manila 1006
Mobile 0917 123 4567
The names and numbers above are a sample only, to show the shape. Write the district or barangay in full, because street names repeat across districts, and write the code as four digits with no spaces or dashes.
Our guide to LBC address formatting tips walks through the full address piece by piece, including the landmark line that helps riders find inner streets. Our branch guide shows how to find the nearest LBC branch.
Common Mistakes With Manila Postal Codes
The most common mistake is using 1000 for the whole city. It works as a rough address, but it is not the code for Quiapo, Binondo, Malate or Tondo, and it can slow a delivery down while the parcel is sorted again inside the city.
The second mistake is using the wrong half of a split district. Santa Cruz has two codes, 1003 for the south and 1014 for the north. Sampaloc has two codes, 1008 for the east and 1015 for the west. Tondo has two codes, 1012 for the south and 1013 for the north. A parcel to Tondo North with 1012 is addressed to the wrong half of the district.
The third mistake is confusing Manila with Metro Manila. Manila is one city inside Metro Manila, and its codes run from 1000 to 1018. The other cities in Metro Manila have their own ranges: Quezon City uses 1100 to 1128, and Makati uses 1200 to 1235. A Quezon City code on a Manila address sends the parcel toward the wrong city.
The fourth mistake is leaving the code off a form that asks for it. Online shops, banks and government forms often need the code to match the address, and a missing code can hold up an order or an application.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the postal code of Manila?
The main postal code is 1000, for the Manila Central Post Office and Ermita. The city as a whole uses 19 codes from 1000 to 1018, one for each district or part of a district, so use the code for your district from the table above.
What is the postal code of Quiapo, Manila?
Quiapo is 1001.
What is the postal code of Binondo, Manila?
Binondo is 1006.
What is the postal code of Malate, Manila?
Malate is 1004.
What is the postal code of Tondo, Manila?
Tondo has two codes: 1012 for Tondo South and 1013 for Tondo North. Check which part of Tondo the address is in.
What is the postal code of Intramuros, Manila?
Intramuros is 1002.
What is the postal code of Pandacan, Manila?
Pandacan is 1011. It is the one code in this guide that was checked against the live PHLPost locator, because the archived directory does not list it.
Is the postal code the same as the zip code in the Philippines?
Yes. PHLPost calls them ZIP codes, and most Filipinos say "zip code", but the four digit number is the same. A form that asks for a postal code and a form that asks for a zip code want the same number.
Do I need a postal code to send an LBC parcel?
It is not required by law, but PHLPost strongly recommends it, and LBC sorts faster when the code is on the waybill. A missing or wrong code is a common reason a parcel takes an extra day.
A Quick Recap
Manila uses 19 postal codes, 1000 to 1018, and the right one is the code for your district, not the city as a whole. The main code is 1000 for the Central Post Office and Ermita. Quiapo is 1001, Intramuros is 1002, Malate is 1004, Binondo is 1006, Pandacan is 1011, and Tondo is 1012 for the south and 1013 for the north. Find your district in the table and write the four digit code on the last line of the address before the city name.