# Postzegelcode

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{{Short description|Hand-written method of postal franking in the Netherlands}}
thumb|Example of a '''postzegelcode'''
A '''postzegelcode''' is a hand-written method of [franking](/source/franking) in the [Netherlands](/source/Netherlands). It consists of a code containing nine numbers and letters that customers can purchase online from [PostNL](/source/PostNL) and write directly on their piece of mail within five days as proof of payment in place of a [postage stamp](/source/postage_stamp).<ref>{{Cite web |title=PostNL - Postzegelcode |url=https://www.postnl.nl/versturen/postzegels/postzegels-kopen/postzegelcode/}}</ref>

For mail within the Netherlands, the nine letters and numbers are written in a three-by-three grid. For international mail there is a fourth additional row that contains '''P''', '''N''', '''L'''.

The system was started in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-05-23 |title=Postzegel niet meer nodig met app |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/509787-postzegel-niet-meer-nodig-met-app |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=nos.nl |language=nl}}</ref> Initially the postzegelcode was more expensive than a stamp because additional handling systems were required. Then for a while{{when|date=July 2024}} the postzegelcode was cheaper. Eventually the rates were set to the same price.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In December 2020, 590,000 people sent cards with postzegelcodes.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-29 |title=Gebruik postzegelcodes PostNL bijna verdrievoudigd |url=https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/tech/artikel/5205786/postnl-postzegel-code-postzegelcodes-codes-kaartje-post |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=RTL Nieuws |language=nl}}</ref>

== Safety ==
Since the codes are valid for only five days, the chance that someone would guess a recently purchased code is quite low. Assuming 26 letters and 9 digits (the zero is not used to avoid confusion with the letter O), there are 35<sup>9</sup> (78.8 trillion) possibilities. Even if a ''postzegelcode'' were used for all mail items in the Netherlands, the probability is about 1 in 2 million that any stamp code has been sold in the past five days.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.postnl.nl/campagnes/postzegelcode/ PostNL, postzegelcode]

Category:Postal markings

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Postzegelcode](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postzegelcode) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postzegelcode?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.