An address code is an address identifier used to locate a property or place, usually alongside details such as a road name, house number, or postal code. In plain English, it is the code-like part of an address system that helps identify where something is, but it is not the same thing as proof that a person lives there or that a property has a legal status. In the European INSPIRE address model, addresses are the location of properties based on address identifiers, usually by road name, house number, and postal code.
Address identifiers are important because public bodies and other systems need a consistent way to match places, parcels, buildings, and related records. A clear address record improves interoperability across registers and helps different systems talk to each other using the same location information.
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, and Sweden may use local standards, labels, filing systems, or access rules for address data. Where the supplied national material is silent, do not assume a country has the same address code format, public access rule, or register structure as another country.
