The 16th arrondissement of Paris — renowned for its spacious avenues, prestigious museums, and diplomatic residences — has a peculiarity that often piques curiosity: it’s associated with two different postal codes. Most Parisians and visitors are familiar with the 75016 code, but there is also 75116. So, what’s the story behind this “double postal code”?
To understand this unique feature, we need to go back to the early 20th century, a time when Paris was experiencing rapid growth. The existing districts were expanding, neighborhoods were becoming denser, and managing mail delivery was becoming increasingly complicated. It was in this context that the French postal service began to systematically organize the city using postal codes, aiming to streamline mail distribution and reduce delivery errors.
Code 75016 is now the designation found on the vast majority of addresses in the 16th arrondissement. In the French postal system, the first two digits “75” identify Paris, while the following three numbers specify the district and delivery zone. As a result, “75016” has become the official code representing the district as a whole.
So, where does 75116 come from? This second postal code doesn't correspond to a different arrondissement but rather stems from internal streamlining within La Poste. At certain times, especially when postal sorting operations were more segmented, specialized "operation" codes were assigned to streamline mail processing in specific centers or for targeted missions (like certain administrative services or sectors with a high volume of mail).
For the 16th arrondissement, the code 75116 has been maintained as an internal reference, primarily used for specific departments or destinations. Although it's not used as a standard postage code accessible to the general public, it may have also been intended to differentiate certain logistical sectors without causing confusion with the regularly used 75016.
Noteworthy fact: the 16th arrondissement is the only district in Paris with two postal codes in use. All the other arrondissements, from the 1st to the 20th, each have a single postal code that directly corresponds to their arrondissement number.
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