UN/LOCODE Lookup & Validator
Look up and decode any UN/LOCODE — the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations — or browse every port, airport and terminal in a country. See functions, status and coordinates instantly. Free, client-side, no sign-up.
How it works
A UN/LOCODE (United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations) is maintained by UNECE and identifies places used in international trade — seaports, airports, rail and road terminals, border crossings, inland freight depots and more. It is the backbone of customs declarations, EDI messages and shipping documents worldwide.
Every code is exactly 5 characters:
- Characters 1–2 — the ISO 3166 country code (letters only), e.g.
US,SG,DE. - Characters 3–5 — a 3-character location code (letters or digits) unique within that country, e.g.
NYC,SIN,HAM.
The function classifier
Each location carries an 8-position function classifier. A position is active when it shows any character other than a dash (-) or a zero (0). Reading left to right:
| Position | Function |
|---|---|
| 1 | Port (any water-borne transport) |
| 2 | Rail terminal |
| 3 | Road terminal |
| 4 | Airport |
| 5 | Postal exchange |
| 6 | Multimodal (inland clearance depot / dry port) |
| 7 | Fixed transport (e.g. pipeline) |
| 8 | Border crossing |
Worked example — the function string 12345--- (as used for New York, USNYC) has positions 1–5 active and 6–8 inactive, so it decodes to: Port; Rail terminal; Road terminal; Airport; Postal exchange.
Status codes
The status tells you how firmly a location is established in the list. Common values include AA (approved by a competent national government agency), AI (adopted by an international organisation such as IATA/ECLAC), AS (approved by a national standardisation body), RL (recognised location), RQ (request under consideration), QQ (original entry not verified since the date shown) and XX (entry to be removed in the next issue). The tool shows the full meaning for every code it finds.
FAQ
What is a UN/LOCODE?
UN/LOCODE is the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations, maintained by UNECE. Each code has 5 characters: a 2-letter ISO 3166 country code followed by a 3-character location code. It identifies ports, airports, rail and road terminals, border crossings and other places used in customs, EDI and shipping.
What do the function digits in a UN/LOCODE mean?
Each location carries an 8-position function classifier. From left to right the positions mean: 1 Port, 2 Rail terminal, 3 Road terminal, 4 Airport, 5 Postal exchange, 6 Multimodal, 7 Fixed transport, 8 Border crossing. A position is active when it shows a character other than a dash or a zero. For example 12345--- means Port, Rail terminal, Road terminal, Airport and Postal exchange.
My code looks correct but is not found — why?
A code can be well-formed (valid country code plus a 3-character location code) yet not appear in the current UNECE list. New locations are added and old ones removed over time, and provisional or user-requested entries come and go. This tool never guesses: if a well-formed code is not in the current list it tells you so rather than inventing a match.
Need UN/LOCODE data at scale?
Batch-validate or enrich locations with our pay-per-use API (10 free calls per month), or grab the full dataset for offline use.
Location data is sourced from the UNECE UN/LOCODE list and provided as-is, without warranty. Codes and statuses change between UNECE issues; always confirm critical shipments against the current official list.