# UK Postcode Lookup & Enricher (`sterlingverify/uk-postcode-enrich`) Actor

Bulk-enrich UK postcodes with latitude/longitude, council, ward, constituency, region, LSOA/MSOA and police force using official ONS data via postcodes.io.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/sterlingverify/uk-postcode-enrich.md
- **Developed by:** [Luke Mangan](https://apify.com/sterlingverify) (community)
- **Categories:** Business, Developer tools, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$0.30 / 1,000 postcode enricheds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## UK Postcode Enricher

**UK Postcode Enricher** is a bulk UK postcode lookup: add latitude/longitude, council, ward, constituency, region, LSOA/MSOA and police force to every postcode, using official ONS data via postcodes.io.

**Best for:** Enriching customer, merchant or lead lists, mapping and territory planning, and geographic reporting.

### How to look up UK postcodes in bulk

1. Add postcodes to **UK postcodes** (`postcodes`), with or without spaces.
2. Click **Start**.
3. Download the enriched rows as CSV or Excel and join them back to your list.

### How it works

Uses the free postcodes.io API, which serves ONS Postcode Directory data. Terminated or invalid postcodes come back with `valid: false` and are still charged as a lookup.

### Output

`input, valid, postcode, latitude, longitude, country, region, adminDistrict, ward, constituency, lsoa, policeForce`

### Pricing (pay-per-event)

- `postcode-enriched`: **$0.0003** per result ($0.3 / 1,000). Platform usage is included; you pay only for results.
- Example: 10,000 postcodes cost $3.00.

### Example input

```json
{
  "postcodes": [
    "SW1A 1AA",
    "LS28 6AA",
    "EH1 1YZ"
  ]
}
```

### Example output

Values below are illustrative.

```json
{
  "input": "sw1a1aa",
  "valid": true,
  "postcode": "SW1A 1AA",
  "latitude": 51.501009,
  "longitude": -0.141588,
  "country": "England",
  "region": "London",
  "adminDistrict": "Westminster",
  "ward": "St James's",
  "constituency": "Cities of London and Westminster",
  "lsoa": "Westminster 018C",
  "policeForce": "Metropolitan Police"
}
```

### Use it via API, schedules and integrations

Run it in Apify Console, or call it from your own code with the Apify API or the Python and JavaScript clients. Save an input as a task and add a schedule to run it regularly, and send results to Slack, email, webhooks, Zapier, Make or n8n with Apify integrations. AI agents can find and run it through the Apify MCP server.

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("sterlingverify/uk-postcode-enrich").call(run_input={"postcodes": ["SW1A 1AA", "LS28 6AA"]})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)
```

### FAQ

#### What happens with invalid postcodes?

Terminated or invalid postcodes come back with `valid: false` and are still charged as a lookup.

#### What licence is the data under?

OS, Royal Mail and National Statistics data under the Open Government Licence v3.0, served by postcodes.io (MIT).

### Disclaimer

Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright, all under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data served by postcodes.io (MIT). Not affiliated with ONS, Royal Mail or postcodes.io.

### Related sterlingVerify tools

Part of the sterlingVerify UK payments, KYB and data toolkit on Apify Store:

- [UK House Prices](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/uk-house-prices): HM Land Registry sold prices by postcode or street
- [UK Company Check](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/uk-company-check): Companies House, VAT and UK sanctions KYB check in one call
- [Bank of England Rates](https://apify.com/sterlingverify/boe-interest-rates): Bank Rate, SONIA and any Bank of England series

# Actor input Schema

## `postcodes` (type: `array`):

Postcodes in any format (spaces/case ignored). Up to 100,000 per run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "postcodes": [
    "SW1A 1AA",
    "LS1 1UR"
  ]
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All results in the default dataset

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "postcodes": [
        "SW1A 1AA",
        "LS1 1UR"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("sterlingverify/uk-postcode-enrich").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "postcodes": [
        "SW1A 1AA",
        "LS1 1UR",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("sterlingverify/uk-postcode-enrich").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "postcodes": [
    "SW1A 1AA",
    "LS1 1UR"
  ]
}' |
apify call sterlingverify/uk-postcode-enrich --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,sterlingverify/uk-postcode-enrich"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/Ygy9i0vjgh3gUBR2h/builds/7NcAFUax1NpC940eB/openapi.json