Question 1

What do the first two digits of a code postal mean?

Accepted Answer

They are the number of the département, which is why 75 means Paris, 13 means Bouches-du-Rhône around Marseille and 69 means Rhône around Lyon. The generator always pairs a commune with a code postal that genuinely serves it.

Question 2

How does ARCEP's reserved numbering work?

Accepted Answer

ARCEP set aside six blocks of ten thousand numbers for audiovisual productions, organised the same way as the real French numbering plan: 01 for Île-de-France, 02 for the north-west, 03 for the north-east, 04 for the south-east, 05 for the south-west and 06 for mobiles. This generator picks the block that matches the city, so a Bordeaux address gets a 05 number.

Question 3

Are French phone numbers written in pairs?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the convention is five groups of two digits separated by spaces, as in 01 99 00 12 34. Written internationally the leading zero is dropped and +33 added. The generator uses the domestic format, which is what French web forms normally expect.