Address lookup

The Address API turns a postcode into its town, county and street, and a street name into its matching locations across Great Britain — instant, and priced as one lookup per request.

Scope: address.

Autocomplete as you type

Send a partial query and get ranked street + postcode suggestions — everything you need to power a fast, friendly address finder. Add a town or county to narrow a common street (bedford road kempston), or type a house number with a postcode (52 MK45 3GL) and each matching street comes back with the number already in place.

curl "https://api.goggleplaces.com/address?q=acacia av" \
  -H "x-api-key: gk_live_pk_…"

{
  "suggestions": [
    { "type": "street", "label": "Acacia Avenue", "town": "Knutsford",
      "county": "Cheshire East", "postcode_area": "WA16",
      "location": { "lat": 53.30, "lng": -2.37 } }
  ]
}

House number + postcode returns each street the postcode serves, with the number prepended — ready to drop straight into an address line:

curl "https://api.goggleplaces.com/address?q=52 MK45 3GL" \
  -H "x-api-key: gk_live_pk_…"

{
  "suggestions": [
    { "type": "address", "house": "52", "street": "Horseshoe Crescent",
      "label": "52 Horseshoe Crescent", "town": "Wixams",
      "county": "Central Bedfordshire", "postcode": "MK45 3GL",
      "location": { "lat": 52.08, "lng": -0.48 } }
  ]
}

Look up a postcode

Return the town, county and street for a postcode, with a map-ready location.

curl "https://api.goggleplaces.com/address?postcode=MK45 3GL" \
  -H "x-api-key: gk_live_pk_…"

{
  "postcode": "MK45 3GL",
  "town": "Wixams",
  "county": "Central Bedfordshire",
  "street": { "name": "Horseshoe Crescent" },
  "streets": [
    { "name": "Horseshoe Crescent", "town": "Wixams", "county": "Central Bedfordshire" }
  ],
  "location": { "lat": 52.08, "lng": -0.48 }
}

Look up a street

Return the town / county / postcode-area options for a street name — perfect for disambiguating a street that exists in several towns.

curl "https://api.goggleplaces.com/address?street=Acacia Avenue&limit=5" \
  -H "x-api-key: gk_live_pk_…"

SDK

import { address, addressAutocomplete, addressFinder } from '@goggleplaces/sdk'

// as-you-type suggestions
const hits = await addressAutocomplete({ key, q: 'MK45 3' })

// resolve a postcode
const r = await address({ key, postcode: 'MK45 3GL' })

// drop-in finder → auto-fill
addressFinder({ container: 'addr', key, onResult: (r) => {
  form.town.value = r.town
  form.county.value = r.county
}})

Attribution

Every response includes an attribution string — display it as described in our Terms.

What is an address lookup API?

An address lookup API turns partial input, such as a postcode, a half-typed street name, or a house number and postcode, into a clean, structured address. Instead of asking people to fill in five fields, your form asks for one and fills in the street, town and county for them. The Goggle Places Address API covers Great Britain and is priced as one lookup per request.

Where address lookup helps

Checkout and delivery forms: let shoppers type a postcode or "52 MK45 3GL" and pick their street, so fewer orders go out with mistyped addresses. Sign-up and onboarding: capture a correctly formatted address in one field instead of five. Bookings and service areas: turn a postcode into a town and county to check whether you cover it. Street disambiguation: when a street name exists in several towns, show the town, county and postcode-area options so the user can choose the right one.

Address lookup API pricing

Every account includes 30,000 free address lookups a month. After that, lookups cost £1.68 per 1,000, falling to £1.34 per 1,000 beyond 5 million. Overage is billed per service at the end of each month. A card is needed to activate your account, but you're only charged if you go over the free allowance.

Frequently asked questions

Can I look up an address from a house number and postcode? Yes. Send something like "52 MK45 3GL" and every street that postcode serves comes back with the number already added, ready to drop into an address line.

How do I narrow a common street name? Add a town or county to the query, for example "bedford road kempston", or use the street lookup to list the town, county and postcode-area options for that street.

Which key should I use in the browser? A publishable key (gk_live_pk_…), restricted to your own origins. Requests from any other origin are rejected at the edge. Secret keys (gk_live_sk_…) are for server-side use only.

What areas are covered? Great Britain: postcodes, streets, towns and counties.

Do I need to show attribution? Yes. Every response includes an attribution string. Display it as described in our Terms.