A correction report helps us investigate a result without pretending that a user submission has changed the licensed source.
Submitting evidence
Use the correction form on the relevant country, region, locality or postal page. Include the expected value, reason and an official postal-operator or other reliable reference where possible. Avoid unnecessary personal addresses.
Review outcomes
Administrators may mark a report new, reviewing, accepted, rejected or closed. Acceptance means the evidence is credible; it does not automatically overwrite the active GeoNames snapshot. Editorial explanations can be corrected directly, while source records are reconciled through an auditable import or overlay process.
Urgent delivery
Do not wait for a site correction before dispatching urgent mail. Confirm directly with the destination postal operator or carrier.
Scope of a correction
A report can concern a place name, administrative assignment, coordinate, duplicate record, page explanation, address-format rule or broken interface. Choose the relevant page whenever possible so the report carries an entity type and identifier. A report about private delivery circumstances, such as a carrier refusing one apartment address, may not demonstrate an error in the public postal dataset.
Evidence standard
Official postal-operator documentation, government gazettes, UPU addressing references and stable public datasets are preferred. A current carrier page may support a practical observation but can reflect that carrier’s own service area. Screenshots should include a source URL and date. Personal mail labels and identity documents should not be submitted; redact recipient names and building details when an example is unavoidable.
Review process
Administrators classify reports as new, reviewing, accepted, rejected or closed and may record internal notes. Acceptance means the evidence is credible and relevant. It does not mean that the active source row is overwritten immediately. Original guide or format content can be revised through the editorial system. Licensed source changes should be handled through a documented overlay or later snapshot reconciliation so provenance and rollback remain intact.
Disagreement and timing
Postal systems can contain legitimate alternate names and shared codes, so two different-looking records are not automatically contradictory. The operator may request clarification or close a report that lacks verifiable evidence. No response time is guaranteed. Users handling an urgent shipment should confirm directly with the postal operator or carrier rather than waiting for the site’s review queue.
Privacy
Correction forms collect the name, email, detail and evidence reference supplied by the reporter, together with limited abuse-prevention signals. Information is accessible only to authorised administrators and retained according to the privacy policy. Public correction status does not expose the reporter’s contact details.