AMAS and PAF vs G-NAF: which address data do you need?
Two national address datasets, two different questions. Australia Post’s PAF, reached through AMAS-approved software, tells you where mail is delivered. Geoscape’s G-NAF tells you which physical addresses exist and where they are. Most software needs one of them. WattleAddr is built on G-NAF only. This page covers when that suits you and when it does not.
What each one is, in its owner’s words
Quoted from the publisher’s own pages, read on 2 September 2026. Sources are listed at the foot of the page.
PAF, the Postal Address File
Australia Post describes the PAF as “an extract from Australia Post’s core addressing database” that “contains Australian addresses in a correct address format and their corresponding Delivery Point Identifiers (DPIDs)”. It is licensed, not open, and its postal delivery types include PO Box, GPO Box, Locked Bag, Private Bag and Parcel Locker.
AMAS, the Address Matching Approval System
In Australia Post’s words, “the certification program we use to measure the accuracy of address matching software”, focused on “the matching of a Delivery Point Identifier (DPID) to an address through the use of approved software”. It runs on an annual cycle. “DPIDs can only ever be assigned using AMAS approved software and the current PAF release.”
DPID, the Delivery Point Identifier
“A randomly generated, unique 8-digit number” for a delivery point. Barcode software converts a DPID into the barcode printed on the envelope. Australia Post says barcoding “is a requirement for PreSort Letters and Charity Mail” and leads to cheaper postage rates.
G-NAF, the Geocoded National Address File
“The geocoded address database for Australian businesses and governments”, built and maintained by Geoscape Australia and published as open data on data.gov.au. More than 15 million physical address records, each with latitude and longitude, updated quarterly. WattleAddr is built on it.
Start from what you need to do
The datasets overlap on ordinary street addresses, so the job decides it. Where PAF is the answer, the table says so.
| You need to | PAF via AMAS software | G-NAF (WattleAddr) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address autocomplete on a web form, checkout or sign-up | Also works | Yes | You need to know the address exists and capture it cleanly. Either dataset can do it; G-NAF is open and is the national register of physical addresses. |
| Cleaning or standardising addresses you already hold | Also works | Yes | Match free text to a structured record. G-NAF gives components and coordinates; PAF gives a DPID. |
| Latitude and longitude for maps, routing, catchments | Not what it is for | Yes | G-NAF records carry geocodes. PAF is a delivery-point file. |
| Bulk mail with PreSort or Charity Mail rates | Yes, this is what it is for | No | Australia Post requires barcoding for these services, and a barcode is generated from a DPID, which only AMAS-approved software assigns from PAF. |
| Validating a PO Box, GPO Box, Locked Bag or Parcel Locker | Yes, this is what it is for | No | Postal delivery types are in PAF. G-NAF holds physical addresses. |
| Proving a letter can be delivered to an address | Yes, this is what it is for | No | That is what a DPID asserts. A G-NAF match says the address exists, not that mail is delivered to it. |
Some organisations need both: G-NAF on the web form so a customer can find their address in three keystrokes, and an AMAS-approved product in the mailroom before a campaign is lodged. That is a normal set-up.
Why a G-NAF match is not a deliverability check
The Open G-NAF licence says G-NAF “must not be used … for the sending of mail unless the user has verified that each address … is capable of receiving mail by reference to a secondary source”. That secondary source is, in practice, PAF through AMAS-approved software. WattleAddr does not claim its results are deliverable. A match means the address exists in G-NAF and we know where it is. Every verify response says which fields agreed.
Short answers
What is the difference between AMAS, PAF and G-NAF?
PAF is Australia Post’s Postal Address File: its list of addresses that receive mail, each with a Delivery Point Identifier (DPID), and it includes postal delivery types such as PO Boxes and Locked Bags. AMAS is Australia Post’s certification program for address-matching software that assigns DPIDs from PAF. G-NAF is the Geocoded National Address File, an open dataset of physical Australian addresses with latitude and longitude, built by Geoscape Australia and updated quarterly. PAF and AMAS answer “will Australia Post deliver here”; G-NAF answers “does this address exist and where is it”.
Do I need AMAS-approved software?
Only if you need DPIDs. Australia Post states that DPIDs can only be assigned using AMAS-approved software and the current PAF release, and a DPID is what barcoded mail and PreSort lodgement rates are built on. If you are capturing an address on a web form, cleaning a CRM, or geocoding, you do not need AMAS. A G-NAF-based service such as WattleAddr will do. WattleAddr holds no AMAS approval and does not issue DPIDs.
Can a G-NAF address API validate a PO Box?
No. G-NAF is a register of physical addresses. Postal delivery types such as PO Box, GPO Box, Locked Bag, Private Bag and Parcel Locker are part of Australia Post’s PAF, so validating one needs a product licensed for PAF. WattleAddr detects a postal query and returns a postal_address_unsupported notice instead of an empty list. It does not charge for it.
Is G-NAF free to use commercially?
G-NAF is published as open data on data.gov.au under the Open G-NAF End User Licence Agreement, which is based on Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Commercial use and use in an API are permitted with attribution. The licence also carries a mail-use restriction: G-NAF must not be used to send mail unless each address has been verified as capable of receiving mail by reference to a secondary source. That restriction is the practical line between G-NAF and PAF.
If your job is on the G-NAF side of the table
Free tier, no card. If your job is on the PAF side, you need an AMAS-approved product.
Sources, each read on 2 September 2026. Quotations are the publisher’s wording; check the current page before relying on it.
- Australia Post, Address Matching Approval System (AMAS)
- Australia Post, AMAS Developer Guide (effective 31 August 2026)
- Australia Post, Data Guide (effective 31 August 2026)
- Australia Post, Mail barcoding
- data.gov.au, Geocoded National Address File (G-NAF)
- Geoscape, G-NAF Product Description
- Open G-NAF End User Licence Agreement, as published on the data.gov.au dataset page
Australia Post, AMAS, PAF, DPID and Geoscape are trade marks or names of their owners. WattleAddr is not affiliated with, endorsed by, approved by or certified by Australia Post or Geoscape Australia. Incorporates or developed using G-NAF © Geoscape Australia, licensed under the Open G-NAF End User Licence Agreement. See also the PO Box guide and how the API handles a postal query.