Suggest Belgium

Beta

Suggest a Belgium address field.

GEThttps://api.pro6pp.nl/v2/suggest/be/settlement

Overview

Returns settlement suggestions for a partly typed settlement.

How it works

  • Suggestions are generated from postnames. A postname is the official postal designation used by Bpost, which may differ from the administrative municipality or deelgemeente. For example, Laken is a postname within the municipality of Brussels.

  • If the languageCode parameter is omitted, results are returned in the country default language.

  • If the languageCode parameter is specified but no matches exist in that language, the API will fall back to the country default language.

  • postalCode or settlement is required.

ParametersQuery string

authKeystringRequired

Every request needs an API key, which you can get in the portal.

When you call the API from a browser, visitors can see your API key. Limit it to your own domains in the portal, or send the requests through your own server so the key stays hidden.

settlementstring

The address's settlement (city, town, village, or hamlet).

Example
Eupen
languageCodestring

ISO 639-1 language code used to determine the language context for input filters.

  • When specified: input filters are applied only within the given language.
  • When unspecified: the default value is 'nl' (Dutch).
Default
"nl"
postalCodestring

The address's postal code which consists of four digits.

Example
4700
Pattern
^[0-9]{4}$
maxResultsinteger

The amount of results returned, a number between 1 and 999. Default value is 10.

Default
10
Min
1
Max
999
cursorstring

The page to return, the variables for the next/previous pages can be found in the results Link header.

Responses

200Settlement suggestions, or an empty array when nothing matchesList of results
FieldTypeExample valueDescription
languageCodestring"nl"

Language of settlement and postname, as an ISO 639-1 code: "nl", "fr" or "de".

latnumber50.628

Latitude of the settlement or of the sub-municipality postname names.

lngnumber6.038

Longitude of the settlement or of the sub-municipality postname names.

settlementstring"Eupen"

The settlement in the language of languageCode; for a match on a sub-municipality (deelgemeente), the settlement it belongs to.

postnamestring"Eupen"

The name that matches the input, in the language of languageCode: the settlement's own name or that of a sub-municipality (deelgemeente) within it.

postcodesarray of string["4700"]

The postal codes of the settlement or sub-municipality, in ascending order; empty when none is known.

settlementTranslationsarray of object[{"lang":"nl","name":"Eupen"},{"lang":"de","name":"Eupen"}]

The settlement's name in each language it has one in, Dutch first, then French and German; left out when it has none.

settlementTranslations[].langstring"nl"

Language of the name, as an ISO 639-1 code: "nl", "fr" or "de".

settlementTranslations[].namestring"Eupen"

The name in that language.

municipalitystring"Eupen"

The municipality (Gemeente/Commune), in the language of languageCode; left out when its name has no known translation.

municipalityTranslationsarray of object[{"lang":"nl","name":"Eupen"},{"lang":"fr","name":"Eupen"...

The municipality's name in each language it has one in, Dutch first, then French and German; left out when it has none.

municipalityTranslations[].langstring"nl"

Language of the name, as an ISO 639-1 code: "nl", "fr" or "de".

municipalityTranslations[].namestring"Eupen"

The name in that language.

provincestring"Luik"

The province (Provincie/Province), in the language of languageCode; left out when its name has no known translation.

provinceTranslationsarray of object[{"lang":"nl","name":"Luik"},{"lang":"fr","name":"Liège"}...

The province's name in each language it has one in, Dutch first, then French and German; left out when it has none.

provinceTranslations[].langstring"nl"

Language of the name, as an ISO 639-1 code: "nl", "fr" or "de".

provinceTranslations[].namestring"Luik"

The name in that language.

regionstring"Wallonië"

The region (Gewest/Région), in the language of languageCode; left out when its name has no known translation.

regionTranslationsarray of object[{"lang":"nl","name":"Wallonië"},{"lang":"fr","name":"Wal...

The region's name in each language it has one in, Dutch first, then French and German; left out when it has none.

regionTranslations[].langstring"nl"

Language of the name, as an ISO 639-1 code: "nl", "fr" or "de".

regionTranslations[].namestring"Wallonië"

The name in that language.

Example response
[
  {
    "languageCode": "nl",
    "lat": 50.628,
    "lng": 6.038,
    "municipality": "Eupen",
    "municipalityTranslations": [
      {
        "lang": "nl",
        "name": "Eupen"
      },
      {
        "lang": "fr",
        "name": "Eupen"
      },
      {
        "lang": "de",
        "name": "Eupen"
      }
    ],
    "postcodes": [
      "4700"
    ],
    "postname": "Eupen",
    "province": "Luik",
    "provinceTranslations": [
      {
        "lang": "nl",
        "name": "Luik"
      },
      {
        "lang": "fr",
        "name": "Liège"
      },
      {
        "lang": "de",
        "name": "Lüttich"
      }
    ],
    "region": "Wallonië",
    "regionTranslations": [
      {
        "lang": "nl",
        "name": "Wallonië"
      },
      {
        "lang": "fr",
        "name": "Wallonie"
      },
      {
        "lang": "de",
        "name": "Wallonie"
      }
    ],
    "settlement": "Eupen",
    "settlementTranslations": [
      {
        "lang": "nl",
        "name": "Eupen"
      },
      {
        "lang": "de",
        "name": "Eupen"
      }
    ]
  }
]

Errors

Fields of an error response
FieldTypeDescription
error_idstring

The reason the request failed, such as INVALID_VALUE. The response lists the reasons this operation returns.

errorsarray of object

One entry per problem found in the request.

errors[].messagestring

A readable explanation of the problem, in English.

errors[].helpstring

A link to the documentation section that covers the problem.

errors[].parameterany

The parameter the problem is about. Usually its name; a list when several parameters are involved, or a name with the values to choose from when the request must select one.

errors[].valueany

The value the request sent for parameter, when it has one.

400Bad request
MISSING_PARAMETER

A parameter that other parameters depend on is missing. errors has one entry per missing parameter.

MISSING_PARAMETER
{
  "error_id": "MISSING_PARAMETER",
  "errors": [
    {
      "message": "Required parameter lat is missing",
      "help": "https://pro6pp.nl/docs/v2/redoc",
      "parameter": "lat"
    }
  ]
}
INVALID_PARAMETER_TYPE

A value has the wrong type, such as text for a number.

INVALID_PARAMETER_TYPE
{
  "error_id": "INVALID_PARAMETER_TYPE",
  "errors": [
    {
      "message": "parameter: lat has invalid 1,0, should be number",
      "help": "https://pro6pp.nl/docs/v2/redoc",
      "parameter": "lat"
    }
  ]
}
INVALID_VALUE

A required parameter is missing, or a value is malformed, out of bounds or cannot be found.

INVALID_VALUE
{
  "error_id": "INVALID_VALUE",
  "errors": [
    {
      "message": "value is invalid",
      "help": "https://pro6pp.nl/docs/v2/redoc",
      "parameter": "postalCode",
      "value": "invalid"
    }
  ]
}
401Unauthorized
UNAUTHORIZED

The API key is missing, unknown, revoked or expired, its subscription is not active, the request does not match the key's allowlist, or the subscription does not include this call.

UNAUTHORIZED
{
  "error_id": "UNAUTHORIZED",
  "errors": [
    {
      "message": "No authorization token provided",
      "help": "https://pro6pp.nl/docs/v2/redoc#section/Authentication"
    }
  ]
}

Code examples

curl "https://api.pro6pp.nl/v2/suggest/be/settlement?settlement=Eupen&postalCode=4700&authKey=YOUR_API_KEY"

We encourage you to request example code in the language you prefer.

Step by step

Set up a quick form to try out the Belgium Suggest functionality by following the steps below.

  1. Build the HTML page

    We start by creating an empty HTML page, containing a minimal web page structure. Create a new .html file named pro6pp_belgium_suggest.html. Add the following code between the <body> and </body> tags. It adds the input fields for entering the address.

    pro6pp_belgium_suggest.html
    <form class="form" id="form">
      <div>Call</div>
      <div>
        <label for="settlement">settlement:</label>
        <input id="settlement" class="settlement" placeholder="Eupen"/>
        <label for="languageCode">languageCode:</label>
        <input id="languageCode" class="languageCode" placeholder=""/>
        <label for="postalCode">postalCode:</label>
        <input id="postalCode" class="postalCode" placeholder="4700"/>
        <label for="maxResults">maxResults:</label>
        <input id="maxResults" class="maxResults" placeholder=""/>
        <label for="cursor">cursor:</label>
        <input id="cursor" class="cursor" placeholder=""/>
      </div>
      <div>
        <span style="color: red" class="message"></span>
      </div>
      <div>
        <button type="submit">Submit</button>
      </div>
      <br />
      <div>Response</div>
      <br />
      <div>Full Response</div>
      <pre class="jsonResponse"></pre>
    </form>
  2. Add interaction

    Add the following JavaScript code in a separate pro6pp_belgium_suggest.js file. The IDs and Class names of the HTML elements should match with the ones specified in this JavaScript file in order to get the correct results.

    pro6pp_belgium_suggest.js
    document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() {
        const pro6ppAuthKey = "AUTH_KEY"; // Replace with your actual authorization key
    
        let messageSpan = document.querySelector(".message");
        let jsonResponseSpan = document.querySelector(".jsonResponse");
        const BASE_URL = "https://api.pro6pp.nl/v2";
    
        function fetchAddress(authKey) {
            const queryParams = {
                authKey: authKey
            };
            const optionalQueryParams = [
                "settlement",
                "languageCode",
                "postalCode",
                "maxResults",
                "cursor",
            ];
            for (const name of optionalQueryParams) {
                const value = document.getElementById(name).value;
                if (value !== "") {
                    queryParams[name] = value;
                }
            }
    
            let encodedUrl = new URL(`${BASE_URL}/suggest/be/settlement`);
            encodedUrl.search = new URLSearchParams(queryParams);
    
            fetch(encodedUrl)
                .then(async (response) => {
                    const data = await response.json();
                    if (data) {
                        messageSpan.textContent = "";
                        jsonResponseSpan.textContent = JSON.stringify(data, null, 2);
                    }
                })
                .catch((error) => {
                    console.error("Error fetching: ", error);
                    messageSpan.textContent = error.message;
                });
        }
    
        const form = document.getElementById("form");
        form.onsubmit = function (event) {
            event.preventDefault();
            fetchAddress(pro6ppAuthKey);
        }
    });
  3. Make it work

    Link the JavaScript file inside the pro6pp_belgium_suggest.html right before closing the </body> tag.

    pro6pp_belgium_suggest.html
      ...
      <script src="pro6pp_belgium_suggest.js"></script>
     </body>
    </html>

    To access the Pro6PP web service, you need to request your personal authorization key. This key is emailed to you right after signing up. Replace the above placeholder AUTH_KEY with your personal authorization key.

    If you don’t have an account yet, sign up for a free 2-month trial. After creating your account, go to your Subscription details and copy your AUTH_KEY. You’ll need this key to authenticate your requests.

  4. See it in action

    Once you’ve completed the previous steps, it’s time to run the form locally in your browser. You should now have two files in the same folder on your computer:

    • pro6pp_belgium_suggest.html - the HTML page with the form.
    • pro6pp_belgium_suggest.js - the JavaScript file that handles the interaction.

    You can now open the HTML file in your browser by simply double-clicking it in your file explorer (e.g., Finder on macOS or File Explorer on Windows). Alternatively, you can open it manually in the browser using the full file:/// path. For example:

    Example file paths
    file:///C:/Users/YourName/Documents/pro6pp_belgium_suggest.html
    file:///Users/yourname/Desktop/pro6pp_belgium_suggest.html

    Once the page opens, start typing in the form fields and hit Submit to see the API response displayed in the “Full Response” section.