Номерные знаки европы для автомобиля

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate or licence plate (American English and Canadian English respectively), is a metal or plastic plate or plates attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing authority’s database. In Europe most countries have adopted a format for registration plates that satisfies the requirements in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which states that cross-border vehicles must display a distinguishing code for the country of registration on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may be an oval sticker placed separately from the registration plate, or may be incorporated into the plate. When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front plate of the vehicle, and may be supplemented with the flag or emblem of the national state, or the emblem of the regional economic integration organisation to which the country belongs.^[1] An example of such format is the common EU format, with the EU flag above the country code issued in EU member states.

Format[edit]

The vast majority of European countries issue registration plates that are:

• 520 by 110 mm (20.5 by 4.3 inches)
• 520 by 120 mm (20.5 by 4.7 inches)

This is one of the basic standard sizes worldwide.

The others are:

• 305 by 152 mm (12.0 by 6.0 inches)
• 305 by 160 mm (12.0 by 6.3 inches)
• 372 by 135 mm (14.6 by 5.3 inches)

Some European countries use registration plates in other formats:

• 330 by 140 mm (13.0 by 5.5 inches) in Andorra
• 440 by 120 mm (17.3 by 4.7 inches) in Finland
• 260 by 110 mm (10.2 by 4.3 inches) in Monaco
• 390 by 120 mm (15.4 by 4.7 inches) in San Marino
• 300 by 80 mm (11.8 by 3.1 inches) in Switzerland and Liechtenstein (only front plates)
• 360 by 110 mm (14.1 by 4.3 inches) in Italy (only front plates)
• 390 by 130 mm (15.4 by 5.1 inches) and 345 by 130 mm (13.5 by 5.1 inches) in Åland

European Union[edit]

The common EU format of having a blue section on the extreme left with EU circle of stars and the country code was introduced by Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 of 3 November 1998^[2] and entered into force on 11 November 1998. It was based on a model registration plate which three member states had already introduced: Ireland (1991),^[3] Portugal (1992)^[4] and Germany (1994).^[5] Luxembourg plates had displayed the EU flag on the left since 1988. Vehicles with registration plates in the EU format do not need to display the white oval international vehicle registration code while within the European Economic Area,^[6] or in countries party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (except if the plate is issued in Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and Spain).^[7]

• The common design consists of a blue strip on the left side of the plate. This blue strip has the EU flag symbol (twelve yellow stars), along with the country code of the member state in which the vehicle is registered. All EU countries now issue plates in the common format, but the use of the EU flag on registration plates is optional for member states.
• EU member states that require foreign vehicles to display a distinguishing sign of the country of origin are obliged by Article 3 of EC 2411/98 to accept the standard design as a distinguishing sign when displayed on a vehicle registered in another member state. The requirement to display a distinguishing sign stems from the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, and the regulation is referencing the recognition of distinguishing signs according to that convention.^[2]
• EU format plates are either white or yellow, on a plate wider than it is tall. Yellow registration plates are used both front and rear in Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Denmark and Hungary use yellow plates for vehicles registered as commercial vehicles. Denmark implemented the EU format on a voluntary basis in 2009.^[8] Danish plates have a small holographic strip to the right of the blue EU strip. In Greece, Cyprus, Latvia and Sweden yellow plates are used for taxi vehicles. In Poland yellow plates are used for historic vehicles.
• Belgium uses red characters and is the only country not to use the standard black-on-white or black-on-yellow combination; with the introduction of European-style plates in November 2010, a slightly darker shade of red was chosen (RAL 3003) to improve legibility.
• Most European countries use metal plates, however France and Ireland use a mixture of flat plastic and metal plates. Flat plastic plates have earlier also been used in Sweden.

Other countries[edit]

Several non-EU European states have implemented formats similar to the EU format, with national flags or symbols in place of the circle of stars. Vehicles with such registration plates, issued in countries party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, do not need to display the white oval international vehicle registration code while within countries signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.^[7]

• Norway is an example of such a state, issuing registration plates with the Norwegian flag replacing the circle of stars and the country code N. In Norway, regular plates are white with black characters, however, cars with front seats only (used for carrying goods) have green plates with black characters. Norwegian registration plates are made of metal, but flat plastic plates has also been used earlier.
• Iceland issues registration plates similar to Norway with the Icelandic flag and the country code IS, however on a white background.
• Ukraine issues plates similar to the Norwegian ones, with the Ukrainian flag above the country code UA.
• Moldovan registration plates have a wider than usual blue band with the Moldovan flag and the international country code MD.
• Albanian registration plates have a double-headed eagle above the country code AL.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina issues plates with a blue strip on the left side of the plate with the country code BIH, but without the EU stars or any other symbol. So does Turkey (TR) (which is in a customs union with the EU), Montenegro (MNE), North Macedonia (NMK) and Serbia (SRB).
• Belarus issues registration plates with the national flag above the country code on the left side, but without the blue strip. Iceland issues plates similar to the Belarusian plates, with the Icelandic flag above the country code IS on the left side. Iceland, however, is not party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
• Andorra and Monaco use registration plates with their coat of arms above the respective country codes (AND and MC). San Marino issues similar plates but with the text «Repubblica di San Marino» underneath the coat of arms, instead of the country code RSM.
• Of those states that joined in the 2004 enlargement of the European Union Malta already used EU format plates, while Latvia, Poland and Lithuania had used plates displaying the national flag before their accession, as did Bulgaria and Romania before their accession in 2007.
• United Kingdom: yellow plates at the rear and white at the front and can be flat plastic or metal. Since 2021, the European symbol of a circle of stars must not be displayed with any of the following identifying letters (due to Brexit). Only registration plates with the distinguishing code «UK» (coloured black or blue) on its own, or together with the Union Flag (orientated in landscape) are valid in other countries party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.^[9]
  • England, Scotland and Wales: owners here may choose to display plates with the national flag of England, Scotland or Wales, or the Union Flag and the code names «ENG», «Eng», «ENGLAND» or «England» for the English flag, «SCO», «Sco», «SCOTLAND» or «Scotland» for the Scottish flag, «CYM», «Cym», «CYMRU», «Cymru», «WALES» or «Wales» for the Welsh flag, «GB», «GREAT BRITAIN», «Great Britain», «UK», «UNITED KINGDOM» or «United Kingdom» for the Union Flag respectively.^[10] With such an arrangement, a «UK» sticker must also be affixed at the rear of the vehicle when driving abroad.^[11]
  • Northern Ireland: motorists with vehicles registered here are not permitted to display the letters NI alongside any flag; only the Union Flag alongside the «UK» code being optionally permitted.^[12]
  • Until 28 September 2021, the United Kingdom used «GB» as the identifying letters. This was changed after the British government notified the United Nations «that the United Kingdom is changing the distinguishing sign that it had previously selected for display in international traffic on vehicles registered in the United Kingdom, from ‘GB’ to ‘UK‘«.^[13]
• Gibraltar uses plates similar to the EU format, but without a flag or symbol, only the code GBZ. As in the UK, yellow plates at the rear and white at the front.
• The Crown dependencies of Guernsey, including Alderney and Jersey and the Isle of Man have registration plates that are different from those used in the UK. Guernsey plates sometimes contain the letters GBG below the Guernsey flag on the left side, Alderney plates may have GBA below an Alderney flag. Jersey registration plates may incorporate the coat of arms of Jersey in a white strip on the left, along with the country identifier GBJ, and since 2004 Manx plates may incorporate the Manx flag and the international country identification code GBM.

Common letter and digit systems between countries[edit]

Several countries have made efforts to avoid duplicating registration numbers used by other countries. This is not completely successful and there are occasional difficulties in connection with parking fines and automatic speed cameras.

• Belgium (until 2010), Cyprus (from 90s), Finland, Georgia (until 2014), Hungary (1990-2022), Lithuania, Malta, Sweden (1974-2019), and Moldova (since 2014) each use combinations of first three letters and then three digits.^[14]
• Bulgaria uses plate numbers in the form A[A]-0000-AA, i.e. one or two letters representing the region, then four digits, then two more letters. All letters used are intersection of Latin and Cyrillic alphabet, i.e. A, B, C, E, H, K, M, O, P, T, X and Y. The same format is in use in Ukraine since 90s, N.Macedonia and Spain until 2000 (but still valid, called «sistema provincial»).
• Greece uses a combination of three letters (before only two) (which are chosen from the 14 character shapes which appear in both the Latin and the Greek alphabet (but not necessarily with the same sound values), i.e. A, B, E, Z, H, I, K, M, N, O, P, T, Y, X in Greek alphabetic order) and four numbers, in the form of AAA-0000, while Spain uses a four number-three letter combination, in the form of 0000 BBB (vowels and some maybe confusing consonants, like Ñ and Q, are not used)
• Denmark and Norway use two letters and five digits (AB 12345), while trailers use two letters and four digits. The plates look very similar, but Denmark has a red border around the plate. Use of the country code on the plate may mitigate this problem (Norway began using the system on 1 November 2006). Denmark has begun running out of combinations in this style and has now introduced combinations previously reserved for the Faroe Islands for EU style registration plates (which will use different letters from non-EU style plates).
• The Netherlands (until 2008) and Portugal both use three groups of two characters (letters or numbers) in several sequences: AB-12-CD, 12-34-AB, 12-AB-34, AB-12-34, etc. However, Portuguese plates since 90s have a white background, while those of Netherlands (after 1 January 1978) have a yellow one, though both countries also use white letters on blue plates for classic cars. Furthermore, newer plates on Dutch vehicles only contain consonants, to avoid coincidental abbreviations or words. Also some sensitive letter combinations, such as SS or SD, are not used. The combination ‘AA’ is reserved for cars of the royal family. Dutch company registered bus, truck and/or minivan plates always start with a B or a V. Dutch taxis use blue registration plates. The number of new combinations ran out in 2008. New registered cars in the Netherlands now use the format of two digits-three letters-one digit (12-ABC-3).
• Belgium used the sequence ABC-123 between 1973 and 2008. When these combinations ran out in 2008, the inverse sequence 123-ABC was adopted, with the first plate in the new series issued on 25 June 2008. With the introduction of the EU format registration plates on 15 November 2010, a seven-character combination 1-ABC-234 is used and the previous 123-ABC was discontinued. However, the six-character plates will remain valid, and no date is set for their expiration. Since Belgian plates are linked to an owner rather than to a vehicle, these older plates are likely to remain in use for a considerable time. As a way to phase out the six-character plates, future vehicle subscriptions will only be possible on the seven-character plates. Private numbers, not following any notation, are also allowed.
• Luxembourg standard registration plates use two letters and four digits (AB 1234). Plates with 5 digits (12345) and 4 digits (1234) are also issued upon request. Older series with two letters and three digits (AB 123), and one letter and 4 digits (A 1234) are no longer issued but are still in use. Special plates for diplomats, the government, the grand-ducal family, military vehicles and temporary registrations exist and follow specific rules. Two letters and three digits (AB 123) is also used in Northern Cyprus, and until 1973 it was used on the entire island of Cyprus.
• Current registrations allocated in Romania and the United Kingdom (where the registration contains two digits) are both of the form AB 12 CDE. The Romanian rear plates are white whereas UK ones are yellow. There is also a difference in the spacing and the font. In 2010, Bucharest, the capital of Romania, adopted the form B 123 AAA, three digits and three letters, because the number of cars had risen. In the United Kingdom, B 123 AAA was issued to cars registered from August 1984 to August 1985. Aside from this, some county codes can clash (MH, in Romania it stands for Mehedinți, and in the United Kingdom, it stands for Manchester).
• Until 1973/74 the Swedish pattern was one letter representing the län (county) where the car was first registered, followed by four or five digits. However, in the more populated län, a second letter was introduced over time. For example, vehicles from southernmost county got the letter M + five digits, later also MA + five digits, MB + five digits etc. A problem was that the two northernmost counties had already been given two letters, the letter prefixes AC and BD, as the number of counties exceeded the number of usable letters. This system gave similar numbers as Denmark and Norway. The ABC 123 system was introduced gradually from July 1973 until June 1974. All vehicles had to switch plates, the old were not permitted after this.
• Slovakia uses MM 123AB and Croatia uses MM 123-A, MM 123-AB, MM 1234-A or MM 1234-AB (MM being the two-letter city code). Both countries use the national coat of arms after first two letters. Croatia uses only Croatian Latin letters without diacritics, except for city codes, like ČK for Čakovec.
• Montenegro and Serbia, currently not members of the EU, used the following: MM 12-34, MM 123-45 or MM 123-456 (MM being two letter abbreviation of municipality), and having state flag (of former Yugoslavia, later Serbia and Montenegro) between municipality and numbers. Montenegro left that system in 2007, and introduced new format: MM AB 123 with Montenegrin coat of arms in circular shape between municipality and letter sequence. Blue strip with MNE country code is placed in the left side, with vacant place for EU stars, in case of joining the Union. Serbia also uses new system since 2011, with blue strip country code SRB: MM 123-AB and MM 1234-AB, with Serbian coat of arms between municipality and number sequence. The first two letters on the Serbian plates represent the municipality code, written in Latin letters, and repeated in Cyrillic characters with small letters under the coat of arms. The following system is used for taxi vehicles:BG 123 TX or BG 1234 TX and recently even BG 12345 TX, where a TX combination is reserved for this purpose only (another taxi vehicles have private vehicle plates). Since 2017, Serbia stopped issuing plates with last two letters containing W, Q, Y, X (except TX), Č, Ć, Š, Ž, and Đ, however Serbian Latin letters with diacritics are still used to mark the municipality code, like ČA for Čačak or ŠA for Šabac.
• Poland and the United Kingdom have both used AAA 123A. In Poland these were issued from 1976 to 2000, in the UK, they were issued from 1963 to 1983, with those issued prior to 1973 being the same colour as their Polish counterparts (white on black). While in United Kingdom black plates are still valid, in Poland, black registration plates will lose its validity after 2023.^{[citation needed]}

Differing numbering systems[edit]

Individual European countries use differing numbering schemes and text fonts:

• Most countries, including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Switzerland (formerly also Sweden until 1974, Italy until 1994, Bosnia and Herzegovina until 1998, Lithuania and Spain until 2000, Estonia until 2004, Albania until 2011 and Slovakia until 2023, also former countries East Germany until 1990, Soviet Union until 1991, Czechoslovakia until 1993, Yugoslavia until 1998 and Serbia and Montenegro until 2011), have systems in which there is a direct link between a letter or letters appearing on the plate and the town or district where the plate was issued (e.g. «B» and «M» in Germany for Berlin and Munich, «BG» and «KG» in Serbia for Belgrade and Kragujevac and «AX» and «KY» in Greece for Achaea and Corfu). Some countries, including Austria, Germany, Slovenia, and Switzerland, even include a regional or municipal coat of arms on the plate, but Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia include a national coat of arms. In Ireland, all registration plates have the name of the county of registration in Irish in smaller letters on the top.
• France (until 2009), and Turkey and Russia (since October 2013) use a system with an indirect number relation to the car’s place of registration. Formerly in France, the last two characters on a plate comprised the departmental code of registration. This pattern was discontinued, but in response to popular outcry, France added a second colour bar, on the right edge of the plate, where the departmental code (no longer a part of the registration number) appears. The Turkish system has since (around early 2018) been overridden by most provinces giving out three letter-three number codes (99 XXX 000) in alphabetical order, regardless of province subdivisions.
• The United Kingdom uses a system based on the region where the car was first registered and the date of registration, for example CA52 GJK, where the «C» stands for Wales (the name of that country in Welsh being Cymru), the «A» stands for Cardiff (the letters A-O assigned to the city), and the «52» means that the car was registered in the period September 2002 to February 2003.
• Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia (after 2004), Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania (after 2000), Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia (after 2023) and Sweden (after 1974) use plates that do not denote the location where the car is registered. Since 2000 Spain no longer uses province codes on plates but codes like ‘B’ for Barcelona or ‘M’ for Madrid can still be seen, for cars registered before that date. Italy, also, did not use the province codes on plates between 1994 and 1999.
• Italy, since 1999, has added a blue strip on either side. On the right one are the two digits of the year when the plate was issued (e.g. «99», «05», «08») and below that there may be an optional two-letter code for the province, such as «MO» for the Province of Modena. Albania and France have adopted similar formats.
• Portuguese registration plates since late 1998 have a yellow strip on the right side, with one number at the top and another at the bottom separated by a line, respectively the year and month of the vehicle’s registration. This strip was discontinued for the new registration plates issued since March 2020.
• Irish registration plates also contain the year in which the vehicle was registered. A car registered in 2008 would have the format 08-XX-XXXX. In 2013, this was updated to specify which half of the year the registration occurred. So from January to June, the registration plate would show (for 2018) 181-XX-XXXX, whereas from July to December, the plate instead shows 182-XX-XXXX.
• Turkish registration plates consist of letters and digits in combinations of 99 AB 999, 99 A 9999, 99 ABC 99, 99 AB 9999 or 99 A 99999 where the first two digits show which province the vehicle is registered from. First two digits numbers go from 01 to 81 (as there are 81 provinces in Turkey) and each one is assigned to a province with alphabetical order e.g. 01 is the code of the province Adana or 34 is the code of the province Istanbul. All 81 provinces used to use «01 AB 123» style plates initially until all combinations ran out, then the province starts to use 01 A 1234 then 01 ABC 12 etc. As a result, three largest provinces i.e. Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir are currently issuing 99 ABC 999 style plates. 99 A 99999 series are not regular since they are only used in provinces where commercial vehicles are abundant e.g. Bursa to distinguish these vehicles there from passenger cars. Letters «I» and «O» are only used in the middle 01 ABC 12 series e.g. 34 YOC 34 or 06 TIL 56 to avoid confusion with numerals «1» and «0» respectively. As an exception to this rule, there is a «HO» series that is only granted to privately operated city buses (halk otobüsleri in Turkish). Also some letters combinations like «PKK» are not issued due to their referring to political organisations or words likely to cause offence.

Cross-border traffic[edit]

According to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, vehicles in cross-border traffic are obliged to display a distinguishing sign of the country of registration on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may either be placed separately from the registration plate or, after the convention was amended in 2006, may be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate. One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognise the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. The following requirements must be met when driving outside the country of registration:

• The physical requirements for the separate sign are defined in Annex 3 of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which states that the letters shall be in black on a white background having the shape of an ellipse with the major axis horizontal. The distinguishing sign should not be affixed in such a way that it could be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility.
• When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle, and may be supplemented with the flag or emblem of the national state, or the emblem of the regional economic integration organisation to which the country belongs. The distinguishing sign should be displayed on the far left or far right on the registration plate. When a symbol/flag/emblem is also displayed, the distinguishing sign shall obligatory be placed on the far left on the plate. The distinguishing sign shall be positioned so to be easy identifiable and so that it cannot be confused with the registration number or impair its legibility. The distinguishing sign shall therefore be at least a different colour from the registration number, or have a different background colour to that reserved for the registration number, or be clearly separated from the registration number, preferably with a line.^[1]

The common EU format of having a blue section on the extreme left with EU circle of stars and the country code was introduced by Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 of 3 November 1998 and entered into force on 11 November 1998. According to Article 3 of the regulation shall member states that require vehicles registered in another member state to display a distinguishing registration sign also recognise distinguishing signs issued in accordance with the regulation (the common EU format).^[2] After the amendment of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic in 2006, registration plates issued in the common EU format also satisfies the requirements of the named convention and hence is also valid in all countries party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (if the issuing country is party to the convention).

Mopeds are exempt, and do not need to wear a distinguishing sign. If their country does not require a license plate, then the vehicle can cross borders without a license plate as well. Example: Swedish moped class II or the German insurance plate, which isn’t a official license plate and only shows that insurance has been paid.

After Brexit the European Commission confirmed that British cars with registration plates with the distinguishing sign incorporated do not need a separate sign when driving in EU countries party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. If the registration plate does not include the distinguishing sign, or if the vehicle is driven in an EU country not party to the Vienna Convention, a separate sign has to be displayed at the rear of the vehicle. All EU countries except Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and Spain are party to the convention.^[15]

The following European countries are required to recognise the registration plate of other European countries, satisfying the requirements set out in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, as an international vehicle registration code

	Registration plate in the common EU format issued in EU countries signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic  Austria  Belgium  Bulgaria  Croatia  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Germany  Greece  Hungary  Italy  Latvia  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Netherlands  Poland  Portugal  Romania  Slovakia  Slovenia  Sweden	Registration plate in the common EU format issued in EU countries not signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic  Cyprus  Ireland  Malta  Spain	Registration plates issued in European countries signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic  Albania  Armenia  Austria  Azerbaijan  Belarus  Belgium  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bulgaria  Croatia  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Georgia  Germany  Greece  Hungary  Italy  Kazakhstan  Latvia  Liechtenstein  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Moldova  Monaco  Montenegro  Netherlands  North Macedonia  Norway  Poland  Portugal  Romania  Russia  San Marino  Serbia  Slovakia  Slovenia  Sweden   Switzerland  Turkey  Ukraine  United Kingdom
Member states of the European Economic Area (EEA)  Austria  Belgium  Bulgaria  Croatia  Cyprus  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Germany  Greece  Hungary  Iceland  Ireland  Italy  Latvia  Liechtenstein  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Malta  Netherlands  Norway  Poland  Portugal  Romania  Slovakia  Slovenia  Spain  Sweden	Yes	Yes	No
Countries signatory to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic  Albania  Armenia  Austria  Azerbaijan  Belarus  Belgium  Bosnia and Herzegovina  Bulgaria  Croatia  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Georgia  Germany  Greece  Hungary  Italy  Kazakhstan  Latvia  Liechtenstein  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Moldova  Monaco  Montenegro  Netherlands  North Macedonia  Norway  Poland  Portugal  Romania  Russia  San Marino  Serbia  Slovakia  Slovenia  Sweden   Switzerland  Turkey  Ukraine  United Kingdom	Yes	No	Yes

Some European countries are not party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Cyprus, Ireland, Malta and Spain are examples of non-signatory countries. Those who have not ratified the convention may be parties to the older 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, which is the case of the aforementioned countries. According to the Geneva convention, a distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. This sign must be placed separately from the registration plate and may not be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate. The letters shall be in black on a white background having the shape of an ellipse with the major axis horizontal.

List[edit]

Vehicle registration plates of each country are described in the following table:

Motorcycle plates are used for motorcycles and vehicles where mounting space is an issue, such as taxis which display their taxi licence plate beside the vehicle registration plate^[clarify], and vehicles imported from countries where the mounting space was not originally designed to take European-sized plates (e.g. USA).

Moped plates are used for 2-wheeled moped and, in the European Union and EER countries for 4-wheeled mopeds (light quadricycle)

Countries[edit]

Country	Code	Strip	Example	Motorcycle plates	Moped
Albania	AL
Andorra	AND
Austria	A
Belarus	BY
Belgium	B
Bosnia and Herzegovina	BIH
Bulgaria	BG
Croatia	HR
Cyprus	CY
Czech Republic	CZ
Denmark	DK
Estonia	EST
Finland	FIN
France	F
Germany	D
Greece	GR
Hungary	H
Iceland	IS
Ireland	IRL
Italy	I
Latvia	LV
Liechtenstein	FL
Lithuania	LT
Luxembourg	L
Malta	M
Moldova	MD
Monaco	MC
Montenegro	MNE
Netherlands	NL
North Macedonia	NMK[fn 1]
Norway	N
Poland	PL
Portugal	P
Romania	RO
San Marino	RSM
Serbia	SRB
Slovakia	SK
Slovenia	SLO
Spain	E
Sweden	S
Switzerland	CH
Ukraine	UA
United Kingdom	UK[fn 2]
Vatican City	V[fn 3]

Notes

Transcontinental countries[edit]

Territory	Code	Strip	Example	Motorcycle plates
Armenia	AM
Azerbaijan	AZ
Georgia	GE
Russia	RUS
Turkey	TR

Dependent territories[edit]

Territory	Code	Strip	Example	Motorcycle plates
Åland Islands ( Finland)	FIN[fn1 1]
Alderney ( United Kingdom)	GBA
Faroe Islands ( Denmark)	FO
Gibraltar ( United Kingdom)	GBZ[a]
Guernsey ( United Kingdom)	GBG
Isle of Man ( United Kingdom)	GBM
Jersey ( United Kingdom)	GBJ

Notes

Disputed territories[edit]

Territory	Code	Strip	Example	Motorcycle plates
Abkhazia	ABH
Kosovo	RKS
Northern Cyprus	TRNC
South Ossetia	RSO
Transnistria	PMR

Timeline[edit]

Timeline of Vehicle registration plates of Europe from 1960 until today
Country	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Albania	AB 1234	AB 12345	12 AB 123	AB 1234 A	AB 1234 A	AB 123 AB
Andorra	1234 PRINCIPAT D’ANDORRA	12345 PRINCIPAT D’ANDORRA	A1234 PRINCIPAT D’ANDORRA	A1234 AND PRINCIPAT D’ANDORRA
Austria	W 123.456	W 12345 A	W 12345 A
Belarus		1234 AB	1234 ABC	1234 AB-1
Belgium	1234.A	A.AB.12	ABC•123	ABC-123	123-ABC	1-ABC-123
Bosnia and Herzegovina		AB-12345 A	AB 123-AB	123-A-123	A12-A-345
ТБ 123-45
	AB-1234 AB
Bulgaria	Пз•X•1234	ПЗ•1234•X	PA 1234 AX	PA 1234 AX	PA 1234 AX
Croatia		AB 1234-CD	AB 1234-CD
Cyprus	AB 123	AB 123	ABC 123	ABC 123	ABC 123
Czech Republic		ABC 12-12	1A2 12-12	1AB 1234
Denmark	KA 12.123	AB 12 345
	AB 12 345
Estonia		123 ABC	123 ABC
Finland	ABC-12	ABC-123	ABC-123
France	123 ABC 75	123 ABC 75	AB-123-AB
Germany	FL — AB 1234	FL AB 1234
Greece	123•123	AB-1234	ABC-1234	ABC-1234
Hungary	AB•12•12	ABC-123	ABC-123	AB CD-123
Iceland	A12345	AB 123	AB 123	AB C12
Ireland	ABC 123	123 ABC	87-AB-1234	91-AB-12345	00-AB-123456	131-AB-12345
Italy	MI 123456	MI MI 123456	MI 123456	AB 123AB	AB 123AB
Latvia		AB-1234	AB-1234
Liechtenstein	FL 12345
Lithuania		ABC 123	ABC 123
Luxembourg	12345	A 1234	AB 123	AB 123	AB 1234
Malta	1234	A-1234	ABC ▪ 123
Moldova		AB AB 123	AB AB 123	AB AB 123	ABC 012
Monaco	A123 PRINCIPAUTE DE MONACO	A123 PRINCIPAUTE DE MONACO	A123 MC PRINCIPAUTE DE MONACO
Montenegro		PG AB 123
Netherlands	AB-12-12	12-12-AB	12-AB-12	AB-12-AB	AB-AB-12	AB-AB-12	12-AB-AB	12-ABC-3
North Macedonia		AB РМ123-AB	AB  AБ  123-AB	AB  AБ  1234 AB	AB  AБ  1234 AB
Norway	A-12345	AB 12345	AB 12345	AB 12345
Poland	AB 1234	ABC 1234	ABC 12AB	ABC 12AB
Portugal	AA-12-34	12-34-AB	12-34-AB	12-AB-34	AA-01-AA
Romania	12,345-B	12-B-12345	AB 12ABC	AB 12ABC
Russia	12-34 МОЦ	и 1234 ЦП	A 123 AB
San Marino	RSM 123	RSM 1234	RSM 12345	12345	A1234
Serbia		BG 123-456	BG 123-456	BG 1234-AB
Slovakia		ABC 12-12	AB-123AB	AB-123AB	AB 123AB
Slovenia		LJ A1-12A	LJ AB-12A	LJ AB-12A
Spain	AB-12345	AB-1234AB	1234 ABC
Sweden	A 12345	ABC 123		ABC 12A
	ABC 123
Switzerland	BE 123 456
Turkey	A 12 345	12 AB 1234	12 AB 123	12 ABC 12
Ukraine		A1234 AB	123-45AB	AB 1234 CD	AB 1234 CD
United Kingdom	ABC 123	ABC 123A	ABC 123A	A123 ABC	AB12 ABC
AB12 ABC	AB12 ABC	AB12 ABC
Northern Ireland	1234 ABC	ABC 1234	ABC 1234	ABC 1234
ABC 1234	ABC 1234	ABC 1234
Vatican City	CV 12345
Country	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s

Dependencies and disputed territories ^[20]

Timeline of Vehicle registration plates of disputed, dependent and other territories in Europe from 1960 until today
Territory	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Åland	ÅL123	ÅL 1234	ÅLA 123	Åland ÅLA 123
Faroe Islands	Fø 1.234	Fø 12.345	F 12 345	AB 123
Greenland		G 12.345	GR 12 345
Alderney	AY 123	AY 1234
AY 123	AY 1234
Guernsey	12345
12345
Jersey	J12345	J123456
J12345	J123456
Isle of Man	12AMN	MN 1234	MAN 123A	M123 MAN	MAN 1234	1234 MAN	BMN 123M	AMN-123-A
Gibraltar	G 12345	G 1234A	G 1234A
Kosovo					123-KS-123	12 123-AB
Northern Cyprus			AB 123	AB 123	AB 123
Transnistria					A 123 AB

See also[edit]

• International vehicle registration code
• European driving licence

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Media related to License plates of Europe at Wikimedia Commons

Текущая версия страницы пока не проверялась опытными участниками и может значительно отличаться от версии, проверенной 15 августа 2018;
проверки требуют 4 правки.

Регистрационные знаки транспортных средств Европейского Союза (англ. англ. Vehicle registration plates of the European Union) представляют собой металлические или пластиковые таблички, прикрепляемые к механических транспортных средств с целью государственной идентификации.

Регистрационный идентификатор — это уникальный номер или буквенно-цифровой код, определяемый для каждого механического транспортного средства на месте его регистрации. В Европейском Союзе номерные знаки имеют универсальный для всех государств ЕС формат.

Формат[править | править код]

Общий формат ЕС был введен Постановлением Совета (ЕС) № 2411/98 от 3 ноября 1998 года^[1] и вступил в силу 11 ноября 1998 года. С левого края на номерных знаках присутствует полоска синего цвета с символом Европейского Союза (12 звезд, которые образуют круг) и кодом страны. За образец была принята модель регистрационного знака, которая ранее была введена Ирландией (1991)^[2], Португалией (1992)^[3] и Германией (1994)^[4]. На номерных знаках Люксембурга флаг Европы был изображен слева с 1988 года.

Формат ЕС не является обязательным в Финляндии, Швеции, на Кипре^[5] и в Великобритании. Дания ввела формат ЕС на добровольной основе в 2009 году^[6]. Автомобили с номерными знаками ЕС не обязаны демонстрировать международный регистрационный код на белом овале, находясь в другом государстве ЕС.

Несколько стран, не входящих в ЕС, внедрили подобный формат, заменяя круг из звезд собственной символикой. Например, Норвегия на своих номерных знаках заменила символ ЕС норвежским флагом. Из тех государств, которые вошли в Европейский Союз в 2004 году, Мальта уже использовала европейские номерные знаки в то время, как Латвия, Польша и Литва перед вступлением в ЕС использовали номерные знаки ЕС с изображением своего национального флага, как и Болгария и Румыния перед своим присоединением к ЕС в 2007 году. Эти форматы действуют на территории стран, подписавших Венскую конвенцию о дорожном движении, так и формат ЕС, и норвежский формат удовлетворяет установленные Конвенцией требования.

Список[править | править код]

Список регистрационных знаков всех стран-членов Европейского Союза:

Страны-члены	Код	Фото
Австрия	A
Бельгия	B
Болгария	BG
Великобритания	GB
Венгрия	H
Германия	D
Гибралтар	GBZ
Греция	GR
Дания	DK
Ирландия	IRL
Испания	E
Италия	I
Кипр	CY
Латвия	LV
Литва	LT
Люксембург	L
Мальта	M
Нидерланды	NL
Польша	PL
Португалия	P
Румыния	RO
Словакия	SK
Словения	SLO
Финляндия	FIN
Франция	F
Хорватия	HR
Чехия	CZ
Швеция	S
Эстония	EST

Номерные знаки для мотоциклов[править | править код]

Используются для мотоциклов и автомобилей, у которых есть проблемы с местом установки номерного знака, например, для такси, которые рядом с регистрационным знаком имеют дополнительные номерные знаки, и для транспортных средств, ввозимых из стран, где место для установки регистрационного знака не соответствует размерам европейских номерных знаков (например, США) .

Страны-члены	Абр.	Фото
Великобритания	GB
Германия	D
Испания	E
Италия	I
Латвия	LV
Мальта	M
Польша	PL
Франция	F
Швеция	S

См. также[править | править код]

• Автомобильные коды стран
• Номерной знак транспортного средства

Примечания[править | править код]

Автомобильные номера Европы — металлическая или пластиковая табличка или таблички, прикрепленные к механическому транспортному средству или прицепу для целей официальной идентификации. Регистрационный идентификатор представляет собой числовой или буквенно-цифровой код, который однозначно идентифицирует транспортное средство в базе данных выдавшего его органа. В Европе большинство стран приняли общий формат номерных знаков — общий формат ЕС. Этот формат соответствует требованиям Венской конвенции «О дорожном движении», в которой говорится, что транспортные средства, перевозимые через границу, должны иметь отличительный код страны регистрации в задней части транспортного средства. Этот знак может быть овальной наклейкой, помещенной отдельно от номерного знака, или может быть включен в номерной знак транспортного средства. Когда отличительный знак проставляется на номерном знаке, он должен также проставляться на переднем номерном знаке транспортного средства и может дополняться флагом или эмблемой национального государства или эмблемой региональной организации экономической интеграции, к которой принадлежит эта страна.

Формат[править | править код]

Основная часть европейских стран выпускает номерные знаки размером 520 на 110 мм (20,5 на 4,3 дюйма) или 520 на 120 мм (20,5 на 4,7 дюйма). Это один из основных стандартных размеров во всем мире, но существуют и другие:

• 305 на 152 мм (12,0 на 6,0 дюйма) — американский стандарт
• 305 на 160 мм (12,0 на 6,3 дюйма)
• 372 на 135 мм (14,6 на 5,3 дюйма) — австралийский стандарт

Некоторые европейские страны используют номерные знаки в других форматах:

• 330 на 140 мм (13,0 на 5,5 дюйма) в Андорре.
• 440 на 120 мм (17,3 на 4,7 дюйма) в Финляндии.
• 260 на 110 мм (10,2 на 4,3 дюйма) в Монако.
• 390 на 120 мм (15,4 на 4,7 дюйма) в Сан-Марино.
• 300 на 80 мм (11,8 на 3,1 дюйма) в Швейцарии и Лихтенштейне (только передние пластины).
• 360 на 110 мм (14,1 на 4,3 дюйма) в Италии (только передние пластины).

Европейский Союз[править | править код]

Общий формат ЕС, предусматривающий наличие синей секции на крайней левой стороне с кругом звезд ЕС и код страны, был введен постановлением Совета (ЕС) № 2411/98 от 3 ноября 1998 года^[1] и вступил в силу 11 ноября 1998 года. Он был основан на типовом регистрационном знаке, который уже был введен тремя государствами-членами: Ирландией (1991)^[2], Португалией (стандарт 1937 года, модификация 1992)^[3] и Германией (1994). С 1988 года на люксембургских табличках слева был изображен флаг ЕС. Транспортным средствам с номерными знаками ЕС не требуется наклеивать белый овальный с международным регистрационным кодом страны регистрации при передвижении в Европейской экономической зоне или в странах, подписавших Венскую конвенцию «О дорожном движении».

• Общая для всех номеров ЕС — голубая полоса на левой стороне номера. На ней изображены двенадцать жёлтых звезд флага ЕС, а также код страны-члена, в которой зарегистрировано транспортное средство. Использование флага ЕС на регистрационных знаках является факультативным для государств-членов, но они должны признать его в качестве действительного отличительного знака страны происхождения иностранного транспортного средства. Форматные таблички ЕС либо белые, либо жёлтые, по ширине превышают высоту.

• Жёлтые номерные знаки используются как спереди, так и сзади в Люксембурге и Нидерландах. В Гибралтаре, Соединённом Королевстве и на Кипре жёлтые номера используются сзади, а белые спереди. Дания и Венгрия используют жёлтые пластины для транспортных средств, зарегистрированных в качестве коммерческих транспортных средств. Дания внедрила формат ЕС на добровольной основе в 2009 году. Датские пластины имеют небольшую голографическую полоску справа от синей полосы ЕС. В Греции, Латвии, Литве и Швеции жёлтые таблички используются для такси.

• Бельгия использует красные символы и является единственной страной, которая не использует стандартную комбинацию чёрного на белом или чёрного на жёлтом; с введением европейских пластин в ноябре 2010 года был выбран немного более темный оттенок красного (RAL 3003) для улучшения читаемости.

• В Соединённом Королевстве, автолюбителям транспортных средств, зарегистрированных в Великобритании, возможно использовать номерки с национальным флагом Англии, Шотландии или Уэльса, или, альтернативно, флаг, вместе с кодом территории: «ENG» для Англии, «SCO» для Шотландии, «Wales» или «CYM» для Уэльса, «GB» для Великобритании или «UK» — Соединённое Королевство. Несмотря на то, что они официально не признаны за пределами Великобритании, они доступны водителям страны и разрешены Агентством по лицензированию транспортных средств. Однако, автомобилисты в Северной Ирландии подпадают под юрисдикцию другого государственного агентства, которое не позволяет номера с кодом NI; только флаг Соединённого Королевства вместе с GB/UK или формате ЕС (с изображением в этом случае европейских звёзд и кода GB). Британская заморская территория Гибралтар, в отличие от королевских владений Джерси, Гернси и острова Мэн, считается частью ЕС и поэтому использует номерные знаки в формате ЕС.

• Великобритания использует плоские пластиковые пластины (тиснёные металлические пластины являются опцией в Великобритании), в отличие от металлических пластин в большинстве других европейских стран. Смесь пластиковых и металлических пластин допускается во Франции и Ирландии. Пластиковые пластины ранее также использовались в Швеции и Норвегии.

Другие страны[править | править код]

Несколько европейских стран, не входящих в ЕС, внедрили форматы, похожие на формат ЕС, заменив круг звезд своими национальными символами. На транспортных средствах с такими номерными знаками нет необходимости приклеивать белый овальный международный регистрационный код транспортного средства в странах, подписавших Венскую конвенцию «О дорожном движении».

Пример такого государства — Норвегия, выпускающая таблички с норвежским флагом, заменяющим круг звезд. В Норвегии обычные номерные знаки белые с чёрными символами, однако автомобили только с передними сиденьями (используются для перевозки грузов) имеют зеленые таблички с чёрными символами. Турция является членом Европейского таможенного союза (единственный член Союза без членства в ЕС) и использует синюю европейскую полосу слева от таблички с кодом страны (TR) без 12 звёзд ЕС. Исландия выпускает номера с исландским флагом над кодом страны с левой стороны, но без синей полосы.

Общие системы букв и цифр между странами[править | править код]

Страны принимают меры, чтобы избежать дублирования регистрационных номеров, используемых другими странами. Но это не совсем успешно, и есть случайные трудности в связи с штрафами за парковку и автоматических камер скорости.

Так, например, автомобильные номера Украины стандарта 2004 года в нескольких регионах полностью повторяют текущие болгарские и прежние, но до сих пор действующие, испанские номера стандарта 1970 года. Это относится и к четырём регионам Испании с приставками BA, BI, CA, IB; и шести регионам Болгарии с приставками BT, BH, CA, СВ, CH, KH. Болгария использует номера пластин в виде A[A]-0000-AA, т. е. одна или две буквы, представляющие регион, затем четыре цифры, затем ещё две буквы. Все используемые буквы общие для латинского и кириллического алфавита, т. е. A, B, C, E, H, K, M, O, P, T, X и Y.

Дублирование существует между номерами Бельгии (до 2010 г.), Кипра, Финляндии, Грузии (до 2014 г.), Венгрии, Литва, Мальта, Швеция (с 1974 г.) и Молдавии (с 2015 г.) каждая использует комбинации первых трёх букв, а затем трёх цифр. Бельгия использовала последовательность ABC-123 между 1973 и 2008. Эти комбинации закончились в 2008 году, и была принята обратная последовательность 123-ABC с 25 июня 2008 года. С введением европейского формата с 15 ноября 2010 года используется семизначная комбинация 1-ABC-234. Однако шестизначные таблички остаются действительными, так как не установлена дата их вывода из пользования и бельгийские номера связаны с владельцем, а не с транспортным средством, поэтому скорее всего, старые номера будут использоваться в течение длительного времени.

Греция использует комбинацию из трёх букв (которые выбираются из 14 символов, которые являются общими для латинского и греческого алфавита (A, B, E, Z, H, I, K, M, N, O, P, T, Y, X в греческом алфавитном порядке) и четыре цифры, в виде ААА-0000, в то время как в Испании используется номер четыре цифры и три буквы в виде 0000 ВВВ (гласные и некоторые согласные не используются)

Дания и Норвегия используют две буквы и пять цифр, в то время как прицепы используют две буквы и четыре цифры. Номера выглядят очень похожими, но у Дании есть красная граница вокруг пластины. Близкий формат номеров у Люксембурга. На стандартных номерах Люксембурга используются две буквы и четыре цифры (AB 1234). Таблички с 5 цифрами (12345) и 4 цифрами (1234) выпускаются по запросу. Более старые серии с двумя буквами и тремя цифрами (AB 123) и одной буквой и 4 цифрами (A 1234) больше не выпускаются, но всё ещё используются.

На автомобильных номерах Нидерландов (до 2008 года) и Португалии три группы из двух символов (буквы или цифры) в нескольких последовательностях: AB-12-CD, 12-34-AB, 12-AB-34, AB-12-34 и т.д. Однако у португальских номеров белый фон, в то время как нидерландские (после 1 января 1978 года) жёлтый, хотя обе страны также используют белые буквы на синих пластинах для классических автомобилей. Кроме того, новые номера на нидерладских транспортных средствах содержат только согласные, чтобы избежать совпадающих сокращений или слов. Также некоторые чувствительные комбинации письма, как SS или SD, не используются. Комбинация «AA» предназначена для автомобилей королевской семьи. Номера автобусов, грузовых автомобилей и/или микроавтобусов, зарегистрированные на юридическое лицо, всегда начинаются с B или V. Количество комбинаций закончилось в 2008 году. Новые зарегистрированные автомобили в Нидерландах теперь используют формат две цифры — три буквы — цифра (12-ABC-3).

Польша и Великобритания использовали формат AAA 123A. В Польше они выпускались в 1976-2000 годах, а в Великобритании в 1963-1983 годах, а до 1973 года были того же цвета, что и в Польше (белый на чёрном). Эти таблички по-прежнему действительны в обеих странах.

Словакия использует формат AB 123CD, а Сербия и Хорватия — AB 123-CD. Все три страны используют герб после первых двух букв, шрифты и цвета также выглядят похожими. Номера из этих стран можно отличить по коду страны на синей полосе слева. Хорватия и Сербия используют Č, Š, Ž для некоторых кодов муниципалитетов, в то время как в Словакии вместо них используются C, S, Z. Близкие по формату номера у Грузии (после 2014 г.), Франции и Италии. Но на них другой шрифт и отсутствует государственный герб. А во Франции и Италии присутствует синяя полоса справа на номере, которая обозначает регион регистрации.

Страны[править | править код]

Страна	Код	Европоле	Образец автономера	Образец мотоциклетного номера
Австрия	A
Азербайджан	AZ
Албания	AL
Андорра	AND
Армения	AM
Белоруссия	BY
Бельгия	B
Болгария	BG
Босния и Герцеговина	BIH
Ватикан	V
Великобритания[fn 1]	GB, UK
Венгрия	H
Германия	D
Греция	GR
Грузия	GE
Дания	DK
Исландия	IS
Ирландия	IRL
Испания	E
Италия	I
Кипр	CY
Латвия	LV
Литва	LT
Лихтенштейн	FL
Люксембург	L
Мальта	M
Молдавия	MD
Монако	MC
Нидерланды	NL
Норвегия	N
Польша	PL
Португалия	P
Россия	RUS
Румыния	RO
Сан-Марино	RSM
Северная Македония [fn 2]	MK, NMK
Сербия	SRB
Словакия	SK
Словения	SLO
Турция	TR
Украина	UA
Финляндия	FIN
Франция	F
Хорватия	HR
Черногория	MNE
Чехия	CZ
Швейцария	CH
Швеция	S
Эстония	EST

Notes

Зависимые и спорные территории[править | править код]

Территория	Код	Европоле	Образец автономера	Образец мотоциклетного номера
Абхазия	ABH
Аландские острова	AX
Гернси	GBG
Гибралтар	GBZ
Джерси	GBJ
ДНР	DPR
ЛНР	LPR
Косово	RKS
Остров Мэн	GBM
Приднестровская Молдавская Республика	PMR
Северный Кипр	NC или KKTCB
Фарерские острова	FO
Южная Осетия	RSO

Шаблон[править | править код]

Для статей о номерах стран Европы рекомендуется использовать шаблон {{Автомобильные номера Европы}}

Примечания[править | править код]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The country in which a motor vehicle’s vehicle registration plate was issued may be indicated by an international licence plate country code, formerly known as an International Registration Letter^[1] or International Circulation Mark.^[2] It is referred to as the Distinguishing sign of the State of registration in the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949 and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968.

The allocation of codes is maintained by^{[citation needed]} the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe as the Distinguishing Signs Used on Vehicles in International Traffic^[3] (sometimes abbreviated to DSIT), authorised by the UN’s Geneva Convention on Road Traffic^[4] and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.^[5] Many vehicle codes created since the adoption of ISO 3166 coincide with ISO two- or three-letter codes. The 2004 South-East Asian Agreement … for the Facilitation of Cross-Border Transport of Goods and People uses a mixture of ISO and DSIT codes: Myanmar uses MYA, China CHN, and Cambodia KH (ISO codes), Thailand uses T (DSIT code), Laos LAO, and Vietnam VN (coincident ISO and DSIT codes).^[6]

The Geneva Convention on Road Traffic entered into force on 26 March 1952. One of the main benefits of the convention for motorists is the obligation on signatory countries to recognize the legality of vehicles from other signatory countries. When driving in other signatory countries, the distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. This sign must be placed separately from the registration plate and may not be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate.

History[edit]

1909 Paris Convention[edit]

The display of a national distinctive mark on a white oval plate, 30 cm × 18 cm (12 in × 7 in) with black letters was first introduced by the 1909 International Convention with respect to the Circulation of Motor Vehicles signed in Paris. The plate was required to be affixed to the rear of the vehicle, separate from the number plate displaying the vehicle’s national registration mark. The 1909 convention only allowed distinctive marks to be of one or two Latin letters.^[7]

1909 Paris Convention distinctive marks

State	Mark
Germany	D
Austria	A
Belgium	B
Spain	E
United States of America	US
France	F
Great Britain and Ireland	GB
Greece	GR
Hungary	H
Italy	I
Montenegro	MN
Monaco	MC
The Netherlands	NL
Portugal	P
Russian Empire	R
Romania	RO
Serbia	SB
Sweden	S
Switzerland	CH
Bulgaria	BG

1924 Paris Convention[edit]

The term distinguishing mark was adopted by the 1924 International Convention Relative to Motor Traffic signed in Paris, which extended the maximum length of mark from two to three Latin letters, and permitted not just distinguishing marks for states, but also for non-sovereign territories which operated their own vehicle registration systems.^[8]

1924 Paris Convention distinguishing marks

State or territory	Mark	Notes
Germany	D[a]	For the original German name Deutschland
United States of America	US[a]
Austria	A[a]
Belgium	B[a]
Brazil	BR
Great Britain and Northern Ireland	GB[a]
Alderney	GBA
Gibraltar	GBZ
Guernsey	GBG
Jersey	GBJ
Malta	GBY
British India	BI
Bulgaria	BG[a]
Chile	RCH
China	RC
Colombia	CO
Cuba	C
Denmark	DK
Danzig	DA
Egypt	ET
Ecuador	EQ
Spain	E[a]	España
Estonia	EST
Finland	SF	From Finnish Suomi, Swedish Finland.
France, Algeria and Tunis	F[a]
French India	F
Guatemala	G
Greece	GR[a]
Haiti	RH
Hungary	H[a]
Irish Free State	SE	Part of the United Kingdom at the time of the 1909 convention. Initials stand for Irish Saorstát Éireann.
Italy	I[a]
Latvia	LV
Liechtenstein	FL
Lithuania	LT
Luxembourg	L
Morocco	F
Mexico	MEX
Monaco	MC[a]
Panama	PY	current code is PA
Paraguay	PA	current code is PY
Netherlands	NL[a]
Indies	IN
Peru	PE
Persia	PR
Poland	PL
Portugal	P[a]
Roumania	R[a]
Territory of the Saar	SA	League of Nations mandate
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes	SHS
Siam	SM
Sweden	S[a]
Switzerland	CH[a]
Syria and Lebanon	LSA	French League of Nations mandate
Czechoslovakia	CS
Turkey	TR
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	SU	Russia had been a party to the 1909 convention.
Uruguay	U

Location[edit]

Since the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic entered into force on 21 May 1977, in signatory countries it replaces previous road traffic conventions, including the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, in accordance with its Article 48. According to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, the distinguishing sign of the country of registration must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. The sign may either be placed separately from the registration plate as a white oval plate or sticker, or be incorporated in the vehicle registration plate. When the distinguishing sign is incorporated in the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle.

The requirement to display a separate distinguishing sign is not necessary within the European Economic Area, for vehicles with license plates in the common EU format, which satisfy the requirements of the Vienna Convention, and so are also valid in non-EU countries signatory to that convention.^[9] Separate signs are also not needed for Canada, Mexico and the United States, where the province, state or district of registration is usually embossed or surface-printed on the vehicle registration plate.^{[citation needed]}

Current codes[edit]

Code	Country	From	Previous code(s)	Notes
A	Austria	1911		Austria in English or Autriche in French
AFG	Afghanistan	1971		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
AL	Albania	1934		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
AND	Andorra	1957		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
AM	Armenia	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
AUS	Australia	1954		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
AZ	Azerbaijan	1993	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
B	Belgium	1910
BD	Bangladesh	1978	PAK	Formerly East Pakistan
BDS	Barbados	1956
BF	Burkina Faso	1990	RHV / HV	Until August 2003, 1984; (République de) Haute Volta (Upper Volta)
BG	Bulgaria	1910		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
BH	Belize	1938		Formerly British Honduras. Still officially registered as BH as of 2007. New driving licenses appear to have ‘BZ’ instead of ‘BH’ as Belize’s code.[10]
BIH	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина (Bosnian). Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca (Serbo-Croatian), then part of Yugoslavia. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
BOL	Bolivia	1967		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
BR	Brazil	1930		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
BRN	Bahrain	1954
BRU	Brunei	1956
BS	Bahamas	1950
BUR[citation needed]	Myanmar	1956	BA, BUR	Previously known as Burma. Coincides with the former ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
BVI	British Virgin Islands	1910
BW[3]	Botswana	2003	BP	Officially used by Botswana since 2003. Formerly RB (Republic of Botswana) until 2004; Bechuanaland Protectorate before 1966.
BY	Belarus	1992 (2004)	SU	Belarus; formerly part of the Soviet Union. The UN was officially notified of the change from SU to BY only in 2004.[citation needed] Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CAM	Cameroon	1952	F & WAN	Formerly a territory of France, plus a strip of territory from eastern Nigeria (WAN). Unofficially using CMR on their plates.
CDN	Canada	1956	CA	CDN for «Canada Dominion»[citation needed]
CGO	Democratic Republic of the Congo	1997	CB, RCL, ZRE	French: Congo Belge, République de Congo Léopoldville, Congo (Kinshasa), Zaïre, République Démocratique du Congo (French)
CH	Switzerland	1911		Confœderatio Helvetica (Latin). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CI	Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)	1961	F	Formerly a territory of France. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CL	Sri Lanka	1961		Formerly Ceylon. However, «SL» is being used on current driver licenses.
CO	Colombia	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CR	Costa Rica	1956		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CU[3]	Cuba	1930[citation needed]		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CY	Cyprus	1932		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CZ	Czech Republic	1993	CS	Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
D	Germany	1910		Deutschland (German); also used until 1974 by  East Germany, which then used DDR until German reunification in 1990
DK	Denmark	1914		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
DOM	Dominican Republic	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
DY	Benin	1910	Part of AOF (Afrique occidentale française) − 1960	Dahomey (name until 1975). Uses RB unofficially (République du Bénin)
DZ	Algeria	1962	F − 1911	Djazayer (Algerian Arabic: جزائر); formerly part of France. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
E	Spain	1910		España (Spanish)
EAK	Kenya	1938		East Africa Kenya
EAT	Tanzania	1938	EAT & EAZ	East Africa Tanzania; formerly East Africa Tanganyika and East Africa Zanzibar
EAU	Uganda	1938		East Africa Uganda
EAZ	Zanzibar	1964		East Africa Zanzibar
EC	Ecuador	1962	EQ	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ER	Eritrea	1993	AOI	Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ES	El Salvador	1978
EST	Estonia	1993	EW 1919–1940 & 1991–1993 SU 1940–1991	Eesti Vabariik (Estonian; old style Eesti Wabariik). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
ET	Egypt	1927
ETH	Ethiopia	1964	AOI − 1941	Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
F	France	1910
FIN	Finland	1993	SF	Suomi / Finland (Finnish/Swedish). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
FJI	Fiji	1971		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
FL	Liechtenstein	1923		Fürstentum Liechtenstein (German: ‘Principality of Liechtenstein’)
FO	Faroe Islands	1996	FR	Føroyar. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
G	Gabon	1974	ALEF − 1960	Afrique Équatoriale Française. Unofficially using RG on their license plates.
GBA	Alderney	1924	GB 1923-1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Alderney
GBG	Guernsey	1924	GB 1914-1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Guernsey
GBJ	Jersey	1924	GB 1914-1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Jersey
GBM	Isle of Man	1932		(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Isle of Man
GBZ	Gibraltar	1924	GB 1911-1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Gibraltar (Z was assigned because G was already used for Guernsey)[citation needed]
GCA	Guatemala	1956	G	Guatemala, Central America
GE	Georgia	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Older licence plates use «GEO» instead of «GE». Also used by Equatorial-Guinea (Spanish: Guinea Ecuatorial). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GH	Ghana	1959	WAC − 1957	West Africa Gold Coast − 1957. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GR	Greece	1913		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GUY	Guyana	1972	BRG	Formerly British Guiana − 1966. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
H	Hungary	1910
HKJ	Jordan	1966	JOR	Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
HN	Honduras	?[citation needed]		Unofficial: no other code found for Honduras. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
HR	Croatia	1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Hrvatska (Croatian). Formerly part of Yugoslavia. Immediately after Croatia’s declaration of independence in 1991, it was common to see unofficial oval stickers with the letters «CRO». Despite the initial anticipation that Croatia’s international vehicle registration code would be «CRO», Croatia opted for «HR» (Hrvatska) instead. SHS was for the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
I	Italy	1910
IL	Israel	1952		«Israel» is also written on the plate in Hebrew (ישראל) and Arabic (إسرائيل). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
IND	India	1947	BI	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
IR	Iran	1936	PR	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
IRL	Ireland	1992	GB − 1910–24 SE − 1924–38 EIR − 1938–62 EIR/IRL − 1962–92	Formerly a part of the United Kingdom, Saorstát Éireann, Éire. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
IRQ	Iraq	1930		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
IRQ KR	Kurdistan	1991		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2
IS	Iceland	1936		Ísland (Icelandic). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
J	Japan	1964
JA	Jamaica	1932
K[citation needed]	Cambodia	1956		Known as Kampuchea 1976–89. Formerly a territory of France. KH currently being used (Khmer) on driving licenses, which coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
KG	Kyrgyzstan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. The Kyrgyz government notified the change from «KS» to «KG», which featured on the new car registration plates from March 2016, in August that year to the UN Secretary-General.[11] Additionally, most vehicles use «KGZ» oval stickers instead of «KS». Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
KSA	Saudi Arabia	1973	SA	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
KWT	Kuwait	1954
KZ	Kazakhstan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
L	Luxembourg	1911
LAO	Laos	1959	F – 1949	Formerly a territory of France (French Indochina). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
LAR	Libya	1972	I − 1949, LT	Libyan Arab Republic, unused, unofficial LY used instead.
LB	Liberia	1967
LS	Lesotho	1967	BL	Basutoland − 1966. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
LT	Lithuania	1992	SU 1940–1991	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
LV	Latvia	1992	LR 1927–1940 SU 1940–1991	Latvijas Republika (Latvian). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
M	Malta	1966	GBY 1924–66
MA	Morocco	1924		Maroc (French). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MAL	Malaysia	1967	PRK – 1957 FM 1954–57 PTM 1957–67	Formerly Perak, then Federated Malay States, then Persekutuan Tanah Melayu (Malay)
MC	Monaco	1910		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MD	Moldova	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MEX	Mexico	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MNE	Montenegro	2006	MN 1913–1919 SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–2003 SCG 2003–2006	Independent nation until 1918. After that, part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – Serbo-Croatian), then part of Yugoslavia and then Serbia and Montenegro (Srbija i Crna Gora – Serbian). Independence restored in 2006. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MGL	Mongolia	2002		MNG displayed on current plates. Nevertheless, the new format includes MGL once again.[12] Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MOC	Mozambique	1975	MOC: 1932–56 P: 1957–75	Formerly part of Portugal. Moçambique (Portuguese). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MS	Mauritius	1938
MV	Maldives	1965		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MW	Malawi	1965	EA 1932–38 NP – 1938–70 RNY option 1960–65	Formerly the Nyasaland Protectorate. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
N	Norway	1922
NAM	Namibia	1990	SWA	Formerly South West Africa. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
NAU	Nauru	1968
NEP	Nepal	1970
NIC	Nicaragua	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
NL	Netherlands	1910		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
NMK	North Macedonia	2019	YU − 1992 MK 1992–2019	Formerly part of Yugoslavia. Known as Republic of Macedonia until 2019. Mix of English North and Macedonian Makedonija.
NZ	New Zealand	1958		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
OM	Oman	?[citation needed]		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
P	Portugal	1910		Unofficially used for Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.[13]
PA	Panama	1952	PY 1924–1952	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PE	Peru	1937		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PK	Pakistan	1947		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PL	Poland	1921		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PNG	Papua New Guinea	1978		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
PY	Paraguay	1952	PA 1924–1952	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
Q	Qatar	1972
RA	Argentina	1927		República Argentina (Spanish)
RC	Republic of China (Taiwan)	1932		Unofficially also used by car license plates in the Republic of Congo (République du Congo).
RCA	Central African Republic	1962		République Centrafricaine (French)
RCB	Republic of the Congo	1962		République du Congo Brazzaville (French). Unofficially using RC on current plates.
RCH	Chile	1930		República de Chile (Spanish)
RG	Guinea	1972		République de Guinée (French). Also used unofficially by Gabon.
RH	Haiti	1952		République d’Haïti (French)
RI	Indonesia	1955		Republik Indonesia (Indonesian)
RIM	Mauritania	1964		République islamique de Mauritanie (French)
RKS	Kosovo	2010	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–2003 SCG 2003–2006 SRB 2006–2010	Republic of Kosovo
RL	Lebanon	1952		République Libanaise (French)
RM	Madagascar	1962		République de Madagascar (French)
RMM	Mali	1962	AOF − 1960	République du Mali (French). Formerly part of French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Française)
RN	Niger	1977	AOF − 1960	République du Niger (French). Formerly part of French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Française)
RO	Romania	1981	R — 1981	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ROK	South Korea	1971		Republic of Korea. Unofficially using KOR on their plates.
RP	Philippines	1975		Republika ng Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines)
RSM	San Marino	1932		Repubblica di San Marino (Italian)
RU	Burundi	1960		Belgian territory of Ruanda-Urundi. Unofficially using BU on their plates.
RUS	Russia	1992		Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
RWA	Rwanda	1964	RU − 1962	Formerly part of Ruanda-Urundi − 1962. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
S	Sweden	1911
SD	Eswatini	1935		Formerly Swaziland
SGP	Singapore	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
SK	Slovakia	1993	CS 1919–39,1945–92 SQ 1939–45	Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SLO[14]	Slovenia	1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca (Serbo-Croatian), then part of Yugoslavia.
SME	Suriname	1936
SN	Senegal	1962		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SO	Somalia	1974	SP	Formerly Somaliland Protectorate. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SRB	Serbia	2006	SB – 1919 SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–2003 SCG 2003–2006	Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbia. Then part of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – Serbo-Croatian). Then part of Yugoslavia. Then Serbia and Montenegro (Srbija i Crna Gora – Serbian). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
SUD	Sudan	1963
SY	Seychelles	1938
SYR	Syria	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
T	Thailand	1955	SM
TCH	Chad	1973		Tchad (French)
TG	Togo	1973	RT	Formerly République Togolaise (French). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TJ	Tajikistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union, used code «PT» for Республика Таджикистан on plates from 1993 to 2003. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TM	Turkmenistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TN	Tunisia	1957	F − 1956	Formerly a territory of France. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Unoffical code TU is common.
TO	Tonga	1995		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TR	Turkey	1923		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TT	Trinidad and Tobago	1964		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
UA	Ukraine	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
UAE	United Arab Emirates	1971
UK	United Kingdom	2021	GB (1910–2021)	Before 1922, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Until 2021, «GB» was used, but from 28 September 2021 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changed its international vehicle registration code from «GB» to «UK». (This does not affect territories for which the United Kingdom controls international relations outside Great Britain and Northern Ireland.)[15][16]
USA	United States	1952	US	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
UY[citation needed]	Uruguay	2012	ROU	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
UZ	Uzbekistan	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
V	Vatican City	1931		CV (Italian: Città del Vaticano) is used as a prefix on the licence plate number itself. The prefix used on official and government vehicles is SCV (Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae)
VN	Vietnam	1953		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
WAG	Gambia	1932		West Africa Gambia
WAL	Sierra Leone	1937		West Africa Sierra Leone; on local licence plates SLE is used
WAN	Nigeria	1937		West Africa Nigeria
WD	Dominica	1954		Windward Islands Dominica
WG	Grenada	1932		Windward Islands Grenada
WL	Saint Lucia	1932		Windward Islands Saint Lucia
WS	Samoa	1962		Formerly Western Samoa. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
WV	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1932		Windward Islands Saint Vincent
YAR	Yemen	1960		North Yemen formerly known as the Yemen Arab Republic.
YV	Venezuela	1955
Z	Zambia	1964[citation needed]	RNR	Formerly Northern Rhodesia. However, «ZM» is used on current driving licences.
ZA	South Africa	1936		Zuid-Afrika (from Dutch; in Afrikaans it is Suid-Afrika). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ZW	Zimbabwe	1980	SR, RSR	Formerly Southern Rhodesia until 1965, Rhodesia unrecognised until 1980. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.

Codes no longer in use[edit]

Code	Country	Used until	Replaced by	Notes
ADN	Aden	1980	Y	From 1938, also known as South Yemen, People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (1967)
BA	Burma	1956	BUR	From 1937
BP	Bechuanaland Protectorate	1966		Now Botswana
CA	Canada	1956	CDN
CS	Czechoslovakia	1992	CZ / SK	Split into Czech Republic and Slovakia. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
DA	Danzig, Free City of	1939	D (1939–1945) PL (since 1945)	Danzig (German for Gdańsk)
DDR	German Democratic Republic	1990	D	From 1974 (used D until 1974), Deutsche Demokratische Republik. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
EIR	Éire	1992	IRL	Now  Ireland
EW	Estonia	1993	EST	Eesti Vabariik (Estonian)
FR	Faroe Islands	1996	FO	Føroyar (Faroese)
GB	United Kingdom	2021	UK	Changed to UK to be inclusive of Northern Ireland (which is not part of Great Britain), though the previous GB did also apply to Northern Ireland. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GBY	Malta	1966	M	Changed after independence from UK
GRO	Greenland	1910	KN	Grønland (Danish language) / Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenlandic language). Unofficial. The official code is DK.
HV	Upper Volta (French: Haute-Volta), now Burkina Faso	1984	BF	Upper Volta. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
KS	Kyrgyzstan	1992–2016	KG	Ratified by the United Nations as KG in March 2016.
LR	Latvia	1927–1940	SU, LV	Latvijas Republika (Latvian)
MK	Republic of Macedonia	1992–2019	NMK	Became North Macedonia in 2019. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
NA	Netherlands Antilles	1957		The Netherlands Antilles were dissolved in 2010.
PANG	Angola	1956	P (1957-1975)	From 1932. Formerly part of Portugal
R	Romania	1981	RO
RNY	Rhodesia-Nyasaland Fed.	1953–1963	NP, NR, SR	Now Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe
ROU	Uruguay	1979–2012	UY[citation needed]	República Oriental del Uruguay (Spanish)
RSR	Southern Rhodesia	1965–1979	SR	Now Zimbabwe
RT	Togo	1973	TG	République togolaise (French). Formerly French Togoland − 1960
SA	Saar Territory (League of Nations mandate)	1926–1935	D	SA is again Germany’s Saarland
SA	Saar Protectorate	1947–1956	D	SA is again Germany’s Saarland
SA	Saudi Arabia	Un­known	KSA	The date of the change is unknown. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SB	Serbia	1919	SHS	Serbia became part of Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
SCG	Serbia and Montenegro	2006	MNE, SRB	From Serbian name «Srbija i Crna Gora». Now Montenegro, Serbia. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
SE	Saorstát Éireann	1938	EIR (IRL from 1962)	Under GB until 1924. Name changed to Éire, now  Ireland
SF	Finland	1993	FIN	SF from «Suomi – Finland» (the names of the country in its official languages, Finnish and Swedish)
SHS	Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes	1929	Y	Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – Serbo-Croatian. Kingdom changed its name to Yugoslavia
SU	Soviet Union	1991	EST, LT, LV, BY, MD, UA, TJ, TM, GE, KZ, UZ, KS, AZ, AM, RUS	Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SWA	South West Africa	1990		Now Namibia
TS	Free Territory of Trieste	1947–1954		Territory Zone A (controlled by the United Kingdom and United States from 1947 to 1954 before given to Italy). Now in Italy, Croatia and Slovenia.
Y	Yugoslavia	1953	YU	Yemen started using Y afterwards
YU	/ Yugoslavia	1992	BIH, HR, NMK, MNE, RKS, SRB, SLO	Now Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, and Slovenia. MK for Macedonia was in use from 1993 until 2019. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ZRE	Zaire	1997	CGO	Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Unofficial codes[edit]

There are unofficial codes in common use, such as «AS» for Asturias, «CAT» for Catalonia, «SCO» for Scotland, «CYM» for Wales (Welsh Cymru), «BZH» for Brittany (Breizh), FRL for Friesland, «VL» for Flanders (Vlaanderen), «V» for Vojvodina/Vajdaság, «TS» for Transylvania, «P» for Palestine, «PR» for Puerto Rico, «CSB» for Kashubia (Cassubia) and «SIC» for Székely Land (from Latin Terra Siculorum). Some of these, such as «VL» which is used by Flemish separatists, are used despite being specifically illegal under local laws.

In addition, in some areas, vehicle-style stickers have been used to denote and promote other entities, such as towns, islands, businesses, and even associations. These irregular stickers almost always bear an explanation of the code in small print near the edge of the sticker, as the codes used may be unfamiliar.

Diplomatic licence plate codes[edit]

A separate system is used for vehicles belonging to the diplomats of foreign countries with license plates from the host country. That system is host country-specific and varies largely from country to country. For example, TR on a diplomatic car in the USA indicates Italian, not Turkish. Such markings in other countries (e.g. Norway) are indicated with numbers only, again different from international standards (e.g. 90 means Slovakia in Norway).

See also[edit]

• Aircraft registration
• International Driving Permit
• ISO 3166
• Vienna Convention on Road Traffic
• Vehicle identification number

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• «RPW»: Neil Parker and John Weeks, Registration Plates of the World, Europlate; 4th edition (2004)

External links[edit]

• Distinguishing Signs of Vehicles, UNECE
• Distinguishing Signs used on Vehicles in International Traffic Notified to the Secretary General of the United Nations, UNECE
• Convention on Road Traffic, Geneva, United Nations Treaty Collection
• Convention on Road Traffic, Vienna, United Nations Treaty Collection
• UN Economic Commission for Europe, Working Party on Road Transport (WP.11)
• Miscellaneous Proposals of Amendments to the Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods: Identification of Approval Country in Marking, UN/SCETDG/33/INF.5 (table compares ISO 3166 and DSIT codes)
• Association Francoplaque: Collectionneurs de Plaques d’Immatriculation (data mostly from RPW, above)
• European Registration Plate Association: Registration Plates of the World Online (registration required; data mostly from RPW, above)