Иностранные номера автомобилей расшифровка

Автомобильные коды стран мира и Европы

Автомобильные коды стран требуются для идентификации государства регистрации автомобиля. Ранее для этой цели служила наклейка, на которой код страны указывался заглавными буквами. Наклейка должна крепиться в задней части транспортного средства возле номерного знака.

В последнее время страны переходят на определение принадлежности на регистрационных знаках. Наклейка в этом случае уже не требуется.

Тем не менее, были случаи (например, в Германии), когда за её отсутствие выписывали штраф. Во избежание недоразумений, даже если не хотите её приклеивать, лучше возить наклейку с собой и приклеить по первому требованию.

Согласно Конвенции о международном движении наклейка должна быть выполнена в виде эллипса, главная ось которого горизонтальна, а буквы должны быть черными на белом фоне.

Так же читайте: Автомобильные коды всех городов и регионов России

Автомобильные коды Европы

Код Страна 1 A Австрия 2 ABH* Абхазия 3 AL Албания 4 AM Армения 5 AND Андорра 6 AX* Аландские острова (официальный код — FIN) 7 AZ Азербайджан 8 B Бельгия 9 BG Болгария 10 BIH Босния и Герцеговина 11 BY Беларусь 12 BZH* Бретань (Франция) 13 CAT* Каталония (Испания) 14 CD* дипломатический корпус 15 CH Швейцария 16 CY Кипр 17 CYM* Уэльс 18 CZ Чехия 19 D Германия 20 DK Дания 21 E Испания 22 EH* Страна Басков (Франция) 23 EIR Ирландия 24 ENG* Англия 25 EST Эстония 26 F Франция 27 FIN Финляндия 28 FL Лихтенштейн 29 FO Фарерские острова 30 GB Великобритания 31 GBA Олдерни 32 GBG Гернси 33 GBJ Джерси 34 GBM о. Мэн 35 GBZ Гибралтар 36 GE Грузия 37 GEO Грузия 38 GR Греция 39 H Венгрия 40 HR Хорватия 41 I Италия 42 IRL Ирландия 43 IS Исландия 44 KN* Гренландия 45 KS* Косово 46 L Люксембург 47 LT Литва 48 LV Латвия 49 M Мальта 50 MC Монако 51 MD Молдавия 52 MK Македония 53 MNE Черногория 54 N Норвегия 55 NI* Северная Ирландия 56 NL Нидерланды 57 P Португалия 58 PL Польша 59 PMR* Приднестровье 60 RKS* Косово 61 RO Румыния 62 RSM Сан-Марино 63 RSO* Южная Осетия 64 RUS Россия 65 S Швеция 66 SCO* Шотландия 67 SCV* Ватикан 68 SK Словакия 69 SLO Словения 70 SMOM Суверенный Мальтийский орден 71 SRB Сербия 72 TR Турция 73 UA Украина 74 V Ватикан 75 VL* Фландрия (Бельгия) * — неофициальный код Автомобильные коды стран мира (таблица)

Автомобильные коды Америки

Код Страна 1 AG* Антигуа и Барбуда 2 ARU* Аруба 3 AXA* Ангилья 4 BDS Барбадос 5 BH Белиз (ранее Британский Гондурас) 6 BOL Боливия 7 BR Бразилия 8 BS Багамские острова 9 BVI Британские Виргинские острова 10 BZ* Белиз (до 1980-х гг.) 11 C Куба 12 CDN Канада 13 CO Колумбия 14 CR Коста-Рика 15 CU* Куба 16 DOM Доминиканская республика 17 EC Эквадор 18 ES Сальвадор 19 GCA Гватемала 20 GUY Гайана 21 HN* Гондурас 22 JA Ямайка 23 KAN* Сент-Китс и Невис 24 MEX Мексика 25 NA Нидерландские Антильские острова 26 NIC Никарагуа 27 PA Панама 28 PE Перу 29 PR* Пуэрто-Рико 30 PRI Пуэрто-Рико 31 PY Парагвай 32 RA Аргентина 33 RCH Чили 34 RH Гаити 35 ROU Уругвай (до 2012 г.) 36 SME Суринам 37 TT Тринидад и Тобаго 38 USA США 39 UY Уругвай 40 WD Доминика 41 WG Гренада 42 WL Сент-Люсия 43 WV Сент-Винсент и Гренадины 44 YV Венесуэла * — неофициальный код

Автомобильные коды Азии

Код Страна 1 AFG Афганистан 2 AXA* Ангилья 3 BD Бангладеш 4 BHT* Бутан 5 BRN Бахрейн 6 BRU Бруней 7 BT Бутан 8 CHN* Китай 9 CL Шри-Ланка 10 HK* Гонконг 11 HKJ Иордания 12 IL Израиль 13 IND Индия 14 IR Иран 15 IRQ Ирак 16 J Япония 17 K Камбоджа 18 KGZ* Киргизия 19 KP* Северная Корея 20 KS Киргизия 21 KSA Саудовская Аравия 22 KWT Кувейт 23 KZ Казахстан 24 LAO Лаос 25 MAL Малайзия 26 MGL Монголия 27 MNG Монголия* 28 MO Макао 29 MV Мальдивы* 30 MYA Мьянма 31 NEP Непал* 32 OM Оман 33 PAK Пакистан (до 1990 г.) 34 PK Пакистан 35 PS Палестина 36 Q Катар 37 RC Китай (включая Тайвань) 38 RI Индонезия 39 RL Ливан 40 ROK Южная Корея 41 RP Филиппины 42 SA Саудовская Аравия 43 SGP Сингапур 44 SYR Сирия 45 T Таиланд 46 TJ Таджикистан 47 TL* Восточный Тимор 48 TM Туркменистан 49 UAE Объединённые Арабские Эмираты 50 UZ Узбекистан 51 VN Вьетнам 52 YAR Йемен (до 1990 г.) 53 YEM Йемен * — неофициальный код Автомобильные коды стран мира (таблица)

Автомобильные коды Африки

Код Страна 1 ANG Ангола 2 BF Буркина Фасо 3 BW* Ботсвана 4 CAM Камерун 5 CGO* Демократическая Республика Конго 6 CI Кот д’Ивуар 7 COM* Коморские острова 8 CV* Кабо-Верде 9 DJI* Джибути 10 DY Бенин (до 1975 г. — Дагомея) 11 DZ Алжир 12 EAK Кения 13 EAT Танзания 14 EAU Уганда 15 EAZ Занзибар (Танзания) 16 ER Эритрея 17 ET Египет 18 ETH Эфиопия 19 G Габон 20 GH Гана 21 GQ* Экваториальная Гвинея 22 RGB* Гвинея-Бисау 23 GW* Гвинея-Бисау 24 LAR Ливия 25 LB Либерия 26 LS Лесото 27 MA Марокко 28 MOС Мозамбик 29 MS Маврикий 30 MW Малави 31 NAM Намибия 32 RB Ботсвана 33 RCA Центральноафриканская Республика 34 RCB Республика Конго 35 RG Гвинея 36 RGB* Гвинея-Бисау 37 RIM Мавритания 38 RM Мадагаскар 39 RMM Мали 40 RN Нигер 41 RNR* Замбия 42 RU Бурунди 43 RWA Руанда 44 SD Свазиленд 45 SLE* Сьерра-Леоне 46 SN Сенегал 47 SO Сомали 48 STP* Сан-Томе и Принсипи 49 SUD Судан 50 SY Сейшельские острова 51 TCH* Чад 52 TG* Того 53 TN Тунис 54 WAG Гамбия 55 WAL Сьерра-Леоне 56 WAN Нигерия 57 WSA* Западная Сахара 58 Z Замбия 59 ZA ЮАР 60 ZRE Демократическая Республика Конго 61 ZW Зимбабве * — неофициальный код

Автомобильные коды Австралии и Океании

Код Страна 1 AG* Антигуа и Барбуда 2 ARK* Антарктика 3 AUS Австралия 4 AXA* Ангилья 5 FJI Фиджи 6 FSM* Федеративные Штаты Микронезии 7 KIR* Кирибати 8 MH* Маршалловы острова 9 NAU Науру 10 NC* Новая Каледония 11 NZ Новая Зеландия 12 PAL* Палау 13 PNG Папуа — Новая Гвинея 14 SOL* Соломоновы острова 15 TO* Тонга 16 TUV* Тувалу 17 VU* Вануату 18 WS Самоа * — неофициальный код Автомобильные коды стран мира (таблица)

Устаревшие коды

Код Страна 1 ADN Аден 2 AEF Французская Экваториальная Африка 3 AOF Французская Западная Африка 4 AOI Итальянская Восточная Африка 5 BL Басутоленд (до 1967 г.) 6 BP Бечуаналенд 7 BRG Британская Гайана 8 BUR Бирма 9 CA Канадский Доминион (ныне Канада) 10 CB Бельгийское Конго 11 CS Чехословакия (до 1992 года) 12 DA Вольный город Данциг (1919-1939 гг.) 13 DDR ГДР (до 1990 года) 14 EA Малави 15 EW Эстония 16 FM Федеративные Малайские штаты 17 FR Фарерские острова (до 1996 года) 18 GBY Мальта 19 GRO Гренландия 20 HV Верхняя Вольта 21 JOR Иордания 22 LR Латвия 23 NP Малави 24 NR Замбия 25 PTM Малайзия 26 R Российская Империя (до 1917 г.) 27 R Румыния (до 1981 г.) 28 RCL Республика Конго 29 RI Восточный Тимор 30 RNY Федерация Родезия-Ньясаленд 31 ROU Уругвай 32 RSR Южная Родезия 33 RU Руанда-Урунди (до 1962 г.) 34 RT Того 35 SA Саар 36 SB Сербия (до 1919 г.) 37 SCG Сербия и Черногория (до 2006 года) 38 SE Испанская Сахара 39 SF Финляндия (до 1993 г.) 40 SHS Королевство сербов, хорватов и словенцев (до 1929 г.) 41 SU СССР (до 1991 г.) 42 SWA Юго-Западная Африка (до 1990 г.) 43 TS Свободная территория Триест (с 1947 по 1954 г.) 44 WAC Золотой Берег Западной Африки 45 Y Югославия (1929-1953 гг.) 46 YU Югославия, позже Сербия и Черногория (до 2006 года) 47 ZR Заир

* — неофициальный код

Автомобильные коды стран мира (таблица)

по материалам autotraveler.ru

Автомобильные коды стран мира

Автомобильные коды стран требуются для идентификации государства регистрации автомобиля. Ранее для этой цели служила наклейка, на которой код страны указывался заглавными буквами. Отличительный знак страны регистрации должен крепиться в задней части транспортного средства возле номерного знака, а также может быть включен в регистрационный номер транспортного средства. Если отличительный знак включен в регистрационный номер, он также должен присутствовать на передней регистрационной табличке транспортного средства.

Содержание

Отличительный знак может быть дополнен флагом или эмблемой национального государства или эмблемой региональной организации экономической интеграции, которой страна принадлежит. Знак отличия должен отображаться в крайнем левом или крайнем правом углу регистрационной таблички. Если на регистрационном номере присутствует символ/флаг/эмблема, отличительный знак должен быть помещен в крайнее левое положение на регистрационной пластине.

В последнее время страны переходят на определение принадлежности на регистрационных знаках. Например, в странах Евросоюза этот код изображается на стандартном регистрационном номере автомобиля. Наклейка в этом случае уже не требуется.

Тем не менее были случаи (например, в Германии), когда за её отсутствие выписывали штраф. Во избежание недоразумений, даже если не хотите её приклеивать, лучше возить наклейку с собой и приклеить по первому требованию.

Согласно Конвенции о международном движении наклейка должна быть выполнена в виде эллипса, главная ось которого горизонтальна, а буквы должны быть черными на белом фоне.

Данные во всех таблицах можно отсортировать по возрастанию/убыванию, кликнув по заголовку столбца.

Автомобильные коды Европы

* — неофициальный код

Автомобильные коды Америки

* — неофициальный код

Автомобильные коды Азии

* — неофициальный код

Автомобильные коды Африки

* — неофициальный код

Автомобильные коды Австралии и Океании

* — неофициальный код

Устаревшие коды

* — неофициальный код

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 × 18cm 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
Russia	R
Roumania	RM
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]
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]
Estonia	EW
Finland	SF
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.
Italy	I[a]
Latvia	LR
Liechtenstein	FL
Lithuania	LT
Luxembourg	L
Morocco	F
Mexico	MEX
Monaco	MC[a]
Panama	PY
Paraguay	PA
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		Österreich (German)
AFG	Afghanistan	1971
AL	Albania	1934
AND	Andorra	1957
AM	Armenia	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
AUS	Australia	1954
AZ	Azerbaijan	1993	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
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
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	Un­known	Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина (Bosnian). Formerly part of Yugoslavia.
BOL	Bolivia	1967
BR	Brazil	1930
BRN	Bahrain	1954
BRU	Brunei	1956
BS	Bahamas	1950
BUR[citation needed]	Myanmar	1956	BA, BUR	Previously known as Burma.
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]
CU[3]	Cuba	1930[citation needed]
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)
CI	Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)	1961	F	Formerly a territory of France
CL	Sri Lanka	1961		Formerly Ceylon. However, «SL» is being used on current driver licenses.
CO	Colombia	1952
CR	Costa Rica	1956
CY	Cyprus	1932
CZ	Czech Republic	1993	CS	Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia)
D	Germany	1910		Deutschland (German); also used until 1974 by  East Germany, which then used DDR until German reunification in 1990
DK	Denmark	1914
DOM	Dominican Republic	1952
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
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
ER	Eritrea	1993	AOI	Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian)
ES	El Salvador	1978
EST	Estonia	1993	EW 1919–1940 & 1991–1993 SU 1940–1991	Eesti Vabariik (Estonian; old style Eesti Wabariik)
ET	Egypt	1927
ETH	Ethiopia	1964	AOI − 1941	Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian)
F	France	1910
FIN	Finland	1993	SF	Suomi / Finland (Finnish/Swedish)
FJI	Fiji	1971
FL	Liechtenstein	1923		Fürstentum Liechtenstein (German, Principality of Liechtenstein)
FO	Faroe Islands	1996		Føroyar
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).
GH	Ghana	1959	WAC − 1957	West Africa Gold Coast − 1957
GR	Greece	1913
GUY	Guyana	1972	BRG	Formerly British Guiana − 1966
H	Hungary	1910
HKJ	Jordan	1966	JOR	Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
HN	Honduras	?[citation needed]		Unofficial: no other code found for Honduras
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).
I	Italy	1910
IL	Israel	1952		«Israel» is also written on the plate in Hebrew (ישראל) and Arabic (إسرائيل)
IND	India	1947	BI
IR	Iran	1936	PR
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.
IRQ	Iraq	1930
IS	Iceland	1936		Ísland (Icelandic)
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.
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».
KSA	Saudi Arabia	1973	SA	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
KWT	Kuwait	1954
KZ	Kazakhstan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
L	Luxembourg	1911
LAO	Laos	1959	F – 1949	Formerly a territory of France (French Indochina)
LAR	Libya	1972	I − 1949, LT	Libyan Arab Republic
LB	Liberia	1967
LS	Lesotho	1967	BL	Basutoland − 1966
LT	Lithuania	1992	SU 1940–1991
LV	Latvia	1992	LR 1927–1940 SU 1940–1991	Latvijas Republika (Latvian)
M	Malta	1966	GBY 1924–66
MA	Morocco	1924		Maroc (French)
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
MD	Moldova	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
MEX	Mexico	1952
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.
MGL	Mongolia	2002		MNG displayed on current plates. Nevertheless, the new format includes MGL once again.[12]
MOC	Mozambique	1975	MOC: 1932–56 P: 1957–75	Formerly part of Portugal. Moçambique (Portuguese)
MS	Mauritius	1938
MV	Maldives	1965
MW	Malawi	1965	EA 1932–38 NP – 1938–70 RNY option 1960–65	Formerly the Nyasaland Protectorate
N	Norway	1922
NAM	Namibia	1990	SWA	Formerly South West Africa
NAU	Nauru	1968
NEP	Nepal	1970
NIC	Nicaragua	1952
NL	Netherlands	1910
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
OM	Oman	?[citation needed]
P	Portugal	1910		Unofficially used by Palestine as well[13]
PA	Panama	1952
PE	Peru	1937
PK	Pakistan	1947
PL	Poland	1921
PNG	Papua New Guinea	1978
PY	Paraguay	1952
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 1953–92 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
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	1962?		Belgian territory of Ruanda-Urundi. Unofficially using BU on their plates.
RUS	Russia	1992		Formerly part of the Soviet Union
RWA	Rwanda	1964	RU − 1962	Formerly part of Ruanda-Urundi − 1962
S	Sweden	1911
SD	Eswatini	1935		Formerly Swaziland
SGP	Singapore	1952
SK	Slovakia	1993	CS 1919–39,1945–92 SQ 1939–45	Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia)
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
SO	Somalia	1974	SP	Formerly Somaliland Protectorate
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)
SUD	Sudan	1963
SY	Seychelles	1938
SYR	Syria	1952
T	Thailand	1955	SM
TCH	Chad	1973		Tchad (French)
TG	Togo	1973	RT	Formerly République Togolaise
TJ	Tajikistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union, used code «PT» for Республика Таджикистан on plates from 1993 to 2003
TM	Turkmenistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
TN	Tunisia	1957	F − 1956	Formerly a territory of France
TO	Tonga	1995
TR	Turkey	1923
TT	Trinidad and Tobago	1964
UA	Ukraine	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
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
UY[citation needed]	Uruguay	2012	ROU
UZ	Uzbekistan	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
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 (Italian: Status Civitatis Vaticanae)
VN	Vietnam	1953
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
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)
ZW	Zimbabwe	1980	SR, RSR	Formerly Southern Rhodesia until 1965, Rhodesia unrecognised until 1980

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.
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
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
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
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
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
RB	Botswana	2003	BP	Republic of Botswana. Formerly Bechuanaland Protectorate
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.
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
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
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-Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, and Slovenia. MK for Macedonia was in use from 1993 until 2019
ZRE	Zaire	1997	CGO	Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Unofficial codes[edit]

There are unofficial codes in common use, such as «AS», «A» or «AST» for Asturias, «CAT» for Catalonia, «SCO» for Scotland, «CYM» for Wales, «BZH» for Brittany, «VL» for Flanders, «V» for Vojvodina/Vajdaság, «TS» for Transylvania, «PR» for Puerto Rico, «CSB» for Kashubia 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.

Kosovo[edit]

The political status of Kosovo is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, Kosovo is formally recognised as an independent state by 101 UN member states (with another 13 states recognising it at some point but then withdrawing their recognition) and 92 states not recognizing it, while Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own territory.

Diplomatic licence plate codes[edit]

A separate system is used for vehicles belonging to the diplomats of foreign countries with license plate 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)

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 × 18cm 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
Russia	R
Roumania	RM
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]
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]
Estonia	EW
Finland	SF
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.
Italy	I[a]
Latvia	LR
Liechtenstein	FL
Lithuania	LT
Luxembourg	L
Morocco	F
Mexico	MEX
Monaco	MC[a]
Panama	PY
Paraguay	PA
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		Österreich (German)
AFG	Afghanistan	1971
AL	Albania	1934
AND	Andorra	1957
AM	Armenia	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
AUS	Australia	1954
AZ	Azerbaijan	1993	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
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
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	Un­known	Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина (Bosnian). Formerly part of Yugoslavia.
BOL	Bolivia	1967
BR	Brazil	1930
BRN	Bahrain	1954
BRU	Brunei	1956
BS	Bahamas	1950
BUR[citation needed]	Myanmar	1956	BA, BUR	Previously known as Burma.
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]
CU[3]	Cuba	1930[citation needed]
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)
CI	Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)	1961	F	Formerly a territory of France
CL	Sri Lanka	1961		Formerly Ceylon. However, «SL» is being used on current driver licenses.
CO	Colombia	1952
CR	Costa Rica	1956
CY	Cyprus	1932
CZ	Czech Republic	1993	CS	Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia)
D	Germany	1910		Deutschland (German); also used until 1974 by  East Germany, which then used DDR until German reunification in 1990
DK	Denmark	1914
DOM	Dominican Republic	1952
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
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
ER	Eritrea	1993	AOI	Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian)
ES	El Salvador	1978
EST	Estonia	1993	EW 1919–1940 & 1991–1993 SU 1940–1991	Eesti Vabariik (Estonian; old style Eesti Wabariik)
ET	Egypt	1927
ETH	Ethiopia	1964	AOI − 1941	Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian)
F	France	1910
FIN	Finland	1993	SF	Suomi / Finland (Finnish/Swedish)
FJI	Fiji	1971
FL	Liechtenstein	1923		Fürstentum Liechtenstein (German, Principality of Liechtenstein)
FO	Faroe Islands	1996		Føroyar
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).
GH	Ghana	1959	WAC − 1957	West Africa Gold Coast − 1957
GR	Greece	1913
GUY	Guyana	1972	BRG	Formerly British Guiana − 1966
H	Hungary	1910
HKJ	Jordan	1966	JOR	Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
HN	Honduras	?[citation needed]		Unofficial: no other code found for Honduras
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).
I	Italy	1910
IL	Israel	1952		«Israel» is also written on the plate in Hebrew (ישראל) and Arabic (إسرائيل)
IND	India	1947	BI
IR	Iran	1936	PR
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.
IRQ	Iraq	1930
IS	Iceland	1936		Ísland (Icelandic)
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.
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».
KSA	Saudi Arabia	1973	SA	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
KWT	Kuwait	1954
KZ	Kazakhstan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
L	Luxembourg	1911
LAO	Laos	1959	F – 1949	Formerly a territory of France (French Indochina)
LAR	Libya	1972	I − 1949, LT	Libyan Arab Republic
LB	Liberia	1967
LS	Lesotho	1967	BL	Basutoland − 1966
LT	Lithuania	1992	SU 1940–1991
LV	Latvia	1992	LR 1927–1940 SU 1940–1991	Latvijas Republika (Latvian)
M	Malta	1966	GBY 1924–66
MA	Morocco	1924		Maroc (French)
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
MD	Moldova	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
MEX	Mexico	1952
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.
MGL	Mongolia	2002		MNG displayed on current plates. Nevertheless, the new format includes MGL once again.[12]
MOC	Mozambique	1975	MOC: 1932–56 P: 1957–75	Formerly part of Portugal. Moçambique (Portuguese)
MS	Mauritius	1938
MV	Maldives	1965
MW	Malawi	1965	EA 1932–38 NP – 1938–70 RNY option 1960–65	Formerly the Nyasaland Protectorate
N	Norway	1922
NAM	Namibia	1990	SWA	Formerly South West Africa
NAU	Nauru	1968
NEP	Nepal	1970
NIC	Nicaragua	1952
NL	Netherlands	1910
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
OM	Oman	?[citation needed]
P	Portugal	1910		Unofficially used by Palestine as well[13]
PA	Panama	1952
PE	Peru	1937
PK	Pakistan	1947
PL	Poland	1921
PNG	Papua New Guinea	1978
PY	Paraguay	1952
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 1953–92 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
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	1962?		Belgian territory of Ruanda-Urundi. Unofficially using BU on their plates.
RUS	Russia	1992		Formerly part of the Soviet Union
RWA	Rwanda	1964	RU − 1962	Formerly part of Ruanda-Urundi − 1962
S	Sweden	1911
SD	Eswatini	1935		Formerly Swaziland
SGP	Singapore	1952
SK	Slovakia	1993	CS 1919–39,1945–92 SQ 1939–45	Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia)
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
SO	Somalia	1974	SP	Formerly Somaliland Protectorate
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)
SUD	Sudan	1963
SY	Seychelles	1938
SYR	Syria	1952
T	Thailand	1955	SM
TCH	Chad	1973		Tchad (French)
TG	Togo	1973	RT	Formerly République Togolaise
TJ	Tajikistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union, used code «PT» for Республика Таджикистан on plates from 1993 to 2003
TM	Turkmenistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
TN	Tunisia	1957	F − 1956	Formerly a territory of France
TO	Tonga	1995
TR	Turkey	1923
TT	Trinidad and Tobago	1964
UA	Ukraine	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
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
UY[citation needed]	Uruguay	2012	ROU
UZ	Uzbekistan	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
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 (Italian: Status Civitatis Vaticanae)
VN	Vietnam	1953
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
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)
ZW	Zimbabwe	1980	SR, RSR	Formerly Southern Rhodesia until 1965, Rhodesia unrecognised until 1980

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.
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
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
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
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
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
RB	Botswana	2003	BP	Republic of Botswana. Formerly Bechuanaland Protectorate
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.
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
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
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-Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, and Slovenia. MK for Macedonia was in use from 1993 until 2019
ZRE	Zaire	1997	CGO	Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Unofficial codes[edit]

There are unofficial codes in common use, such as «AS», «A» or «AST» for Asturias, «CAT» for Catalonia, «SCO» for Scotland, «CYM» for Wales, «BZH» for Brittany, «VL» for Flanders, «V» for Vojvodina/Vajdaság, «TS» for Transylvania, «PR» for Puerto Rico, «CSB» for Kashubia 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.

Kosovo[edit]

The political status of Kosovo is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, Kosovo is formally recognised as an independent state by 101 UN member states (with another 13 states recognising it at some point but then withdrawing their recognition) and 92 states not recognizing it, while Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own territory.

Diplomatic licence plate codes[edit]

A separate system is used for vehicles belonging to the diplomats of foreign countries with license plate 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)