A vehicle registration plate, usually called license plate or number plate (often referred to simply as a plate, or colloquially tag) is a small metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle for official identification purposes. On many vehicles, they appear in pairs, with one attached to the front and another attached to the rear, although certain jurisdictions and vehicle types only require one plate—usually the rear. The plate has a serial number on it which is the same on all plates attached to the vehicle, the purpose of which is to identify the vehicle uniquely from others on roads, usually within the same country. In certain jurisdictions, having a current license plate can be evidence of a vehicle being licensed for use on a public highway, or of a tax having been paid in connection with the vehicle.

In some jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom where they are known as number plates, one set of plates usually remains with a vehicle following its initial sale as the information displayed on the plates is static throughout the vehicle's life. In others, such as some U.S. states where they are known as license plates, they are required to be changed periodically (though, for cost-saving purposes, the recent tendency has been to simply replace a small decal on the plate's surface). Additionally, some jurisdictions follow a "plate to owner" policy, meaning that when a vehicle is sold, the seller removes the current plate(s) from the vehicle and the buyer must either obtain new plates from his jurisdiction of residence, or attach plates that he already holds from that jurisdiction, as well as formally registering the vehicle, under his name and the plate number, with the appropriate authorities. If the person who sold the car then purchases a new car, he can apply to have the old plates put onto this car. Otherwise, depending on the local laws involved, he must turn them in, destroy them, or simply keep them if he wishes.

Plates usually are either directly fixed to a vehicle or located in a plate frame which is itself fixed to the vehicle. Sometimes the plate frames contain advertisements inserted by the vehicle service center or the dealership from which the vehicle was purchased. Vehicle owners can also purchase customized and specialty frames to replace the original frames. In some U.S. states license plate frames are illegal. Usually plates are designed to conform to certain standards of clarity with regards to being read by the human eye in day or at night, or by electronic equipment. Some drivers purchase clear, smoke-colored or tinted covers that go over the license plate, usually to prevent such electronic equipment from scanning the license plate number. Although perhaps useful to those avoiding detection from police, these covers are not legal in the entire U.S. and are looked down upon in other countries.

In most countries, license plates are issued by an agency of the national government, except in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Germany, Pakistan, and the United States, where they are issued by provincial, territorial, or state governments.

History

License plates have been around almost as long as automobiles, appearing in the earliest period of the transition from the horse, 1890 to 1910. In the U.S., where each state oversees plates, New York has required plates since 1901. At first, plates were not government issued in most American jurisdictions and motorists were obliged to make their own. Massachusetts and West Virginia were the first states to issue plates, in 1903. The earliest plates were made out of porcelain baked onto iron, or simple ceramic with no backing, which made them extremely fragile and impractical. Few examples of these earliest plates survive. Later materials experimented with include cardboard, leather, plastic, and during wartime shortages, copper and pressed soybeans.

Earlier plates varied in size and even shape from one jurisdiction to the next, such that if one moved, new holes would be needed drilled into the bumper to support the new plate. Standardization of plates came in 1957, when automobile manufacturers came to agreement with governments and international standards organizations. While peculiar local variants still exist, there are three basic standards worldwide.

• one used in the bulk of the Western Hemisphere countries, six by twelve inches
• one used in the bulk of the European countries, 520 by 110 millimeters
• and a third used in Australia and other Pacific Rim countries, about halfway between the dimensions of the other two standards, longer than Western Hemisphere plates but taller than European ones

US and Canada

Main article: US and Canadian license plates

In the US and Canada, license plates are issued by each state or provincial government. In the U.S., many Native American tribal governments issue plates for their members, while some states provide special issues for tribal members. The federal government issues plates only for its own vehicle fleet and for vehicles owned by foreign diplomats. Within each jurisdiction, there may also special plates for groups such as firefighters or military veterans, and for state- or province-owned vehicles.

The appearance of plates is frequently chosen to contain symbols, colors, or slogans associated with the issuing jurisdiction. For example, new plates issued in Washington, D.C. include the phrase "Taxation without representation" to highlight D.C.'s lack of a voting representative in the United States Congress. More recently, some states have also started to put a web address pertaining to the state, whether it would be with the state itself (such as Indiana with www.IN.gov) or in Pennsylvania's case with VisitPA.com, that state's tourism site.

Most states use plates onto which the letters and numbers are embossed so that they are slightly raised above its surface. A very few do not, such as Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and Tennessee, which have moved to entirely digitally produced flat license plates. Many US states now use a color thermal transfer production process that produces a flat license plate for short-run plates such as personalized and special interest plates.

When someone moves from one state or province to another, they are normally required to obtain new license plates issued by the new place of residence, even if they have plates issued by the previous state or province. Some US states will even require a person to obtain new plates if a person accepts employment in that state, unless he can show that he returns to another state to live on a regular basis. The most prominent exceptions to this policy are active duty military servicemembers, who legally do not change residence when they move to a new posting; Federal law specifically allows them to choose to either retain the state vehicle registration of their original residence or change registration to their state of assignment.

In many states, license plates are made by prison inmates ^*. In 1956, all North American passenger vehicle licence plates, except for French controlled St. Pierre and Miquelon, were standardized at a size of 6 in x 12 in (152.40 mm x 304.80 mm), although a smaller size is used for certain vehicle classes, such as motorcycles, and for the state of Delaware's historic alternate black and white plates, which are 5.25 in x 9.5 in.

Europe

Main article: European vehicle registration plates

Germany have selected a typeface which they call fälschungserschwerende Schrift (abbr.: FE-Schrift), meaning "falsification-difficulty script". It is designed so that, for example, the O cannot be adjusted to look like a Q, or vice versa; nor can the P be painted to resemble an R, amongst other changes. This typeface can be easier read by radar or visual license-plate reading machines - ironically though it can be harder to read with the naked eye, especially when the maximum allowed number of 8 characters in "Engschrift" (Narrower script used when available space is limited) are printed on the plate.

Image:FrenchNumberPlates CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg|Car registration plates from France, as observed 2004. Image:Plate-KA-PA777.JPG|current car registration plate from Germany. Image:Swedish licenseplate.jpg|Car registration plate from Sweden Image:ManxCarRegistrationPlate.jpg|Manx (not in the EU) car registration plate Image:Pltableseries2006.jpg|Polish plates. New with EU stars and old issued shortly before EU membership. Image:LTplate.JPG|Lithuanian plate issued shortly before EU membership Image:Dk-number-plate.jpg|Danish plate issued in 1998 (also showing the country sticker). Image:CZ plate euro.jpg|Czech plate Image:NL license plate.jpg| The same format is still used. Number plates with EU logo are not available. Image:AndorraVehicleRegPlate.jpg|A plate from Andorra.

People's Republic of China

Main article: License plates of the People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China issues vehicles licence plates at its Vehicle Management Offices, under the administration of the Ministry of Public Security.

The current plates are of the 1992 standard, which consist of the one-character provincial abbreviation, a letter of the Latin alphabet corresponding to a certain city in the province, and five numbers or letters of the alphabet (e.g. 京A-12345, for a vehicle in Beijing or 粤B-12345 for a vehicle from Shenzhen in Guangdong province). The numbers are produced at random, and are computer-generated at the issuing office. (A previous licence plate system, with a green background and the full name of the province in Chinese characters, actually had a sequential numbering order, and the numbering system was eventually beset with corruption).

Yellow plates are issued for large vehicles of Chinese nationality. Blue plates, the most common sort, are issued for vehicles of Chinese nationality, which are small or compact in size. Black plates are issued for vehicles belonging to foreigners and persons from Hong Kong and Macao. These plates follow the pattern of the provincial character for Guangdong (粤), the Latin letter "Z", 4 letters and/or numbers, ending in the abbreviated character for the territory (e.g. 粤Z-AE54港 for Hong Kong) (Black licence plates are handed to vehicles of any size, as long as they are from one of the special administrative regions.)

Pakistan

Eight types of licence plates are used in Pakistan. Each province and territory issues its own number plate; the federal government issues number plates for foreign diplomats and vehicles owned by the military, police and federal departments (red for foreign diplomats and green for the federal government.) Sindh's number plates are yellow with black letters and numbers; Islamabad, NWFP, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Balochistan and Northern Areas have white number plates with black letters and numbers. The number plates also have the province or territory's name at the bottom. In Punjab however, number plates can be of any colour the vehicle owner chooses, but the first 2 letters represent the city the vehicle is registered in.

E.g: LHR 4536, is a vehicle registered in Lahore, Punjab. FDE 6762, is a vehicle registered in Faisalabad, Punjab.

All number plates are in English.

India

Main article: Indian licence plates

Two types of licence plates are used in India. For commercial vehicles, the plate has a yellow background and black numbering. For private vehicles a white background with black numbering is used. The scheme comprises of a two letter identification for the state in which the vehicle is registered. It is followed by a two number code to identify the district. Finally a four digit number is used to uniquely identify the vehicle. When this number reaches 9999, it is prefixed with the next letter of the alphabet taken in order. When the alphabet reaches Z, the length of the prefix is increased to 2. So after TN-01 9999, the next number is TN-01 A 0001 and after TN-01 Z 9999 it is TN-01 AA 0001 and so on..

eg: MH 01 5678 , is a vehicle registered in Bombay, Maharashtra State. KA 05 EH 1254, is a vehicle registered in Bangalore, Karnataka State.

TN 01 W 9671, is a vehicle registered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu State.

Japan

Main article: Japanese license plates

The classes of registration plate are divided typically by engine size. Municipal registration is typically applicable to motor vehicles that will not leave the area, generally motorcycles.

The prefectural system of colours is much easier to understand. For private vehicles underneath 660cc, registration plates have black text on a yellow background. Above 660cc, a white plate with green text is used. For commercial, non-private vehicles, the colours of the numberplate are inverted.

An official seal is applied over one (typically the left) screw, preventing the plate being removed and applied to another car.

More information is available from Licence Plates of Japan.

Russian Federation

Main article: Russian car number plates

Brazil (Federative Republic of Brazil)

The size of the Brazilian licence plates is 380 x 130 mm (15" x 5" approx.) but plates can be made in Japanese or European size. Brazilian license plates use colors to show their type, and front and rear plates use the same color:

• black on gray: private-owned
• white on red: any kind of paid transportation (buses, cabs, etc.)
• red on white: driver's school (auto-escola in Brazil)
• black on white: official use (government, police department, fire department, federal, state or city-owned for public services).
• gray on black: collection (vehicles older than 30 years possessing an excellent state of conservation and more than 80% of its originality.
• white on green: dealer-testing, or in some cases test-drive (most of test-drive cars use black on gray plates).
• white on blue: constructor-testing or diplomatic use (in this case in the format CD 1234 or CC 1234).

The letters of the plate can describe its state of origin. Vehicles can be relocated from one state to another, but their plate's combination will show the origin:

• AAA-0000 to BEZ-0000 = PR (Paraná)
• BFA-0000 to GKI-0000 = SP (São Paulo)
• GKI-0000 to HOL-0000 = MG (Minas Gerais)

Mexican Plates

Mexican plates come in several different classification: Private, Private Fronteriza, Public, Public Frontera, Servicio Publico Federal, Inspeccion Fiscal y Aduanera, Armada de Mexico, and Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores. The Fronteriza plates were introduced in 1972 and are available in the Mexico-USA border zone. This zone is formed by the Baja California and Baja California Sur states, as well as parts of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Tamaulipas. While the state of Nuevo Leon shares a 15 km border with the US, it does not have any cities within the border zone.

MEXICAN PLATE FORMATS:

WHITE PLATES (Private)

• Car: AAA-1234 (123-AAA in Federal District, i.e. Mexico City)
• Truck: AA-12345 (1234-AA in Federal District, i.e. Mexico City)
• Handicapped: 123-AA
• Dealer: 1-AA-234
• RV: 1-AA-2345
• Bus: 1-AAA-23
• Motorcycle: A-123-A or AAA-12

ORANGE PLATES (Public)

• Taxi: 1234-AAA
• Truck: 1-AAA-234
• RV: A-123456
• Bus: 123456-A

YELLOW PLATES (Private Frontier)

• Car: 1-NRA-234 (Baja California uses BAA-00-00)
• Handicapped: 123-AA
• Truck: ZJA-1234 (B.C. uses BA-12345)
• Bus: ZLD-1234

RED PLATES (Public Frontier)

• Taxi: 1234-ZLA
• Bus: 1234-ZNC
• Truck: 1234-ZMP

Servicio Publico Federal (SPF)

• Cargo (purple plate)
• Pasaje (orange plate)
• Turismo (green plate)
• Arrastre Fronterizo (light brown plate)
• Traslado (yellow/orange plate)
• Arrendamiento (blue plate)
• Discapacitados (burgundy plate)
• S.R.E. (blue plate with Aztec symbol)
• I.F.A. (white w/ dark blue letters)

Australian plates

Main article: Australian vehicle number plates

In Australia, licence plates, usually known as number plates, are normally issued by the State or Territory government; some are issued by the Commonwealth government. Plates are associated with a vehicle and generally last for its life, though as they become unreadable (or for other reasons) they may be recalled or replaced with newer ones. For a long period of time from the 1970s to the late 1990s, most Australian plates were of the form xxx·xxx (with the x either letters or numbers), typically aaa·nnn as in Victoria or New South Wales. More recently as these series have reached the end of their lives, different States have chosen different continuations, so the commonality with respect to format is at an end. Nevertheless, most plates are the same size for a given vehicle, so there remains a consistency about them.

Plates tend to bear the State or territory name and a state motto in the bottom of the plate. Recent issues of plates (since the 1990s) also often use the State's colors and may include some imagery related to the state (such as the State's logo as the dot separating the groups of numbers).

LIST OF FORMATS FOR AUSTRALIAN PLATES - CURRENT TO 25/01/06:

• KEY: 'x' represents a sequential letter, 'n' represents a sequential number.
• Australian Capital Territory: Blue text on white background, with "ACT" above and "CANBERRA - THE NATION'S CAPITAL" below the plate code. Code format: Yxx-nnx
• New South Wales: Black text on yellow background, with "NEW SOUTH WALES" below the plate code. Code format: xx-nn-xx
• Victoria: Code format: xxx-nnn
• Queensland: Maroon text on white background, with "QUEENSLAND - SUNSHINE STATE" under the plate code. Code format: nnn-xxx
• South Australia: Code format: xxx-nnn or xx-nnnx
• Western Australia: Code format: nxxx-nnn
• Tasmania: Code format: xx-nnn
• Northern Territory: Orange text on white background. Code format: nnn-nnn

To show that a vehicle is registered in Australia, a sticker must be displayed in the lower left corner of either the rear left window or windscreen. This sticker is issued to the register owner of the vehicle on payment of the next year's registration fee, and shows the expiry date of the registration. They are colour coded for easy recognition of the year of expiry. The sticker shows the licence plate number, Vehicle Identification Number, Make, Model, and colour of the vehicle, along with other such information. This acts as an anti-theft device, because transplanting the licence plates from one car to another will be in contrast to the details on the sticker.

Vanity and specialty plates

See also: North American Vanity and specialty plates

In some countries, people can pay extra and get vanity plates: licence plates with a custom number (character set). For example, a vanity license plate might read "MY TOY". Generally vanity plates are not allowed to have profane, offensive or obscene messages on them, and of course they must also be unique. Some states allow amateur radio operators to use their callsign for a lower fee than a regular vanity plate^*.

In the US, Canada and Australia, vehicle owners may also pay extra for specialty plates: with these, the sequence of letters and numbers is chosen by the licensing agency—as with regular plates—but the owners select a plate design that is different from the normal license plate. Fees for specialty plates are usually channeled to a specific charity or organization. For example, California has issued the "Yosemite plate" and "Whale Tail plate," both aimed at conservation efforts in the respective domains. Some jurisdictions allow for these special plates to also be vanity plates, usually for an additional fee on top of the cost of the plate.

In some Australian states, it is possible to purchase "personalised plates", where an individual can choose the colour, design, and sometimes even the shape and size of the plate, as well as the displayed text. This website is run by the government of the state of Queensland, and illustrates a wide range of possibilities for customisation: Personalised Plates Queensland {clear}

Novelty licence plates

Novelty license plates are usually installed by motorists or automobile dealerships. While automobile dealerships install novelty license plates for promoting their business, motorists (auto enthusiasts) install novelty license plates to express their brand preference (like a Ford logo license plate), or an affiliation with a group, state, country, sports/sport team, hobby, art, custom creation, etc. In the United States, 19 states do not require an official front license plate, these states being Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia; U.S. territories Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam also do not require an official front license plate. Antique auto collectors use novelty replicas of period license plates to give their show cars a dated look. Entire websites have been established to market these plates.

International codes

The allocation of codes is maintained by the United Nations as the Distinguishing Signs of Vehicles in International Traffic, being authorized by the UN's Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (1949) and Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (1968). Many, but far from all, vehicle codes created since the adoption of ISO 3166 coincide with either the ISO two or three letter codes.

For a full list of licence plate country codes, see List of international license plate codes.

Imitation International codes

See also

• Afghanistan
• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• People's Republic of China (mainland)
• Croatia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong, China
• Hungary
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Korea, South
• Malaysia
• The Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• The Philippnes
• Poland
• Romania
• Russia
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• US and Canada
• US Army in Germany

• Antique vehicle registration
• Automobile Licence Plate Collectors Association
• Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR)
• List of fictional licence plate numbers
• List of international license plate codes
• Vehicle identification number (VIN)

External links

• Photographs taken by Olav Arne Brekke of license plates from around the world
• General Information on European License Plates
• Automobile License Plate Collectors Association
• License Plates of the World
• License Plate Mania
• License Plates collector's portal

License plates

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