International vehicle registration code

Example of the white oval plate or sticker; this one represents Switzerland

Example of the yellow oval diplomatic and consular corps plate or sticker

A 1960 Borgward Isabella showing the international vehicle code NL (Netherlands)

Estonian registration plate in EU standard format with international code EST

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] The sign must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. The sign may either be placed separately from the registration plate, or be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate.

The allocation of codes is maintained by 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] of 1949 and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic^[5] of 1968. 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 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic was concluded in Vienna on 8 November 1968. Since its entry into force on 21 May 1977, in signatory countries it replaces previous road traffic conventions, notably the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, in accordance with its Article 48. 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. 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 physical requirements for the separate sign are defined in Annex 3 of the Vienna Convention, 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 organization to which the country belongs. The distinguishing sign should be displayed on the far left or far right of the registration plate. When a symbol, flag or emblem is also displayed, the distinguishing sign shall be placed on the far left of the plate. The distinguishing sign shall be positioned so as to be easily 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 from that reserved for the registration number, or be clearly separated from the registration number, preferably with a line.

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 the convention. ^[7] 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.

Current codes

Code	Country	From	Previous Code	Notes
A	Austria	1910
AFG	Afghanistan	1971
AL	Albania	1934
AM	Armenia	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
AND	Andorra	1957
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		Former British Honduras. Still officially registered as BH as of 2007.
BIH	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1992	YU	Bosna i Hercegovina
BOL	Bolivia	1967
BR	Brazil	1930
BRN	Bahrain	1954
BRU	Brunei	1956
BS	Bahamas	1950
BUR	Myanmar	1956	BA	Also known as Burma.
BVI	British Virgin Islands	1910
BW[8]	Botswana	2003	BP	Officially used by Botswana since 2003. Formerly RB (Republic of Botswana) until 2004. Formerly Bechuanaland Protectorate
BY	Belarus	1992 (2004)	SU	Byelorussia; formerly part of the Soviet Union. The UN was officially notified of the change from SU to BY only in 2004.[9]
C	Cuba	1930
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
CGO	Democratic Republic of the Congo	1997	CB, RCL, CGO, ZR	Congo Belge (French), République de Congo Léopoldville (French), 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
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 Béninoise)
DZ	Algeria	1962	F − 1911	Djazayer (Algerian Arabic); 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
EIR	Ireland	1938	GB − 1910 SE − 1924 IRL − 1962	Éire or Ireland. Formerly a part of the United Kingdom and formerly Saorstát Éireann. Activists want the name of the country represented in the Irish language by changing the code back to EIR or ÉIR, but this is unnecessary, as Statutory Instrument No. 269 of 1961 provides: " ... the letters EIR are used to indicate the name of the State but the letters IRL may be substituted therefor."
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); formerly part of the Soviet Union
ET	Egypt	1927
ETH	Ethiopia	1964		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.
GB	United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)	1910		Before 1922, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
GBA	Alderney	1924		Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Alderney
GBG	Guernsey	1924		Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Guernsey
GBJ	Jersey	1924		Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Jersey
GBM	Isle of Man	1932		Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Isle of Man
GBZ	Gibraltar	1924		Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Gibraltar (Z was assigned because G was already used for Guernsey)
GCA	Guatemala	1956		Guatemala, Central America
GE	Georgia	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Older licence plates use "GEO" instead of "GE".
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	?		unofficial - no other code found for Honduras
HR	Croatia	1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Hrvatska (Croatian). Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, an earlier name for 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	1919
IL	Israel	1952		"Israel" is written on the plate also in Hebrew (ישראל) and Arabic (إسرائيل)
IND	India	1947
IR	Iran	1936
IRL	Ireland	1962	GB − 1910 SE − 1924 EIR − 1938	Formerly a part of the United Kingdom, Saorstát Éireann, Éire. There is a campaign by Irish language activists underway to have the name of the country in the native language represented by changing the code back to EIR or ÉIR. However Statutory Instrument No. 269 of 1961 already provides: " ... the letters EIR are used to indicate the name of the State but the letters IRL may be substituted therefor."
IRQ	Iraq	1930
IS	Iceland	1936		Ísland (Icelandic)
J	Japan	1964
JA	Jamaica	1932
K	Cambodia	1956	F − 1949	Known as Kampuchea 1976–89. Formerly a territory of France.
KS	Kyrgyzstan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. However, most vehicles use "KGZ" 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	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
LV	Latvia	1992	LR 1927–1940 SU 1940–1991	Latvijas Republika (Latvian); Formerly part of the Soviet Union
M	Malta	1966	GBY 1924–66
MA	Morocco	1924		Maroc (French)
MAL	Malaysia	1967	PRK – 1957 FM 1954-7 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
MK	Macedonia	1992	YU − 1992	Formerly part of Yugoslavia
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.
MNG	Mongolia	2002	MGL 1997–2002
MOC	Mozambique	1975	MOC: 1932–56 P: 1957–75	Formerly part of Portugal. Moçambique (Portuguese)
MS	Mauritius	1938
MW	Malawi	1965	EA 1932–38 NP – 1938–70 RNY option 1960–65	Formerly the Nyasaland Protectorate
N	Norway	1922
NA	Netherlands Antilles	1957
NAM	Namibia	1990	SWA	Formerly South West Africa
NAU	Nauru	1968
NEP	Nepal	1970
NIC	Nicaragua	1952
NL	Netherlands	1910
NZ	New Zealand	1958
P	Portugal	1910
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
RCA	Central African Republic	1962		République Centrafricaine (French)
RCB	Republic of the Congo	1962		République du Congo Brazzaville (French)
RCH	Chile	1930		República de Chile (Spanish)
RG	Guinea	1972		République de Guinée (French)
RH	Haiti	1952		République d'Haïti (French)
RI	Indonesia	1955		Republik Indonesia (Indonesian)
RIM	Mauritania	1964		République islamique de Mauritanie (French)
RKS	Kosovo	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
RP	Philippines	1975		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	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
RWA	Rwanda	1964	RU − 1962	Formerly part of Ruanda-Urundi − 1962
S	Sweden	1911
SD	Swaziland	1935
SGP	Singapore	1952
SK	Slovakia	1993	CS 1919–39,1945–92 SQ 1939–45	Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia)
SLO	Slovenia	1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, then part of Yugoslavia
SME	Suriname	1936
SN	Senegal	1962
SO	Somalia	1974
SRB	Serbia	2006	SB – 1919 SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–2003 SCG 2003–2006	Formerly part of the 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
TCH, TD	Chad	1973		Tchad (French)
TG	Togo	1973
TJ	Tajikistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
TM	Turkmenistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
TN	Tunisia	1957	F − 1956	Formerly a territory of France
TR	Turkey	1923
TT	Trinidad and Tobago	1964
UA	Ukraine	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
UAE	United Arab Emirates	1971
USA	United States	1952
UY	Uruguay	2012	ROU
UZ	Uzbekistan	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union
V	Vatican City	1931		SCV (Stato della Città del Vaticano) is used as a prefix on the licence plate number itself.
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	RNR	Prepared for independence as the Republic of Northern Rhodesia
ZA	South Africa	1936		Zuid-Afrika (from Dutch; in Afrikaans it is Suid-Afrika[10])
ZW	Zimbabwe	1980	SR, RSR	Formerly Southern Rhodesia until 1965, Rhodesia unrecognised until 1980

Codes no longer in use

Code	Country	Used until	Replaced by	Notes
ADN	Aden	1980	Y	From 1938. a.k.a. 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
GBY	Malta	1966	M	Changed after Independence from UK
EW	Estonia	1993	EST	Eesti Vabariik (Estonian)
FR	Faroe Islands	1996	FO	Føroyar (Faroese)
GRO	Greenland	1910	KN	Grønland (Danish language) / Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenlandic language). Unofficial. The official code is DK.
HV	Haute Volta, now Burkina Faso	1984	BF	Upper Volta
LR	Latvia	1927–1940	SU, LV	Latvijas Republika (Latvian)
R	Romania	1981	RO
RB	Botswana	1966	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	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
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
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 A Zone. Now under Italy administration
Y	Yugoslavia	1953	YU	Yemen started using Y afterwards
YU	Yugoslavia/ Yugoslavia	2003	BIH, HR, MK, MNE, RKS, SRB, SLO	Now Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, and Slovenia

See also

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

Notes

Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has received formal recognition as an independent state from 113 out of 193 United Nations member states.

The unofficial code for Brittany, Bzh

Note

There are unofficial codes in common use, such as "CWM" for Wales, "BZH" for Brittany, "VL" for Flanders, "V" for Vojvodina/Vajdaság, "TS" for Transylvania,"PR" for Puerto Rico, "SIC" for Székely Land (from Latin Terra Siculorum) and "CD" for "Corps Diplomatique".

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 are so unknown.

Diplomatic licence plate codes

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 Norway are indicated with numbers only, again different from international standards (e.g. 90 means Slovakian.

References

Further reading

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

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to International vehicle registration codes.

• 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)