Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and overseas territories

Main article: Vehicle registration plate

British number plates (1983 – 2001 numbering system), as observed in 2004

Vehicle registration plates are the mandatory number plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle, and have existed in the United Kingdom since 1904. Most motor vehicles which are used on public roads are required by law to display them.

The Motor Car Act 1903, which came into force on 1 January 1904, required all motor vehicles to be entered on an official vehicle register, and to carry number plates. The Act was passed in order that vehicles could be easily traced in the event of an accident or contravention of the law. Vehicle registration number plates in the UK are rectangular or square in shape, with the exact permitted dimensions of the plate and its lettering set down in law.

Within the UK itself there are currently two numbering and registration systems: one for Great Britain, which is administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), and one for Northern Ireland, administered by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA): both have equal status. Other schemes relating to the UK are also listed below.

Colour and dimensions

Black number plates with white or silver characters are permitted on vehicles manufactured before 1973.

Current number plates must be displayed in accordance with The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001.

All vehicles manufactured after 1 January 1973 must display number plates of reflex-reflecting material, white at the front and yellow at the rear, with black characters. In addition, characters on number plates purchased from 1 September 2001 must use a mandatory typeface and conform to set specifications as to width, height, stroke, spacing, and margins. The physical characteristics of the number plates are set out in British Standard BS AU 145d, which specifies visibility, strength, and reflectivity.

Number plates with smaller characters are only permitted on imported vehicles, and then only if they do not have European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval and their construction/design cannot accommodate standard size number plates.

The industry standard size front number plate is 520 mm × 111 mm (20½" × 4⅜"). Rear plates are either the same size, or 285 mm × 203 mm or 533 mm × 152 mm. There is no specified legal size for a number plate. For example, the rear number plate of a Rover 75 is 635 mm x 175 mm. However, all number plates must adhere to British Standard BS AU 145d, which must be marked on the plate, along with the name and postcode of the manufacturer and the supplier of the plates.

Older British plates had white, grey or silver characters on a black background. This style of plate was phased out in 1972, and is now legal to be carried only on vehicles built prior to 1 January 1973.

Motorcycles formerly had a double-sided number plate on top of the front mudguard, curved to follow the contour of the wheel and visible from the sides. The requirement for the front number plate was dropped in 1975 because of the severe danger these presented to pedestrians in the event of a collision. Motorcycles registered after 1 September 2001 only need to display a rear number plate, while motorcycles registered before that date can display a number plate at the front if desired.

Specialist HM Forces vehicles use black plates with white lettering.

Great Britain

diagram of UK number plate, descriptions below.

Current system

Characters

The current system for Great Britain was introduced on 1 September 2001. Each registration index consists of seven characters with a defined format.

From left to right, the characters consist of:

• A local memory tag or area code, consisting of two letters which together indicate the local registration office. The letters I, Q and Z are not used in this code;
  • The first of these two letters is a mnemonic standing for the name of the broad area where the registration office is located. This is intended to make the registration more memorable than an arbitrary code. For example, A is used as the first character in all registrations issued by the three offices located in the vicinity of East Anglia;
• A two-digit age identifier, which changes twice a year, in March and September. The code is either the last two digits of the year itself if issued between March and August (e.g. "10" for registrations issued between 1 March and 31 August 2010), or else has 50 added to that value if issued between September and February the following year (e.g. "60" for registrations issued between 1 September 2010 and 28 February 2011);
• A three-letter sequence which uniquely distinguishes each of the vehicles displaying the same initial four-character area and age sequence. The letters I and Q are excluded from the three-letter sequence, as are combinations that may appear offensive (including those in foreign languages).

This scheme has three particular advantages:

• A buyer of a second-hand vehicle can in theory determine the year of first registration of the vehicle without having to look it up,
• In the case of a police investigation of an accident or vehicle-related crime, witnesses usually remember the initial area code letters — it is then quite simple to narrow down suspect vehicles to a much smaller number by checking the authority's database without having to know the full number.
• The scheme should have sufficient numbers to run until 28 February 2051.

Local memory tags

First letter	Official local mnemonic	DVLA office	Local office identifier
A	Anglia	Peterborough	AA AB AC AD AE AF AG AH AJ AK AL AM AN
		Norwich	AO AP AR AS AT AU
		Ipswich	AV AW AX AY
B	Birmingham	Birmingham	BA–BY
C	Cymru (Wales)	Cardiff	CA CB CC CD CE CF CG CH CJ CK CL CM CN CO
		Swansea	CP CR CS CT CU CV
		Bangor	CW CX CY
D	Deeside to Shrewsbury	Chester	DA DB DC DD DE DF DG DH DJ DK
		Shrewsbury	DL DM DN DO DP DR DS DT DU DV DW DX DY
E	Essex	Chelmsford	EA–EY
F	Forest & Fens (East Midlands)	Nottingham	FA FB FC FD FE FF FG FH FJ FK FL FM FN FP
		Lincoln	FR FS FT FV FW FX FY
G	Garden of England (Kent & Sussex)	Maidstone	GA GB GC GD GE GF GG GH GJ GK GL GM GN GO
		Brighton	GP GR GS GT GU GV GW GX GY
H	Hampshire & Dorset	Bournemouth	HA HB HC HD HE HF HG HH HJ
		Portsmouth	HK HL HM HN HO HP HR HS HT HU HV HX HY
			HW (for Isle of Wight residents only)
K	[b]	Luton	KA KB KC KD KE KF KG KH KJ KK KL
		Northampton	KM KN KO KP KR KS KT KU KV KW KX KY
L	London	Wimbledon	LA LB LC LD LE LF LG LH LJ
		Stanmore	LK LL LM LN LO LP LR LS LT
		Sidcup	LU LV LW LX LY
M	Manchester & Merseyside	Manchester	MA MB MC MD ME MF MG MH MJ MK ML MM MO MP MR MS MT MU MV MW MX MY
		Isle of Man	MN (reserved for future use)
N	North (of England)	Newcastle	NA NB NC ND NE NG NH NJ NK NL NM NN NO
		Stockton	NP NR NS NT NU NV NW NX NY
O	Oxford	Oxford	OA–OY
P	Preston	Preston	PA PB PC PD PE PF PG PH PJ PK PL PM PN PO PP PR PS PT
		Carlisle	PU PV PW PX PY
R	Reading	Reading	RA–RY
S	Scotland[a]	Glasgow	SA SB SC SD SE SF SG SH SJ
		Edinburgh	SK SL SM SN SO
		Dundee	SP SR SS ST
		Aberdeen	SU SV SW
		Inverness	SX SY
V	Severn Valley	Worcester	VA–VY
W	West of England	Exeter	WA WB WC WD WE WF WG WH WJ
		Truro	WK WL
		Bristol	WM WN WO WP WR WS WT WU WV WW WX WY
Y	Yorkshire	Leeds	YA YB YC YD YE YF YG YH YJ YK
		Sheffield	YL YM YN YO YP YR YS YT YU
		Beverley	YV YW YX YY

^aThe first letter T was additionally used for some registrations in Scotland in 2007.

^bThere is no official meaning ascribed to the letter K by the DVLA.

Age identifiers

Year 1 March–31 August 1 September–28 February 2001/02 — 51 2002/03 02 52 2003/04 03 53 2004/05 04 54 2005/06 05 55 2006/07 06 56 2007/08 07 57 2008/09 08 58 2009/10 09 59 2010/11 10 60 2011/12 11 61 2012/13 12 62 2013/14 13 63 2014/15 14 64 2015/16 15 65 2016/17 16 66 2017/18 17 67 2018/19 18 68 2019/20 19 69 2020/21 20 70 2021/22 21 71 2022/23 22 72 2023/24 23 73 2024/25 24 74 2025/26 25 75

Year 1 March–31 August 1 September–28 February 2026/27 26 76 2027/28 27 77 2028/29 28 78 2029/30 29 79 2030/31 30 80 2031/32 31 81 2032/33 32 82 2033/34 33 83 2034/35 34 84 2035/36 35 85 2036/37 36 86 2037/38 37 87 2038/39 38 88 2039/40 39 89 2040/41 40 90 2041/42 41 91 2042/43 42 92 2043/44 43 93 2044/45 44 94 2045/46 45 95 2046/47 46 96 2047/48 47 97 2048/49 48 98 2049/50 49 99 2050/51 50 00

European Union symbol

British number plates conform for the most part to the 1998 European standard design, with black lettering on a white or yellow background. The standard design also incorporates a blue strip on the left side of the plate with the European Union symbol and the country identification code of the member state – this aspect of the design is not compulsory in the UK, and many drivers choose not to display the European Union symbol. The country identifier design is not compliant with the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (Annex 4) which requires the classic white oval design to be displayed. Within the EU this requirement is ignored in favour of EU law.

The British version of the EU standard number plate; this European plate is optional for UK drivers.	A British, Leeds–registered number plate without the EU symbol; UK drivers must display a separate GB sticker if driving abroad with these plates.

Some motorists choose to display EU-style plates with their national emblem (sometimes in addition to, or in place of the EU stars) and lettering such as SCO (Scotland), CYM (Cymru – Wales) or ENG (England). Note the area code. Although not internationally authorised, these codes are now permitted within the UK. As these emblems are not officially recognised in other countries, a motorist who drives a vehicle abroad displaying these plates must also affix a "GB" sticker.

CYM – Example of Unofficial Welsh version	ENG – Example of Unofficial English version	SCO – Example of Unofficial Scottish version	No identifier or EU symbol – the EU symbol is not compulsory

Typography

The current standard (79 mm height) typeface is set out in the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 (schedule 4 part 1, p. 23). An alternative (64 mm) font is provided for motorcycles (schedule 4 part 2, p. 24).

The standard font, unofficially known as Charles Wright 2001, is a subtly redrawn version of Charles Wright's original 1935 font. The width of the previous font was condensed from 57 mm to 50 mm to allow space for the extra letter and the optional blue EU strip. The letter O and the digit 0 are intentionally identical, as are the letter I and digit 1. But the typeface accentuates the differences between characters such as 8 and B, or D and 0, with slab serifs to improve the legibility of a plate from a distance. This is especially useful for the automatic number plate recognition software of speed cameras and CCTV. This accentuation also discourages the tampering that is sometimes practised with the use of black insulating tape or paint to change letter forms (such as P to R, or 9 to 8), or with the inclusion of carefully positioned black "fixing screw" dots that alter the appearance of letters on some vanity plates.

The design has similarities with the FE-Schrift number-plate font which was introduced in Germany in 1994 and which has been mandatory there since 2000. However, the UK design remains more conventional in its character shapes.

Special plates

Registrations having a combination of characters that are particularly appealing (resembling a name, for example) are auctioned each year.

For the 07 registration period a higher than usual number of Scottish 07 codes were retained as Select registrations for sale and an additional allocation of Tx letter pairs were released for use by the local offices in Scotland with the same allocation as the Sx letter pairs (for example Edinburgh with SK to SN allocated had TK to TN added).

In 2007 the Edinburgh DVLA office exceptionally issued TN07 prefixed registrations for some vehicles, instead of the expected 'SN07'. This was stated to be because of potential offence caused by interpreting SN07 as 'snot'. This is the first known use of the 'T' code as the first letter, as it was not allocated to a region in the 2001 system. Also, TF07 and TJ07 registrations have been issued in Glasgow, most probably because the SA07–SJ07 allocations were exhausted. Similarly, along with TN07, TK07 has also been issued by Edinburgh, probably for the same oversubscription reason as in Glasgow. It has also been observed that the TP07 mark has also been issued.

Older plates

Vehicles registered under previous numbering systems continue to retain their original number plates. Subject to certain conditions, number plates can be transferred between vehicles by the vehicle owner; some of these transfers involve tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds changing hands, due to the desirability of a specific letter/number combination.

History

Before 1932

The first series of number plates were issued in 1903 and ran until 1932, using the series A 1 to YY 9999. The letter or pair of letters indicated the local authority in whose area the vehicle was registered, for example A – London, B – Lancashire, C – West Riding of Yorkshire. In England and Wales the letter codes were initially allocated in order of population size (by the 1901 census) whilst Scotland and Ireland had their own sequences incorporating the letters "S" and "I" respectively, which were allocated alphabetically: IA = Antrim, IB = Armagh, etc. When a licensing authority reached 9999, it was allocated another two letter mark, but there was no pattern to these subsequent allocations as they were allocated on a first come first served basis. There are three interesting anomalies where a zero has been issued – The Lord Provost of Edinburgh has S 0 and his Glasgow counterpart has G 0 while the official car of the Lord Provost of Aberdeen has RG 0. In addition the Lord Mayor of London has the registration LB 0.

1932 to 1963

By 1932, the available numbers within this scheme were running out, and an extended scheme was introduced. This scheme consisted of three letters and up to three digits, taken from the series AAA 1 to YYY 999. The letters I, Q, and Z were never used, as they were considered too easy to mistake for other letters or numbers or were reserved for special use, such as the use of I and Z for Irish registrations and Q for temporary imports. (After independence, the Republic of Ireland continued to use this scheme until 1986, and Northern Ireland still uses it.)

The three-letter scheme preserved the area letter codes as the second pair of letters in the set of three, and the single letter area codes were deleted (since prefixing a single letter code would create a duplicate of a two-letter code). In some areas, the available numbers with this scheme started to run out in the 1950s, and in those areas, a reversed sequence was introduced, i.e. 1 AAA to 999 YYY. The ever-increasing popularity of the car can be gauged by noting that these sequences ran out within ten years, and by the beginning of the 1960s, a further change was made in very popular areas, introducing 4-number sequences with the one and two letter area codes, but in the reverse direction to the early scheme (i.e. 1 A to 9999 YY). Often number plates were on hinges, as petrol tank caps were located under the number plates on some cars.

1960s to 1982

In 1963, numbers were running out once again, and an attempt was made to create a national scheme to alleviate the problem. The three letter, up to three number system was kept, but a letter suffix was added, which changed every year. In this scheme, numbers were drawn from the range AAA 1A to YYY 999A for the first year, then AAA 1B to YYY 999B for the second year, and so on. Some areas did not adopt the year letter for the first two years, sticking to their own schemes, but in 1965 adding the year letter was made compulsory.

As well as yielding many more available numbers, it was a handy way for vehicle buyers to know the age of the vehicle immediately. At first the year letter changed on 1 January every year, but car retailers started to notice that buyers would tend to wait until the New Year for the new letter to be issued, so that they could get a "newer" car. This led to major peaks and troughs in sales over the year, and to help flatten this out somewhat the industry lobbied to get the month of registration changed from January to August. This was done in 1967, a year that had two letter changes: "E" came in January, and "F" came in August.

1983 to 2001

By 1982, the year suffixes had reached Y and so from 1983 onwards the sequence was reversed again, so that the year letter — starting again at "A" — preceded the numbers then the letters of the registration. The available range was then A21 AAA to Y999 YYY, the numbers 1–20 being held back for the government's proposed, and later implemented, DVLA select registration sales scheme. Towards the mid-1990s there was some discussion about introducing a unified scheme for Europe, which would also incorporate the country code of origin of the vehicle, but after much debate such a scheme was not adopted due to lack of countries willing to participate. The changes in 1983 also brought the letter Q into use – although on a very small and limited scale. It was used on vehicles of indeterminate age, such as those assembled from kits, substantial rebuilds, or imported vehicles where the documentation is insufficient to determine the age. There was a marked increase in the use of Q registrations in the late 1980s and early 1990s, fuelled by car crime. Many stolen vehicles had false identities given to them, and when this was discovered and the original identity could not be determined, a Q registration would be issued to that vehicle. It was seen as an aid to consumer protection.

It should be noted that the date denoted by a registration plate is the date a vehicle was first imported into Great Britain and registered with that registration system. For instance a vehicle manufactured in say 1991 and registered in Northern Ireland might have been given a 1993 registration letter when it was registered on the Swansea system. This also applies to vehicles imported from other countries. This is apparent by examining the registration document which will show a date of manufacture different from the date of first registration. The date of manufacture is notional, though, as vehicles may be manufactured and stored unused, for many years in some cases, and then registered as new when first registered into the system. This allows manufacturers to sell cars as new allowing for shipping, storing at dockyards etc.

In 1989 a lot of these stored old models were registered in advance of legislation that required all new vehicles registered on or after 1 January 1990 to have catalytic converters fitted. This included vehicles held in storage and out of production for several years, in some cases five years or more.

By the late 1990s, the range of available numbers was once again starting to run out, exacerbated by a move to biannual changes in registration letters (March and September) in 1999 to smooth out the bulge in registrations every August, so a new scheme needed to be adopted. It was decided to research a system that would be easier for crash or vehicle related crime witnesses to remember and clearer to read, yet still fit within a normal standard plate size.

Year identifiers

Suffix letter series 1963–83

Prefix letter series 1983–2001

Letter Dates of issue A 1 January – 31 December 1963 B 1 January – 31 December 1964 C 1 January – 31 December 1965 D 1 January – 31 December 1966 E 1 January – 31 July 1967 F 1 August 1967 – 31 July 1968 G 1 August 1968 – 31 July 1969 H 1 August 1969 – 31 July 1970 J 1 August 1970 – 31 July 1971 K 1 August 1971 – 31 July 1972 L 1 August 1972 – 31 July 1973 M 1 August 1973 – 31 July 1974 N 1 August 1974 – 31 July 1975 P 1 August 1975 – 31 July 1976 R 1 August 1976 – 31 July 1977 S 1 August 1977 – 31 July 1978 T 1 August 1978 – 31 July 1979 V 1 August 1979 – 31 July 1980 W 1 August 1980 – 31 July 1981 X 1 August 1981 – 31 July 1982 Y 1 August 1982 – 31 July 1983

Letter Dates of issue A 1 August 1983 – 31 July 1984 B 1 August 1984 – 31 July 1985 C 1 August 1985 – 31 July 1986 D 1 August 1986 – 31 July 1987 E 1 August 1987 – 31 July 1988 F 1 August 1988 – 31 July 1989 G 1 August 1989 – 31 July 1990 H 1 August 1990 – 31 July 1991 J 1 August 1991 – 31 July 1992 K 1 August 1992 – 31 July 1993 L 1 August 1993 – 31 July 1994 M 1 August 1994 – 31 July 1995 N 1 August 1995 – 31 July 1996 P 1 August 1996 – 31 July 1997 R 1 August 1997 – 31 July 1998 S 1 August 1998 – 28 February 1999 T 1 March – 31 August 1999 V 1 September 1999 – 29 February 2000 W 1 March – 31 August 2000 X 1 September 2000 – 28 February 2001 Y 1 March – 31 August 2001

Northern Ireland

Great Britain map

A Northern Irish plate (County Armagh) bearing the unofficial "NI" country code

Two Northern Irish cars with Fermanagh and Antrim number plates bearing the unofficial "IRL" country code

Characters

See also: Vehicle registration plates of the Republic of Ireland

Northern Ireland continues to use the system initiated for the whole of Ireland in 1903, with two-letter county and city codes featuring the letters I and Z. The full list of codes appears below.

As in Great Britain, each code originally ran from 1 to 9999, and when one was completed, another was allocated. All possible codes had been allocated by 1957, following which reversed sequences were introduced, the first county to do so being Antrim in January 1958 with 1 IA.

These reversed sequences were completed quickly, leading to the introduction of the current "AXX 1234" format in January 1966, where "XX" is the county code and "A" is a serial letter. This format allowed capacity to be increased. Each county adopted it once they had completed their reversed sequences, the last one to do so being County Londonderry in October 1973 with AIW 1.

From November 1985, the first 100 numbers of each series were withheld for use as cherished registrations. From April 1989, the numbers 101-999 were also withheld in this way. Even multiples of 1000 and 1111 ("four-of-a-kind") are deemed cherished by the Driver & Vehicle Agency in Northern Ireland and thus withheld. Each series ends normally at 9500, and the remaining numbers are used mostly for security type re-registrations.

The DVA are considering adopting the system used in the rest of the UK, using I as the first letter (no confusion could be made with 1 as it would be followed by another letter).

Northern Ireland number plates are used often in Great Britain as vanity plates to hide the age of an older vehicle cheaply.

County codes in alphabetical order

AZ — Belfast BZ — Down CZ — Belfast DZ — Antrim EZ — Belfast FZ — Belfast GZ — Belfast HZ — Tyrone IA — Antrim IB — Armagh IG — Fermanagh IJ — Down

IL — Fermanagh IW — Londonderry JI — Tyrone JZ — Down KZ — Antrim LZ — Armagh MZ — Belfast NZ — Londonderry OI — Belfast OZ — Belfast PZ — Belfast RZ — Antrim

SZ — Down TZ — Belfast UI — Derry City UZ — Belfast VZ — Tyrone WZ — Belfast XI — Belfast XZ — Armagh YZ — Londonderry QNI — Re-registration within Northern Ireland

Series per county

For each county, the two-letter sequences are shown first, followed by the reversed two-letter sequences, then the three-letter sequences.

The present series is highlighted in bold, those already used are in italics.

Antrim County Council (Antrim LVLO/VRO from 1st Jan 1974): (in original issuing sequence) IA DZ KZ RZ

IA 1 to IA 9999 (Dec 1903–Mar 1932);

DZ 1 to DZ 9999 (Mar 1932–Jan 1947);

KZ 1 to KZ 9999 (Jan 1947–Feb 1954);

RZ 1 to RZ 9999 (Feb 1954–Jan 1958);

1 IA to 9999 IA (Jan 1958–Jun 1960);

301 DZ to 9999 DZ (Jun 1960–Sep 1962);

1 KZ to 9999 KZ (Sep 1962–Jun 1964);

501 RZ to 9999 RZ (Jun 1964–Jan 1966);

AIA 1 to GIA 8976 (Jan 1966–Dec 1973); authority transferred to Antrim LVLO/VRO from 1st January 1974

GIA 8977 to YIA 9999 (Jan 1974–Jul 1985);

ADZ 1001 to YDZ 9999 (Jul 1985–May 1998)(please note BDZ was only issued up to 7458 in normal sequence.

The current sequence AKZ 1001 to YKZ 9999 began in May 1998. The current issue (as of November 2009) is YKZ.

The next sequence, likely to start during 2010, will be ARZ 1001 to YRZ 9999.

When this is exhausted, it is likely the series will reverse, beginning with 1001 AIA to 9999 YIA.

Armagh County Council (Ballymena LVLO/VRO from Jan 1974): (in original issuing sequence) IB LZ XZ

IB 1 to IB 9999 (Dec 1903–Aug 1947);

LZ 1 to LZ 9999 (Jan 1947–Nov 1957)(please note that although LZ commenced in Jan 1947, IB did not complete until Aug 1947);

XZ 1 to XZ 9999 (Nov 1957–Apr 1962);

301 IB to 9999 IB (Apr 1962–Nov 1965);

1 LZ to 9999 LZ (Nov 1965–Mar 1969);

1 XZ to 9999 XZ (Mar 1969–Mar 1972);

AIB 1 to AIB 7785 (Mar 1972–Jan 1974); authority transferred to Ballymena LVLO/VRO from 01 Jan 1974.

AIB 7786 to YIB 9999 (Jan 1974-Nov1996)(please note JIB only issued up to 4400 in normal sequence).

The current sequence ALZ 1001 to YLZ 9999 began in November 1996. The current issue (as of November 2009) is YLZ.

The next sequence, likely to start early in 2010, will be AXZ 1001 to YXZ 9999.

When this is exhausted, it is likely the series will reverse, beginning with 1001 AIB to 9999 YIB.

Belfast County Borough Council (Belfast LVLO/VRO from Jan 1974): (in original issuing sequence) OI XI AZ CZ EZ FZ GZ MZ OZ PZ TZ UZ WZ

OI 1 to OI 9999 (Jan 1904–Jan 1921);

XI 1 to XI 9999 (Jan 1921–Feb 1928);

AZ 1 to AZ 9999 (Feb 1928–Nov 1932);

CZ 1 to CZ 9999 (Nov 1932–Oct 1935);

EZ 1 to EZ 9999 (Oct 1935–Oct 1938);

FZ 1 to FZ 9999 (Oct 1938–May 1942);

GZ 1 to GZ 9999 (May 1942–Dec 1947);

MZ 1 to MZ 9999 (Dec 1947–Jun 1950);

OZ 1 to OZ 9999 (Jun 1950–Jan 1953);

PZ 1 to PZ 9999 (Jan 1953–Aug 1954);

TZ 1 to TZ 9999 (Aug 1954–Oct 1955);

UZ 1 to UZ 9999 (Oct 1955–Mar 1957);

WZ 1 to WZ 9999 (Mar 1957–Jun 1958).

1000 OI to 9999 OI (Jun 1958–Jun 1959);

1000 XI to 9999 XI (Jun 1959–Apr 1960);

1 AZ to 9999 AZ (Apr 1960–Mar 1961);

1 CZ to 9999 CZ (Mar 1961–Apr 1962);

1 EZ to 9999 EZ (Apr 1962–Apr 1963);

1 FZ to 9999 FZ (Apr 1963–Jan 1964);

1 GZ to 9999 GZ (Jan 1964–Sep 1964);

1 MZ to 9999 MZ (Sep 1964–May 1965);

1 OZ to 9999 OZ (May 1965–Mar 1966);

1 PZ to 9999 PZ (Mar 1966-Jan 1967);

1 TZ to 9999 TZ (Jan 1967–Oct 1967);

1 UZ to 9999 UZ (Oct 1967-Jun 1968)(NB a batch of UZ was issued early in Jul 1967 for Belfast City Transport);

1 WZ to 9999 WZ (Jun 1968–Apr 1969);

AOI 1 to GOI 8300 (Apr 1969–Dec 1973Apr); authority transferred to Belfast LVLO/VRO from 01 Jan 1974.

GOI 8301 to YOI 9999 (Jan 1974–Apr 1982)(note that IOI and OOI were not allocated);

AXI 1 to YXI 9999 (Apr 1982–Feb 1993);

AAZ 1001 to YAZ 9999 (Feb 1993–1999);

ACZ 1001 to YCZ 9999 (1999–2004);

AEZ 1001 to YEZ 9999 (2004–Sep 2009).

The current sequence AFZ 1001 to YFZ 9999 began in September 2009. The current issue (as of November 2009) is AFZ.

Down County Council (Downpatrick LVLO): (in original issuing sequence) IJ BZ JZ SZ

IJ 1 to IJ 9999 (Dec 1903–Apr 1930)(NB IJ 1-100 were mixed allocations to all types of vehicles, but thereafter there was a period when motorcycles were segregated in blocks; the following were the motorcycle blocks: IJ 101-150, 201-249, 301-350, 451-500, 551-600, 651-700, 751-800, 851-950, 1001-1100, 1151-1200 and 1251 up, (no information thereafter). Other vehicles took the remaining numbers, but 1000-1050 were, in fact, duplicated);

BZ 1 to BZ 9999 (Apr 1930–Oct 1946);

JZ 1 to JZ 9999 (Oct 1946–Aug 1954);

SZ 1 to SZ 9999 (Aug 1954–Oct 1958).

101 IJ to 9999 IJ (Oct 1958–May 1961);

201 BZ to 9999 BZ (May 1961–Nov 1963);

201 JZ to 9999 JZ (Nov 1963–Jul 1965);

1 SZ to 9999 SZ (Jul 1965–May 1967).

AIJ 1 to YIJ 9999 (May 1967–May 1987)(note XIJ only issued to 3439, then YIJ 1 in Oct 1986);

ABZ 1 to YBZ 9999 (May 1987–2000).

The current sequence AJZ 1001 to YJZ 9999 began in 2000. The current issue (as of November 2009) is PJZ.

Fermanagh County Council (Enniskillen LVLO): (in original issuing sequence) IL IG

IL 1 to IL 9999 (Jan 1904–Feb 1958).

51 IL to 9999 IL (Feb 1958–Aug 1966).

AIL 1 to YIL 9999 (Aug 1966–Dec 2004).

The current sequence AIG 1001 to YIG 9999 began in December 2004.

The combinations KIL, CIG, NIG and PIG were deemed inappropriate and will never be issued. The current issue (as of November 2009) is HIG.

Londonderry County Council (Coleraine LVLO): (in original issuing sequence) IW NZ YZ

IW 1 to IW 9999 (Dec 1903–Jan 1949);

NZ 1 to NZ 9999 (Jan 1949–Dec 1957);

YZ 1 to YZ 9999 (Dec 1957-Sep 1962).

1 IW to 9999 IW (Sep 1962–Oct 1966);

1 NZ to 9999 NZ (Oct 1966–Nov 1970);

1 YZ to 9999 YZ (Nov 1970–Oct 1973).

AIW 1 to YIW 9999 (Oct 1973–2001).

The current sequence ANZ 1001 to YNZ 9999 began in 2001. The current issue (as of November 2009) is NNZ.

Londonderry County Borough Council (Londonderry LVLO/VRO from January 1974): UI

UI 1 to UI 9999 (Jan 1904–Aug 1963).

100 UI to 9999 UI (Aug 1963–Apr 1973).

AUI 1 to AUI 1109 (Apr 1973-Dec 1973); authority transferred to Londonderry LVLO/VRO from 01 Jan 1974.

The current sequence AUI 1110 to YUI 9999 began on 1st January 1974. The current issue (as of November 2009) is SUI.

Tyrone County Council (Omagh LVLO/VRO from January 1974): (in original issuing sequence) JI HZ VZ

JI 1 to JI 9999 (Dec 1903–Feb 1944);

HZ 1 to HZ 9999 (Feb 1944–Apr 1956);

VZ 1 to VZ 9999 (Apr 1956–Apr 1961).

100 JI to 9999 JI (Apr 1961–Oct 1964);

200 HZ to 9999 HZ (Oct 1964–Mar 1968);

200 VZ to 9999 VZ (Mar 1968–Jun 1971).

AJI 1 to BJI 799 (Jun 1971–Dec 1973); authority transferred to Omagh LVLO/VRO from 01 Jan 1974.

BJI 800 to YJI 9999 (Jan 1974– 2000).

The current sequence AHZ 1001 to YHZ 9999 began in 2000. The current issue (as of November 2009) is MHZ.

Crown Dependencies

The Crown Dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are outside the United Kingdom and European Union, and have registration marks that differ from those used in the UK.

Jersey

Map showing the Channel Islands

A Jersey registration plate bearing the GBJ identifier

Car registration rear plate of Jersey (British, not in the EU)

Standard plates

Jersey registration plates consist of the letter 'J' followed by one to six digits; plates may now incorporate the coat of arms of Jersey in a white strip on the left, along with the country identifier 'GBJ' (Great Britain – Jersey). This design is similar to the EU standard plate, but does not incorporate the European flag, as Jersey is outside the European Union.

Special plates

Hire cars registered on Jersey display a silver letter 'H' on a red background on the left of the registration plate.

The prefix 'E' is used to designate temporary imports.

Where a vehicle is brought temporarily into Jersey … from a country in which the vehicle is not under the law of that country required to be registered, the Inspector may, … assign to it an identification mark which shall be displayed on the vehicle as provided in that paragraph.
The Mark shall consist of the letter 'E' followed by a number.

— Jersey Legal Information

Cherished plates, having the format 'JSY' followed by one to three digits, are officially auctioned. Such is the desirability of low digit registration marks that these are often included in the auctions. (The new registered keeper purchases the right to display the registration mark rather than outright ownership of it).

A Jersey "trader" plate has white letters on a red background and is made of a flexible magnetic material. These plates are for use by a bona fide motor trader on any unregistered vehicle being used in connection with the business of that motor trader.

Guernsey

Map showing the Channel Islands

A Guernsey plate displaying the GBG country code

Standard plates

Guernsey plates consist of up to six digits, with no letters. Plates may be either silver on a black background, or black on the white/yellow backgrounds as in the UK. An oval containing the letters 'GBG', the island's international vehicle registration, is sometimes included. Plates with lower numbers are of a higher value. Vehicles used by the Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service do not carry number plates.

Special plates

Guernsey hire cars sport a black 'H' on a yellow background on a separate plate, much like the 'L plate' required by learners.

Alderney

In Alderney, a dependency of Guernsey, separate registrations are issued, with the prefix 'AY' followed by a space and then digits.

An Alderney plate has white text on a black background.

Sark and Herm

Sark and Herm bans motor vehicles other than tractors from its roads. No number plates exist.

Isle of Man

Map showing the Isle of Man

A Manx number plate displaying the GBM country code

Manx car number plate

Vehicle registration began in the Isle of Man on 1 January 1906, following the Highways Act Amendment Act 1905. Initially, number plates started with the letters 'MN' followed by up to four digits. In 1935, the prefix 'MAN' came into use, followed by up to three digits, and the following year a further scheme was introduced allowing three letters to be used in addition to up to three digits (BMN-1 to YMN-999).

In 1959, the scheme changed to allow the digits to precede the letters, starting with 1-MN, and after 1964, starting with 1-MAN, and from 1965 until 1971 1-BMN through 999-YMN were issued.

In 1971, unissued numbers from the original MN-1 to MN-9999 range were issued. When these ran out in 1974, a trailing letter was added, giving MAN-1-A through to MAN-999-Y. In 1979 this was swapped to be a prefix (A-1-MAN up to Y-999-MAN), and in 1983 the range MAN-1000 to MAN-9999 was introduced.

This was reversed in 1985, giving 1000-MAN to 9999-MAN, which lasted until 1987. At that point, the current system was introduced, which has an initial letter, followed by MN, up to three numerals, and a trailing single letter. The initial plate in this system was therefore AMN-1-A, with the registration BMN-1-A being issued following AMN-999-Y. Thus the trailing letter does not indicate the vehicle age, unlike the similar format British plates, and many different suffix letters are issued each year.

The letters I, Q, S and Z are not used on Manx number plates.

The Isle of Man uses retro-reflective number plates with black letters; on a white background on the front of the vehicle, and on yellow on the rear. Vehicles manufactured prior to 1 February 1990 can display white-on-black plates as an alternative.

Since 23 April 2004 plates may incorporate the Manx flag, bearing the triskelion symbol surrounded by a circle of six stars, and the country identification code GBM (Great Britain – Mann). These Manx number plates are similar in appearance to number plates of vehicles registered in the Republic of Ireland. This is because the typeface used on Manx number plates is similar to the font used on some Irish vehicle registration plates, and similarly transitions between numerals and letters are marked by hyphens. The Celtic font 'Isle of Man' (alternatively 'Ellan Vannin') identifier above the registration number is the same position as the Irish language county identifier displayed on Irish number plates.

The region code 'MN' was reserved for the Isle of Man in the original Great Britain 1903 numbering scheme, and the code 'MAN' in the 1932 GB scheme. This means that no Isle of Man registration is duplicated by a GB registration. When the current 2001 scheme was adopted in Great Britain, the region code 'MN' (within the 'M' range for Manchester) was reserved for eventual use by the Isle of Man.

There are around 45,000 registered vehicles in the Isle of Man. Number plates are produced and supplied privately, they are not produced by the government. The name of the supplying car dealer is often displayed along the bottom of the plate. Registrations can be transferred from vehicle to vehicle.

The official car of the Lieutenant Governor carries the registration number MAN-1. Registrations including the numbers 999 or 112 (for example, AMN-999-A) are used for emergency vehicles.

Trade plates have red letters on a white background, and display a number prefixed by MNA.

Other formats

Overseas territories

A Gibraltar number plate, featuring the GBZ country identifier.

Some of the British overseas territories, including Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, use similar number plates to the UK, with the same colours and typeface.

Gibraltar

Main article: Vehicle registration plates of Gibraltar

Until 2002 Gibraltar's number plates consisted of the letter 'G' and five digits, but this changed to 'G' followed by four digits and a letter. The European flag is also now featured, along with the international vehicle registration GBZ. Military vehicles have the letters 'RN'.

Falklands

In the Falkland Islands, the format is 'F' followed by up to four digits and a letter. Plates are black-on-yellow for both the front and rear of the vehicle. The Union Jack is often placed on the left of the number plate.

F1234A

Bermuda

Bermuda number plates issued to general passenger vehicles have five black digits on a plain white background, and have a size similar to UK plates. Vanity plates, however, have recently become available that allow motorists to choose any seven letters, overlaid on a map of the island with "Bermuda" printed across the top, on a plate of identical dimensions to plates from the United States.

12345

Anguilla

Anguilla has an 'A' followed by four digits, with a 'G' on the end for a government vehicle, a 'H' for a hire vehicle/taxi and an 'R' for a rental vehicle.

A 1234

British Virgin Islands

In the British Virgin Islands private vehicles have 'PV' followed by four digits. Commercial vehicles have 'CM' followed by four digits. Rental vehicles have RT followed by four digits. Taxis have TX followed by four digits. Government vehicles have GV followed by four digits.

PV 1234

Cayman Islands

Cayman Islands number plates simply have six numbers on them, separated into groups of three.

123 456

Saint Helena

Saint Helena number plates just have three digits on them, with government vehicles having a prefix of 'SHG'. Plates are black-on-white for the front of the vehicle, and black-on-yellow for the rear.

123

Ascension Island

Ascension Island plates are similar to those of Saint Helena but start with an A.

A 123

Turks and Caicos Islands

Turks and Caicos Islands plates have five digits on them, sometimes with the text "Beautiful by Nature" and "Turks and Caicos Islands", other times starting with the letters TC.

Different colours are used for private (red), commercial (green), government (black) and hire (yellow) cars. The Governor's cars do not display a number plate, simply a plate with a crown.

TC 1234

TC 1234

Montserrat

Montserrat plates start with a letter indicating the type of car (R for rental, M for private etc) followed by up to four numbers. The background colour is not set but the letters and numbers are always in white.

M 1234

R 123

Armed Forces vehicles

Since 1949, British military vehicle registration numbers are either in the form of two digits, two letters, two digits (ie. 12 AB 34), or from 1995 onwards, two letters, two digits, two letters (ie. AB 12 CD). Before 1982, the central two letters signified the branch of the armed forces or category of vehicle. Military number plates are still often in the silver/white on black scheme used for civilian plates before 1973, and can be presented in one, two or three rows of characters.

From 1963 until around 1990, in West Germany, private vehicles owned by members of British Forces Germany and their families were issued registration numbers in a unique format (two or three letters followed by two or three digits plus a "B" suffix, eg. AQQ 89 B). This was discontinued for security reasons, as it made them vulnerable to Provisional IRA attacks. Private vehicles driven by British military personnel are now issued with either standard UK number plates (if right hand drive) or German ones (if left hand drive).

Trade plates

Trade licences are issued to motor traders and vehicle testers, and permit the use of untaxed vehicles on the public highway with certain restrictions. Associated with trade licences are "trade plates" which identify the holder of the trade license rather than the vehicle they are displayed on, and can be attached temporarily to vehicles in their possession.

Until 1970, two types of trade plate were used. General trade plates had white letters and numbers on a red background and could be used for all such purposes. Limited trade plates used red numbers and letters on a white background and were restricted in their use (e.g. a vehicle being driven under limited trade plates was not allowed to carry passengers). From 1970 onwards only one type of trade plate was used, which perpetuated the red on white format. The format of trade plate numbers comprises three digits followed by one to three letters.

Diplomatic plates

British diplomatic car plate for Libya.

See also: List of country codes on British diplomatic vehicle registration plates

Since 1979 cars operated by foreign embassies, high commissions, consular staff, and various international organisations have been given plates with a distinguishing format of three numbers, one letter, three numbers. The letter is D for diplomats or X for accredited non-diplomatic staff. The first group of three numbers identifies the country or organisation to whom the plate has been issued, the second group of three numbers is a serial number, starting at 101 for diplomats (although some embassies were erroneously issued 100), 400 for non-diplomatic staff of international organisations, and 700 for consular staff. Thus, for example, 101 D 101 identifies the first plate allocated to the Afghanistan embassy, 900 X 400 is the first plate allocated to the Commonwealth Secretariat.

A limited number of "personal" plates, bearing a similar format to earlier civilian registrations, are issued to embassies and high commissions for use of their senior officials. For example, the United States embassy is allowed to use the registration USA 1 on one of its fleet of vehicles.

Personal number plates (Cherished Marks)

It is still legal to use any of the above civilian schemes for so-called vanity plates. Any registration with two to three consecutive valid letters and a number from 1 to 999 (and possibly another letter) is allowed. As many vehicles registered before 1963 have been destroyed, these "dateless" pre 1963 "personal" or "private" plates are usually highly sought after and valuable, and can be used to conceal the age of an older vehicle. Some consider it a great pity that many classic cars now lose their original plates due to the owners cashing in on the high premiums paid for highly desirable personalised registrations. The Government's Cherished Mark Transfer scheme allows owners to display a registration index more appropriate to a speciality or collector's vehicle, and many private dealers act as agents for DVLA issues, and also hold their own private stock of dateless registrations and other cherished marks. The DVLA however can only offer for sale registrations that have never previously been issued and thus have a limited offering and limited scope. One may not use a registration index to make a vehicle appear newer than it actually is.

As popularity grows, the prices reached for the most expensive plates are always increasing. As of 2008, the record price for a number plate is £397,500 paid at auction in September by an anonymous buyer for the plate S 1. This was originally owned by Sir John H A MacDonald, the Lord Kingsburgh and was Edinburgh's first ever number plate. Car design entrepreneur Afzal Kahn paid £375,000 on 25 January 2008 for F 1 previously owned and sold by Essex County Council and affixed originally in 1904 to the Panhard et Levassor of the then County Surveyor. £330,000 was spent on M 1, sold at auction in Goodwood on 7 June 2006.

It should be noted that there are no restrictions on using a vanity or cherished registration on a car that is newer than the original date of the registration plate, but it is prohibited to transfer a registration that is newer than the vehicle it is used on. This is to prevent the transfer of newer registrations to older vehicles as a measure to protect consumers.

State vehicles used by the reigning monarch

The Rolls-Royce, Bentley and other motor cars used by the reigning monarch on official business do not carry number plates. The official car of the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland also does not carry plates (but only for the duration of the week-long General Assembly). The monarch's private vehicles, and cars driven by other members of the royal family, all carry number plates.

Theft of number plates

Criminals sometimes have number plates made up for a vehicle of identical type and colour, and use them on their own vehicles to commit crimes. This is known as "cloning" and avoids the vehicle being traced, while still appearing legitimate to a cursory police computer check. To combat this, the UK Government recently introduced laws requiring the production of personal identification and vehicle registration documents when buying replacement plates from a retailer.

It is also a requirement that the organisation who made up the plate show their name and postcode on the plate to aid tracing of the production of false plates and of the individual who purchased the plate. This is normally shown in the centre at the bottom of the plate. This was introduced in 2001 when the new character style and two digit year identifier came into force, but applies to all registration plates made up after that date regardless of the year of the vehicle. Thus any car with apparently recent registration plates but without details of whom made them up should be treated with caution.

Although "show plates" are widely available by mail order with no such checks (making the law wholly ineffective) number plate theft has become a new activity for criminals, who presumably wish to leave no record of their having purchased "show plates". This is a grey area of the law as there are no rules covering the production of signs etc. and these "show" plates are not registration plates as they do not conform to the legal requirements required of registration plates and are therefore not covered by the laws relating to registration plates. The use of such "show" plates on a vehicle in place of a registration plate is an offence.

Since this new law became effective, the theft of registration plates has become more common as it is harder to obtain a registration plate. Tamper-resistant plates, which cannot be removed from a vehicle without destroying them, have been demonstrated in a bid to beat the problem. Ironically the DVLA effectively banned the formerly legal adhesive plates (popular for some sports cars such as the Mazda MX-5 and Alfa Romeo Spider) in 2001, which are tamper-proof by design.

Cloned and stolen registration plates are frequently used to avoid fines for speeding, parking and congestion charge offences, and for the theft of petrol.

Registration plate suppliers

Number plates were traditionally made by the motor vehicle's original supplier, and replacement plates could be made by anybody with the correct equipment. Under the new law, plates can now only be supplied by a registered supplier. The supplier needs to confirm the owner's identity and their ownership of the vehicle. The name and postcode of the supplier must be shown at the bottom of the plate.

See also

• Vehicle registration plate
• Vehicle Excise Duty
• Mass surveillance

References

External links

• Further information on British registration numbers including pre-2001 area issuing codes
• Vehicle Registration in the Isle of Man
• Jersey Driver and Vehicle Standards
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