- List of international vehicle registration codes
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The country in which a motor vehicle's vehicle registration plate was issued is indicated by an international licence plate country code displayed in bold block uppercase on a small white oval plate or sticker near the number plate on the rear of a vehicle.
The allocation of codes is maintained by the United Nations as the Distinguishing Signs of Vehicles in International Traffic (sometimes abbreviated to DSIT), authorised by the UN's Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949 and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic 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 Viet Nam VN (coincident ISO and DSIT codes).[1]
In the European Union, vehicles from one member state do not need to display the oval while within another state, provided the number plate is in the common EU standard format, which includes the international vehicle registration code on the plate.[2]
Contents
Current codes
Note: an asterisk (*) indicates that this code is unofficial (does not appear in the UN list of distinguishing codes).
Code Country From Before Notes A Austria 1910 AFG Afghanistan 1971 AG* Antigua and Barbuda AL Albania 1934 AM Armenia 1992 SU Formerly part of the Soviet Union AND Andorra 1957 ANG* Angola 1975 PAN: 1932–1957, P: 1957–1975 Formerly a territory of Portugal ARK* Antarctica AUA*, ARU* Aruba NA Formerly part of the Netherlands Antilles AUS Australia 1954 AX* Åland Islands 2002 SF Territory of Finland. FIN is the official code. AXA* Anguilla 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. Uses BZ unofficially since 1980, although still officially registered as BH as of 2007. BHT* Bhutan BIH Bosnia and Herzegovina 1993 YU Bosna i Hercegovina (Bosnian) 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 BW Botswana 2003 BP unofficially for Botswana. Officially RB for Republic of Botswana. 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.[3] BZ* Belize 1980 former British Honduras. Still officially registered as BH (as of 2007). C Cuba 1930 CAM Cameroon 1952 F & WAN Formerly a territory of France CDN Canada 1956 CA Canadian Dominion CH Switzerland 1911 Confœderatio Helvetica (Latin) CI Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 1961 F Formerly a territory of France CL Sri Lanka 1961 Formerly Ceylon CN* People's Republic of China CO Colombia 1952 COM* Comoros F Formerly a territory of France CR Costa Rica 1956 CV* Cape Verde 1975 P Formerly a territory of Portugal CY Cyprus 1932 CYM* Wales Part of the United Kingdom, CYM from Cymru (Wales) 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 DJI* Djibouti F Formerly a territory of France DK Denmark 1914 DOM Dominican Republic 1952 DY Benin 1910 Part of AOF (Afrique occidentale française) − 1960 Dahomey (name until 1975) DZ Algeria 1962 F − 1911 Dzayer (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 East Africa Zanzibar EC Ecuador 1962 ENG* England Part of the United Kingdom ER Eritrea 1993 AOI − 1941, ETH 1964–1993 Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian), Ethiopia 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 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) FO Faroe Islands 1996 Sometimes FØ or Fø FRL* Friesland unofficial; usually with the Frisian flag printed in the oval shape, behind the letters FSM* Federated States of Micronesia G Gabon 1974 ALEF − 1960 Afrique Équatoriale Française GB United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) 1910 Before 1922 it was used for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland GBA Alderney 1924 Great Britain – Alderney GBG Guernsey 1924 Great Britain – Guernsey GBJ Jersey 1924 Great Britain – Jersey GBM Isle of Man 1932 Great Britain – Isle of Man GBZ Gibraltar 1924 Great Britain – 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 GH Ghana 1959 WAC − 1957 West Africa Gold Coast − 1957 GQ* Equatorial Guinea E Formerly a territory of Spain – Spanish Guinea − 1968 GR Greece 1913 GUY Guyana 1972 BRG Formerly British Guiana − 1966 GW*, RGB* Guinea-Bissau 1974 P Portuguese Guinea – 1974. República da Guiné-Bissau H Hungary 1910 HK* Hong Kong 1932 HKJ Jordan JOR Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan HN* 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 (Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – Croatian), then part of Yugoslavia. In the period immediately following Croatia's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, it was common to see unofficial oval stickers with the letters "CRO" sold across Croatia. Despite the initial anticipation that Croatia's international vehicle registration code would be "CRO", Croatia officially opted for the 2-letter "HR" (Hrvatska) code instead.
I Italy 1919 IL Israel 1952 IND India 1947 IR Iran 1936 IRL Ireland 1962 GB − 1910, SE − 1924, EIR − 1938 Formerly Great Britain, Saorstát Éireann, Éire. Currently there is a campaign underway by Irish Language activists to have the name of the country in the native language represented by changing the code back to EIR or ÉIR. 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." 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. KAN* Saint Kitts and Nevis KIR* Kiribati KN* Greenland GRO Kalaallit Nunaat KP* Democratic People's Republic of Korea KS Kyrgyzstan 1992 SU − 1991 Formerly part of the Soviet Union 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; Formerly a territory of Italy 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 Perseketuan Tanah Malayu (Malay) MC Monaco 1910 MD Moldova 1992 SU − 1991 Formerly part of the Soviet Union MEX Mexico 1952 MGL Mongolia MH* Marshall Islands 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 Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – Serbo-Croatian), then part of Yugoslavia and then Serbia and Montenegro (Srbija i Crna Gora – Serbian) MO* Macau 1930s? former Portuguese overseas province MOC Mozambique 1975 MOC: 1932–56, P: 1957–75 Formerly part of Portugal. Moçambique (Portuguese) MS Mauritius 1938 MV* Maldives 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 NC* New Caledonia NEP Nepal 1970 NI* Northern Ireland Part of the United Kingdom NIC Nicaragua 1952 NL Netherlands 1910 NZ New Zealand 1958 OM* Oman P Portugal 1910 PA Panama 1952 PAL* Palau PE Peru 1937 PK Pakistan 1947? PL Poland 1921 PMR* Transnistria 1990 SU − 1991, MD 1991 Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic – officially part of Moldova. Formerly part of the Soviet Union. PNG Papua New Guinea 1978 PR* Puerto Rico PS* Palestinian territories PY Paraguay 1952 Q Qatar 1972 RA Argentina 1927 República Argentina (Spanish) RB Botswana 1966 BP Republic of Botswana. Unofficially uses BW. Formerly Bechuanaland Protectorate 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 SRB; KS 1999–2010; RKS 2010 Serbia claims Kosovo as part of its territory. 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 ROK Republic of Korea 1971 ROU Uruguay 1979 República Oriental del Uruguay (Spanish) RP Philippines 1975 Republic of the Philippines RSM San Marino 1932 Repubblica di San Marino (Italian) RU Burundi 1962? Belgian territory of Ruanda-Urundi RUS Russia 1992 SU Formerly part of the Soviet Union RWA Rwanda 1964 RU − 1962 Formerly part of Ruanda-Urundi − 1962 S Sweden 1911 SA Saudi Arabia 1973 SCO* Scotland Part of the United Kingdom SD Swaziland 1935 SGP Singapore 1952 SK Slovakia 1993 CS 1919–39,1945–92, SQ 1939–45 Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia) SLE* Sierra Leone 2002 officially WAL; SLE is only used on local licence plates, written below the national flag 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 SMOM* Sovereign Military Order of Malta SN Senegal 1962 SO Somalia 1974 SOL* Solomon Islands 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 (Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – Serbo-Croatian), then part of Yugoslavia and then Serbia and Montenegro (Srbija i Crna Gora – Serbian) STP* São Tomé and Príncipe 1975 P Formerly a territory of Portugal 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 TL* Timor-Leste P, RI Formerly a territory of Portugal, then part of Indonesia TM Turkmenistan 1992 SU − 1991 Formerly part of the Soviet Union TN Tunisia 1957 F − 1956 Formerly a territory of France TO* Tonga TR Turkey 1935 TT Trinidad and Tobago 1964 TUV* Tuvalu UA Ukraine 1992 SU Formerly part of the Soviet Union UAE United Arab Emirates USA United States 1952 Correctly used by U.S.-registered vehicles abroad. Today, U.S.-owned vehicles registered in Europe use the licence plate code of the country in which they are located. UZ Uzbekistan 1992 SU Formerly part of the Soviet Union V Vatican City 1931 VN Vietnam 1953 VU* Vanuatu 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 WSA* Western Sahara 1932 SE − 1976 formerly Sahara Español (Spanish); now mostly occupied by Morocco, with some territory administered by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic WV Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1932 Windward Islands Saint Vincent YAR Yemen North Yemen formerly known as the Yemen Arab Republic YV Venezuela the same code is used for aircraft Z Zambia 1964 NR formerly Northern Rhodesia ZA South Africa 1936 Zuid-Afrika (from Dutch; in Afrikaans it is Suid-Afrika[4]) ZRE Democratic Republic of the Congo 1971? CB, RCL, CGO, ZR Congo Belge (French), République de Congo Léopoldville (French), Congo (Kinshasa), Zaïre ZW Zimbabwe 1980 SR, RSR formerly Southern Rhodesia until 1965, Rhodesia unrecognised until 1980 Codes no longer in use
Code Country Until After Notes ADN Aden 1980 Y From 1938. a.k.a. South Yemen, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1967) BA Myanmar 1956 BUR From 1937. BP Bechuanaland Protectorate 1966 Now Botswana CS Czechoslovakia 1992 CZ / SK DA Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk) 1939 D (1939-1945)
PL (since 1945)Danzig (German for Gdańsk) DDR German Democratic Republic 1990 D Deutsche Demokratische Republik EW Estonia 1993 EST Eesti Vabariik (Estonian) FR Faroe Islands 1996 FO Føroyar (Faroese) GRO Greenland KN HV Haute Volta, now Burkina Faso 1984 BF Upper Volta LR Latvia 1927–1940 SU, LV Latvijas Republika (Latvian) R Romania 1981 RO RNY Rhodesia-Nyasaland Fed. 1953 - 1963 NP, NR, SR Now Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe RSR Southern Rhodesia 1965–1979 SR Now Zimbabwe RT Togo 1973 TG République togolaise (French). Formerly French Togoland − 1960 SA Saarland 1956 D also D between 1935 and 1945; SA is now Saudi Arabia 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 Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – Serbo-Croatian. Kingdom changed its name to Yugoslavia SU Soviet Union 1991 EST, LT, LV, BY, MD, UA, TJ, TUR, GE, KZ, UZ, KS, AZ, ARM, RUS SWA South West Africa 1990 now Namibia TS Free Territory of Trieste 1947–1954 I, YU, SLO Y Yugoslavia 1953 YU Yemen started using Y afterwards YU Yugoslavia 2003 BIH, HR, KS, MK, MNE, SRB, SLO Now Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia - Note1
- There are unofficial codes in common use, such as "BZH" for Brittany, "VL" for Flanders, "V" for Vojvodina/Vajdaság and "CD" for "Corps Diplomatique". These often signify places which are not internationally recognised as independent states. See http://www.kingkong.demon.co.uk/where/unoff.htm for a list of some of these.
- Note2
- Some licence plates indicate from which part of the country they originate. See http://www.kingkong.demon.co.uk/where/where.htm for these origins.
See also
References
- ^ Agreement between and among the Governments of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the People's Republic of China, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Union of Myanmar, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for the Facilitation of Cross-Border Transport of Goods and People, Annex 2: Registration of Vehicles in International Traffic, 2004 (also here and here)
- ^ European Council (1998-11-10). "Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 of 3 November 1998 on the recognition in intra-Community traffic of the distinguishing sign of the Member State in which motor vehicles and their trailers are registered". Official Journal L 299. Eurlex. pp. 1–3. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31998R2411:EN:HTML. Retrieved 2008-07-05. "Article 3: Member States requiring vehicles registered in another Member State to display a distinguishing registration sign when they are being driven on their territory shall recognise the distinguishing sign of the Member State of registration displayed on the extreme left of the registration plate in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation as being equivalent to any other distinguishing sign that they recognise for the purpose of identifying the State in which the vehicle is registered."
- ^ http://www.minbuza.nl/en/Key_Topics/Treaties/Search_the_Treaty_Database?verdragid=12396
- ^ See article .za
External links
- 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, below)
- European Registration Plate Association: Registration Plates of the World Online (registration required; data mostly from RPW, below)
- "RPW": Neil Parker and John Weeks, Registration Plates of the World, Europlate; 3rd edition (May 1994)
Categories:- Country codes
- Lists of abbreviations
- Vehicle registration plates
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