- Vehicle registration plates of Greece
Greek
vehicle registration plate s are composed of three letters and four digits per plate (e.g.AAA-1000
). The letters represent the district that issues the plates while the numbers begin from 1000 to 9999. Similar plates with digits beginning from 1 to 999 are issued for motorcycles which exceed 50 cc.With the exception of Athens and Thessaloniki (Salonica), all districts are represented by the first 2 letters. The final letter in the sequence changes in Greek alphabetical order after 9,000 issued plates. For example, Patras district plates are
AXA-1000
, where AX represents the Achaia district in which Patras is the capital. WhenAXA-9999
is reached the plates turn toAXB-1000
and this continues untilAXX
is finished. The letters used are only from the intersection between the Latin andGreek alphabet s byglyph appearance, namely A, B, E, Z, H, I, K, M, N, O, P, T, Y, X (in Greek alphabetical order), however Greek B, H, P, and X don't represent the same sound as in the English alphabet. This is because Greece is a contracting party to theVienna Convention on Road Traffic , which at Article 35 requires registration numbers be displayed in capital Latin characters and Arabic numerals.Combinations used for overseas residents are
L-DDDD
(where L = letter and D = digit) and are limited. Until 2003, taxis usedL-DDDD
; the plate was aligned with the prefecture and the letters were colored red.History
When number plates were introduced to
Greece , they were numbered and in the late 1950s the system wasD-DDD
andDD-DDD
. In the 1960s, the system wasDDD-DDD
. They became lettered in 1972 and the system wasLL-DDDD
while trucks usedL-DDDD
until 1983, when they changed toLLL-DDDD
and now use the present system.Car designations
In
Greek alphabet ical orderThe first 2 of 3 letters (which are listed below) of a licence plate usually represent the prefecture (nomos) where the car was registered. The almost full list of plates in Greece is below (next to the prefecture / district is its capital or an area within the prefecture that the plates are issued; some prefectures have more than one combination):
* AB Kavala prefecture -
Kavala {"motorcycles"}
* AZAchaia prefecture -Patras
* AELasithi prefecture - Agios Nikolaos "(future use)"
* AH Xanthi prefecture -Xanthi
* AIAitoloakarnania prefecture -Agrinio area
* AKLaconia prefecture - Sparti
* AMPhokida prefecture -Amfissa
** AM [O, P, T, Y, X] (red letters) tax free cars
* ANLasithi prefecture - Agios Nikolaos
* AOAchaia prefecture -Patras {"motorcycles"}
* APArgolis (Argolida) prefecture -Nafplio
* AT Arta prefecture - Arta
* AXAchaia prefecture -Patras * BB
Magnesia prefecture -Volos {"motorcycles"}
* BE Piraeus prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* BH Piraeus prefecture "(future use)"
* BI Boeotia (Viotia) prefecture -Livadeia
* BKEast Attica prefecture -Pallini "(future use)"
* BMEast Attica prefecture -Pallini "(future use)"
* BNWest Attica prefecture -Elefsina "(future use)"
* BOMagnesia prefecture -Volos
* BPWest Attica prefecture -Elefsina "(future use)"* EB Evros prefecture -
Alexandroupoli
* EEPella Prefecture - Edessa
* EHEuboea (Evia) prefecture -Chalkida {"motorcycles"}
* EZCyclades prefecture -Ermoupoli {"motorcycles"}
** EK [A, B, E] (introduced maybe in 2003/2004, yellow colored)truck s and other vehicles used for national transport of goods
* EMCyclades prefecture -Ermoupoli
* EP Serres prefecture - Serres
* ET Corfu (Kerkyra) prefecture - Corfu {"motorcycles"}
* EYLefkada prefecture - Lefkada
** EY [Y] tax free cars of offshore companies* ZA Zakynthos prefecture - Zakynthos
* ZZ Athens prefecture
* ZH Athens prefecture
* ZK Athens prefecture
* ZM Athens prefecture
* ZN Piraeus prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* ZP Piraeus prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* ZTWest Attica prefecture -Elefsina {"motorcycles"}
* ZYEast Attica prefecture -Pallini
* ZXEast Attica prefecture -Pallini * HA Ilia prefecture - Pyrgos
* HZ Heraklio prefecture -Heraklio {motorcycles}
* HK Heraklio prefecture -Heraklio
* HM Imathia prefecture -Veria
* HNThesprotia prefecture -Igoumenitsa
* HP Heraklio prefecture -Heraklio * IA
** IA [A, B, E] (yellow colored) trucks used for international transport
* IB Athens prefecture
* IE Athens prefecture
* IZ Athens prefecture
* IH Athens prefecture
* IK Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IM Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IN Ioannina prefecture -Ioannina
* IO Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IP Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IT Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IY Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}* KA Karditsa prefecture -
Karditsa
* KB Kavala prefecture -Kavala
* KE Kefalonia and Ithaca prefecture -Argostoli
* KZ Kozani prefecture -Kozani
* KHEvrytania prefecture -Karpenisi
** KH [I, O, Y] (orange colored) state cars
* KI Kilkis prefecture - Kilkis
* KK Rhodope prefecture -Komotini {"motorcycles"}
* KMMessinia prefecture -Kalamata
* KNPieria prefecture -Katerini
* KO Rhodope (Rodopi) prefecture -Komotini (exception:KOH
andKOK
--> Thessaloniki prefecture,KOP
--> Heraklio prefecture {motorcycles})
* KPCorinthia prefecture -Corinth (Korinthos)
* KT Kastoria prefecture -Kastoria
* KY Corfu (Kerkyra) prefecture - Corfu
* KXDodecanese prefecture -Kos island
** KX [Y] (red letters) tax free cars* MO Samos prefecture - Samos "(future use)"
* MEAitoloakarnania prefecture -Messolongi
* MH Lesvos prefecture - Myrina (Limnos island)
* MIPhthiotis (Fthiotida) prefecture - Lamia
* MO Samos prefecture - Samos
** MO [I, O, Y] (red letters) {tax free cars}
* MT Lesbos prefecture - Mytilini "(future use)"
* MY Lesbos (Lesvos) prefecture - Mytilini* NA Thessaloniki prefecture -
Thessaloniki (Salonica)
* NB Thessaloniki prefecture -Thessaloniki
* NE Thessaloniki prefecture -Thessaloniki
* NZ Thessaloniki prefecture -Thessaloniki
* NH Thessaloniki prefecture -Thessaloniki
* NI Thessaloniki prefecture -Thessaloniki {"motorcycles"}
* NK Thessaloniki prefecture -Thessaloniki {"motorcycles"}
* NM Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NN Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NO Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NP Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NT Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NY Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NX Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
** NX [A, Y] (yellow colored) {trucks for transport of goods in a prefecture}* OP Evros prefecture -
Orestiada area* PA Florina prefecture -
Florina
** PA [I, O, Y] (red letters) tax free cars
* PBCorinthia prefecture -Corinth "(future use)"
* PE Rethymno prefecture -Rethymno
* PZ Preveza prefecture -Preveza
* PH Rethymno prefecture -Rethymno "(future use)"
* PI Larissa prefecture -Larissa
* PKDodecanese prefecture - Rodos (Rhodes ) {"motorcycles"}
* PM Drama prefecture - Drama
* PN Grevena prefecture -Grevena
** PN [I, M, N, O, P] (red letters) trucks
* PODodecanese prefecture -Rhodes (Rodos)
* PYDodecanese prefecture - Rodos (Rhodes ) {"motorcycles"}* TA
** TA [A, B, E, Z, H] (marked in yellow) taxis
* TK Trikala prefecture -Trikala
* TPArcadia prefecture - Tripoli* YA Athens prefecture
* YB Athens prefecture
* YE Athens prefecture
* YZ Athens prefecture
* YH Athens prefecture
* YI Piraeus prefecture
* YK Piraeus prefecture
* YM Piraeus prefecture
* YN Piraeus prefecture
* YOWest Attica prefecture -Elefsina
* YPWest Attica prefecture -Elefsina
* YTWest Attica prefecture -Elefsina {"motorcycles"}
* YYEast Attica prefecture -Pallini
* YXEast Attica prefecture -Pallini * XA
Euboea (Evia) prefecture -Chalkida
* XB Chania prefecture -Chania {"motorcycles"}
* XE Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* XZ Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* XH Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* XI Chios prefecture -Chios
* XKChalkidiki prefecture -Polygyros
* XN Chania prefecture -Chania
* XO Chios prefecture -Chios "(future use)"
* XP Athens prefecture "(future use)"
* XT Athens prefecture "(future use)"
* XY Athens prefecture "(future use)"
* XX Athens prefecture "(future use)"Special plates
Vehicles that belong to public services and armed forces use special license plates with the following letter combinations followed by numbers:
* ΑΝ.Π. ( _el. Ανάπηροι Πολέμου, "Anapiroi Polemou") — Disabled in war (blue coloured)
* ΔΟΚ ( _el. Δοκιμαστικές, "Dokimastikes") — Test plates
* ΔΣ ( _el. Διπλωματικό Σώμα, "Diplomatiko Soma") —Diplomat or foreign delegation (egΔΣ 48 CD
,ΔΣ 48-1 CD
) (green coloured)
* Ε.Α. or ΕΛ.ΑΣ. ( _el. Ελληνική Αστυνομία, "Elliniki Astynomia") — Police
* ΛΣ ( _el. Λιμενικό Σώμα, "Limeniko Soma") —Coast Guard
* ΞΑ ( _el. Ξένες Αποστολές, "Xenes Apostoles") — Foreign missions (yellow coloured)
* ΕΣ ( _el. Ελληνικός Στρατός, "Ellinikos Stratos") —Hellenic Army
* ΠΑ ( _el. Πολεμική Αεροπορία, "Polemiki Aeroporia") —Hellenic Air Force
* ΠΝ ( _el. Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, "Polemiko Naftiko") —Hellenic Navy
* ΠΣ ( _el. Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα, "Pyrosvestiko Soma") — Fire GuardThe following categories are conflicting: The same letter combinations are used for both public services and specific regions:
* ΑΜ ( _el. Αγροτικά Μηχανήματα, "Agrotika Mekhanemata") — Agricultural vehicles
* ΚΥ ( _el. Κρατική Υπηρεσία, "Kratiki Ypiresia") — State
* ΜΕ ( _el. Μηχανήματα Έργων, "Mekhanimata Ergon") —Public works vehicles (yellow coloured)External links
* [http://plaque.free.fr/eur/gr/ Francoplaque Photos - Greece]
* [http://worldlicenseplates.com/world/EU_GREE.html License Plates of the World - Greece]
* [http://olavsplates.com/greece.html Olav's License Plate Pictures - Number plates of Greece]
* [http://licenseplatemania.com/landenframes/griekenland_fr.htm License Plate Mania - Greece]
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