International vehicle registration code

The country in which a motor vehicle's vehicle registration plate was issued may be indicated by an international vehicle registration code, also called Vehicle Registration Identification code or VRI code, formerly known as an International Registration Letter^[1] or International Circulation Mark.^[2] It is referred to as the Distinguishing sign of the State of registration in the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic of 1949 and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of 1968.

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

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

Estonian registration plate in EU standard format with international code EST

Indian vehicle registration plate in Indian standard format with international code IND

Brazilian vehicle registration plate in Mercosur standard format with international code BR

The allocation of codes is maintained by^{[citation needed]} 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] and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.^[5] 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 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic entered into force on 26 March 1952. 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. This sign must be placed separately from the registration plate and may not be incorporated into the vehicle registration plate.

History

1909 Paris Convention

The display of a national distinctive mark on a white oval plate, 30 cm × 18 cm (12 in × 7 in) with black letters was first introduced by the 1909 International Convention with respect to the Circulation of Motor Vehicles signed in Paris. The plate was required to be affixed to the rear of the vehicle, separate from the number plate displaying the vehicle's national registration mark. The 1909 convention only allowed distinctive marks to be of one or two Latin letters.^[7]

1909 Paris Convention distinctive marks

State	Mark
Germany	D
Austrian Empire	A
Belgium	B
Spain	E
United States of America	US
France	F
Great Britain and Ireland	GB
Kingdom of Greece	GR
Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen	H
Kingdom of Italy	I
Montenegro	MN
Monaco	MC
The Netherlands	NL
Kingdom of Portugal	P
Russian Empire	R
Romania	RO
Serbia	SB
Sweden	S
Switzerland	CH
Kingdom of Bulgaria	BG

1924 Paris Convention

The term distinguishing mark was adopted by the 1924 International Convention Relative to Motor Traffic signed in Paris, which extended the maximum length of mark from two to three Latin letters, and permitted not just distinguishing marks for states, but also for non-sovereign territories which operated their own vehicle registration systems.^[8]

Volkswagen Golf Mk1 with both International vehicle registration codes, the Åland Islands (AX) and Finland (SF)

1924 Paris Convention distinguishing marks

State or territory	Mark	Notes
Germany	D[a]	For Deutschland
United States of America	US[a]
Austria	A[a]
Belgium	B[a]
Brazil	BR
Great Britain and Northern Ireland	GB[a]
Alderney	GBA
Gibraltar	GBZ
Guernsey	GBG
Jersey	GBJ
Malta	GBY
British India	BI
Bulgaria	BG[a]
Chile	RCH
China	RC
Colombia	CO
Cuba	C
Denmark	DK
Danzig	DA
Egypt	ET	Current code is EG.
Ecuador	EQ
Spain	E[a]	España
Estonia	EST
Finland	SF	From Finnish Suomi, Swedish Finland.
France, Algeria and Tunis	F[a]
French India	F
Guatemala	G
Greece	GR[a]
Haiti	RH
Hungary	H[a]
Irish Free State	SE	Part of the United Kingdom at the time of the 1909 convention. Initials stand for Irish Saorstát Éireann.
Italy	I[a]
Latvia	LV
Liechtenstein	FL
Lithuania	LT
Luxembourg	L
Morocco	F
Mexico	MEX
Monaco	MC[a]
Panama	PY	current code is PA
Paraguay	PA	current code is PY
Netherlands	NL[a]
Dutch East Indies	IN
Peru	PE
Persia	PR
Poland	PL
Portugal	P[a]
Romania	R[a]
Territory of the Saar	SA	League of Nations mandate
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes	SHS
Siam	SM
Sweden	S[a]
Switzerland	CH[a]
Syria and Lebanon	LSA	French League of Nations mandate
Czechoslovakia	CS
Turkey	TR
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	SU	Russia had been a party to the 1909 convention.
Uruguay	U	Current code is ROU (?)[citation needed].

1. Originally in 1909 convention

Location

Since the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic entered into force on 21 May 1977, in signatory countries it replaces previous road traffic conventions, including the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, in accordance with its Article 48. According to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, 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 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 that convention.^[9] 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.^{[citation needed]}

Current codes

Code	Country	From	Previous code(s)	Notes
A	Austria	1911		Austria in English or Autriche in French
AFG	Afghanistan	1971		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
AL	Albania	1934		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
AND	Andorra	1957		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
AM	Armenia	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
AUS	Australia	1954		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
AZ	Azerbaijan	1993	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
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	(BUL)	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
BH	Belize	1938		Formerly British Honduras. Still officially registered as BH as of June 2024. New driving licenses appear to have 'BZ' instead of 'BH' as Belize's code.[10]
BIH	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина (Bosnian). Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca (Serbo-Croatian), then part of Yugoslavia. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
BOL	Bolivia	1967		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
BR	Brazil	1930		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
BRN	Bahrain	1954
BRU	Brunei	1956
BS	Bahamas	1950
BUR[citation needed]	Myanmar	1956	BA, BUR	Previously known as Burma. Coincides with the former ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
BVI	British Virgin Islands	1910
BW[3]	Botswana	2003	BP	Officially used by Botswana since 2003. Formerly RB (Republic of Botswana) until 2004; Bechuanaland Protectorate before 1966.
BY	Belarus	1992 (2004)	SU	Belarus; formerly part of the Soviet Union. The UN was officially notified of the change from SU to BY only in 2004.[citation needed] Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
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	CDN for "Canada Dominion"[citation needed]
CGO	Democratic Republic of the Congo	1997	CB, RCL, ZRE	French: Congo Belge, République de Congo Léopoldville, Congo (Kinshasa), Zaïre, République Démocratique du Congo (French)
CH	Switzerland	1911		Confœderatio Helvetica (Latin). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CHN	China			People's Republic of China. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
CI	Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire)	1961	F	Formerly a territory of France. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CL	Sri Lanka	1961		Formerly Ceylon. However, "SL" is being used on current driver licenses.
CO	Colombia	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CR	Costa Rica	1956		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CU[3]	Cuba	1930[citation needed]		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CY	Cyprus	1932		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CZ	Czech Republic	1993	CS	Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
D	Germany	1910		Deutschland (German); also used until 1974 by  East Germany, which then used DDR until German reunification in 1990
DK	Denmark	1914		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
DOM	Dominican Republic	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
DY	Benin	1910	Part of AOF (Afrique occidentale française) − 1960	Dahomey (name until 1975). Uses RB unofficially (République du Bénin)
DZ	Algeria	1962	F − 1911	Djazayer (Algerian Arabic: جزائر); formerly part of France. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
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	EQ	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
EG[11]	Egypt	2024	ET 1927-2024	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ER	Eritrea	1993	AOI	Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ES	El Salvador	1978
EST	Estonia	1993	EW 1919–1940 & 1991–1993 SU 1940–1991	Eesti Vabariik (Estonian; old style Eesti Wabariik). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
ETH	Ethiopia	1964	AOI − 1941	Africa Orientale Italiana (Italian). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
F	France	1910
FIN	Finland	1993	SF	Suomi / Finland (Finnish/Swedish). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
FJI	Fiji	1971		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
FL	Liechtenstein	1923		Fürstentum Liechtenstein (German: 'Principality of Liechtenstein')
FO	Faroe Islands	1996	FR	Føroyar. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
G	Gabon	1974	ALEF − 1960	Afrique Équatoriale Française. Unofficially using RG on their license plates.
GBA	Alderney	1924	GB 1923-1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Alderney
GBG	Guernsey	1924	GB 1914-1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Guernsey
GBJ	Jersey	1924	GB 1914-1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Jersey
GBM	Isle of Man	1932		(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Isle of Man
GBZ	Gibraltar	1924	GB 1911-1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Gibraltar (Z was assigned because G was already used for Guernsey)[citation needed]
GCA	Guatemala	1956	G	Guatemala, Central America
GE	Georgia	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Older licence plates use "GEO" instead of "GE". Also used unofficially and illegally by Equatorial-Guinea (Spanish: Guinea Ecuatorial). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GH	Ghana	1959	WAC − 1957	West Africa Gold Coast − 1957. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GR	Greece	1913		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GUY	Guyana	1972	BRG	Formerly British Guiana − 1966. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
H	Hungary	1910
HK	Hong Kong	1961		Hong Kong remains in the United Nations list of country road codes. Reattached to the People's Republic of China in 1997 with a strong autonomy.[12]
HKJ	Jordan	1966	JOR	Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
HN	Honduras	2018		Unofficial: no other code found for Honduras. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
HR	Croatia	1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Hrvatska (Croatian). Formerly part of 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). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
I	Italy	1910
IL	Israel	1952		"Israel" is also written on the plate in Hebrew (ישראל) and Arabic (إسرائيل). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
IND	India	1947	BI	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
IR	Iran	1936	PR	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
IRL	Ireland	1992	GB − 1910–24 SE − 1924–38 EIR − 1938–62 EIR/IRL − 1962–92	Formerly a part of the United Kingdom, Saorstát Éireann, Éire. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
IRQ	Iraq	1930		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
IRQ KR	Kurdistan	1991		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2
IS	Iceland	1936		Ísland (Icelandic). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
J	Japan	1964
JA	Jamaica	1932
KG	Kyrgyzstan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. The Kyrgyz government notified the change from "KS" to "KG", which featured on the new car registration plates from March 2016, in August that year to the UN Secretary-General.[13] Additionally, most vehicles use "KGZ" oval stickers instead of "KS". Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
KH[14]	Cambodia	1956 (KHM)	K	Known as Kampuchea 1976–89. Formerly a territory of France. KH currently being used (Khmer) on driving licenses, which coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Change ratified from K (previously KHM) to KH in 2009 to the United Nations.[15]
KSA	Saudi Arabia	1973	SA	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
KWT	Kuwait	1954
KZ	Kazakhstan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
L	Luxembourg	1911
LAO	Laos	1959	F – 1949	Formerly a territory of France (French Indochina). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
LAR	Libya	1972	I − 1949, LT	Libyan Arab Republic, unused, unofficial LY used instead.
LB	Liberia	1967
LS	Lesotho	1967	BL	Basutoland − 1966. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
LT	Lithuania	1992	SU 1940–1991	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
LV	Latvia	1992	LR 1927–1940 SU 1940–1991	Latvijas Republika (Latvian). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
M	Malta	1966	GBY 1924–66
MA	Morocco	1924		Maroc (French). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MAL	Malaysia	1967	PRK – 1957 FM 1954–57 PTM 1957–67	Formerly Perak, then Federated Malay States, then Persekutuan Tanah Melayu (Malay)
MC	Monaco	1910		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MD	Moldova	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MEX	Mexico	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
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. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MGL	Mongolia	2002		MNG displayed on current plates. Nevertheless, the new format includes MGL once again.[16] Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MOC	Mozambique	1975	MOC: 1932–56 P: 1957–75	Formerly part of Portugal. Moçambique (Portuguese). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MS	Mauritius	1938
MV	Maldives	1965		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MW	Malawi	1965	EA 1932–38 NP – 1938–70 RNY option 1960–65	Formerly the Nyasaland Protectorate. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
N	Norway	1922
NAM	Namibia	1990	SWA	Formerly South West Africa. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
NAU	Nauru	1968
NEP	Nepal	1970
NIC	Nicaragua	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
NL	Netherlands	1910		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
NMK	North Macedonia	2019	YU − 1992 MK 1992–2019	Formerly part of Yugoslavia. Known as Republic of Macedonia until 2019. Mix of English North and Macedonian Makedonija.
NZ	New Zealand	1958		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
OM	Oman	?[citation needed]		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
P	Portugal	1910		Unofficially used for Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.[17]
PA	Panama	1952	PY 1924–1952	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PE	Peru	1937		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PK	Pakistan	1947		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PL	Poland	1921		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PNG	Papua New Guinea	1978		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
PY	Paraguay	1952	PA 1924–1952	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
Q	Qatar	1972
RA	Argentina	1927		República Argentina (Spanish)
RC	Taiwan	1932		Republic of China. Unofficially also used by car license plates in the Republic of Congo "République du Congo".
RCA	Central African Republic	1962		République Centrafricaine (French)
RCB	Republic of the Congo	1962		République du Congo Brazzaville (French). Unofficially using RC on current plates.
RCH	Chile	1930		República de Chile (Spanish)
RG	Guinea	1972		République de Guinée (French). Also used unofficially by Gabon.
RH	Haiti	1952		République d'Haïti (French)
RI	Indonesia	1955		Republik Indonesia (Indonesian)
RIM	Mauritania	1964		République islamique de Mauritanie (French)
RKS	Kosovo	2010	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–2003 SCG 2003–2006 SRB 2006–2010	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; 1960-1977 - NIG (?)	République du Niger (French). Formerly part of French West Africa (Afrique Occidentale Française). Still listed as NIG under the UN list.
RO	Romania	1981	R - 1981	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ROK	Republic of Korea	1971		Republic of Korea. Unofficially using KOR on their plates.
ROU[18]	Uruguay	1981	U 1926-1981	Stands for República Oriental del Uruguay.
RP	Philippines	1975		Republika ng Pilipinas (Republic of the Philippines)
RSM	San Marino	1932		Repubblica di San Marino (Italian)
RU	Burundi	1960		Belgian territory of Ruanda-Urundi. Unofficially using BU on their plates.
RUS	Russia	1992		Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
RWA	Rwanda	1964	RU − 1962	Formerly part of Ruanda-Urundi − 1962. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
S	Sweden	1911
SD	Eswatini	1935		Formerly Swaziland
SGP	Singapore	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
SK	Slovakia	1993	CS 1919–39,1945–92 SQ 1939–45	Formerly Československo (Czechoslovakia). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SLO[19]	Slovenia	1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca (Serbo-Croatian), then part of Yugoslavia.
SME	Suriname	1936		Now displaying 'SUR' on current driving licenses.
SN	Senegal	1962		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SO	Somalia	1974	SP	Formerly Somaliland Protectorate. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SRB	Serbia	2006	SB – 1919 SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–2003 SCG 2003–2006	Formerly part of Kingdom of Serbia (Kraljevina Srbija – Serbian), Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – Serbo-Croatian), Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija – Serbo-Croatian), and Serbia and Montenegro (Srbija i Crna Gora – Serbian). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
SUD	Sudan	1963
SY	Seychelles	1938
SYR	Syria	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
T	Thailand	1955	SM
TCH	Chad	1973		Tchad (French)
TG	Togo	1973	RT	Formerly République Togolaise (French). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TJ	Tajikistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union, used code "PT" for Республика Таджикистан on plates from 1993 to 2003. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TM	Turkmenistan	1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TN	Tunisia	1957	F − 1956	Formerly a territory of France. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Unofficial code TU is common.
TO	Tonga	1995		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TR	Turkey	1923		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TT	Trinidad and Tobago	1964		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
UA	Ukraine	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
UAE	United Arab Emirates	1971
UK	United Kingdom	2021	GB (1910–2021)	Before 1922, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Until 2021, "GB" was used, but from 28 September 2021 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland changed its international vehicle registration code from "GB" to "UK". (This does not affect territories for which the United Kingdom controls international relations outside Great Britain and Northern Ireland.)[20][21]
USA	United States	1952	US	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, used on registration plates for US Forces in Germany from 1962 until 2020, US now used by US Forces Germany since 2020. 'U' is currently used for registration plates for US Forces in Portugal (Lajes, Azores).
UZ	Uzbekistan	1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
V	Vatican City	1931		CV (Italian: Città del Vaticano) is used as a prefix on the licence plate number itself. The prefix used on official and government vehicles is SCV (Latin: Status Civitatis Vaticanae)
VN	Vietnam	1953		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
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. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
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[citation needed]	RNR	Formerly Northern Rhodesia. However, "ZM" is used on current driving licences.
ZA	South Africa	1936		Zuid-Afrika (from Dutch; in Afrikaans it is Suid-Afrika). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ZW	Zimbabwe	1980	SR, RSR	Formerly Southern Rhodesia until 1965, Rhodesia unrecognised until 1980. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.

Codes no longer in use

Code	Country	Used until	Replaced by	Notes
ADN	Aden	1980	Y	From 1938, also known as 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. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
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. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
EIR	Éire	1992	IRL	Now  Ireland
ET	Egypt	2024	EG	Ratified to the United Nations in 2024.
EW	Estonia	1993	EST	Eesti Vabariik (Estonian)
FR	Faroe Islands	1996	FO	Føroyar (Faroese)
GB	United Kingdom	2021	UK	Changed to UK to be inclusive of Northern Ireland (which is not part of Great Britain), though the previous GB did also apply to Northern Ireland. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GBY	Malta	1966	M	Changed after independence from UK
GRO	Greenland	1910	KN	Grønland (Danish language) / Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenlandic language). Unofficial. The official code is DK.
HV	Upper Volta (French: Haute-Volta), now Burkina Faso	1984	BF	Upper Volta. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
K	Cambodia	2009	KH	Ratified by the United Nations as KH on 18 November 2009.[22]
KS	Kyrgyzstan	1992–2016	KG	Ratified by the United Nations as KG in March 2016.
LR	Latvia	1927–1940	SU, LV	Latvijas Republika (Latvian)
MK	Republic of Macedonia	1992–2019	NMK	Became North Macedonia in 2019. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
NA	Netherlands Antilles	1957		The Netherlands Antilles were dissolved in 2010.
NIG	Niger	Un­known	RN	Still listed as NIG under the UN list.[23]
PANG	Angola	1956	P (1957-1975)	From 1932. Formerly part of Portugal
PI	Philippines	1973?	RP	Still listed as PI under the UN list.[24]
R	Romania	1981	RO
RNY	Rhodesia-Nyasaland Fed.	1953–1963	NP, NR, SR	Now Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe
RNR	Zambia	Un­known	Z? ZM?	Formerly Rhodesia, although still listed as RNR under the UN list (as of May 2024).
ROU	Uruguay	1979–2012	UY[citation needed]	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
SA	Saudi Arabia	Un­known	KSA	The date of the change is unknown. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
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. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
SE	Saorstát Éireann	1938	EIR (IRL from 1962)	Under GB until 1924. Name changed to Éire, now  Ireland
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
SP[25]	Somaliland	1960	SO (de jure), unknown/none (de facto)	Initialism of Somaliland Protectorate.
SU	Soviet Union	1991	EST, LT, LV, BY, MD, UA, TJ, TM, GE, KZ, UZ, KS, AZ, AM, RUS	Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SWA	South West Africa	1990		Now Namibia
TS	Free Territory of Trieste	1947–1954		Territory Zone A (controlled by the United Kingdom and United States from 1947 to 1954 before given to Italy). Now in Italy, Croatia and Slovenia.
Y	Yugoslavia	1953	YU	Yemen started using Y afterwards
YU	/ Yugoslavia	1992	BIH, HR, NMK, MNE, RKS, SRB, SLO	Now Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, and Slovenia. MK for Macedonia was in use from 1993 until 2019. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ZRE	Zaire	1997	CGO	Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.

Unofficial codes

Car with Palestinian license plate, bearing Latin letter "P" and Arabic letter Fāʼ.

The unofficial code for Brittany, Bzh

There are unofficial codes in common use, such as "AS" for Asturias, "CAT" for Catalonia, "SCO" for Scotland, "CYM" for Wales (Welsh Cymru), "ENG" for England, "BZH" for Brittany (Breizh), "GRD" for Groland (a fictional/satirical 'presipality'), "FRL" for Friesland, "NB" for North Brabant, "VL" for Flanders (Vlaanderen), "V" for Vojvodina/Vajdaság, "TS" for Transylvania, "P" for Palestine, "PR" for Puerto Rico, "CSB" for Kashubia (Cassubia) and "SIC" for Székely Land (from Latin Terra Siculorum). Some of these, such as "VL" which is used by Flemish separatists, are used despite being specifically illegal under local laws.

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 may be unfamiliar.

Diplomatic licence plate codes

A separate system is used for vehicles belonging to the diplomats of foreign countries with license plates 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 Italy, not Turkey. Such markings in other countries (e.g. Norway) are indicated with numbers only, again different from international standards (e.g. 90 means Slovakia in Norway).

See also

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

References

1. Georgano, G. N.; Andersen, Thorkil Ry (1982). The New encyclopedia of motorcars, 1885 to the present. Dutton. p. 18. ISBN 0-525-93254-2.
2. Harding, Anthony; Bird, Anthony (1980). Guinness Book of Car Facts and Feats: A Record of Everyday Motoring and Automotive Achievements. Guinness Superlatives. p. 243. ISBN 0-85112-207-8.
3. "Distinguishing Signs used on Vehicles in International Traffic" (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
4. "Convention of Road Traffic signed at Geneva September, 19 1949 – Annex 4. Distinguishing Sign of Vehicles in International Traffic". Auto Driver Club. NYS ZONE INC. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
5. "Convention on Road Traffic on 8 November 1968 – Index Page". Auto Driver Club. NYS ZONE INC. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
6. "Annex 2: Registration of Vehicles in International Traffic" (PDF). 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 Vietnam for the Facilitation of Cross-Border Transport of Goods and People. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2012.
7. "1909 Paris Convention for the International Circulation of Motor Vehicles" (PDF).
8. "International Convention Relative to Motor Traffic, Paris, 1924".
9. "Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98". Council of the European Union. 3 November 1998.
10. "Driver's license will have a new look". Love FM. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
11. "Distinguishing Sign of Vehicles in International Traffic (Distinctive letters notified to the Secretary-General)". 21 May 2024.
12. "United Nations Treaty Collection".
13. "Convention sur la circulation routière, signée à Vienne, le 8 novembre 1968 - Notification en vertu du paragraphe 4 de l'article 45 par le Kirghizistan. - Legilux". legilux.public.lu. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
14. "United Nations Treaty Collection".
15. "United Nations Treaty Collection".
16. "Discussions of Mongolian license plates / Дискуссии по монгольским номерам". 18 June 2009.
17. "License Plates of Palestine".
18. "Distinguishing Sign of Vehicles in International Traffic [article 45 (4) and article 46 (3)] (Distinctive letters notified to the Secretary-General)". 21 May 2024.
19. "Car: International car registration letters Word Lists". Collins English Word Lists.
20. Griffiths, Hugo (5 July 2021). "GB stickers no longer valid for driving abroad". autoexpress.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
21. "Convention on Road Traffic Vienna, 8 November 1968: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Notification under Article 45 (4)" (PDF).
22. "United Nations Treaty Collection".
23. "United Nations Treaty Collection".
24. "United Nations Treaty Collection".
25. "Somaliland".

Further reading

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

External links

• Distinguishing Signs of Vehicles, UNECE
• Distinguishing Signs used on Vehicles in International Traffic Notified to the Secretary General of the United Nations, UNECE
• Convention on Road Traffic, Geneva, United Nations Treaty Collection
• Convention on Road Traffic, Vienna, United Nations Treaty Collection
• 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 Archived 2021-03-09 at the Wayback Machine (data mostly from RPW, above)
• European Registration Plate Association: Registration Plates of the World Online (registration required; data mostly from RPW, above)