International vehicle registration code

File:CH international vehicle registration oval.png

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

File:1960 Borgward H1500 Isabella pic-001.JPG

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

File:Estonia licenseplate EU.JPG

Estonian registration plate in EU standard format with international code EST

File:Indian Vehicle Registration Plate - Kolkata 2011-07-29 4088 (cropped).JPG

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

File:Brazilian vehicle license plate (2018-).jpg

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

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 or International Circulation Mark. 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.

The allocation of codes is maintained by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe as the Distinguishing Signs Used on Vehicles in International Traffic (sometimes abbreviated to DSIT), authorised by the UN's Geneva Convention on Road Traffic and the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. 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).

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, Template:Cvt 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.

1909 Paris Convention distinctive marks

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

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 distinguishing marks not just for states, but also for non-sovereign territories which operated their own vehicle registration systems.

File:VW Golf I Åland.JPG

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
Alderney	GBA
Austria	ATemplate:Efn
Belgium	BTemplate:Efn
Brazil	BR
Template:Country data British India	BI
Bulgaria	BGTemplate:Efn
Chile	RCH
Template:Country data Republic of China (1912–1949)	RC
Colombia	CO
Cuba	C
Czechoslovakia	CS
Danzig	DA
Denmark	DK
Dutch East Indies	IN
Ecuador	EQ
Egypt	ET	Current code is EG.
Estonia	EST
Finland	SF	From Finnish , Swedish . The latter because Swedish is the second official language in Finland.
France, Algeria and Tunis	FTemplate:Efn
Template:Country data French India	F
Germany	DTemplate:Efn	For
Gibraltar	GBZ
Great Britain and Northern Ireland	GBTemplate:Efn
Greece	GRTemplate:Efn
Guatemala	G
Guernsey	GBG
Haiti	RH
Hungary	HTemplate:Efn
Template:Country data Irish Free State	SE	Part of the United Kingdom at the time of the 1909 convention. Initials stand for Irish .
Italy	ITemplate:Efn
Jersey	GBJ
Latvia	LV
Liechtenstein	FL	For
Lithuania	LT
Luxembourg	L
Malta	GBY
Mexico	MEX
Monaco	MCTemplate:Efn
Morocco	F
Netherlands	NLTemplate:Efn
Panama	PY	Current code is PA
Paraguay	PA	Current code is PY
Peru	PE
Template:Country data Persia	PR
Poland	PL
Portugal	PTemplate:Efn
Romania	RTemplate:Efn
Territory of the Saar	SA	League of Nations mandate
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes	SHS
Template:Country data Siam	SM
Spain	ETemplate:Efn	For
Sweden	STemplate:Efn
Switzerland	CHTemplate:Efn
Syria and Lebanon	LSA	French League of Nations mandate
Turkey	TR
Template:Country data Union of Soviet Socialist Republics	SU	Russia had been a party to the 1909 convention.
United States of America	USTemplate:Efn
Uruguay	U	Current code is ROU

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. 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, though neither of these countries are parties to the Vienna Convention.

Current codes

Code	Country	From	Previous code(s)	Notes
A		1911		Austria in English or in French
AFG		1971		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
AL		1934		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
AM		1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
AND		1957		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code. Used on plates since 2011, name fully spelt out since 1958.
AUS		1954		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
AX	Template:AX	2025	FIN	Formerly FIN and SF like the rest of Finland
AZ		1993	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
B		1910
BD		1978	PAK	Formerly East Pakistan
BDS		1956
BF		1990	RHV / HV	Until August 2003, 1984; (Upper Volta)
BG		1910	BUL	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
BH		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. Belize License Plates have always displayed full name of the country since name change in 1973.
BIH		1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	/ Template:Native name. Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Template:Native name, then part of Yugoslavia. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
BOL		1967		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
BR		1930		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Displayed on license plates since 2018 alongside full name.
BRN		1954
BRU		1956
BS		1950		Fully name displayed since the 1970s
BVI		1910
BW		2003	BP	Officially used by Botswana since 2003. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Formerly RB (Republic of Botswana) until 2004; Bechuanaland Protectorate before 1966.
BY		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. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CAM		1952	F & WAN	Formerly a territory of France, plus a strip of territory from eastern Nigeria (WAN). Unofficially using CMR on their plates.
CDN		1956	CA	CDN for "Canada Dominion"
CGO		1997	CB, RCL, ZRE	Template:Langx, , Congo (Kinshasa), , Template:Native name
CH		1911		Template:Native name. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CI	()	1961	F	Formerly a territory of France. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CL		1961		Formerly Ceylon. However, "SL" is being used on current driver licenses.
CO		1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CR		1956		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CU		1930		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CY		1932		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
CZ		1993	CS	Formerly (Czechoslovakia). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
D		1910		Template:Native name; also used until 1974 by Template:GDR, which then used DDR until German reunification in 1990
DK		1914		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
DOM		1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
DY		1910	Part of AOF () − 1960	Dahomey (name until 1975). Uses RB unofficially ()
DZ		1962	F − 1911	(Template:Langx); formerly part of France. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
E		1910		Template:Native name
EAK		1938		East Africa Kenya
EAT		1938	EAT & EAZ	East Africa Tanzania; formerly East Africa Tanganyika and East Africa Zanzibar, EAZ used on plates issued in Zanzibar since 2008.
EAU		1938		East Africa Uganda
EAZ	Zanzibar	1964		East Africa Zanzibar
EC		1962	EQ	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
EG		2024	ET 1927–2024	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ER		1993	AOI	Template:Native name. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ES		1978
EST		1993	EW 1919–1940 & 1991–1993 SU 1940–1991	(Estonian; old style ). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
ETH		1964	AOI − 1941	Template:Native name. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
F		1910
FIN		1993	SF	/ (Finnish/Swedish). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
FJI		1971		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
FL		1923		(German: 'Principality of Liechtenstein')
FO		1996	FR	. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
G		1974	ALEF − 1960	. Unofficially using RG on their license plates.
GBA	Alderney	1924	GB 1923–1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Alderney
GBG		1924	GB 1914–1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Guernsey
GBJ		1924	GB 1914–1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Jersey
GBM		1932		(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Isle of Man
GBZ		1924	GB 1911–1924	(United Kingdom of) Great Britain & Northern Ireland – Gibraltar (Z was assigned because G was already used for Guernsey)
GCA		1956	G	Guatemala, CentroAmérica in Spanish / Guatemala, Central America
GE		1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Older licence plates use "GEO" instead of "GE". Also used unofficially and illegally by Equatorial-Guinea (Template:Langx). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GH		1959	WAC − 1957	West Africa Gold Coast − 1957. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GR		1913		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
GUY		1972	BRG	Formerly British Guiana − 1966. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
H		1910
HK		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.
HKJ		1966	JOR	Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
HN		2018		Unofficial: no other code found for Honduras. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Full name used on license plates.
HR		1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Template:Native name. 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" () instead. SHS was for the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
I		1910
IL		1952		"Israel" is also written on the plate in Hebrew () and Arabic (). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
IND		1947	BI	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, displayed on plates since 2005.
IR		1936	PR	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
IRL		1992	GB − 1910–24 SE − 1924–38 EIR − 1938–62 EIR/IRL − 1962–92	Formerly a part of the United Kingdom, , . Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
IRQ		1930		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code. Name fully spelt out on plates from 2008-2024
IRQ KR	Template:KUR	1991		See above for 'IRQ'.
IS		1936		Template:Native name. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
J		1964
JA		1932
KG		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. Additionally, most vehicles use "KGZ" oval stickers instead of "KS". Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
KH		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.
KSA		1973	SA	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, SA used on plates from 1972 to 1981
KWT		1954		Full name used on plates since 1995, KWT used on plates in 1991-1994 and plates for international travel starting in 1970s, KT used in 1950s to the late 60s
KZ		1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
L		1911
LAO		1959	F – 1949	Formerly a territory of France (French Indochina). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
LAR		1972	I − 1949, LT	Libyan Arab Republic, unused, unofficial LY used instead.
LB		1967		Displayed on plates since 2015, full name used on license plates since 1940s.
LS		1967	BL	Basutoland − 1966. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
LT		1992	SU 1940–1991	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
LV		1992	LR 1927–1940 SU 1940–1991	Template:Native name. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
M		1966	GBY 1924–66
MA		1924		Template:Native name. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MAL		1967	PRK – 1957 FM 1954–57 PTM 1957–67	Formerly Perak, then Federated Malay States, then Template:Native name
MC		1910		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Name fully spelt out since 1950, displayed on plates since 2011.
MD		1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MEX		1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code. Displayed on all Mexican plates from 1966 until 2001
MNE		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 ( – Serbo-Croatian), then part of Yugoslavia and then Serbia and Montenegro ( – Serbian). Independence restored in 2006. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MGL		2002		MNG displayed on current plates. Nevertheless, the new format includes MGL once again. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MOC		1975	MOC: 1932–56 P: 1957–75	Formerly part of Portugal. Template:Native name. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
MS		1938
MV		1965		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MW		1965	EA 1932–38 NP – 1938–70 RNY option 1960–65	Formerly the Nyasaland Protectorate. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
MYA		2019	BA, BUR	Previously known as Burma. Coincides with the former ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
N		1922
NAM		1990	SWA	Formerly South West Africa. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
NAU		1968
NEP		1970
NIC		1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
NL		1910		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
NMK		2019	YU − 1992 MK 1992–2019	Formerly part of Yugoslavia. Known as Republic of Macedonia until 2019. Mix of English North and Macedonian .
NZ		1958		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
OM		?		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
P		1910		Unofficially used for Palestine in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
PA		1952	PY 1924–1952	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. RP used 1928—-1936 for República de Panamá, name fully spelt out since 1937.
PE		1937		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Used on plates 1958—2009, name fully spelt out since 2010.
PK		1947		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PL		1921		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
PNG		1978		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code. Used on plates since 1971.
PY		1952	PA 1924–1952	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Name fully spelt out since 1972.
Q		1972
RA		1927		Template:Native name
RC	Taiwan	1932		Republic of China. Unofficially also used by car license plates in the Republic of Congo "République du Congo".
RCA		1962		Template:Native name
RCB		1962		Template:Native name. Unofficially using RC on current plates.
RCH		1930		Template:Native name
RG		1972		Template:Native name. Also used unofficially by Gabon.
RH		1952		Template:Native name
RI		1955		Template:Native name
RIM		1964		Template:Native name
RKS	File:Flag of Kosovo.svg Kosovo	2010	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–2003 SCG 2003–2006 SRB 2006–2010	Republic of Kosovo
RL		1952		Template:Native name
RM		1962		Template:Native name
RMM		1962	AOF − 1960	Template:Native name. Formerly part of French West Africa ()
RN		1977	AOF − 1960; 1960-1977 - NIG (?)	Template:Native name. Formerly part of French West Africa (). Still listed as NIG under the UN list.
RO		1981	R - 1981	Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ROK		1971		Republic of Korea. KOR used on European size plates since 2019.
ROU		1981	U 1926–1981	Stands for República Oriental del Uruguay.
RP		1975		(Republic of the Philippines)
RSM		1932		Template:Native name
RU		1960		Belgian territory of Ruanda-Urundi. Unofficially using BU on their plates.
RUS		1992		Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
RWA		1964	RU − 1962	Formerly part of Ruanda-Urundi − 1962. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
S		1911
SD		1935		Formerly Swaziland
SGP		1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
SK		1993	CS 1919–39,1945–92 SQ 1939–45	Formerly (Czechoslovakia). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SLO		1992	SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–92	Formerly part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Template:Native name, then part of Yugoslavia.
SME		1936		Now displaying 'SUR' on current driving licenses.
SN		1962		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SO		1974	SP	Formerly Somaliland Protectorate. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SRB		2006	SB – 1919 SHS 1919–29 Y 1929–53 YU 1953–2003 SCG 2003–2006	Formerly part of Kingdom of Serbia ( – Serbian), Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes ( – Serbo-Croatian), Yugoslavia ( – Serbo-Croatian), and Serbia and Montenegro ( – Serbian). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
SUD		1963
SY		1938
SYR	Template:Flagdeco Syria	1952		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
T		1955	SM	Siam
TCH		1973		Template:Native name
TG		1973	RT	Formerly Template:Native name. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TJ		1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union, used code "PT" for on plates from 1993 to 2003. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TM		1992	SU − 1991	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TN		1957	F − 1956	Formerly a territory of France. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Unofficial code TU is common.
TO		1995		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Full name displayed on all plates since 1990s.
TR		1923		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
TT		1964		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
UA		1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
UAE		1971		Currently used on plates issued in Fujairah and Sharjah
UK		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.)
USA		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). Currently displayed on all plates issued in New Mexico (1969—1975, 1988—Present) Guam (1965—Present), and Northern Mariana Islands (1989—Present).
UZ		1992	SU	Formerly part of the Soviet Union. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
V		1931		CV (Template:Langx) is used as a prefix on the licence plate number itself. The prefix used on official and government vehicles is SCV (Template:Langx)
VN		1953		Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
WAG		1932		West Africa Gambia, GPF used on plates since 2019 standing for Gambia Police Force which is the issuing authority.
WAL		1937		West Africa Sierra Leone; on local licence plates SLE is used
WAN		1937		West Africa Nigeria, name fully spelt out since 1992.
WD		1954		Windward Islands Dominica
WG		1932		Windward Islands Grenada
WL		1932		Windward Islands Saint Lucia
WS		1962		Formerly Western Samoa. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
WV		1932		Windward Islands Saint Vincent
YAR		1960		North Yemen formerly known as the Yemen Arab Republic.
YV		1955		Name fully spelt out on plates since 1955.
Z		1964	RNR	Formerly Northern Rhodesia. ZM set out in national legislation since 2002 and mandatory on plates for new registrations starting 2017. Name fully spelt out on plates since 2002.
ZA		1936		(from Dutch; in Afrikaans it is ). Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
ZW		1980	SR, RSR	Formerly Southern Rhodesia until 1965, Rhodesia unrecognised until 1980. Coincides with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code. Name fully spelt out on plats since 2006.

Codes no longer in use

Code	Country	Used until	Replaced by	Notes
ADN	Template:Flagicon Aden	1990	Y	From 1938, also known as South Yemen, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (1967)
BA	Template:Flagicon Burma	1956	BUR	From 1937
BUR	Template:Flagicon Myanmar	2019	MYA	Change notified in 1982 and ratified in 2019.
BP	Template:Flagicon Bechuanaland Protectorate	1966	BW	Now Botswana
CA	Canada	1956	CDN
CS	Template:Flagicon 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	Template:Flagicon German Democratic Republic	1990	D	From 1974 (used D until 1974), Deutsche Demokratische Republik. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
EIR	Template:Flagicon Éire	1992	IRL	Now
ET		2024	EG	Ratified to the United Nations in 2024.
EW		1993	EST	Eesti Wabariik (Estonian in Interwar-era spelling, which used W instead of V; the modern spelling is Eesti Vabariik)
FR	Template:Flagicon Faroe Islands	1996	FO	Føroyar (Faroese) or Færøerne (Danish)
GB	Template:Flagicon 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		1966	M	Changed after independence from UK
GRO	Template:Flagicon Greenland	1910	KN	Grønland (Danish language) / Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenlandic language). Unofficial. The official code is DK.
HV	Template:Flagicon Upper Volta (Template:Langx), 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.
KS	Kyrgyzstan	1992–2016	KG	Ratified by the United Nations as KG in March 2016.
LR		1927–1940	SU, LV	Latvijas Republika (Latvian)
MK	Template:Flagicon Republic of Macedonia	1992–2019	NMK	Became North Macedonia in 2019. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
NA		1957		The Netherlands Antilles were dissolved in 2010.
NIG		Un­known	RN	Still listed as NIG under the UN list.
PANG	Template:Flagicon Portuguese Angola	1956	P (1957–1975)	From 1932. Formerly part of Portugal
PI		1973?	RP	Still listed as PI under the UN list.
R	Template:Flagicon Romania	1981	RO
RNY	File:Flag of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (1953–1963).svg Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland	1953–1963	NP, NR, SR	Now Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe
RNR		Un­known	Z? ZM?	Formerly Rhodesia, although still listed as RNR under the UN list (as of May 2024).
RSR	File:Flag of Rhodesia (1964–1968).svg Southern Rhodesia	1965–1979	SR	Now Zimbabwe
RT		1973	TG	République togolaise (French). Formerly French Togoland − 1960
SA	Territory of the Saar Basin	1926–1935	D	League of Nations mandate, returned to Germany in 1935
SA	Saar Protectorate	1947–1956	D	French Protectorate, now Saarland, Germany
SA	Saudi Arabia	Un­known	KSA	The date of the change is unknown. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SB	Template:Flagicon Serbia	1919	SHS	Serbia became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
SCG	Template:Flagicon Serbia and Montenegro	2006	MNE, SRB	From Serbian name "Srbija i Crna Gora". Split into Montenegro and Serbia. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.
SE	Template:Flagicon Saorstát Éireann	1938	EIR (IRL from 1962)	Under GB until 1924. Name changed to Éire, now
SF		1993	FIN	SF from "Suomi – Finland" (the names of the country in its official languages, Finnish and Swedish)
SHS	Template:Flagicon Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes	1929	Y	Kraljevina Srba, Hrvata i Slovenaca – Serbo-Croatian. The Kingdom changed its name to Yugoslavia
SP	Template:Country data British Somaliland	1960	SO	Initialism of Somaliland Protectorate.
SU	Template:Flagicon Soviet Union	1991	EW, LT, LV, BY, MD, UA, TJ, TM, GE, KZ, UZ, KS, AZ, AM, RUS	Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code.
SWA	Template:Flagicon South West Africa	1990		Now Namibia
TS	Template:Flagicon 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	Template:Flagicon Yugoslavia	1953	YU
YU	Template:Flagicon / Template:Flagicon 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	Template:Flagicon Zaire	1997	CGO	Now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Coincided with ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code.

Unofficial codes

File:Qumran, Dead Sea, Palestine 39.jpg

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

File:Brittany country code sticker on motorbike.jpg

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), "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). In the Australian capital Canberra diplomatic car plates are D.C. followed by a number indicating the country and then digits in descending order, for example the head of mission’s vehicle is 01, the deputy is 02. For overseas staff of diplomatic missions who are not diplomats, the prefix is D.X.

See also

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

Further reading

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

External links

• Distinguishing Signs of Vehicles Template:Webarchive, 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 Template:Webarchive (data mostly from RPW, above)
• European Registration Plate Association: Registration Plates of the World Online (registration required; data mostly from RPW, above)