{"id":64434,"date":"2023-02-17T07:21:51","date_gmt":"2023-02-17T06:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage-wp.eurococ.eu\/vehicle-registration-look\/"},"modified":"2024-10-01T18:51:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T16:51:38","slug":"vehicle-registration-look","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage-wp.eurococ.eu\/en\/blog\/vehicle-registration-look\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does Vehicle Registration Look Like?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moving to a new country? Unsure about how to read car registration plates, or want to know more about what car registration plates look like in other countries? <\/span><\/p>\n

This blog post will cover all you need to know about reading car registrations. You will discover when you need to get a new registration plate for your vehicle, and what car registration looks like in different countries. <\/span><\/p>\n

Want to know what a car registration is? Need to know if you need a new registration for your vehicle when moving to a new country in Europe? Looking for car registration information in the UK? Click these links to read more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Examples of Vehicle Registration Plates in EU Countries<\/span><\/h2>\n

While most vehicle registration plates across the European Union are similar, there are some notable differences that you should be aware of when reading a registration plate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Germany<\/span><\/h3>\n

In Germany, the colour of a vehicle registration plate is white, and the characters that make up the registration digits are black. Like the majority of plates in the EU, German licence plates  display the EU flag on the left. The letter \u2018D\u2019 is also displayed on the plate denoting that the plate belongs to a vehicle registered in Germany\/Deutschland.<\/span><\/p>\n

The remainder of the German registration plate is divided into 3 sections. The section on the left immediately following the EU flag and the country code is a group of characters that corresponds to the region in Germany where the vehicle was registered for example: D for D\u00fcsseldorf, B for Berlin, or HH for Hamburg.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second section of the plate consists of a registration sticker of the corresponding German state at the bottom and a <\/span>safety test<\/span><\/a> sticker with an expiry date at the top. Both stickers appear on the back plate, while front plates usually only display the registration sticker.<\/span><\/p>\n

The final section of the plate comprises letters and numbers that serves as a unique serial number for the vehicle the plate is registered to.<\/span><\/p>\n

France<\/span><\/h3>\n

Similarly to Germany, registration plates in France are white with black characters, display the EU flag on the left, and a letter code denoting that France is the country of registration – F. <\/span><\/p>\n

The characters on French registration plates consist of three groups: two letters, three numbers, and two letters. Each group is separated by a dash.<\/span><\/p>\n

The final component of licence plates in France is a blue strip at the right end of the plate. This blue section contains the logo of a French region and its corresponding code. Unlike plates in Germany, French car owners can decide the region displayed on their car, regardless of the region where the vehicle gets registered.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Netherlands<\/span><\/h3>\n

Unlike France and Germany, registration plates in The Netherlands are yellow with black characters. Registration plates in The Netherlands do still show the EU flag on the left of the plate combined with the country code \u2018NL\u2019 to denote the country of registration is The Netherlands. <\/span><\/p>\n

The characters on the licence plates for cars in the Netherlands are a combination of letters and numbers and their format is determined by the year of registration. You can <\/span>view the full list here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spain<\/span><\/h3>\n

Spanish registration plates are white with black characters and also show the EU flag on the left hand side of the plate. The country code \u2018E\u2019 is also present denoting that the vehicle has been registered in Spain. <\/span><\/p>\n

The format of registration plates in Spain consists of 7 characters – the first 4 characters are numbers, and the last 3 characters are letters. For example: 1234 BBB. No vowels are used on licence plates in Spain with only consonants (excluding the letter Q) being displayed.<\/span><\/p>\n

No characters on Spanish licence plates carry any specific meaning denoting region or location of registration. Vehicles registered in Spain are provided with a plate on a serial system with plates being assigned based on the order of vehicle registration. The current system began with the registration \u20180000 BBB\u2019 and will expire when a vehicle is registered with \u20189999 ZZZ.\u2019 <\/span><\/p>\n

Ireland <\/span><\/h3>\n

Vehicle registration plates in Ireland are made of metal or plastic and contain black characters displayed on a white background. The plate displays the EU flag on the left of the number plate, the county within Ireland where the vehicle is registered displayed on the top of the plate, and IRL displayed on the left hand side to denote that the vehicle is registered in Ireland.<\/span><\/p>\n

Irish registration plates follow an AAA-BB-CCCCCC format. <\/span><\/p>\n

The first 3 characters (AAA) of an Irish registration plate denotes the year the vehicle was registered (rather than the year the vehicle was manufactured.) The second group of characters (BB) denote the county in Ireland where the vehicle is registered, and the final group of characters (CCCCCC) is made up of 1 to 6 characters made up of serial numbers given to vehicles in the order in which they were registered in the country for that given year.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Do You Need a NEW Vehicle Registration?<\/span><\/h2>\n

When you are travelling within Europe for a short period of time from another country, you can often drive your vehicle in the country you are visiting without having to display new registration plates on your vehicle. You can find this information on the website of the country you are visiting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Travel from the UK<\/span><\/h3>\n

The <\/span>Gov.UK<\/span><\/a> website details official legislation from the UK government about what documentation you need to carry with you when driving your car abroad, and what you need to display on your vehicle in order to drive legally.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re taking your vehicle to the EU for less than 12 months, you should carry one of the following documents with you in your vehicle:<\/span><\/p>\n