List_of_international_vehicle_registration_codes

International vehicle registration code

International vehicle registration code

Codes used to identify where a vehicle is registered

"DSIT" redirects here. For UK government department, see Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

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]

More information State, Mark ...

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)
More information State or territory, Mark ...
  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

More information Code, Country ...

Codes no longer in use

More information Code, Country ...

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), "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 Italian, not Turkish. 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

References

  1. [1]
    Georgano, G. N.; Andersen, Thorkil Ry (1982). The New encyclopedia of motorcars, 1885 to the present. p. 18. ISBN 0-525-93254-2.
  2. [2]
    Harding, Anthony; Bird, Anthony (1980). Guinness Book of Car Facts and Feats: A Record of Everyday Motoring and Automotive Achievements. p. 243. ISBN 0-85112-207-8.
  3. [3]
    "Distinguishing Signs used on Vehicles in International Traffic" (PDF). United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
  4. [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. [5]
    "Convention on Road Traffic on 8 November 1968 – Index Page". Auto Driver Club. NYS ZONE INC. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
  6. [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. [7]
    "1909 Paris Convention for the International Circulation of Motor Vehicles" (PDF).
  8. [8]
    "International Convention Relative to Motor Traffic, Paris, 1924".
  9. [9]
    "Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98". Council of the European Union. 3 November 1998.
  10. [10]
    "Driver's license will have a new look". Love FM. 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  11. [11]
    "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.
  12. [12]
    "Discussions of Mongolian license plates / Дискуссии по монгольским номерам". 18 June 2009.
  13. [13]
    "License Plates of Palestine".
  14. [14]
    "Car: International car registration letters Word Lists". Collins English Word Lists.
  15. [15]
    Griffiths, Hugo (5 July 2021). "GB stickers no longer valid for driving abroad". autoexpress.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  16. [16]
    "Convention on Road Traffic Vienna, 8 November 1968: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Notification under Article 45 (4)" (PDF).
  17. [17]
    https://blog.europlate.org.uk/category/somaliland/

Further reading

  • "RPW": Neil Parker and John Weeks, Registration Plates of the World, Europlate; 4th edition (2004)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to International vehicle registration codes.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article List_of_international_vehicle_registration_codes, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.