Embassies, high commissions, consulates and international organisations
This is a list of country codes on UK issued diplomatic vehicle registration plates, i.e. the first group of three numbers. [1]
Since 1979, motor vehicles operated by foreign embassies, high commissions, consulates and international organisations have been issued unique vehicle registration marks with a distinguishing format of three numbers, space, letter D or X, space and three numbers. The letter D is used for diplomats and X for non-diplomatic accredited personnel. [2]
The first group of three numbers identifies the country or international organisation. The second group of three numbers is a serial number sequence starting at 101 for diplomats, 400 for non-diplomatic staff of international organisations, and 700 upwards for consular or other non-diplomatic staff.
Eligible officials are required to be accredited by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) who liaise with Specialist Registrations at the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for issuance. Guidance document INF267 (4/18) has been produced by the DVLA for accredited officials.
Honorary consuls are not entitled under UK law to diplomatic vehicle registrations and/or driving permits.
Many foreign embassies and high commissions have acquired 'flag’ plates from the historic British car numbering systems, for example, CAN 1 (Canada), AUS 1 (Australia), BEL 12E (Belize), BF 1 and BF 2 (Burkina Faso), CHN 1 (China), FIJ 1 (Fiji), FRA 1 (France), 1 HKG (General-Director of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office), IC 1 (Iceland), 1 NWY (Norway), etc.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is the organisation of the UK government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire United Kingdom. Its counterpart for drivers in Northern Ireland is the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA). The agency issues driving licences, organises collection of vehicle excise duty and sells personalised registrations.
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate, license plate, is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. All countries require registration plates for road vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Whether they are required for other vehicles, such as bicycles, boats, or tractors, may vary by jurisdiction. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric ID that uniquely identifies the vehicle or vehicle owner within the issuing region's vehicle register. In some countries, the identifier is unique within the entire country, while in others it is unique within a state or province. Whether the identifier is associated with a vehicle or a person also varies by issuing agency. There are also electronic license plates.
The country in which a motor vehicle's vehicle registration plate was issued may be indicated by an international licence plate country 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.
Vehicle registration plates in China are mandatory metal or plastic plates attached to motor vehicles in mainland China for official identification purposes. The plates are issued by the local traffic management offices, which are sub-branches of local public security bureaus, under the rules of the Ministry of Public Security.
A vanity plate or personalized plate ; prestige plate, private number plate, cherished plate or personalised registration ; personalised plate or custom plate is a special type of vehicle registration plate on an automobile or other vehicle. The owner of the vehicle pays extra money to have their own choice of numbers or letters, usually portraying a recognizable phrase, slogan, or abbreviation, on their plate. Sales of vanity plates are often a significant source of revenue for North American provincial and state licensing agencies. In some jurisdictions, such as British Columbia, vanity plates have a different color scheme and design.
All motorised road vehicles in India are tagged with a registration or licence number. The Vehicle registration plate is issued by the district-level Regional Transport Office (RTO) of respective states — the main authority on road matters. The number plates are placed in the front and back of the vehicle. By law, all plates are required to be in modern Hindu-Arabic numerals with Latin letters. The international vehicle registration code for India is IND.
In the United States, vehicle registration plates, known as license plates, are issued by a department of motor vehicles, an agency of the state or territorial government, or in the case of the District of Columbia, the district government. Some Native American tribes also issue plates. The U.S. federal government issues plates only for its own vehicle fleet and for vehicles owned by foreign diplomats. Until the 1980s, diplomatic plates were issued by the state in which the consulate or embassy was located.
Vehicle registration plates are the mandatory number plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle, and have existed in Spain since 1900. Most motor vehicles which are used on public roads are required by law to display them. The government agency responsible for the registration and numbering of vehicles is the Directorate General of Traffic.
Present Montenegrin car plates have black characters on a rectangular white background, with blue strip on the left. The plates follow the 520 mm x 110 mm format, except for motorcycles. The present licence plates format was introduced on 6 June 2008, and replaced the old format gradually over the following year. The new format is on par with common European Union format.
In South Korea, the Surface Transportation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOCT) oversees the design and issue of license plates for motor vehicles. The international code for South Korea is ROK.
The Vehicle register in the United Kingdom is a database of motor vehicles. It is a legal requirement in the UK for most types of motor vehicle to be registered if they are to be used on the public road.
Vehicle registration plates of Serbia are issued using a two-letter region code, followed by three or four-digit numeric and a two-letter alpha license code, separated by a hyphen.
Since Ukraine's independence in 1991, the country has used four main systems of vehicle registration plates.
Standard vehicle registration plates in Lithuania bear three letters and three numbers in black lettering on a white background. The plates are usually of the standard EU dimensions, but can also be manufactured in the American dimensions for special import vehicles. All plates issued since 2004 also bear a blue EU identification stripe on their left-hand edge. Those issued between the restoration of Lithuanian independence in 1990 and the country's accession to the European Union in 2004 bore a similar stripe with a small Lithuanian flag in place of the flag of Europe.
Thailand's vehicle registration plates are issued by the Department of Land Transport (DLT) of the Ministry of Transport. They must be displayed on all motorized road vehicles, as required by the Motor Vehicle Act, B.E. 2522 and the Land Transport Act, B.E. 2522. The plates vary in design, colors and dimensions according to the type of vehicle, but usually display a registration number and the vehicle's province of registration. Specifications are given in Ministry of Transport regulations. Current style started in 1975 for most vehicle types, but with small changes in 1997, and 1997 for motorcycles.
Vehicle registration plates in Northern Ireland use a modified version of the British national registration plate system that was initiated for the whole of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1903. Originally, all counties in the UK were allocated two identification letters. At that time, the whole of Ireland was in the UK, and the letters I and Z were reserved for the Irish counties. The 'I' series was used first, but by the time it came to using the 'Z' series in 1926, the Irish Free State had already come into existence, and so it was agreed that the Northern Ireland would use the AZ – YZ series, while the Free State would use the ZA – ZZ series. In 1987, the Republic of Ireland broke away from the system altogether. As of 2002 there were reportedly 794,477 recorded registration plates in Northern Ireland, compared to only 50 for the island as a whole when the format was first introduced in 1903.
Vehicle registration plates of Canada are issued by an agency of the provincial or territorial governments.
In the United States, the appearance of license plates is frequently chosen to contain symbols, colors, or slogans associated with the issuing jurisdiction, which are the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, the five inhabited U.S. territories, and Native American tribes, each of which independently registers motor vehicles. Regular-issue license plates for passenger vehicles typically have six or seven characters, with vanity plates having up to eight characters in a few states.
Vehicle registration plates are the alphanumeric plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle, and have existed in the United Kingdom since 1904. It is compulsory for motor vehicles used on public roads to display vehicle registration plates, with the exception of vehicles of the reigning monarch used on official business.
Vehicle registration plates are issued by the Driver Vehicle License Authority, the body responsible for vehicle registration in Ghana. The plates indicate the region where the vehicles bearing them were registered. Ghana has no restrictions on the use of number plates in the various regions, for example, a vehicle registered in the Ashanti Region can be used in the Brong-Ahafo Region.
Newall, L.H. A History of Motor Vehicle Registration in the United Kingdom (2008 ed.). Newby Books. ISBN 978-1-872686-32-5.
