A license plate, licence plate, number plate or registration plate (often referred to simply as a plate, or colloquially tag) is a small metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle for official identification purposes. On many vehicles, they appear in pairs, with one attached to the front and another attached to the rear, although certain jurisdictions and vehicle types only require one plate—usually the rear. The plate has a serial number on it which is the same on all plates attached to the vehicle, the purpose of which is to identify the vehicle uniquely from others on roads, usually within the same country. Having a current license plate change usually is evidence of a vehicle being licensed for use on a public highway, or of a tax having been paid in connection with the vehicle. A license or licence is a document or agreement giving permission to do something. ... A serial number is a unique number applied to a product example, as opposed to a model number or type number. ... This page is related to transport; you may be looking for the 2002 Bollywood movie Road. ... A country, a land, or a state, is a geographical area that connotes an independent political entity, with its own government, administration, laws, often a constitution, police, military, tax rules, and population, who are one anothers countrymen. ... Mitchell Freeway in Perth, Western Australia For other uses, see Highway (disambiguation). ... A tax is an involuntary fee paid by individuals or businesses to a state, or to functional equivalents of a state, including tribes, secessionist movements or revolutionary movements. ...

In some countries, such as in the United Kingdom, a vehicle usually only has one set of plates (known as number plates) following its initial sale as the information displayed on the plates is static from then on throughout the vehicle's life. In other countries, such as in the United States, plates (known as license plates) are required to be changed periodically (though, for cost-saving purposes, the recent tendency has been to simply replace a small decal on the plate's surface).

Plates usually are either directly fixed to a vehicle, or may be located in a plate frame which is itself fixed to the vehicle . Sometimes the plate frames contain advertisements inserted by the vehicle service centre or the dealership from which the vehicle was purchased. Vehicle owners can purchase customized and specialty frames to replace the original frames. In some U.S. states, such as New Jersey license plate frames are illegal. Usually plates are designed to conform to certain standards of clarity with regards to being read by the human eye in day or at night, or by electronic equipment. State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (acting) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ...

Some drivers purchase smoke-colored or tinted covers that go over the license plate, usually to prevent such electronic equipment from scanning the license plate number. Although useful to those avoiding detection from police, these covers are not legal in all U.S. states and are looked down upon in others.

License plates have been around almost as long as automobiles. In the U.S., where each state oversees plates, New York state has required plates since 1901. Massachusetts was the first state to require government-issued plates, in 1903. State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th)  - Land 20,317 km²  - Water 7,043 km² (25. ...

In most countries, license plates are issued by an agency of the national government, except in Canada, Mexico, Australia, Germany, and the United States, where they issued by provincial, territorial, or state governments. Province is a name for a secondary, or subnational entity of government in most countries. ... A territory is a defined area (including land and waters), usually considered to be a possession of an animal, person, organization, or institution. ... A state is an organized political community occupying a definite territory, having an organized government, and possessing internal and external sovereignty. ...

US and Canada

A sample standard-issue California license plate.

Main article: US and Canadian license plates

In the US and Canada, license plates are issued by each state government. In the U.S., some Native American tribes also have their own plates. The federal government issues plates only for its own vehicle fleet and for vehicles owned by foreign diplomats. Official sample license plate from California File links The following pages link to this file: License plate Categories: California government images ... Official sample license plate from California File links The following pages link to this file: License plate Categories: California government images ... Wikiquote quotations related to: United States Wikinews has news related to this article: United States United States government Official website of the United States government - Gateway to governmental sites White House - Official site of the US President Senate. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, Amerindians, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... The U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1789 by a constitutional convention, sets down the basic framework of American government in its seven articles. ...

The appearance of plates is frequently chosen to contain symbols, colors, or slogans associated with the issuing jurisdiction.
The term jurisdiction has more than one sense. ...

Europe

In the European Union, number plates of a common format are issued throughout (albeit still optional in some member states). Nevertheless, individual member states use differing numbering schemes, and even colors (e.g. the United Kingdom and France have yellow plates at the rear; see British car number plates). The common design consists of a blue strip on the left of the plate. This blue strip has the E.U. motif (12 yellow stars), along with the country code of the member state in which the vehicle was registered. With this vehicles do not require international code stickers for traveling between member states. In the United Kingdom, cars and other motor powered road vehicles have had to carry a license plate (or in British English, a number plate) since 1904. ...

People's Republic of China

Main article: Mainland Chinese licence plates

Blue PRC licence plates of the 1992 standard (August 2004 image)

The People's Republic of China issues vehicles licence plates at its Vehicle Management Offices, under the administration of the Ministry of Public Security. PRC Blue Licence Plate. ... PRC Blue Licence Plate. ...

The current plates are of the 1992 standard, which consist of the one-character provincial abbreviation, a letter of the Latin alphabet, and five numbers or letters of the alphabet (e.g. Jing A-12345, for a vehicle in Beijing). The number order is produced at random; i.e. Jing A-12345 will not be issued before Jing A-12344. A computer handles the randomization. (A previous licence plate system, with a green background and the full name of the province in Chinese characters, actually had a sequential numbering order, and the numbering system was eventually beset with corruption.) The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world. ... Beijing  listen (Chinese: 北京; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Pei-ching; ; Postal System Pinyin: Peking), is the capital city of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ...

Yellow plates are issued for large vehicles of Chinese nationality. Blue plates, the most common sort, are issued for vehicles of Chinese nationality, which are small or compact in size. Black plates are issued for vehicles belonging to foreigners and persons from Hong Kong and Macao. (Black licence plates are handed to vehicles of any size, as long as they are of foreign nationality.)

Japan

Japanese License Plate (Schematic illustration)

Main article: Japanese license plates

License plates in Japan are either white with green text, or the reverse. The top line names the office at which the vehicle is registered, and includes a numeric code that indicates the class of vehicle. The bottom contains one symbol (typically a kana), and up to four digits.
License Plate (Japan) illustration File links The following pages link to this file: License plate Japanese license plates Categories: GFDL images ... License Plate (Japan) illustration File links The following pages link to this file: License plate Japanese license plates Categories: GFDL images ... Drawing of a Japanese License Plate In Japan, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the national government issues license plates for motor vehicles through Land Transportation Offices nationwide. ... Kana is a general term for two types of syllabic Japanese script: hiragana (ひらがな) and katakana (カタカナ). ...

Russian Federation

Russian registration plate, as observed in 2004

In Russia, the plate format has changed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The current format uses a letter followed by 3 digits and two more letters. To improve legibility of the numbers for Russian cars abroad, only a small subset of Cyrillic characters that look like Latin characters are used. Finally, the region number (77 and 99 for Moscow, 78 for Saint-Petersburg) and letters "RUS" are included, as well as the national flag. There is a different format for trailers (4 digits and 2 letters). Russian license plate (St. ... Russian license plate (St. ... The Cyrillic alphabet (or azbuka, from the old name of the first letters) is an alphabet used to write six natural Slavic languages (Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian) and many other languages of the former Soviet Union, Asia and Eastern Europe. ... Saint Basils Cathedral Moscow (Russian/Cyrillic: Москва́, pronunciation: Maskvá  listen) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 1097. ... Saint Petersburg  listen (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of...

Some regions (inside the Federation) are not required to have the flag on the licence plates.

Police forces have special numbers on blue colored plates. There are special series (usually numbers starting with A) reserved for government officials (for example, A 001 AA usually belongs to the governor of the region). These numbers have a larger flag instead of the region number. A governor is also a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ...

Rich businessmen, prominent politicians and crime lords often use illegally acquired special licence plates (government or police) to get preferential treatment from the transport police and as a status symbol.

Federative Republic of Brazil

Brazil adopted its current system in 1990, which uses the form ABC 1234, with a dot between letters and numbers. A combination given to one vehicle cannot be transferred to another vehicle. Above the combination, there is a metallic band with the state abbreviation (SP = São Paulo, RJ = Rio de Janeiro, PR = Paraná, etc.) and the name of the municipality. This band can be changed by changing the seal (plastic or lead-made). Landmark buildings Edifício Italia (at left) and Copan (curved façade at center), in São Paulo Downtown. ... Ipanema beach A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. ...

The size of the Brazilian licence plates is normally 380 x 130 mm, but plates can be made with the Japanese size or the European size. The Brazilian Licence Plates use colors to show their type, and front and rear plates use the same color: black on gray: Particular white on red: any kind of paid transportation (buses, cabs, etc.) red on white: driver's school (auto-escola in Brazil). black on white: official use (government, police department, fire department, federal, state or city-owned for public services). gray on black: collection (30-years vehicles or more with an excellent conservation and plus than 80% of originality. white on green: dealer-testing or in some cases, test-drive (most of test-drive cars use black on gray plates). white on blue: constructor-testing or diplomatic use (in this case, using CD 1234 or CC 1234).

The letters of the plate can describe its state of origin. Vehicles can be relocated from one state to another, but their plate's combination will show the origin.

AAA-0000 to BEZ-0000 = PR = PARANÁ; BFA-0000 to GKI-0000 = SP = SÃO PAULO; GKI-0000 to HOL-0000 = MG = MINAS GERAIS; and so on.

Vanity and specialty plates

In some countries, people can pay extra and get vanity plates: licence plates with a custom number (character set). For example, a vanity license plate might read "MY TOY". Generally vanity plates are not allowed to have profane or obscene messages on them, and of course they must also be unique. Profanity is a word choice or usage which many consider to be offensive. ... Obscenity has several connotations. ...

Idaho bluebird plate, one of more than 30 specialty plates in that state

In some jurisdictions, vehicle owners may also pay extra for specialty plates: with these, the sequence of letters and numbers is chosen by the licensing agency—as with regular plates—but the owners select a plate design that is different from the normal licence plate. For example, a former soldier who became a prisoner of war might choose a special POW plate, an alumnus or student of an area university might get a plate with the school's logo, or an outdoorsman might decide to pay extra for a plate depicting a nature scene. A portion of the extra cost of these license plates often ends up as a donation for a related school or non-profit organization. Some states where stock car racing is popular issue special NASCAR-themed plates; a NASCAR fan can purchase a plate with the name and car number of his or her favorite driver, along with the state-issued alphanumeric sequence. Here, a portion of the extra cost goes to NASCAR as compensation for licensing its trademarks. Normally such specialty plates can be purchased without proof of any particular status or affiliation, the obvious exceptions being plates which indicate membership or abilities of use in an emergency (firemen, police, EMT, etc, etc). Also, some states require that the university plates be ordered through alumni associations. All U.S. states and Canadian provinces offer specialized license plates for licensed amateur radio operators. The owner's radio callsign is used instead of a standard license assignment. This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... State nickname: Gem State Other U.S. States Capital Boise Largest city Boise Governor Dirk Kempthorne Official languages none Area 216,632 km² (14th)  - Land 214,499 km²  - Water 2,133 km² (0. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... An alumn (with a silent n), alum, alumnus, or alumna is a former student of a college, university, or school. ... Etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stŭdērĕ, which means to direct ones zeal at; hence a student is one who directs zeal at a subject. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees. ... A donation is to give a fund or cause or such donated gift usually for charitable reasons. ... This article is about the sport of stock car racing. ... Drivers practice for the 2004 Daytona 500 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. ... Fire exercise aboard the frigate La Motte-Picquet. ... An emergency medical technician (EMT) is an emergency responder trained to provide emergency medical services (EMS) to the critically ill and injured. ... Amateur radio, commonly called ham radio, is a hobby enjoyed by many people throughout the world (as of 2004 about 3 million worldwide, 60,000 in UK, 70,000 in Germany, 5,000 in Norway, 57,000 in Canada, and 700,000 in the USA). ... In broadcasting and radio communication, a callsign or call sign (also call letters) is a unique designation for a transmitting station. ...

A sample Pennsylvania railroad heritage plate.

In California, it is possible to have certain symbols on a vanity plate. The available symbols are a heart, hand, or star. Sample Pennsylvania optional railroad license plate. ... Sample Pennsylvania optional railroad license plate. ... State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd)  - Land 116,074 km²  - Water 3,208 km² (2. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ...

In New Jersey, people convicted of drunk driving are banned from using vanity plates, while in Ohio they are given special plates which are yellow and red in colour as sort of a Scarlet Letter. State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (acting) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ... Drunk driving (drink driving in the UK) or drinking and driving is the act of operating a motor vehicle after having consumed alcohol (i. ... State nickname: The Buckeye State Other U.S. States Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Governor Bob Taft Official languages None Area 116,096 km² (34th)  - Land 106,154 km²  - Water 10,044 km² (8. ... Salem Custom House The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850, is a classic American novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and is generally considered to be his masterpiece. ...

Even the railroad railfan has a custom tag to denote either a locomotive model or road number. In the U.S. state of Georgia (where the number of letters/numbers was recently extended from six to seven), the & cannot be used, so if a railfan wanted a plate number with the & (IE: B&O GM50); the railfan would have to order it as shown: BO GM50. Some states also have separate locomotive licence tags. Railfans practicing their hobby at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. ... Great Western Railway No. ...

Professional and Governmental Licence Plates

A 2001 New York City Press plate.

A New Jersey state government license plate.

In the United States many states, such as New York and New Jersey, issue license plates to members of certain professions who require some sort of special privileges, such as parking or going behind police lines. Examples include plates for members of the press, doctors, nurses, EMTs, paramedics, volunteer firemen, judges, medical examiners, and elected officials. A New York State Empire licence plate issued to members of the press in New York City, circa 2001. ... A New York State Empire licence plate issued to members of the press in New York City, circa 2001. ... An undated New Jersey state government license plate circa late 1990s. ... An undated New Jersey state government license plate circa late 1990s. ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (acting) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ... An emergency medical technician (EMT) is an emergency responder trained to provide emergency medical services (EMS) to the critically ill and injured. ... Typical view of the defibrillator operator. ...

In the United States, all states issue some special sort of license plate for vehicles which are owned by state and local governments and the Federal government issues plates for vehicles owned by it. For the most part, the plates look close to the regular passenger plates something like with "official", "state government", or "municipal" replacing the slogan. Some states use a distinctive colour scheme to differentiate the plates from the regular issue.

In New York State, local police vehicles are not issued license plates. In some cases, such as New York City the fleet number of the vehicle is put on a flat license plate using heat transfered letters. In Yonkers there is a special plate that looks similar to the specialized optional plates with the Yonkers Police logo and the fleet number. Other communities in the state have a license plate that looks like the regular issue vanity plate, but with the word "POLICE" on it. State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... City nickname: The Big Apple Location in the state of New York Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg Area  - Land  - Water 1,214. ... Yonkers, just north of New York City in Westchester County, is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of New York, with a population of 196,086 (according to the 2000 census). ...

Novelty licence plates

There also exist novelty licence plates, often sold in gift or novelty shops. Similar to vanity plates, these novelties are printed with an individual's name, but unlike vanity plates they are not intended for legal identification of an automobile. They can be displayed in the rear window, for example, or on the front of vehicles registered in jurisdictions that only require a valid plate on the rear of the vehicle. This page is about gifts in the common English-language sense. ... Novelty is the quality of being new. ...

International codes

On the international level the licence plates of different countries are distinguished by a supplementary licence plate country code. This country designator is displayed in bold block uppercase on a small white oval plate or sticker on the rear of the vehicle near the number plate.

The allocation of codes in maintained by the United Nations as the Distinguishing Signs of Vehicles in International Traffic, being authorized by the UN's 1949 and 1968 Conventions on Road Traffic. Many, but far from all, vehicle codes created since the adoption of ISO 3166 coincide with either the ISO two or three letter codes. The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... 1949 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... ISO 3166 is a three-part geographic coding standard for coding the names of countries and dependent areas, and the principal subdivisions thereof. ...

For a full list of licence plate country codes, see List of international license plate codes. This is a list of international license plate codes: Note: There are other, unofficial codes in common use, such as CYM for Wales and VL for Flanders. ...

Imitation International codes

In Canada and the United States, where the international oval is not officially used, putting one on a car is purely a matter of personal discretion. This has given rise to a tourist-driven industry of imitation international code stickers. For example, the island of Martha's Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts has MV, while the Outer Banks region of North Carolina uses OBX. Stickers of this sort are usually visibly different from any real international code sticker, but some places sell what could appear to be real stickers, touting that the abbreviation refers to their venue. A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ... Marthas Vineyard is roughly triangular in shape, and is approximately 30 kilometers in length. ... State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th)  - Land 20,317 km²  - Water 7,043 km² (25. ... North Carolinas Outer Banks separating the Atlantic Ocean (east) from Albemarle Sound (north) and Pamlico Sound (south). ... State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ...

See also

File links The following pages link to this file: Abu Dhabi Abraham Lincoln Australia Adolf Hitler Animation Andorra Alaska Anatomy Asia Albert Einstein Asterales Automobile Aircraft Alexander Graham Bell Apple Computer American Civil War Ancient Egypt Asteraceae Alps Arches National Park Aarhus Almond Caesar Augustus Acacia Acropolis Acupuncture Amaranth Alexander... The Wikimedia Commons is (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Austrian car number plates are license plates found on Austrian cars. ... Australian car number plates are issued by the states, territories, and also the Commonwealth government and the armed forces. ... Number plates in Belgium are driver specific. ... In the United Kingdom, cars and other motor powered road vehicles have had to carry a license plate (or in British English, a number plate) since 1904. ... The standard license plates in Croatia consist of two-letter city code which is separated by the countrys coat of arms from three or four numbers and one or two letters. ... Diplomatic License Plates are issued by the United States Department of State to approved diplomats. ... Dutch vehicle registrations are done by the Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer, short RDW. The accompanying license plates are assigned to the cars identity papers. ... German car number plates show the place where the car carrying them is registered. ... Greek car number plates are composed of three letters and four digits per plate (f. ... Convention The conventions of vehicle license plate usage in Indonesia are a legacy of the Dutch occupation era. ... an Irish number plate Number plates in the Republic of Ireland conform to the European standard, with a blue band, 12 stars of the European flag and country identifier. ... Drawing of a Japanese License Plate In Japan, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the national government issues license plates for motor vehicles through Land Transportation Offices nationwide. ... Polish car number plates since May 1, 2000 ... On the Romanian License plates we find on the left side a blue strip with the Flag of Romania and the country code of Romania (RO), then the county code and a combination of two digits and three letters. ... Turkish car number plates are license plates found on Turkish vehicles. ... The seal of the ALPCA The ALPCA is the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the largest such organization in the United States. ... The system must be able to deal with different styles of licence plates Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) is a mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition on images to read the licence plates on vehicles. ... This is a list of license plate numbers appearing in various works of fiction. ... Vehicle identification numbers (VINs) are used to uniquely identify motor vehicles. ...

External links

• License Plates Drawings (http://es.geocities.com/espanyoldebarna/matrixculas.htm)
• Photographs taken by Olav Arne Brekke of license plates from around the world (http://www.olavsplates.com/)
• Automobile License Plate Collectors Association (http://www.alpca.org/)
• License Plates of the World (http://www.worldlicenseplates.com/)
• Licence Plate Mania (http://www.licenseplatemania.com/)
• U.S. License Plates 1969-Present (http://www.15q.net/)
• License Plates collector's portal (http://www.licenseplates.cc/)
• License Plate Maker (http://www.acme.com/licensemaker/)
• Information on Alaska License Plates (http://www.alaska.net/~royce/akplates/)
• Pennsylvania License Plates (http://fp.enter.net/~kgoodhead/john.htm)
• Information on Animal/Pet Friendly Plate Programs in the USA (http://www.palc.org/petprojects/animalfriendly.html)