Present Italian car number plates have black characters on a rectangular white background, with small blue side-fields on the right and left (see European vehicle registration plates). The current numbering scheme, in use from 1994, is unrelated with the geographical provenience of the car. Many member states of the European Union issue vehicle registration plates based on a common EU format. ...

History

1903-1905

The very first Italian number plates gave the unabbreviated name of the place of origin, followed by a number, as GENOVA 83.

1905-1927

Plate was white. The registration number was a numeric code (in red), different for each province, and a progressive number, unique for that province (in black). E.g. 63 – 2993, where 63 is the code for Turin. Turin (It. ...

1927-1976

Plate was black with white digits. Rear plate was 25 x 17.5 cm, front plate was 26.2 x 5.7 cm. The registration number was the provincial designator, which is a two-letter code (exception: Rome's code is Roma), and a progressive code, unique for that province, up to 6 characters long.

From 1927 to 1932, the progressive code was before the provincial designator. Then, the progressive code was before the provincial designator in front plates and after it in rear plates.

The progressive code for the first 999999 cars of the provinces was just a progressive number, sometimes filled with initial zeroes (the rules for that changed during the years). For cars from 1000000, it was A00000-A99999, B00000-B99999 etc. Possible letters were, in this order, ABDEFGHJKLMNPRSTUVZXYW. After that, it was 00000A-99999A, 00000D-99999D etc. Possible letters were, in this order, ADEFGHJLMNPRSTVWXYZ. Then, the letter was moved to the second position, then to third (same range as in last position).

1976-1985

Front plate was identical as in the period 1927-1976. Rear plate, instead, came in three pieces. One, size 10,7x33 cm, black with white digits, contains the progressive code and, very small, the provincial designator (RM only for Rome). The other two were black with orange letters, and contained the provincial designator. One was 10,7x33 cm, the other one was 10,7x20 cm. Only one of the latter two was used: for a long plate, the small province code piece is put left of the progressive code, for a roughly square plate, the big province code piece is put above the progressive code.

1985-1994

Plates become white with black digits. Front plate becomes larger (32.5 x 10.7 cm) and the progressive code on it is moved after the provincial designator, as it was already for rear plates.

1994-present

An entirely new numeration system was introduced which omitted any explicit reference to the place of origin. A simple alpha-numeric serial code takes the form AA 999 AA. Here ‘A’ can be any letter of the Roman alphabet except I, O, Q, U and is treated as a base-22 digit; ‘9’ can be any decimal digit. e.g. AX 848 LK. The three-digit number changes first, then the letters from right to left. So, first plate is AA 000 AA, followed by AA 001 AA...AA 999 AA, then AA 000 AB etc. The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world today. ... The radix (Latin for root), also called base, is the number of various unique symbols (or digits or numerals) a positional numeral system uses to represent numbers. ...

Rear plates are no more in two pieces. Instead, a square plate can be chosen instead of the ordinary long one. If the rear plate is square, the numbering scheme starts from ZA 000 AA.

In 1999, the plates were redesigned. The digits are thicker. The last decimal digit is now very close to the third letter. The standard European blue band has been added on the left side, with the European flag motif (12 yellow stars) and the country code I. Another blue band was added, on the right side, bearing a yellow circle with the year of registration. Optionally, the provincial code can also be present on the right band. This is because the suppression of the two-letter provincial codes proved extremely unpopular. But, unlike before, it is not part of the registration number, which is unique for the whole nation.

Lists of provincial designators

List of provincial designators from 1927 until present day

These abbreviations for the names of provinces are extensively used in contexts other than vehicle registration. ‘Trino (VC)’, to indicate a place called Trino in the Province of Vercelli, could appear in a postal address or in a guide book. The abbreviations even count as valid words in Scarabeo, the Italian version of the board game Scrabble. Country Italy Region Piedmont Province Province of Vercelli (VC) Mayor Elevation 120 m Area 70. ... Vercelli (It. ... Scrabble is a popular word game and board game in which 2-4 players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a 15×15 game board. ...

Sometimes, the code RM is used for Roma, in postal addresses or documents.

List of abandoned provincial designators (post-1927)

List of provincial designators from 1905 to 1927

Notes

1. ↑ The use of alphabetical codes for number plates started in Italy on 28 February 1927, as prescribed by the Circolare del Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici n. 3361 (from R.D.I. 13.3.1927 n.314 and the law 29.12.1927 n.2730) which inaugurated a new highway code..

February 28 is the 59th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

External links

• Plates in Rome provides detailed coverage of Italian number plates from 1903 onwards.