Introduction

A license 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). Additionally, most US states follow a "plate to owner" policy, meaning that when a vehicle is sold, the seller removes the current plate(s) from the vehicle and the buyer must either obtain new plates from his state of residence, or attach plates that he already holds from that state, as well as formally registering the vehicle under his name and the plate number, with the state authorities. A decal or transfer is a plastic, cloth or paper substrate that has printed on it a pattern that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water. ...

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 (D) 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 the entire U.S. and are looked down upon in other countries.

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 are 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 or provincial 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. There are also special plates for groups such as Firefighters, Combat wounded soldiers, and state or province-owned vehicles. 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 ... A sample standard-issue California license plate. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about: United States Wikinews has a related story: United States United States government CIA World Factbook Entry for United States House. ... 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 Iron Maiden of Nuremberg was a famous torture device Torture is the infliction of severe physical or psychological pain as an expression of cruelty, a means of intimidation, deterrent or punishment, or as a tool for the extraction of information or confessions. ...

The appearance of plates is frequently chosen to contain symbols, colors, or slogans associated with the issuing jurisdiction. In law, jurisdiction refers to the aspect of a any unique legal authority as being localized within boundaries. ...

When someone moves from one state or province to another, they are normally required to obtain new license plates issued by the new place of residence, even if they have plates issued by the previous state or province. Some US states will even require a person to obtain new plates if a person accepts employment in that state, unless he can show that he returns to another state to live on a regular basis.

In many states, license plates are made by prison inmates [1].

Europe

Main article: European license plates

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 European Union, number plates of a common format are issued throughout (albeit still optional in some member states). ... In the United Kingdom, all motor-powered road vehicles (including cars) have had to carry registration plates (more commonly known as number plates) since 1904. ...

Car registration plates from France, as observed 2004. French registration plate, 2004-04-25,Copyright © Kaihsu Tai File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...	A car registration plate from Germany, as observed 2005. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...	Car registration plate from Sweden Swedish licenseplate Picture from Swedish Wikipedia This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ...	Manx (not in the EU) car registration plate Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Polish plate issued shortly before EU membership Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...	Lithuanian plate issued shortly before EU membership Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

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. Blue PRC licence plates of the 1992 standard (August 2004 image). ... 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 corresponding to a certain city in the province, and five numbers or letters of the alphabet (e.g. Jing A-12345, for a vehicle in Beijing or Ye B-12345 for a vehicle from Shenzhen in Guangdong province). The numbers are produced at random, and are computer-generated at the issuing office.(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. These plates follow the pattern of the provincial character for Guangdong (yuè), the latin letter "Z", 4 letters and/or numbers, ending in the abbreviated character for the territory (e.g. yuè Z-AE54 Gang for Hong Kong) (Black licence plates are handed to vehicles of any size, as long as they are from one of the special administrative regions.)

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 ... In Japan, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the national government issues license plates for motor vehicles through Land Transportation Offices nationwide. ... Japanese writing Kanji 漢字 Kana 仮名 Hiragana 平仮名 Katakana 片仮名 Uses Furigana 振り仮名 Okurigana 送り仮名 Romaji ローマ字 For other meanings of Kana, see Kana (disambiguation). ...

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, IPA:   listen?) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva, and encompassing 1097. ... The Neva river has been called the main street of St Petersburg 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...

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. ... Rio de Janeiro is one of the 26 states of Brazil (plus the Federal District). ...

The size of the Brazilian licence plates is normally 380 x 130 mm, but plates can be made in 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.

Australian plates

Main article: Australian vehicle number plates

In Australia, license plates, usually known as numberplates, are normally issued by the State or Territory government; some are issued by the Commonwealth government. Plates are associated with a vehicle and generally last for its life, though as they become unreadable (or for other reasons) they may be recalled or replaced with newer ones. For a long period of time from the 1970s to the late 1990s, most Australian plates were of the form xxx·xxx (with the x either letters or numbers), typically aaa·nnn as in Victoria or New South Wales. More recently as these series have reached the end of their lives, different States have chosen different continuations, so the commonality with respect to format is at an end. Nevertheless, most plates are the same size for a given vehicle, so there remains a consistency about them. Australian vehicle number plates are issued by the states, territories, and also the Commonwealth government and the armed forces. ... Australia, having a federal system of government, is divided into states and territories. ... Wikinews has a related story: Australia Australian Governments Entry Portal Australia Photos Commonwealth Government Online Department of Immigration DFAT: Country Information Google Maps satellite photo of Australia National Library of Australia National Museum of Australia Categories: Australia | Continents | Island nations | Members of the Commonwealth of Nations | Monarchies | Oceanic countries ...

Plates tend to bear the State or territory name and a state motto in the bottom of the plate. Recent issues of plates (since the 1990s) also often use the State's colors and may include some imagery related to the state (such as the State's logo as the dot separating the groups of numbers).

Vanity and specialty plates

See also: North American Vanity and specialty plates

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

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. A sample standard-issue California license plate. ... 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. ... A vanity plate (US), prestige plate, personalised registration (UK) or personalised plate (Australia) is a special type of number plate (license plate in America), on an automobile or other vehicle. ... Profanity is a word choice or usage which many consider to be offensive. ... Obscenity has several connotations. ...

In the US and Canada, 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. Some jurisdictions allow for these special plates to also be vanity plates, usually for an additional fee on top of the cost of the plate.

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 (D) Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has more media related to:

License plate

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Austrian car number plates are license plates found on Austrian cars. ... Australian vehicle 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, all motor-powered road vehicles (including cars) have had to carry registration plates (more commonly known as number plates) since 1904. ... Blue PRC licence plates of the 1992 standard (August 2004 image). ... 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. ... Introduction Hong Kong car numbers are known as vehicle registration marks. ... Convention The conventions of vehicle license plate usage in Indonesia are a legacy of the Dutch occupation era. ... An Irish number plate for a car registered in 2001 in County Dublin 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. ... 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 Polish 2000 series car plates has black letters on white background. ... 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. ... A sample standard-issue California license plate. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... 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. ... ‹The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... 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. ... Vehicle identification numbers (VINs) are used to uniquely identify motor vehicles. ...

External links

• License Plates Drawings
• Photographs taken by Olav Arne Brekke of license plates from around the world
• Automobile License Plate Collectors Association
• License Plates of the World
• Licence Plate Mania
• U.S. License Plates 1969-Present
• License Plates collector's portal
• License Plate Maker
• Information on Alaska License Plates
• Pennsylvania License Plates
• California License Plates
• Information on Animal/Pet Friendly Plate Programs in the USA