License Plate Format by Country

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• Australia: AAA-000 or AAA-00A

  Format varies by state/territory. Typically 3 letters + 3 digits or similar alphanumeric mix. Examples: ABC-123, DEF-12A

• Brazil: AAA-0000 or AAA-0A00

  Three letters + four digits (old) or Mercosul format with one letter in position 5 (new). Examples: ABC-1234, ABC-1D23

• Canada: AAA-000 or AA-0000

  Format varies by province. Usually 6–7 characters mixing letters and digits. Examples: ABCD 123, ABC-1234

• China: A·BCDEG

  Province letter + city code letter + 5 alphanumeric chars. Electric vehicles may use green plates. Examples: 京A·12345, 沪B·CD789

• France: AB-123-CD

  Two letters, three digits, two letters. National format since 2009. No regional coding. Examples: AB-123-CD, GH-456-IJ

• Germany: AA-BB-1234

  City/district code (1–3 letters), identifier letters (1–2), digits (1–4). Up to 8 chars total. Examples: B-AB-1234, M-XY-789

• India: AA-00-AA-0000

  State code (2 letters), RTO code (2 digits), series (2 letters), number (4 digits). Examples: MH-01-AB-1234, DL-3C-AB-0001

• Italy: AB 000 CD

  Two letters, three digits, two letters. No regional prefix since 1994. Examples: AB 123 CD, GH 456 IJ

• Japan: 00 A 00-00

  Prefecture number, classification kana, serial number. Characters are large and clearly spaced. Examples: 品川 500 あ 12-34

• Mexico: AAA-00-00

  Format varies by state. Typically 3 letters + 4 digits. Mexico City uses 3 letters + 3 digits. Examples: ABC-12-34, XYZ-567

• Netherlands: AA-00-AA

  Sidecodes with alternating letter and digit groups. Currently in 6th sidecode series. Examples: AB-12-CD, GH-56-IJ

• Poland: AA 00000 or AA 0000A

  County code (2 letters) + up to 5 alphanumeric characters. Examples: WA 12345, KR 1234B

• Russia: A000AA-00

  One letter, three digits, two letters, region code (2–3 digits). Cyrillic-like Latin letters used. Examples: А123ВС 77, В456НО 50

• South Korea: 00가 0000

  Two digits, Hangul character, four digits. New format adds a third leading digit. Examples: 12가 3456, 123나 4567

• Spain: 0000 AAA

  Four digits followed by three letters. No regional coding in national plates. Examples: 1234 ABC, 5678 XYZ

• Sweden: AAA 000 or AAA 00A

  Three letters and three digits (or two digits + letter). Format since 2001. Examples: ABC 123, DEF 12A

• Switzerland: AA 000000

  Two-letter canton code, up to 6 digits. No letters after the canton code. Examples: ZH 123456, BE 78901

• Turkey: 00 AAA 000

  Province code (2 digits), 1–3 letters, 2–4 digits. Total 5–8 chars. Examples: 34 ABC 123, 06 XY 1234

• United Kingdom: AB12 ABC

  Two letters (area), two digits (year), three letters (random). Rear plates are yellow; front plates are white. Examples: AB12 CDE, LK23 XYZ

• United States: AA-000-AA or 000-AAA

  Formats vary by state. Typically 6–7 alphanumeric characters. Issued by each state individually. Examples: ABC-1234, 1ABC234, 123-ABC

How to use

1. Type a country name in the search box to filter the results.
2. Each card shows the plate format, description, and example plates.
3. Click a card to copy the format string to your clipboard.

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More guides

• UK License Plate Format Guide
• European License Plate Formats
• US License Plate Formats by State