Ethiopia license plates

Format, region codes and a plate generator for Ethiopia.

Could not load the generator. Please reload the page.

Custom text: real plates never carry this combination.

This image is not a license plate: it must not be fitted to a vehicle and does not mean the combination is available.

How to read the plate

Region code

Part of the number that shows the region.

Series and number

Letters and digits — the registration itself.

County

The first characters are the code of the county where the car is registered: The county where the car is registered is shown separately on the plate:

The old-pattern Ethiopian plate has two lines. Top left, a coloured disc holds the vehicle-type digit (1 taxi, 2 private, 3 commercial, 4 government, 5 religious and non-governmental organisations); top right is the region abbreviation in two Ge'ez characters: አአ for Addis Ababa, ኦሮ for Oromia. Below are five or six digits. On the single-line plates of the 2000s the region was repeated in Latin letters (1 AA 123456). Since 11 June 2026 new national plates marked ETH / ኢት, with no region code, have been issued.

Region codes

12 regions

Region	Code
Addis AbabaRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	AA
AfarRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	AF
AmharaRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	AM
Benishangul-GumuzRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	BG
Dire DawaRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	DD
GambelaRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	GM
HarariRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	HR
OromiaRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	OR
SidamaRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	SD
Somali RegionRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	SM
Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' RegionThe region was abolished: in 2020–2023 it was split into Sidama, South West, South and Central Ethiopia. The code survives only on old plates.	SP
TigrayRegion code on old-pattern plates. Since 11 June 2026 new plates carry no region (ETH), but old ones stay in use; outside Addis Ababa regional plates may still be issued during the transition.	TG

History

In 1937–1941, under Italian East Africa, provinces were marked by Latin letters: AA for Addis Ababa, AM for Amhara, HA for Harar, SC for Shewa. In the 1950s Addis Ababa issued plates of the form AB 12345. The regional system with Ge'ez codes was used from roughly the 2000s until 2026; under directive 1050/2025 it was replaced by national ETH plates from 11 June 2026, while old plates remain valid — no replacement deadline has been announced.