…
Nothing found
United Kingdom license plates
Format, region codes and a plate generator for United Kingdom.
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
Letters at the start of the number.
Series and number
Letters and digits — the registration itself.
A current British plate looks like BD51 SMR. The first two letters are the memory tag: the first stands for a broad region (A Anglia, B Birmingham, C Cymru, i.e. Wales, … Y Yorkshire), the second for a local DVLA office. The two digits show the age: plates issued in March carry the year (26), those issued in September the year plus 50 (76); the last three letters are random. Front plates are white, rear plates yellow. Northern Ireland has its own ABC 1234 format, where the last two letters are a county or town code that always contains I or Z.
Region map
Click a region to see its codes.
Could not load the map.
Region codes
123 regions| Region | Code |
|---|---|
| Peterborough (Anglia) | |
| Norwich (Anglia) | |
| Ipswich (Anglia) | |
| Belfast | |
| Birmingham | |
| County Down | |
| Cardiff (Wales) | |
| Swansea (Wales) | |
| Bangor (Wales) | |
| Chester (Deeside to Shrewsbury) | |
| Shrewsbury (Deeside to Shrewsbury) | |
| County Antrim | |
| Chelmsford (Essex) | |
| Nottingham (Forest and Fens) | |
| Lincoln (Forest and Fens) | |
| Maidstone (Garden of England) | |
| Brighton (Garden of England) | |
| Bournemouth (Hampshire and Dorset) | |
| Portsmouth (Hampshire and Dorset) | |
| Isle of Wight (Hampshire and Dorset) | |
| County Tyrone | |
| County Armagh | |
| County Fermanagh | |
| County Londonderry | |
| Borehamwood (K) | |
| Northampton (K) | |
| Wimbledon (London) | |
| Borehamwood (London) | |
| Sidcup (London) | |
| Manchester (Manchester and Merseyside) | |
| Newcastle (North) | |
| Stockton-on-Tees (North) | |
| Oxford | |
| Preston | |
| Carlisle (Preston) | |
| Reading | |
| Glasgow (Scotland) | |
| Edinburgh (Scotland) | |
| Dundee (Scotland) | |
| Aberdeen (Scotland) | |
| Inverness (Scotland) | |
| Downpatrick | |
| Derry (city) | |
| Ballymena | |
| Worcester (Severn Valley) | |
| Exeter (West of England) | |
| Truro (West of England) | |
| Bristol (West of England) | |
| Armagh (city) | |
| Leeds (Yorkshire) | |
| Sheffield (Yorkshire) | |
| Beverley (Yorkshire) | |
| London (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Bournemouth (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Worcester (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Coventry (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Gloucester (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Bristol (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Truro (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Hull (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Norwich (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Middlesbrough (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Sheffield (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Nottingham (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Reading (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Carlisle (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Brighton (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Chelmsford (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Inverness (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Peterborough (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Shrewsbury (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Cardiff (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Lancashire (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Manchester (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Newcastle upon Tyne (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Northampton (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Lincoln (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Liverpool (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Luton (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Ipswich (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Portsmouth (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Leeds (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Preston (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Oxford (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Swansea (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| London North-West (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Yorkshire (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Chester (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Bangor (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Plymouth (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Huddersfield (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Glasgow (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Kent (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Birmingham (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Dudley (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Exeter (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Staffordshire (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Aberystwyth (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Dundee (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Essex (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Canterbury (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Hereford (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Edinburgh (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| London South-West (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| London South-East (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Middlesex (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| London Central (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Durham (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Maidstone (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Glamorgan (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Cheshire (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| London North-East (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Isle of Man (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Surrey (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Aberdeen (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Derbyshire (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Kinross-shire (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Midlothian (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Devon (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Lanarkshire (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Northumberland (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Paisley (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. | |
| Somerset (codes before 2001) Code of the 1903–2001 system: it stood for a county or borough council, and from 1974 for a local DVLA office. The name gives the last office; the code's full history is in the local name. It is no longer issued with this meaning. |
History
The current format was introduced on 1 September 2001. From 1903 plates carried a two-letter code of a county or borough council, and from 1974 of a local DVLA office; it formed the last two letters in the formats AB 1234, ABC 123, ABC 123D (1963–1983) and A123 BCD (1983–2001). Plates stay with the vehicle, so old ones are still seen. The local DVLA offices closed in 2013, but memory tags are still issued by the old allocation — usually by the dealer's location rather than the owner's.
