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REGISTRATION NOTES 819-OJ-132 REGISTRATION NOTES
have TRANSANTIAGIO across the bottom. Normal series plates have exhausted this format and now adopted a
two letters, two letters, two numerals format. It is presumed that other vehicles will also change.
New plates have been introduced in Cyprus for antique vehicles. What actually qualifies for these is not yet
known, but the plates are silver on black with three numerals and one letter.
In Malta open-top buses now have plates in the xOY series (O for open top and Y for psv, the first letter denoting
the month of expiry).
In Ecuador the current series of plates appears to have been exhausted in Pinchinta which has now adopted
three letter and four numerals (previously three numerals), but otherwise unchanged. The plates have been
enlarged to accomodate the extra character. So far these have only been seen in black on white, the colours
used for private cars.
Moldova has adopted a hard line attitude to the breakaway region of Transdnistra and the authorities are seizing
the Transdnistra plates off any car which enters Moldova. Most plates have the Transdnistra flag followed by a
vertical line, an area code letter, three numerals and two letters. It has now been established that the code letters
are: A = Bendery, T = Tiraspol, C = Slobodzeya, B = Grigoriopol, E = Dubossary, P = Rybnitsa and K = Kamenka.
In the United States new diplomatic plates are being introduced and will replace the former series in the next few
months. The plates have a red band across the top with DIPLOMAT or CONSUL whilst the registration of three
letters and four numerals (or the reverse) is in black on light blue, still coded as the former series.
Jordan has new plates with two numerals, a decimal point and up to five numerals. The first of the two numerals
are a vehicle code with 1 for private vehicles, 3 for people carriers, 4 for light utility vehicles, 5 for taxis and 7 for
rental cars. Most of the plate is black on white but on the left is a band with the country name in Arabic above
JORDAN. The band varies with the vehicle type: black on white = private, white on green = taxis, yellow on green
= rental.
Although not known for its buses, the Maldives plates introduced in 2003 are now understood. On the upper
line, in a smaller size, are one letter (an island code), a letter and a numeral (a vehicle code: B1 = private cars)
and a serial letter. On the lower line is a vehicle type letter and four numerals. The vehicle type letters and the
colours of the plates are: P = private vehicle (white on black); T = taxi (black on yellow), C = company (white on
black), S = national security service (white on black), G = government (white on black) and D = diplomatic (white
on blue). Why such a small country should require such a complex system of vehicle registration remains a
mystery!
Uzbekistan has introduced new plates but as yet no photographic evidence is available. Plates for private
vehicles are black on white with a two digit area code (in a smaller size), one letter, three numerals and two
letters followed by the national flag above UZ. Commercial vehicles have similar plates but using the format of
the area code (again in a smaller size), three numerals and three letters. There are also 12 other types of plates.
In each case a two line version of the plate is available. These plates will supercede existing plates from early
2011.
Nicaragua has a completely new series of plates, still with NICARAGUA at the top and CENTROAMERICA at the
bottom. The registration consists of one or two letters denoting the department (M = Managua) followed by four
or five numerals. Plates for private vehicles, trucks and commercials are black on white with a blue map of the
country as a background. Various other colours are used for taxis, municipal vehicles, diplomats, etc.
Perhaps the most important change in the pipeline is France where a completely new system will commence
from 1st January 2009. Readers may have already noticed that newer French plates are now black on white at
both front and rear. Commencing next year the new plates will be completely serial using two letters, three
numerals and two letters, the elements being separated by hyphens. The series will start from AA-001-AA and
continue until ZZ-999-ZZ is eventually reached. All plates will have a mandatory French euroband on the left. An
optional blue band may appear on the right with a regional emblem above the existing département code: the
emblem and code must be consistent - for example, a Brittany emblem could not have a Normandy code below it.
Existing plates will be changed as vehicles are inspected so that within five years all the current plates will cease
to be legal.
KER 030408