.png) German number plate, current format (FE-style) | |
| Country | Germany |
|---|---|
| Country code | D |
| Current series | |
| Size | 520 mm × 110 mm 20+1⁄2 in × 4+3⁄8 in |
| Serial format | Not standard (max 8 characters) |
| Colour (front) | Black on white |
| Colour (rear) | Black on white |
| Introduced | 1956 |
| History | |
| First issued | 1906 |
Vehicle registration plates (German:Kraftfahrzeug-Kennzeichen or, more colloquially,Nummernschilder) are mandatoryalphanumeric plates used to display theregistration mark of a vehicle registered inGermany. They have existed in the country since 1906, with the current system in use since 1956. German registration plates are alphanumeric plates in a standardised format, issued officially by the district authorities.[1][2]
All motorised vehicles participating in road traffic on public space, whether moving or stationary, have to bear the plates allotted to them, displayed at the appropriate spaces at the front and rear. Additionally, the official seals on the plates show their validity which can also be proven by the documentation coming with them. Motorcycles and trailers carry only a rear plate.
A significant feature of German vehicle registration plates is the area code, which can be used to tell the district of registration. It has developed into a widespread habit in Germany, even a children's game when travelling, to guess "where that vehicle is from".[3][4]
The legal requirements for these licence plates are laid down in a federal law titledVerordnung über die Zulassung von Fahrzeugen zum Straßenverkehr (Ordinance on the admission of vehicles for road traffic), or in the shortened versionFahrzeug-Zulassungs-Verordnung, FZV[5] which replaced part of an older law namedStraßenverkehrszulassungsordnung, StVZO[f] in 2011. The law distinguishes betweenKennzeichen meaning a specific combination of letters and digits, andKennzeichenschilder which are the physical licence plates.[5]: §12 In everyday language, these terms are often replaced indifferently byNummernschild and rarely is the difference emphasized by restricted use of eitherNummer orSchild.
German number plates are rectangular, with standard dimensions520 mm × 110 mm (20+1⁄2 in × 4+3⁄8 in) for cars, trucks, buses and their trailers. Plates bearing few characters may have reduced length but must retain the size and shape of the characters. Plates in two lines for the said types of vehicles[g] measure340 mm × 200 mm (13+3⁄8 in × 7+7⁄8 in). Motorcycles also have plates in two lines but with specific dimensions: Plates for "large motorcycles" (engine displacement over 125 cc or power output exceeding 11 kW (15 bhp)) issued until 2011 combine a size of280 mm × 200 mm (11 in × 7+7⁄8 in) with characters of the same size as used for car plates, while those issued since 2011 have characters of reduced size and measure either180 mm × 200 mm (7+1⁄8 in × 7+7⁄8 in) or220 mm × 200 mm (8+5⁄8 in × 7+7⁄8 in). Plates for "light motorcycles" (Leichtkrafträder up to 125 cc and 11 kW (15 bhp)) combine a size of255 mm × 130 mm (10 in × 5+1⁄8 in) with characters of reduced size. This smallest size of plates is also used for agricultural tractors with a maximum speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) and their trailers and may also be issued as an exception for certain import cars, when a plate of regular size cannot be applied at the available space.
The characters on the licence plate, as well as the narrow rim framing it, are black on a white background.[5]: §12(1) In standard size they are 75 mm (3 in) high, and47.5 mm (1+7⁄8 in) wide for letters or44.5 mm (1+3⁄4 in) wide for digits. The smaller plates bear characters of49 mm (1+7⁄8 in) height and31 or 29 mm (1+1⁄4 or1+1⁄8 in) width, respectively.[5]: Appendix 4 In the current system, introduced in 1956, they consist of an area code of one, two or three letters, followed by an identifier sequence of one or two letters and one to four digits. The total quantity of characters on the plate must not exceed eight. Identifiers consisting of one letter with one- or two-digit numbers are often reserved for motorcycle use since there is less space for plates on these vehicles, especially before the reduction of plate size to 180 × 200 mm and 220 × 200 mm in 2011.[6]
Modern German plates use a typeface calledFE-Schrift (fälschungserschwerende Schrift, tamper-hindering script). It is designed so that the letterP cannot be altered to look exactly like anR, and vice versa; nor can theF or theL be forged to equal anE, etc. Another feature is the equal width of all characters, different from the oldDIN 1451 script which had been in use since the introduction of the current system in 1956. FE-Schrift can be read byOCR software forautomatic number plate recognition more easily than DIN 1451.
The present style was introduced in 1994 and became mandatory in 2000, so the number of licence plates issued in the old style has become very rare. As with many plates for countries within theEuropean Union, a blue strip on the left shows a shortenedcountry code in white text (D forDeutschland = Germany) and theFlag of Europe (12 golden stars forming a circle on a blue background).
Traditionally, German licence plates are made of aluminium sheeting, with embossed characters rising above background level. Over the years, however, various other materials have been used, albeit to a small extent only. Since 2013, a new style of plates made of plastic is allowed.[7] They are said to be less sensitive to mechanical damage and to cause less CO2 emission in their production, but are more expensive.[8]
Number plates are retroflective, but must not be mirroring, concealed or soiled, nor may they be covered by glass, foil or similar layers.[5]: §12(2) Occasionally, drivers who adorn their licence plate with a badge of their favourite football club are fined and ordered to restore the original state.[9][10]
The first part orUnterscheidungszeichen consists of one, two or three letters representing the district where the car was registered, such asB forBerlin orHSK forHochsauerlandkreis. These letters basically refer to theGerman districts, yet after some changes in the law they are no longer unambiguous. When the current system was introduced, each district was assigned exactly one abbreviation. Whenever a district was merged with another or changed its name, their area code would be redefined. Whereas existing registrations would remain valid, any vehicle registered henceforth could only be issued the current code.[example 1] In some cases anurban district and the surrounding non-urban district share the same letter code. Usually, these are distinguished by different letter/digit patterns.[example 2] The assignment of each code and combination is registered with theZentrales Fahrzeugregister (ZFZR).[11]: §34
Since 2013, however, area codes long abolished were re-introduced,[12][13] revoking the rule of unambiguity. In consequence, many districts now use more than one code,[example 3] and certain codes, on the other hand, are not assigned to one district only.[example 4] Likewise, several cities that share their code with the surrounding rural[h] districts have started using any available codes for both districts without any distinction; the city ofRegensburg, for example, and the surroundingrural district of Regensburg used different systems with their codeR only until 2007.
Germany includes diacritical marks in the letters of some codes, that is the letters Ä,[14] Ö, and Ü,[i] but notẞ.[j] For a long time, German codes kept to the rule that a code with an umlaut would prohibit another code with the respective blank vowel, e.g. there could not be a district codeFU as the codeFÜ was already in use forFürth. This rule was disregarded in 1996, whenBÖ was introduced forBördekreis in spite ofBO existing forBochum. However Bördekreis got BK in 2007, probably because of confusions abroad, for fines etc.[k]
When the area codes were introduced, they were intended mainly as a means for police officers to identify speeders and other traffic offenders. However, they soon developed into everyday abbreviations of people's home areas and were cherished or despised. Sometimes, the codes of neighbouring districts were given mocking or spiteful meanings.[example 5] When districts merged and only one of their codes could be continued, fierce battles might ensue about which one.[15]
Since 1968, a peculiar rule has applied to the municipality ofBüsingen am Hochrhein which is a Germanexclave completely surrounded bySwiss territory. Although Büsingen belongs to the German district ofKonstanz, it is part of the Swiss customs area. For this reason, a vehicle registered to a citizen of Büsingen does not bearKN for Konstanz butBÜS, signifying to Swiss customs officers that this is in fact a domestic vehicle. There are about 700 cars with this area code, which makes Büsingen the smallest and least-populated registration precinct in Germany.[16]
Registration plates become valid with the official seal of registration.[5]: §12(3) This is a sticker of45 mm (1+3⁄4 in) diameter, following the area code and bearing, in colours, the seal of the respective GermanBundesland with the name of the state and the issuing district authority added in print. Older stickers were monochrome, black on silver or white, and smaller (35 mm;1+3⁄8 in), depicting the seal of either the Bundesland or the city district. Vehicles used by federal institutions, such asBundespolizei, carry the GermanBundesadler instead of aBundesland seal.
The rear plate bears, above the official seal, the vehicle safety test sticker. Thistest is obligatory three years after the first registration, and every two years after that. (This time scheme differs for certain vehicles, such as buses, trucks, taxis, etc.) The expiration date can be seen at one glance, as the sticker is attached with the month of expiration pointing upwards. The black mark framing the sectors on either side of12 thus makes it easy for the police to read the expiration month from a distance. Like the hand on a clock, the marking shows the position of a number on the face of a clock. The year when the next safety test is due is printed in the centre of the sticker and also indicated by the colour of the sticker which is repeated every six years.
Whereas the technical inspection was introduced in 1951, it was not before 1961 that a decal on the rear plate indicated when it was due.[22] The inspection generally had to be performed every two years, only later brand new cars were granted an extra year before their first technical inspection. Consequently, there were not so many different colours needed, and the pattern was different then.
Between 1985 and 2010, a similar yet hexagonal sticker was applied to the front plate, certifying theemission test which had to be performed separately since March 1985. With a change of laws effective in 2010, the emission test was incorporated into the safety test, so the emission sticker became obsolete.[23]
![Ancient safety test marker, September 1964[l]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aTUEV_Plakette_1964.jpg)
| Colour | Year | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAL 8004 (Kupferbraun, Copper brown) | 1974 | 1980 | 1986 | 1992 | 1998 | 2004 | 2010 | 2016 | 2022 | 2028 | 2034 | |
| RAL 3015 (Hellrosa, Light pink) | 1975 | 1981 | 1987 | 1993 | 1999 | 2005 | 2011 | 2017 | 2023 | 2029 | 2035 | |
| RAL 6018 (Gelbgrün, Yellow-green) | 1976 | 1982 | 1988 | 1994 | 2000 | 2006 | 2012 | 2018 | 2024 | 2030 | 2036 | |
| RAL 2000 (Gelborange, Yellow-orange) | 1979 | 1983 | 1989 | 1995 | 2001 | 2007 | 2013 | 2019 | 2025 | 2031 | 2037 | |
| RAL 5015 (Himmelblau, Sky blue) | 1978 | 1984 | 1990 | 1996 | 2002 | 2008 | 2014 | 2020 | 2026 | 2032 | 2038 | |
| RAL 1012 (Zitronengelb, Lemon yellow) | 1977 | 1985 | 1991 | 1997 | 2003 | 2009 | 2015 | 2021 | 2027 | 2033 | 2039 | |
| Colour | Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weiß, White | 1961 | 1965 | 1969 | 1973 | |
| Dunkeloliv, Dark Olive Green | 1962 | 1966 | 1970 | ||
| Goldgelb, Golden Yellow | 1963 | 1967 | 1971 | ||
| Blau, Blue | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | ||
All these stickers are specially treated to be easily transferred onto the licence plates, but hard to be removed without damaging the plate itself, making them relatively counterfeit-proof.
The only licence plates which do not need to carry either seal are repeaters. These are obligatory when the original rear plate is covered, in part or whole, by cargo or attached parts, such as bicycle carriers.[5]: §12(10)
The final identifier orErkennungsnummer of the licence plate consists of one or two letters, followed by a number of up to four digits. Thus, basically any combination from A1 to ZZ9999 is possible, yet restricted by the maximum length of eight characters, including the area code. All 26 letters of the Latin alphabet may be used, yet this was not always so. In order to avoid confusion between B and 8, F and E, G and 6, I and 1, O and Q and 0, those six letters were excluded from the middle part of registration plates. In 1992, the letters B, F and G were permitted, and in 2000 the alphabet was completed as I, O and Q have been allowed. In the very first months of the numbering system, between July and November 1956, the letter I was used but J was not. This was soon reversed, but single vintage cars kept sporting their letter I between 1956 and 2000 when it was re-introduced.
In the style used until 1994, a hyphen following the area code was used to separate the two groups of letters. This no longer appears in the new format but is often retained, as the space between the geographic identifier and serial letters is a significant character and must be considered when writing down or transmitting a number. For example,F ST 683 is different fromFS T 683. The risk of confusion can be avoided by writing a hyphen after the city code, likeF-ST 683. For this reason, the police will usually radio the location name and spell out the next letters, using the Germanspelling alphabet. Thus,F ST 683 would be radioed asFrankfurt, Siegfried, Theodor, sechs-acht-drei andFS T 683 asFreising, Theodor, sechs-acht-drei. If the officer should not know the meaning of the area code, he would spell it out too, asFriedrich, Siegfried, Trennung (separation), Theodor, etc.
While the number is issued by each district authority separately, a probable split between two or more districts sharing the same area code has to be considered.[example 6] Further restrictions are caused by "prohibited" combinations (see below).[n]
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For an extra charge of €10.20, vehicle owners can register a personalised identifier, keeping to the above rules. In most cases of personalised plates, owners choose their initials and a number reflecting their date of birth. In this fashion, fictional MrsUlrike Mustermann, born 2 May 1965 and living inEssen, might chooseE-UM 2565 for her car. By combining area code and random letters, further possibilities arise, such as a man fromOldenburg named Olaf, born on Christmas Eve, could chooseOL-AF 2412. A resident of the town ofPirna might choosePIR-AT 77,Pirat meaning "pirate" in German.Kiel andKleve are two examples of places where the number plate can spell out all of the city name.
Thesevanity plates can only be made up of the available prefixes and numbers, within the general rules. AJames Bond fan from Hamburg would not be allowed the plateHH-JB 007 because leading digits 0 (or evendouble-0) are not possible; however, he might strive forHH-J 8007 orHH-OO 7, imitating digits by letters or vice versa. The owner of aVolkswagen Polo can certainly showVW in the middle section, but neitherPO-LO 1995 norVW-P0 L01 would be possible, as these prefixes are not issued nor may letters and digits be mixed at will. Nonetheless, a notable variety of personalised number plates can be spotted on German roads.
Whereas private persons are required to register their vehicle with the district authority of their residence, commercial enterprises can choose to establish branch offices from where to register at will – either for financial reasons, as insurance fees are dependent on the address of registration, or to obtain an interesting licence plate. On the other hand, other enterprises show their origin proudly nationwide. One of these isADAC, the German automobile association, based in Munich. All their assistance cars, operating from the Alps to the North Sea, bear anM plate.
Deutsche Bahn, after beingcorporatised and relinquishing theirBehördenkennzeichen (authority plate)DB, prefers this logo as their middle letters, e. g.F-DB for the Frankfurt office.Deutsche Telekom, the largest telecommuncations company, often usesBN plates, as their headquarters remained in Bonn, where the company originated out of a governmental post & telephone agency. Yet wherever the respective branch office may be, the middle lettersDT are preferred.
TheKone company registers their German vehicles inKoblenz, with middle letters NE, thus displaying their trademark on their plates.BMW, owner ofMini, registers all Mini press/marketing cars in the district ofMinden-Lübbecke which holds the codeMI, to get "MI-NI" number plates for the cars. BMW itself is based in Munich, yetM-INI plates are not possible to issue, as three letters after the district code are not permitted.
From 1970s up to 1994,Essen city buses owned by city transport company EVAG (Essener Verkehrs-AG) were registered withE-AT number plates. This may be regarded a pun, aseat translates into German asEssen.[25][26]
Combinations that are regarded as aVerstoß gegen die guten Sitten, which means "offence to moral and customs", are disallowed or otherwise avoided.[5]: §9(1) This refers mostly to abbreviations relating toNazi Germany, such asNS (National Socialism),KZ (Konzentrationslager,concentration camp),HJ (Hitlerjugend,Hitler Youth),SS (Schutzstaffel) andSA (Sturmabteilung). Therefore, these two-letter combinations are generally not issued in any district, nor do the city districts ofHanover,Nuremberg,Cologne andStuttgart issue one-letter plates which would result in the combinations H-J, N-S, K-Z, S-A, S-D and S-S.[27][28][29]
_(Kiel_36.733).jpg)
Those prefixes must not be issued as middle letters now, yet the list of forbidden codes appears to have developed over the decades. In the 1960s, the renownedADAC had no qualms with the middle lettersSA, as seen on an archive photo. Although the "infamous" combinations were generally excluded from the list of possible area codes with the introduction of the current system, the French occupation force had between 1945 and 1949 used the combinationSA followed by the double-digit numbers 01 to 08 for the then seven rural districts in theSaar Protectorate and its capitalSaarbrücken. By 1990, however, codes like these were not taken into consideration for newly formed districts in former GDR: The districtSächsische Schweiz used the name of its capital,Pirna, in its codePIR, to avoid the use ofSS. When the districts ofTorgau,Delitzsch andOschatz merged intoNordsachsen, they combined their initials intoTDO, instead of abbreviatingNorthern Saxony asNS.[o]
On the other hand, the area codesHH andAH were chosen forHansestadt Hamburg and former districtAhaus, although they could be interpreted asHeil Hitler andAdolf Hitler, respectively. In everyday German, the letters AH are not regarded as an obvious abbreviation for that name,[p] even less so in the 1950s when the lists were created.[q] Nonetheless, these two-letter codes and the respective numerals 18 and 88, signifying the first and eighth letter of the alphabet, obviously have developed intoNazi symbols. They are therefore generally avoided in the serial part of licence plates, although they may be found sometimes.[30] Generally, the decision whether or not a certain combination is permitted lies with the respective district authority. In Brandenburg, any plates that are related to Hitler, the Hitler salute, etc. cannot be issued, especially if they would be bearing digits 1888, 8818, 8888 or ending in 88, 888, 188. Nor can the combinations AH 18 and HH 18 be issued to new owners.[31] Some districts however allow these combinations if they are the owner's initials (for example,Norbert Schmidt might be able to get XX-NS 1234).[citation needed]
In 2004 inNuremberg, a car owner was refused a number plate beginningN-PD because of the connection to the political partyNPD.[32] After the terror groupNational Socialist Underground was uncovered in 2011, the city ofNuremberg refused number plates beginning withN-SU and even abolished the respective plates on their own vehicles ofStadtentwässerung und Umweltanalytik (sewage and environmental department).[33]In the 2010s, some districts started banning licence plates with the middle letters IS which resembled theIslamic State.[34] TheHerford district registration office ceased issuing registration plates with the combination HF-Z in April 2022 to avoid connotations with the use of the letter "Z" as a symbol for the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[35]
The combinationsSTA-SI,S-ED[29]/SE-D,[36]HE-IL/HEI-L,IZ-AN andWAF-FE are also forbidden or discouraged, to avoid association withStasi, theSozialistische Einheitspartei of the GDR, theNazi salute, NAZI backwards and the German word for weapon respectively. Other combinations affected areBUL-LE (German derogative for police, roughly comparable topig),[37]MO-RD (German word for murder),[38]TO-D (German word for death),KI-LL (kill) andSU-FF (boozing).[39][40]
On the other hand, plates that would seem offensive in other circumstances have been allowed, such as the infamous acronymAC-AB. Since the 1950s, morals and customs have certainly changed, and combinations which may have appeared indecent then do not raise an eyebrow now. Therefore, it is not a problem to get a licence plate with S-EX,[29] SE-X or SE-XY,[36] for example.
For quite different reasons, some districts hold certain letter combinations reserved. The Saxon capitalDresden issues allDD-Q plates to the state police vehicles. Likewise,Erfurt usesEF-LP for the police in Thuringia.Munich and other Bavarian cities reserve certain combinations withP for the police units within theirauthorities, such asM-PM,N-PP orRO-P.[41] Cologne issuesK-TX to taxis andK-LN to the city's own vehicles.[28] In various districts, firefighter vehicles will be issued the middle lettersFW standing forFeuerwehr.[42]
Sometimes, e.g. in movie films, it may be necessary to show licence plates which do not really belong to any vehicle. The easiest way would be to create a fictional area code, such asNN-XY 555. In the 1980s TV seriesDer Fahnder,[43] the area codeG was used for a fictional "large city" (German:Großstadt) in theRuhrgebiet area. However, if the plot is supposed to take place in a defined town or region, the audience would expect cars to show codes of that area on their number plates. When James Bond was driving through Hamburg inTomorrow Never Dies, the obviously fake Berlin licence plates on his BMW were soon pointed out.[44]
In the time before 2000, it had also been possible to use number plates with bogus identifiers containing the letters B, F, G, I, O and Q, which at that time were not issued in the middle group. Meanwhile, however, all these letters can appear on a real licence plate. In order to state clearly that the plate shown is a fictive one, the crew could use an impossible identifier, such as anumlaut in this middle section. Yet another way would be to have a valid registration issued (or at least reserved) by the district authority.
Vehicles must be registered with their owner's name and current address. On proof of identity, vehicle documentation and liability insurance, the registration will take place in thedistrict authority competent for the respective address.[5]: §6 An alphanumeric combination, which can be reserved according to personal wishes, will be issued to the vehicle. The physical plates, however, have to be acquired separately, either at a local store or online.[45] Both the dimensions of the plates and the typeface of letters and numbers are standardized. After purchasing the number plate, the official stamps must be applied, back at the registration office.[5]: §12(3) A fee is payable for the registration, in addition to the expenses for the plates.
Any registration or change of it will be registered both within the district authority and nationwide. The latter task is carried out by the Central Vehicle Register (Zentrales Fahrzeugregister, ZFZR) which is controlled by the Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, KBA).[11]: §31 The data which are stored there refer to the vehicle, the owner and the insurance.[11]: §33 [46] Inquiries from foreign authorities can be addressed to ZFZR which will then direct them to the correct district.[11]: §37 [47]
Changes, such as a vehicle being sold or its owner moving residence, must be registered to keep the vehicle documentation up to date.[5]: §15 If the vehicle remains within the district, the licence plates may be retained. A vehicle being relocated outside of the district has to be registered at the authority now competent. Whilst it was mandatory to have the plates altered, according to the current address, this obligation was reduced in 2015 and has meanwhile been abolished. Since then, it is generally not possible any more to tell the owner's district of residence from the area code on the plates, as they may have registered it at a former residence e.g. in Hamburg yet moved to Frankfurt meanwhile.[48]
When owners choose to deregister their vehicle, the officer at the local authority will want to see the licence plates with defaced seals on them as proof that the plate can no longer be used in public. For this purpose, special machines are available for use at the registration office. Once defaced, the plates may only be used legally on public roads for one return journey to the owner's residence. If a vehicle is to be deregistered and a new one registered to the same owner, it is possible to swap the licence plate from old to new within the same process. Documentation and fees are necessary nonetheless, and neither vehicle should be used to reach the authority, as the assignment of the number changes by the minute.
It is general practice for owners to deregister their vehicles when selling them, typically when a sale is agreed. A sales contract is highly recommended, and various forms are available online for free.[49] A seller may hand over their vehicle with valid licence plates and papers still in their name to the new owner, and the owner will complete the registration transfer to their name. In a scenario without a proper sales contract, the seller may become liable when the buyer commits traffic violations or even criminal acts related to the car or plates. It is generally not recommended to sell used cars with licence plates.
A car whose owner has not paid their insurance premium and is reported to the police by the insurance company may getentstempelt,unstamped when found in a public place. The police will remove the official seal using a scratching tool like a screwdriver, leaving the plate without a valid seal. This renders the vehicle illegal to be used, or to be left in a public place, unless the insurance premium is paid and plates are fitted with a new official seal. A one-time journey to the relevant registration authorities is permitted to have the seal reinstated, once insurance is restored.
As of 2020, the average registration fee is €26.00[50] whilst further fees may apply for choosing an individual identifier or for reservation of such. Whereas some of these amounts are ordained by federal laws, others vary slightly from one district to the next.[51] The prices for number plates, on the other hand, are subject to the free market and range from less than €10 up to around €40 per piece. Generally, it is cheaper to have the plates ordered online, but faster to walk across the street and have them made on the spot.
Further costs arise formotor vehicle tax (€194 on average[52] yet very much depending on engine and emissions) and mandatory liability insurance (€260 on average, in 2019;[53] depending on the model of the vehicle, age and residence of the owner, etc.).Comprehensive insurance is recommended but voluntary.
Besides the most common way of registering a vehicle for everyday, all-year use indefinitely, it is possible to register for several months of each year, or for a few days in order to export the vehicle abroad. As well it is allowed, under certain restrictions, to register two vehicles (such as a car and amotorhome) under one number, with the same main licence plate. These variations may save expenses in tax and insurance. Further ways of saving apply to vintage cars and to electrically powered vehicles. Each of these special registrations are represented in the respective licence plate.
Certain types of vehicle bear special codes.[5]: App. 3 [r]
In deviating from the system described above, vehicles registered to federal, state or communal owners can bear licence plates not showing the district and sometimes omitting the middle letters.
ThePresident uses the licence plate0-1, theChancellor uses0-2, theForeign Minister uses0-3 and theFirstState Secretary of theForeign Office (i.e. the deputy Foreign Minister) uses0-4. ThePresident of the Parliament uses1-1. This reflects the fact that the Parliament's president is not part of the executive branch but still ranks higher in (symbolic) importance than the Chancellor. These vehicles are tax-exempt and need not to be insured since the German government acts as insurer.
Instead of a city code (which would mostly mean B for Berlin) the federal government uses an exclusive abbreviation of their own. The codeBD(Bundesrepublik Deutschland) applies to the federal government, ministries, parliament, presidential office, etc. which are identified by their initial number.
| Code | Name (German) | Name/Translation (English) |
|---|---|---|
| BD 1 | Bundestag | Bundestag |
| BD 2 | (Reserve) | |
| BD 3 | Bundesrat | Bundesrat |
| BD 4 | Bundesverfassungsgericht | Federal Constitutional Court |
| BD 5 | Bundespräsidialamt | Federal Presidential Office |
| BD 6 | Bundeskanzleramt | Federal Chancellery |
| Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung | Press and information office of the government | |
| BD 7 | Auswärtiges Amt | Federal Foreign Office |
| BD 8 | Bundeszollverwaltung | Federal Customs Administration |
| BD 9 | Bundesministerium des Innern | Federal Ministry of the Interior |
| BD 10 | Bundesministerium der Justiz und für Verbraucherschutz | Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection |
| BD 11 | Bundesministerium der Finanzen | Federal Ministry of Finance |
| BD 12 | Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie | Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy |
| BD 13 | Bundesministerium für Verkehr | Federal Ministry for Transport |
| BD 14 | Bundesministerium für Landwirtschaft, Ernährung und Heimat | Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity |
| BD 15 | Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales | Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs |
| BD 16 | Bundeszollverwaltung | Federal Customs Administration |
| BD 17 | (Reserve) | |
| BD 18 | Bundesministerium der Verteidigung | Federal Ministry of Defence |
| BD 19 | Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt | Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space |
| BD 20 | Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Klimaschutz, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit | Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety |
| BD 21 | Bundesministerium für Bildung, Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend | Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth |
| BD 22 | Bundesministerium für Gesundheit | Federal Ministry of Health |
| BD 23 | Bundeskriminalamt | Federal Criminal Police Office |
| BD 24 | (Reserve) | |
| BD 25 | (Reserve) | |
| BD 26 | Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung | Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development |
Some branches and institutions of the federal government use their special prefix (often an abbreviation of their name) instead of a city code.
_Baden-W%25C3%25BCrttemberg_Landesregierung_1%253DLandtag.jpg)
In a similar way as the federal government, thestate governments anddiets can use their respective codes. This difference is not made in theStadtstaaten Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen, as they fulfil both district and state function in addition to their municipality's. In someBundesländer, such asNorth Rhine-Westphalia, the state code is also used by thepolice.[example 7]
Before the legal reforms of 2006, official vehicles such as police, fire fighting and municipal administration did not carry a letter after the sticker, but only the district prefix and a number, such asM-1234. These included:
This style of plate is no longer issued in most states, but many official vehicles which were registered before 2006 still carry this type of plate.
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A similar style is issued by some districts to consular or diplomatic vehicles in the form Aaa-9NNn (example: D-921). Unlike the other style of diplomatic/consular plates issued in Berlin and Bonn(see below), this plate does not indicate the nationality of the mission.
Plates of cars covered bydiplomatic immunity bear the digit0 (Zero), followed by a two- or three-digit number which indicates the specific diplomatic mission, a hyphen and another number counting within this mission. Traditionally, a digit1 in this final place denotes the ambassador orchef de mission. Lower-ranking embassy or consular staff without full diplomatic status are issued plates with the regular city code (mostlyB for the capital, Berlin, orBN for the former capital,Bonn). The following characters are identical to the0-plates, e.g.B 19–256. Further holders of diplomatic plates are certain international organizations, such as theUNHCR or theEuropean Central Bank.[54]
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| Diplomatic Codes on German Licence Plates[55] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Flag with State | State in German | Notes |
| 10 |  Vatican City | Vatikanstadt | |
| 11 |  Egypt | Ägypten | |
| 12 |  Angola | Angola | |
| 13 |  Albania | Albanien | |
| 14 |  Ethiopia | Äthiopien | |
| 15 |  Afghanistan | Afghanistan | |
| 16 |  Algeria | Algerien | |
| 17 |  United States | Vereinigte Staaten von Amerika | Amerika |
| 18 |  Argentina | Argentinien | |
| 19 |  Australia | Australien | |
| 20 |  Bangladesh | Bangladesch | |
| 21 |  Belgium | Belgien | |
| 22 |  Brunei | Brunei | |
| 23 |  Bulgaria | Bulgarien | |
| 24 |  Myanmar | Myanmar | formerly Birma |
| 25 |  Bolivia | Bolivien | |
| 26 |  Brazil | Brasilien | |
| 27 |  Burundi | Burundi | |
| 28 |  Chile | Chile | |
| 29 |  China | China | |
| 30 |  Costa Rica | Costa Rica | |
| 31 |  Belarus | Belarus | formerly Weißrussland |
| 32 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | Bosnien und Herzegowina | |
| 33 |  Equatorial Guinea | Äquatorialguinea | |
| 34 |  Denmark | Dänemark | |
| 35 |  Benin | Benin | formerlyDahomey |
| 36 |  Dominican Republic | Dominikanische Republik | |
| 37 |  Ecuador | Ecuador / Ekuador | |
| 38 |  Ivory Coast | Elfenbeinküste | |
| 39 |  El Salvador | El Salvador | |
| 40 |  Kosovo | Kosovo | |
| 41 |  Estonia | Estland | |
| 42 |  Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein | |
| 43 |  Montenegro | Montenegro | |
| 44 |  Finland | Finnland | |
| 45 |  France | Frankreich | |
| 46 |  Gabon | Gabun | |
| 47 |  Ghana | Ghana | |
| 48 |  Greece | Griechenland | |
| 49 |  United Kingdom | Vereinigtes Königreich | Großbritannien |
| 50 |  Guatemala | Guatemala | |
| 51 |  Guinea | Guinea | |
| 52 |  Latvia | Lettland | |
| 53 |  Lithuania | Litauen | |
| 54 |  Haiti | Haiti | |
| 55 |  Honduras | Honduras | |
| 56 |  India | Indien | |
| 57 |  Indonesia | Indonesien | |
| 58 |  Iraq | Irak | |
| 59 |  Iran | Iran | |
| 60 |  Ireland | Irland | |
| 61 |  Iceland | Island | |
| 62 |  Laos | Laos | |
| 63 |  Cape Verde | Kap Verde | |
| 64 |  Israel | Israel | |
| 65 |  Italy | Italien | |
| 66 |  Jamaica | Jamaika | |
| 67 |  Japan | Japan | |
| 68 |  Yemen | Jemen | |
| 69 |  Jordan | Jordanien | |
| 70 |  Serbia | Serbien | formerly Jugoslawien |
| 71 |  Kuwait | Kuwait | |
| 72 |  Cuba | Kuba | |
| 73 |  Qatar | Katar | |
| 74 |  Cameroon | Kamerun | |
| 75 |  Canada | Kanada | |
| 76 |  Kenya | Kenia | |
| 77 |  Colombia | Kolumbien | |
| 78 |  Republic of the Congo | Kongo | |
| 79 |  South Korea | Südkorea | Korea (Republik) |
| 80 |  Lebanon | Libanon | |
| 81 |  Liberia | Liberia | |
| 82 |  Libya | Libyen | |
| 83 |  Lesotho | Lesotho | |
| 84 |  Luxembourg | Luxemburg | |
| 85 |  Madagascar | Madagaskar | |
| 86 |  Malawi | Malawi | |
| 87 |  Malaysia | Malaysia | |
| 88 |  Mali | Mali | |
| 89 |  Morocco | Marokko | |
| 90 |  Mauritania | Mauretanien | |
| 91 |  Mexico | Mexiko | |
| 92 |  Malta | Malta | |
| 93 |  Monaco | Monaco | |
| 94 |  Nepal | Nepal | |
| 95 |  New Zealand | Neuseeland | |
| 96 |  Nicaragua | Nicaragua | |
| 97 |  Netherlands | Niederlande | |
| 98 |  Niger | Niger | |
| 99 |  Nigeria | Nigeria | |
| 100 |  Norway | Norwegen | |
| 101 |  Mongolia | Mongolei | |
| 102 |  Mozambique | Mosambik | a.k.a. Moçambique |
| 103 |  Oman | Oman | |
| 104 |  Burkina Faso | Burkina Faso | formerly Obervolta |
| 105 |  Austria | Österreich | |
| 106 |  Pakistan | Pakistan | |
| 107 |  Panama | Panama | |
| 108 |  Paraguay | Paraguay | |
| 109 |  Peru | Peru | |
| 110 |  Philippines | Philippinen | |
| 111 |  Poland | Polen | |
| 112 |  Portugal | Portugal | |
| 113 |  Papua New Guinea | Papua-Neuguinea | |
| 114 |  Namibia | Namibia | |
| 115 |  Rwanda | Ruanda |  |
| 116 |  Romania | Rumänien | |
| 117 |  Zambia | Sambia | |
| 118 |  Saudi Arabia | Saudi-Arabien | |
| 119 |  Sweden | Schweden | |
| 120 |  Switzerland | Schweiz | |
| 121 |  Senegal | Senegal | |
| 122 |  Sierra Leone | Sierra Leone | |
| 123 |  Singapore | Singapur | |
| 124 |  Zimbabwe | Simbabwe | |
| 125 |  Somalia | Somalia | |
| 126 |  Spain | Spanien | |
| 127 |  Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | |
| 128 |  Sudan | Sudan | |
| 129 |  South Africa | Südafrika | |
| 130 |  Syria | Syrien | |
| 131 |  Tanzania | Tansania | |
| 132 |  Thailand | Thailand | |
| 133 |  Togo | Togo | |
| 134 |  Tonga | Tonga | |
| 135 |  Czech Republic | Tschechien | formerly Tschechoslowakei |
| 136 |  Chad | Tschad | |
| 137 |  Turkey | Türkei | |
| 138 |  Tunisia | Tunesien | |
| 139 |  Uganda | Uganda | |
| 140 |  Russia | Russland | formerly UdSSR = Soviet Union |
| 141 |  Uruguay | Uruguay | |
| 142 |  Hungary | Ungarn | |
| 143 |  Ukraine | Ukraine | |
| 144 |  Grenada | Grenada | |
| 146 |  Venezuela | Venezuela | |
| 147 |  Vietnam | Vietnam | |
| 148 |  United Arab Emirates | Vereinigte Arabische Emirate | |
| 151 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo | Demokratische Republik Kongo | formerly Zaire |
| 152 |  Central African Republic | Zentralafrikanische Republik | |
| 153 |  Cyprus | Zypern | |
| 154 |  Croatia | Kroatien | |
| 155 |  Slovenia | Slowenien | |
| 156 |  Azerbaijan | Aserbaidschan | |
| 157 |  Slovakia | Slowakei | |
| 158 |  Kazakhstan | Kasachstan | |
| 159 |  North Macedonia | Nordmazedonien | |
| 160 |  Uzbekistan | Usbekistan | |
| 161 |  Eritrea | Eritrea | |
| 162 |  Georgia | Georgien | |
| 163 |  Tajikistan | Tadschikistan | |
| 164 |  Bahrain | Bahrain | |
| 165 |  Cambodia | Kambodscha | |
| 166 |  Armenia | Armenien | |
| 167 |  Kyrgyzstan | Kirgisistan | |
| 168 |  Moldova | Moldawien | a.k.a. Republik Moldau |
| 169 |  Turkmenistan | Turkmenistan | |
| 170 | International Labour Organization | Internationale Arbeitsorganisation | ILO |
| 171 | European Central Bank | Europäische Zentralbank | ECB |
| 172 |  European Union Aviation Safety Agency | Europäische Agentur für Flugsicherheit | EASA |
| 173 |  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | Hoher Flüchtlings-Kommissar | UNHCR |
| 174 | Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation | Gemeinsame Organisation für Rüstungskooperation | OCCAR |
| 175 | International Organization for Migration | Verbindungsstelle der Internationalen Organisation für Migration | IOM |
| 176 |  Arab League | Liga der Arabischen Staaten | جامعة الدول العربية |
| 177 | Franco-German Youth Office | Deutsch-Französisches Jugendwerk | Office franco-allemand pour la Jeunesse, OFAJ |
| 178 | European Space Operations Centre | Europäisches Operations-Zentrum für Weltraumforschung | ESOC |
| 179 |  NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency | NATO-Agentur für Entwicklung, Produktion und Logistische Betreuung der Waffensysteme EF 2000 und Tornado | NETMA |
| 180 | European Southern Observatory | Europäische Südsternwarte | ESO |
| 181 | European Molecular Biology Laboratory | Europäisches Laboratorium für Molekularbiologie | EMBL |
| 182 | European Commission | Europäische Kommission | |
| 183 | European Patent Office | Europäisches Patentamt | EPO |
| 184 | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development | Organisation für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung | OECD |
| 185 | World Food Programme | Welternährungsprogramm der Vereinten Nationen (UNEP) | WFP |
| 186 | European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites | Europäische Organisation für die Nutzung meteorologischer Satelliten | EUMETSAT |
| 187 | European Astronaut Centre | Europäisches Astronautenzentrum | EAC |
| 188 |  UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning | UNESCO-Institut für lebenslanges Lernen | UIL |
| 189 | German-Polish Youth Office | Deutsch-Polnisches Jugendwerk (DPJW) | Polsko-Niemiecka Współpraca Młodzieży (PNWM) |
| 190 | World Bank | Weltbank | IFC |
| 191 | European Center for Environment and Health | Europäisches Zentrum für Umwelt und Gesundheit | |
| 192 | UNEPConvention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals | Umweltprogramm der UN, Sekretariat zur Erhaltung der wandernden wildlebenden Tierarten | CMS |
| 193 | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change | Sekretariat der Klimarahmen-Konvention | UNFCCC |
| 194 | United Nations Volunteers | Freiwilligenprogramm der Vereinten Nationen | UNV |
| 195 | International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea | Internationaler Seegerichtshof | ITLOS |
| 196 | United Nations Information Centres | Informationszentrum der Vereinten Nationen | UNIC |
| 197 | United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification | UN-Sekretariat der Wüstenkonvention | UNCCD |
| 198 | International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training | Internationales Zentrum für Berufsbildung | UNEVOC |
| 199 | United Nations University | Universität der Vereinten Nationen, Forschungsinstitut für Katastrophenmanagement | UNU |
| 200 |  Mauritius | Mauritius | |
| 201 |  North Korea | Nordkorea | Demokratische Volksrepublik Korea |
| 202 |  Djibouti | Dschibuti | |
| 203 |  Guinea-Bissau | Guinea-Bissau | |
| 204 |  South Sudan | Südsudan | |
| 205 |  Botswana | Botswana | |
| 206 |  Maldives | Malediven | |
| 300 | United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs /United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response | Plattform der Vereinten Nationen für raumfahrtgestützte Informationen für Katastrophenmanagement und Notfallmaßnahmen | UNOOSA/UN-SPIDER |
| 301 | UNEP StudyThe Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity | Studie "Die Ökonomie der Ökosysteme und der biologischen Vielfalt" | TEEB |
| 302 | International Renewable Energy Agency | Internationale Organisation für Erneuerbare Energien | IRENA |
| 303 | Global Crop Diversity Trust | Welttreuhandfonds für Kulturpflanzenvielfalt | GCDT |
Very rarely, German licence plates bear characters in different colours than black. These exceptions are:
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Vehicles which are exempt from vehicle taxes (for exampleambulances,tractors, agricultural trailers, trailers for boats or trailers for gliders) have green print on a white background plate.[5]: §10(2) Regular trailers for lorries can be exempted from tax if the owner agrees to pay an increased tax on the vehicle which tows the trailer.
Car dealers' plates are in red print on a white background, and the code begins with06.[5]: §41 Red plates may be attached to cars which are changing hands, such as the test run of unregistered cars, and theliability insurance is connected to the plate, not a specific car.
Red plates starting with the number 07 are reserved for collectors of vintage vehicles.[5]: §43 Originally, vintage vehicles had a required minimum age of 20 years from first registering. Since April 2007, the required minimum age has been 30 years. Plates issued under the old 20 years rule remained valid after this date. The collectors must get an official certificate of approval (such as no criminal records). They are allowed to use one set of plates on any of their vehicles under the condition that they keep a strict record of use. No day-to-day use of the vehicles is allowed. A valid official technical inspection is not mandatory but the vehicles have to be technically fit for use on public roads.
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Classic vehicles (known in German by thepseudo-English expressionOldtimer) can get anH (historisch,historic) at the end of the plate, such asK-AA 100H in order to preserve the so-called "vehicle of cultural value" (kraftfahrtechnisches Kulturgut).[5]: §10(1) This also implies a flat tax of around €190 per year. It is popular to choose the digits so that they indicate the car's year of manufacture. The requirements for a vehicle to receive an H-Plate are:
The 2015 Electric Mobility Act authorised issuing special licence plates forplug-in electric vehicles to allow proper identification to avoid abuses of these privileges.[5]: §11 [56][57] The special licence plate adds the letterE at the end of the licence number. Owners ofall-electric cars andplug-in hybrids with a minimum all-electric range of 40 km (25 mi) can apply for the special licence. The minimum range for eligible plug-in hybrids was increased from 30 km (19 mi) from 1 January 2018.[58][59]
Seasonal number plates are popular for motorbikes or convertibles in the summertime, or for "winter cars" substituting them, yet these plates are available for any vehicle.[5]: §10(3) They bear two 2-digit numbers at the end of the plate indicating the months between which they are registered to drive, with the licence being valid from the start of the upper month until the end of the lower month. This results in lower car taxes, as well as lower insurance premiums.
Two vehicles of the same class (two cars, two motorbikes or light vehicles, two trailers) may be registered with an alternating licence plate.[5]: §9(2) In this case, only the last digit varies – e.g.B-KJ 414|5 andB-KJ 414|6 – and is printed on an extra plate which remains on either vehicle, whereas the main part of the plate has to be attached to the vehicle in use. The main part carries the registration seal and a small letter W forWechselkennzeichen, the individual part carries the technical inspection seal and below, in very small letters, the associated main number. Both vehicles have to pay full tax, yet the insurance premium may be discounted.[60]
Used vehicles which are not currently registered to any person or company – or have been deregistered by their current owner, temporarily or permanently – can be driven on public roads using short-term plates, valid for five days only.[5]: §42 These are known as "temporary number plates" or "yellow number plates", due to the yellow stripe. The first letter(s) indicate the issuing authority, as in regular German registrations. The numeric code starts with the numbers04, e.g.DD-04321, and the plate has a yellow stripe on the right showing when they are valid. The date is listed numerically, on three lines, reading day, month, year, with two digits each. The vehicle need not have a valid technical inspection, however it must be technically fit to be operated in public. Typically they are used to drive to/from a technical inspection, or to move storage location of the vehicle. Insurance premiums are quite high, appr. €100 for the above-mentioned 5 days. Most insurance companies credit this premium if the car is registered as a normal car with the same insurance company after these 5 days. These temporary plates are only valid within Germany, and cannot be used to export the vehicle to a foreign country nor for transit. They can only be obtained by a resident of Germany.
Ausfuhrkennzeichen (export plates) are used for exporting vehicles abroad.[5]: §45 The owner does not have to be a German resident to register the car, but must provide identification such as a passport or ID card. The date on the red stripe on the right hand side shows the expiration date of the plate, as it indicates for how long the vehicle insurance and tax are paid. After this date, the vehicle must have left Germany, and is automatically deregistered from the German vehicle registration system. Use of the vehicle within Germany is permitted until the export date.
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The first German licence plates that had a lettering plan were issued from 1906 onwards. The various states and realms which made up theGerman Empire used different prefixes, such asRoman numerals (I representing Prussia,II Bavaria,III Württemberg, etc.) or plain letters (HH for Hansestadt Hamburg, e.g.). Larger states added further identifiers for their provinces or regions. Saxony did not use any statewide numeral and only used Roman numerals for its provinces.[61][62]
| Code | Country / province / district | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I … | Prussia | Preußen | |
| I A | Berlin | ||
| I B | Posen-West Prussia | Provinz Posen-Westpreußen | 1922–1938 |
| I C | Province of East Prussia | Provinz Ostpreußen | |
| I D | Province of West Prussia | Provinz Westpreußen | 1906–1922 then merged into Posen-West Prussia |
| I E | Province of Brandenburg | Provinz Brandenburg | |
| I H | Province of Pomerania | Provinz Pommern | |
| I K | Province of Silesia | Provinz Schlesien | |
| I L | Province of Hohenzollern | Hohenzollernsche Lande | |
| I M | Province of Saxony | Provinz Sachsen | |
| I P | Province of Schleswig-Holstein | Provinz Schleswig-Holstein | |
| I S | Province of Hanover | Provinz Hannover | |
| I T | Province of Hesse-Nassau | Provinz Hessen-Nassau | |
| I X | Province of Westphalia | Provinz Westfalen | |
| I Y | Province of Posen | Provinz Posen | 1906–1922 then merged into Posen-West Prussia |
| I Y | District of Düsseldorf | Regierungsbezirk Düsseldorf | 1928–1945 |
| I Z | Rhine Province | Rheinprovinz | excl. Bezirk Düsseldorf 1928–1945 |
| II … | Kingdom of Bavaria | Königreich Bayern | 1906–1918 |
| Free State of Bavaria | Freistaat Bayern | 1918–1945 | |
| II A | Munich City District | Stadtbezirk München | |
| II B | Upper Bavaria | Kreis Oberbayern | |
| II C | Lower Bavaria | Kreis Niederbayern | |
| II D | Circle of the Rhine | Kreis Pfalz | |
| II E | Upper Palatinate | Kreis Oberpfalz | |
| II H | Upper Franconia | Kreis Oberfranken | |
| II M | Bavarian Military | 1910–1919 | |
| II N | City ofNuremberg | Stadtbezirk Nürnberg | incl.Fürth |
| II P | Post | 1910–1923 | |
| II S | Middle Franconia | Kreis Mittelfranken | |
| II U | Lower Franconia | Kreis Unterfranken | |
| II Z | Swabia | Kreis Schwaben | |
| III … | Kingdom of Württemberg | Königreich Württemberg | 1906–1918 |
| Free People's State of Württemberg | Freier Volksstaat Württemberg | 1918–1945 | |
| III A | Neckarkreis:Stuttgart City | ||
| III C | Neckarkreis:Oberämter Backnang, Besigheim, Brackenheim, Cannstatt, Esslingen | ||
| III D | Neckarkreis:Oberämter Heilbronn, Leonberg, Ludwigsburg, Marbach, Maulbronn | ||
| III E | Neckarkreis:Oberämter Neckarsulm, Oberamt Stuttgart, Vaihingen, Waiblingen, Weinsberg | ||
| III H | Schwarzwaldkreis:Oberämter Balingen, Calw, Freudenstadt, Herrenberg, Horb, Nagold | ||
| III K | Schwarzwaldkreis:Oberämter Neuenburg, Nürtingen, Oberndorf, Reutlingen, Rottenburg | ||
| III M | Schwarzwaldkreis:Oberämter Rottweil, Spaichingen, Sulz, Tübingen, Tuttlingen, Urach | ||
| III P | Jagstkreis:Oberämter Aalen, Crailsheim, Ellwangen, Gaildorf, Gerabronn | ||
| III S | Jagstkreis:Oberämter Gmünd, Hall, Heidenheim, Künzelsau | ||
| III T | Jagstkreis:Oberämter Mergentheim, Neresheim, Öhringen, Schorndorf, Welzheim | ||
| III X | Donaukreis:Oberämter Biberach, Blaubeuren, Ehingen, Geislingen, Göppingen, Kirchheim | ||
| III Y | Donaukreis:Oberämter Laupheim, Leutkirch, Münsingen, Ravensburg, Riedlingen | ||
| III Z | Donaukreis:Oberämter Saulgau, Tettnang, Ulm, Waldsee, Wangen | ||
| III WP | Württembergische Post | 1912–1923 | |
| Kingdom of Saxony | Königreich Sachsen | 1906–1918 | |
| Free State of Saxony | Freistaat Sachsen | 1918–1945 | |
| I | Kreishauptmannschaft Bautzen Kreishauptmannschaft Dresden-Bautzen | 1906–1932 1932–1945 | |
| II | Kreishauptmannschaft Dresden Kreishauptmannschaft Dresden-Bautzen | 1906–1932 1932–1945 | |
| III | Kreishauptmannschaft Leipzig | ||
| IV | Kreishauptmannschaft Chemnitz | ||
| V | Kreishauptmannschaft Zwickau and police authorities (Polizeiämter)Zwickau andPlauen | ||
| IV … | Grand Duchy of Baden | Großherzogtum Baden | 1906–1918 |
| Republic of Baden | Republik Baden | 1918–1945 | |
| IV B | Baden | ||
| V … | Grand Duchy of Hesse | Großherzogtum Hessen | 1906–1918 |
| People's State of Hesse | Volksstaat Hessen | 1918–1945 | |
| V O | Province ofUpper Hesse | Provinz Oberhessen | 1906–1937 |
| V R | Province ofRhenish Hesse | Provinz Rheinhessen | 1906–1937 |
| V S | Province ofStarkenburg | Provinz Starkenburg | 1906–1937 |
| V H | People's State of Hesse | Volksstaat Hessen | 1937–1945 |
| VI … | Alsace-Lorraine | Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen | 1906–1918 |
| VI A | Lower Alsace | Bezirk Unterelsaß | 1906–1918 |
| VI B | Upper Alsace | Bezirk Oberelsaß | 1906–1918 |
| VI C | Lorraine | Bezirk Lothringen | 1906–1918 |
| Further states and realms | |||
| Code | Country / province / district | Notes | |
| A | Duchy of Anhalt | Herzogtum Anhalt | 1906–1918 |
| Free State of Anhalt | Freistaat Anhalt | 1918–1945 | |
| B | Duchy of Brunswick | Herzogtum Braunschweig | 1906–1918 |
| Free State of Brunswick | Freistaat Braunschweig | 1918–1945 | |
| CG | Duchy ofSaxe-Coburg and Gotha | Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha | 1906–1918 |
| Free State of Gotha | Freistaat Gotha | 1918–1920 then merged into Thuringia | |
| Free State of Coburg | Freistaat Coburg | 1918–1920 then united with Bavaria | |
| HB | HansestadtBremen | ||
| HH | HansestadtHamburg | ||
| HL | HansestadtLübeck | 1906–1937 | |
| L | HansestadtLübeck | 1903–1906 | |
| L | Lippe | 1906–1945 | |
| M | Mecklenburg | 1934–1945 | |
| M I | Mecklenburg-Schwerin | 1906–1934 then merged into Mecklenburg | |
| M II | Mecklenburg-Strelitz | 1906–1934 then merged into Mecklenburg | |
| O I | Grand Duchy of Oldenburg | Großherzogtum Oldenburg | 1906–1918 |
| Free State of Oldenburg | Freistaat Oldenburg | 1918–1945 | |
| O II | Oldenburg,Lübeck exclave | Landesteil Lübeck | 1906–1937 then merged into Schleswig-Holstein |
| O III | Oldenburg,Birkenfeld exclave | Landesteil Birkenfeld | 1906–1937 then merged into Rhine Province |
| RA | Reuss Elder Line | Reuß älterer Linie | 1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia |
| RJ | Reuss Younger Line | Reuß jüngerer Linie | 1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia |
| S | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach | 1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia |
| SA | Saxe-Altenburg | Sachsen-Altenburg | 1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia |
| SAAR | Saar Basin | Saargebiet | 1920–1935 |
| Saar | Saarland | 1935–1945 | |
| SL | Schaumburg-Lippe | ||
| SM | Saxe-Meiningen | Sachsen-Meiningen | 1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia |
| SR | Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | 1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia | |
| SS | Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | 1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia | |
| T | Thuringia | Thüringen | 1920–1922 |
| Th | Thuringia | 1922–1945 | |
| W | Waldeck | 1906–1929 then merged into Hessen-Nassau | |
During World War I the German Army was assigned the combination MK forMilitärkraftwagen des Deutschen Heeres, military vehicle of the German Army. After the war, during theWeimar Republic, the German Army used RW forReichswehr. Beyond this, there were no significant changes after the overthrow of the German monarchy.
During the Nazi regime (1933–1945), the system of licence plates was basically continued. New combinations were issued for nationwide institutions or organisations, such as DR (Deutsche Reichsbahn) for the railway authority, WHWehrmacht Heer, WLWehrmacht Luftwaffe, WMWehrmacht Kriegsmarine and WTWehrmacht Straßentransportdienst for the military, or POL for the police.
While the Nazi state expanded and waged war, their bureaucrats applied their systems, including licence plates, to occupied countries or territories. Thus, plates of similar style were introduced in Austria, on Czech and Polish territory, in Alsace and Lorraine, and beyond.
After 1945, however, the victorious allied forces abolished the system of German licence plates and instead assigned new lettering combinations in their respectiveoccupation zones. Although each nation implemented their own ideas initially, a system for all four zones was introduced by 1949.[63] At first, the different zones were distinguishable by the first letter prefixA, B, F orS standing for the American, British, French or Soviet occupation zone, respectively. A second letter below indicated the area or country in question, such asA
B stood forAmerican zone/Bavaria. This area code was followed by a two-digit number signifying the district and another number counting within that area. Often the numbers would become scarce after some years and another zone prefix without the first letter was introduced additionally.
The city of Berlin had a special status and, consequentially, special plates. Having abolished the oldI A number plates in 1945, the Soviet occupation forces issued plates withCyrillic characters at first. Motorcycles were issuedБM (=BM, 1945–1946) andГM (GM, 1945–1947). Cars, lorries and buses receivedГФ (=GF, 1945–1946) andБГ (=BG, 1945–1947).[64] These were replaced on the insistence of the western powers, first toKB forKommandatura Berlin and, in the Eastern part of the city, toGB in 1948.
![Licence plate from Saxony,[t] Soviet occupation zone](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLicense_plate_occupied_Germany_Soviet_Zone_1951.jpg)
The British Army of the Rhine (BAOR), initially occupation forces, later NATO elements, issued servicemen with plates carrying white letters and numerals on a black background for their personal vehicles. These cars stood out in comparison to the black on white German plates, and following the terrorist murder of a British serviceman[citation needed], identified when returning to his car with BAOR licence plates, servicemen had to opt for their cars to carry either UK plates (generally right-hand drive vehicles) or German plates (generally left-hand drive vehicles). During the time that Belgian forces were stationed in West Germany, white on black plates similar to the BAOR plates were used.
The American Forces have tried to “blend in” their servicepersons′ private vehicles in another way. Starting in 2000, they adopted a type oflicense plates which closely resembled the German plates yet bore area codes which were at that time not assigned to any district, i.e. AD, AF and HK,[u] later also IF and QQ. These codes still stood out, especially as they bore theNATO symbol instead of the EU's circle of stars and the registration seal candidly readStreitkräfte der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika instead of, e.g.Bayern,Landratsamt Neustadt a.d. Waldnaab. Since 2006, the vehicles in question bearlicense plates with regular German area codes, generally referring to the district of their official stationing.
TheGerman Democratic Republic issued their own style of licence plates beginning in 1953. The first letter would indicate theBezirk (administrative district[v]) where the vehicle was registered. These initials, however, did not refer to the name of the Bezirk but were distributed almost alphabetically from North to South.
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| Prefix | Bezirk |
|---|---|
| A | Rostock |
| B | Schwerin |
| C | Neubrandenburg |
| D | Potsdam |
| P | |
| E | Frankfurt (Oder) |
| H | Magdeburg |
| M | |
| I | BerlinHauptstadt der DDR |
| K | Halle |
| V | |
| L | Erfurt |
| F | |
| N | Gera |
| O | Suhl |
| R | Dresden |
| Y | |
| S | Leipzig |
| U | |
| T | Karl-Marx-Stadt |
| X | |
| VA | Volksarmee (Armed Forces) |
| V P | Volkspolizei (Police) |
| Z | Cottbus |
After German reunification in 1990, the DDR plates were soon abolished and the West German system introduced, starting in 1991 and completed in 1993. Even before this transition phase, it could be observed that licence plates in GDR scheme were produced with West German typeface on the respective machinery.
In July 1956 the current system was introduced in then West Germany, replacing the post-war system.[65] The occupation zones were no longer referred to, instead the new system based on thedistricts of Germany. Each of these was assigned an alphabetic code which had its origin in the name of the district, i.e. of the city or of the capital of the rural district. Quite often, a "district-free" city was surrounded by, or adjacent to a rural district of the same name. In this case, they would both share the code as well as the name, yet devise a way how to split the possible alphanumerical combinations.
The number of letters in the area code hints at the size of the district. The basic idea was to even out the number of characters on all licence plates, because the most populous districts would have more cars and, consequently, more digits after the prefix. The largest German cities generally only have one-letter codes, such as B=Berlin, M=Munich (München), K=Cologne (Köln), F=Frankfurt, S=Stuttgart, H=Hannover. Therefore, cities or districts with fewer letters are generally assumed to be bigger and more important whereas three-letter codes tend to be regarded as rural and dull. Reflecting that, most districts aimed for a combination with fewer letters for their prefix code.
The most significant exception of the one-letter code is Germany's second largest cityHamburg which bears HH forHansestadt Hamburg, because of its historical membership in theHanseatic League, reflected already in its prefix used between 1906 and 1945. A similar principle applies toBremen andBremerhaven, forming the stateFree Hanseatic City of Bremen and sharing the common prefix HB (1906–1947, and again since 1956). Likewise,HansestadtLübeck received its former prefix HL, already used between 1906 and 1937 when its statehood was abolished.
The first drafts, however, had to be altered in a few cases. The district ofWittlich rejected the codeWC, understandably, and receivedWIL instead. The codeKZ, initially projected forKonstanz, was withdrawn fast, due to recent history, and replaced byKN. Neither wereSA,SS orHJ considered to be issued. The codeSD was projected forStade and was finally altered intoSTD after protests from that district who did not want to bear the abbreviation of theSicherheitsdienst.
When originally planned, the system includedcodes for districts in Eastern Germany which were to be reserved untilreunification. That included the territory of theGDR as well as the territoriesannexed toPoland and theSoviet Union afterWorld War II, which West Germany's government still claimed in that era until about 1970. When reunification came in 1990, the reserved codes (e.g.P forPotsdam) were indeed issued to East German districts in January 1991, often as originally planned and as they existed at that time.
Starting in the early 1970s, West German districts were extensively rearranged.[66] In order to reduce their number and so simplify governance, different steps could be taken:
In each of these cases, the new districts had to be endowed with an area code. Again, various solutions were possible:
In any case, the adamant rule was thatone area code per district was valid and would be issued to any vehicle registered henceforth. Existing registrations would remain valid until the vehicle was removed from this district to be either relocated or permanently deregistered. Another rule, however, was abolished. Whereas rural districts had generally been named after their capital town, it was now possible to create new names, applying to geographical[example 15] or historical features.[example 16] As well it was possible to combine the names of the districts that had merged, either keeping one of their codes[example 17] or creating a new one.[example 18]
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When the GDR ceased to exist and Germany was reunited in its present size on 3 October 1990, new area codes were issued to the East German districts. In many cases they could be taken from the old lists that had been prepared before 1956:P stood forPotsdam,EF forErfurt,SON forSonneberg. Yet, a considerable number of codes was altered, either because a code which had been reserved for a district in today's Poland or Russia had become available,[example 19] or because the projected code had meanwhile been issued to a West German district.[example 20]
A prominent example of a reserved code being reused before reunification was one-letterL which was originally planned forLeipzig, by far the largest German city starting with L. However this code was given to the newly formedHessian city ofLahn and the districtLahn-Dill-Kreis in 1977, as hopes for reunification faded away. After the rather unexpected reunification (and Lahn city having split up again and thus abolished in 1979), the L was returned to the city of Leipzig and Lahn-Dill-Kreis was issuedLDK instead.
The letterG was first reserved for the East German city ofGörlitz and later awarded to the city ofGera, although both are smaller than the West GermanGelsenkirchen (GE). The area codeZK had been reserved, in the 1950s, for the city ofZwickau but was rejected as ZK had become the abbreviation of the loathedZentralkomitee of the former Communist party SED.
In analogy to the three northwesternHansestädte Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck, but without historical examples of formerly issued prefixes, four northeastern Hanseatic cities,Greifswald,Rostock,Stralsund andWismar, chose the prefixesHGW, HRO, HST andHWI. There were no suitable two-letter codes available sinceHG, HR, HS andHW were already taken by West German districts.[x]
Beginning in the mid-1990s, however, districts in East Germany were rearranged again, similar to the West two decades before. Thus many of these codes issued before were now outdated, but could still be seen alongside the new code.[example 21] This rearrangement was continued in a second step after 2000, which created large districts with a remarkable variety of possible area codes registered. Still, only one of these was the current one which would be issued to vehicles registered at the moment.
After the reorganization of districts, from the 1970s onward, many area codes expired and new ones were created at that time. However, number plates issued before these rearrangements remain valid, providing the vehicle is still in use and has not been reregistered since. So it was still possible, if rare, to see aclassic car with registration codes of administrative units that have not existed for over 30 years.[example 22]
A study conducted in 2010–12 produced the result that 72% of the German population would welcome the possibility to use again these abolished area codes whereas only 13% opposed the idea.[12][67] It was regarded as remarkable that even young people who had never driven a car with such an "old" prefix favoured the idea of this so-calledKennzeichenliberalisierung (licence plate liberalization).[68] For one, their chances at receiving a personalized license plate would improve if the aspired combination was available not once but several times within their district. Yet the main reason mentioned was a pride in their home town and their own roots, in times of globalization.[69]
The police, however, warned against introducing further codes, as it had turned out that observant citizens would easily notice a car with a number plate from a distant district, thus assisting the police in solving crimes. Plates from the vicinity, on the other hand, would be easier to remember in full, and this would also help to find offenders. More opposition came from local politicians who maintained they had at last succeeded in unifying their merged districts and healed the wounds of those inhabitants who had to give up "their" prefix. If that prefix was available again, they feared, it might lead to old feuds within districts flaming up anew[70] – or, as the district ofWesterwaldkreis put it, "reopen the old trenches between former Oberwesterwaldkreis (WEB) and former Unterwesterwaldkreis (MT)."[71]
Nonetheless, theFederal Ministry of Transport complied with the majority of citizens. Beginning in November 2012 in some districts, and meanwhile nationwide, most of these expired prefix codes have been reintroduced, e.g. in the district ofWesel, it has again become possible to register vehicles withMO as used for the former district ofMoers andDIN as used for the former district ofDinslaken, additionally to the standardWES which had been the only code issued since 1975. As of September 2024, the liberalization has led to 328 previously abolished codes being reintroduced.[12]
In 2024, the same college which had initiated this movement suggested a second step. Every town above 20,000 inhabitants should be able to apply for their own code, even if they had never had one and were subordinate municipalities of a district.[72] The reactions by the political bodies responsible for an implementation of this idea were restrained but varied.[73][74]
Furthermore, it has become possible to "take one's number along", i.e. to keep a licence plate issued at the previous address after moving away from that district.[75] For that reason, the area code and the respective state seal on a licence plate do not necessarily mean that the vehicle's owner really lives there.
In 2023, the city ofMunich applied for a second code, as the remaining free combinations withM, which the city has to share with thedistrict of Munich, were becoming scarce. The codeMUC, which is also the IATA code forMunich Airport, was granted by the Federal government on 21 September.[76]
Light motorised vehicles such as mopeds, motorized wheelchairs and other small, low-power vehicles (such as vehicles for the physically handicapped, with a maximum speed of 50 km/h (31 mph)) are required to have a registration plate of a different kind. ThisVersicherungskennzeichen (insurance plate) uses a system of three digits on the top and three letters beneath.[5]: §52 Both numbers and letters are chosen randomly so personalising the plates is not possible. Plates are much smaller[z] than the plates for normal cars and are only valid for one year from 1 March until the end of February the following year.[77] Those plates are sold by insurance companies, so the fee includes both the registration and the cost of one year's insurance for the vehicle. There are four colours used: black, blue, green for normal plates, and red for temporary use, such as testing (very rare). The first three colours alternate annually in order to make it easy to see whether the vehicle has the correct plate and insurance.
| Colour | Year | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAL 9005 (Tiefschwarz, Jet black) | 1990 | 1993 | 1996 | 1999 | 2002 | 2005 | 2008 | 2011 | 2014 | 2017 | 2020 | 2023 | 2026 | 2029 | 2032 | |
| RAL 5012 (Lichtblau, Light blue) | 1991 | 1994 | 1997 | 2000 | 2003 | 2006 | 2009 | 2012 | 2015 | 2018 | 2021 | 2024 | 2027 | 2030 | 2033 | |
| RAL 6010 (Grasgrün, Grass green) | 1992 | 1995 | 1998 | 2001 | 2004 | 2007 | 2010 | 2013 | 2016 | 2019 | 2022 | 2025 | 2028 | 2031 | 2034 | |
Cross-border prosecution of traffic violations
Media related toLicense plates of Germany at Wikimedia Commons_licence_plate_Germany_from_Bielefeld.JPG)
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