لوحات تسجيل المركبات في ألمانيا
لوحات تسجيل المركبات ( بالألمانية : Kraftfahrzeug-Kennzeichen أو بالعامية: Nummernschilder ) هي لوحات أبجدية رقمية إلزامية تُستخدم لعرض رقم تسجيل المركبة المسجلة في ألمانيا . وقد وُجدت هذه اللوحات في البلاد منذ عام 1906، ويُستخدم النظام الحالي منذ عام 1956. لوحات التسجيل الألمانية هي لوحات أبجدية رقمية بتنسيق موحد، تُصدرها السلطات المحلية رسميًا. [ 1 ] [ 2 ]
يجب أن تحمل جميع المركبات الآلية المشاركة في حركة المرور على الطرق العامة، سواء كانت متحركة أو متوقفة، لوحات الترخيص المخصصة لها، والمثبتة في الأماكن المخصصة لها في الأمام والخلف. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، تُثبت الأختام الرسمية الموجودة على اللوحات صلاحيتها، ويمكن إثبات ذلك أيضًا من خلال الوثائق المرفقة بها. أما الدراجات النارية والمقطورات، فتحمل لوحة ترخيص خلفية فقط.
من السمات البارزة للوحات ترخيص المركبات الألمانية رمز المنطقة، الذي يُستخدم لتحديد المنطقة التي تم تسجيل المركبة فيها. وقد أصبح تخمين "من أين أتت هذه المركبة" عادةً شائعة في ألمانيا، حتى أنه أصبح لعبةً للأطفال أثناء السفر. [ 3 ] [ 4 ]
الشكل والمتطلبات القانونية
قانوني
تم وضع المتطلبات القانونية للوحات الترخيص هذه في قانون اتحادي بعنوان Verordnung über die Zulassung von Fahrzeugen zum Straßenverkehr (مرسوم بشأن قبول المركبات لحركة المرور على الطرق)، أو في النسخة المختصرة Fahrzeug-Zulassungs-Verordnung, FZV [ 5 ] التي حلت محل جزء من قانون قديم يسمى Straßenverkehrszulassungsordnung, StVZO [ f ] في عام 2011. يميز القانون بين Kennzeichen الذي يعني مجموعة محددة من الحروف والأرقام، و Kennzeichenschilder وهي لوحات الترخيص المادية. [ 5 ] : §12 في اللغة اليومية، غالبًا ما يتم استبدال هذه المصطلحات بشكل غير مبال بـ Nummernschild ونادرًا ما يتم التأكيد على الفرق من خلال الاستخدام المقيد لأي من Nummer أو Schild .
الخصائص الفيزيائية
لوحات ترخيص المركبات الألمانية مستطيلة الشكل، بأبعاد قياسية 520 مم × 110 مم ( 20 ½ بوصة × 4 ¾ بوصة ) للسيارات والشاحنات والحافلات ومقطوراتها. قد تكون اللوحات التي تحمل عددًا قليلًا من الأحرف أقصر ، ولكن يجب أن تحافظ على حجم وشكل الأحرف. أما اللوحات المكونة من سطرين لأنواع المركبات المذكورة [ g ] ، فتبلغ أبعادها 340 مم × 200 مم ( 13 ¾ بوصة × 7 ¾ بوصة ) . تحتوي الدراجات النارية أيضًا على لوحات في سطرين ولكن بأبعاد محددة: لوحات "الدراجات النارية الكبيرة" (سعة المحرك أكثر من 125 سم مكعب أو قوة خرج تتجاوز 11 كيلو واط (15 حصانًا) ) الصادرة حتى عام 2011 تجمع بين حجم 280 مم × 200 مم (11 بوصة × 7 + 7/8 بوصة ) مع أحرف بنفس حجم لوحات السيارات، بينما تلك الصادرة منذ عام 2011 لها أحرف أصغر حجمًا وتقيس إما 180 مم × 200 مم ( 7 + 1/8 بوصة × 7 + 7/8 بوصة ) أو 220 مم × 200 مم ( 8 + 5/8 بوصة × 7 + 7/8 بوصة ) . تجمع لوحات "الدراجات النارية الخفيفة" ( حتى 125 سم مكعب و 11 كيلوواط (15 حصانًا) ) بين حجم 255 مم × 130 مم (10 بوصات × 5 + 1/8 بوصة ) وحروف صغيرة الحجم. يُستخدم هذا الحجم الأصغر من اللوحات أيضًا للجرارات الزراعية التي تصل سرعتها القصوى إلى 40 كم/ساعة (25 ميلًا/ساعة) ومقطوراتها ، وقد تُصدر استثناءً لبعض السيارات المستوردة عندما يتعذر وضع لوحة بالحجم العادي في المساحة المتاحة.
الأحرف الموجودة على لوحة الترخيص، بالإضافة إلى الإطار الضيق المحيط بها، سوداء على خلفية بيضاء. [ 5 ] : §12(1) في الحجم القياسي ، يبلغ ارتفاعها 75 مم (3 بوصات) ، وعرضها 47.5 مم ( 1 7/8 بوصة ) للأحرف أو 44.5 مم ( 1 3/4 بوصة ) للأرقام. أما اللوحات الأصغر حجمًا، فيبلغ ارتفاع أحرفها 49 مم ( 1 7/8 بوصة ) وعرضها 31 أو 29 مم ( 1 1/4 أو 1 1/8 بوصة ) على التوالي. [ 5 ] : الملحق 4 في النظام الحالي، الذي طُبِّق عام 1956، تتكون من رمز منطقة من حرف واحد أو حرفين أو ثلاثة أحرف ، متبوعًا بتسلسل تعريف من حرف واحد أو حرفين ورقم واحد إلى أربعة أرقام . يجب ألا يتجاوز إجمالي عدد الأحرف على اللوحة ثمانية أحرف. غالباً ما يتم تخصيص المعرفات المكونة من حرف واحد مع أرقام من رقم واحد أو رقمين لاستخدام الدراجات النارية نظرًا لوجود مساحة أقل للوحات على هذه المركبات، خاصة قبل تقليص حجم اللوحة إلى 180 × 200 مم و220 × 200 مم في عام 2011. [ 6 ]
نوع الخط
تستخدم لوحات السيارات الألمانية الحديثة خطًا يُسمى FE-Schrift ( الخط المقاوم للتلاعب). صُمم هذا الخط بحيث لا يمكن تغيير شكل حرف P ليُصبح مطابقًا تمامًا لحرف R ، والعكس صحيح؛ كما لا يمكن تزوير حرفي F أو L ليُصبحا مطابقين لحرف E ، وهكذا. ومن مميزاته أيضًا تساوي عرض جميع الأحرف، وهو ما يختلف عن خط DIN 1451 القديم الذي كان مُستخدمًا منذ إدخال النظام الحالي عام 1956. يُمكن لبرامج التعرف الضوئي على الحروف (OCR) قراءة خط FE-Schrift للتعرف التلقائي على لوحات السيارات بسهولة أكبر من خط DIN 1451.
تم اعتماد التصميم الحالي عام ١٩٩٤ وأصبح إلزاميًا عام ٢٠٠٠، لذا أصبح عدد لوحات الترخيص الصادرة بالتصميم القديم نادرًا جدًا. وكما هو الحال مع العديد من لوحات ترخيص دول الاتحاد الأوروبي ، يظهر شريط أزرق على اليسار رمز الدولة المختصر باللون الأبيض ( حرف D يرمز إلى ألمانيا ) وعلم أوروبا (١٢ نجمة ذهبية تُشكّل دائرة على خلفية زرقاء).
مادة
تقليديًا، تُصنع لوحات ترخيص السيارات الألمانية من صفائح الألمنيوم، وتتميز حروفها البارزة عن مستوى الخلفية. مع ذلك، استُخدمت مواد أخرى متنوعة على مر السنين، وإن كان ذلك على نطاق ضيق. منذ عام ٢٠١٣، سُمح باستخدام نوع جديد من اللوحات المصنوعة من البلاستيك. [ ٧ ] يُقال إنها أقل عرضة للتلف الميكانيكي وتُنتج انبعاثات أقل من ثاني أكسيد الكربون ، لكنها أغلى ثمنًا. [ ٨ ]
لوحة ترخيص مصنوعة جزئياً من البلاستيك (1964)؛ تم نقش اللوحة ورمز المنطقة بينما تم تثبيت أحرف التعريف (J 5) بالمسامير.
لوحة بلاستيكية بالكامل (2008)
لوحة ترخيص بلاستيكية (2013)، الأحرف مثبتة عليها
صورة تفصيلية للوحة معدنية بالكامل، وقد تآكلت الأحرف جزئيًا
ملصق FCN على لوحة ترخيص السيارة (ليس قانونيًا تمامًا)
لوحات الأرقام عاكسة للضوء، ولكن يجب ألا تكون عاكسة للضوء أو مخفية أو متسخة، كما لا يجوز تغطيتها بالزجاج أو الرقائق المعدنية أو طبقات مماثلة. [ 5 ] : §12(2) في بعض الأحيان، يُغرّم السائقون الذين يزينون لوحات ترخيص سياراتهم بشعار نادي كرة القدم المفضل لديهم، ويُؤمرون بإعادة اللوحة إلى حالتها الأصلية. [ 9 ] [ 10 ]
العناصر المكونة
كود المنطقة
يتكون الجزء الأول، أو رمز المنطقة (Unterscheidungszeichen)، من حرف أو حرفين أو ثلاثة أحرف تُمثل المنطقة التي سُجلت فيها السيارة، مثل B لبرلين أو HSK لهوشساورلاندكرايس . تُشير هذه الأحرف أساسًا إلى المناطق الألمانية ، إلا أنها لم تعد واضحة تمامًا بعد بعض التغييرات في القانون. عند تطبيق النظام الحالي، خُصص لكل منطقة اختصار واحد فقط. وعندما دُمجت منطقة مع أخرى أو تغير اسمها، أُعيد تعريف رمزها. وبينما تظل التسجيلات الحالية سارية، فإن أي مركبة تُسجل من الآن فصاعدًا لا يُمكن إصدار رمزها إلا بالرمز الحالي. [ مثال 1 ] في بعض الحالات، تشترك منطقة حضرية والمنطقة غير الحضرية المحيطة بها في نفس رمز الأحرف. وعادةً ما يتم التمييز بينهما بأنماط مختلفة من الأحرف والأرقام. [ مثال 2 ] يُسجل تخصيص كل رمز ومجموعة رموز لدى مكتب تسجيل المركبات المركزي (ZFZR). [ 11 ] : §34
منذ عام 2013، أُعيد العمل برموز المناطق التي أُلغيت منذ فترة طويلة، [ 12 ] [ 13 ] مما ألغى قاعدة عدم الالتباس. ونتيجة لذلك، تستخدم العديد من المناطق الآن أكثر من رمز واحد، [ مثال 3 ] بينما لا تُخصص بعض الرموز لمنطقة واحدة فقط. [ مثال 4 ] وبالمثل، بدأت عدة مدن تتشارك رمزها مع المناطق الريفية المحيطة بها [ ح ] باستخدام أي رموز متاحة لكلا المنطقتين دون أي تمييز؛ فمدينة ريغنسبورغ ، على سبيل المثال، والمنطقة الريفية المحيطة بها كانتا تستخدمان نظامين مختلفين برمز R فقط حتى عام 2007.
تتضمن ألمانيا علامات التشكيل في حروف بعض الرموز، أي الأحرف Ä، [ 14 ] وÖ، وÜ، [ i ] ولكن ليس ẞ . [ j ] لفترة طويلة، التزمت الرموز الألمانية بقاعدة أن الرمز الذي يحتوي على علامة التشكيل يمنع استخدام رمز آخر يحتوي على حرف العلة المقابل، على سبيل المثال، لا يمكن أن يكون هناك رمز مقاطعة FU لأن الرمز FÜ كان مستخدمًا بالفعل لمقاطعة فورث . تم تجاهل هذه القاعدة في عام 1996، عندما تم إدخال الرمز BÖ لمقاطعة بوردكرايس على الرغم من وجود الرمز BO لمقاطعة بوخوم . ومع ذلك، حصلت بوردكرايس على الرمز BK في عام 2007، ربما بسبب الالتباسات في الخارج، والغرامات، وما إلى ذلك. [ k ]
لوحة تحمل الحرف N بحرفين وسطيين من مدينة نورمبرغ (نورنبيرغ).
لوحة ترخيص تحمل حرف N في المنتصف، من مقاطعة نورنبيرغر لاند
تطوير رمز المنطقة
عندما طُبقت رموز المناطق، كان الهدف الرئيسي منها هو تمكين ضباط الشرطة من تحديد هوية سائقي السيارات المسرعين وغيرهم من المخالفين لقواعد المرور. إلا أنها سرعان ما تحولت إلى اختصارات شائعة الاستخدام لمناطق سكن الناس، فكانت موضع تقدير أو استهجان. وفي بعض الأحيان، كانت رموز المناطق المجاورة تحمل دلالات ساخرة أو حاقدة. [ مثال 5 ] وعندما دُمجت المناطق، ولم يكن بالإمكان الاستمرار إلا برمز واحد منها، فقد تنشب معارك ضارية حول أيها سيُعتمد. [ 15 ]
جيب بوزينجن
منذ عام 1968، يُطبّق نظامٌ خاص على بلدية بوزينغن آم هوخراين ، وهي جيب ألماني مُحاط بالكامل بالأراضي السويسرية . فرغم أن بوزينغن تتبع مقاطعة كونستانس الألمانية ، إلا أنها جزء من منطقة الجمارك السويسرية. ولهذا السبب، لا تحمل المركبة المسجلة باسم أحد سكان بوزينغن رمز KN الخاص بكونستانس، بل رمز BÜS ، مما يدلّ موظفي الجمارك السويسريين على أنها مركبة محلية. ويوجد حوالي 700 سيارة تحمل هذا الرمز، مما يجعل بوزينغن أصغر منطقة تسجيل وأقلها كثافة سكانية في ألمانيا. [ 16 ]
قائمة رموز المناطق
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ملصقات
Registration plates become valid with the official seal of registration.[5]:§12(3) This is a sticker of 45 mm (1+3⁄4 in) diameter, following the area code and bearing, in colours, the seal of the respective German Bundesland 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 as Bundespolizei, carry the German Bundesadler instead of a Bundesland seal.
The rear plate bears, above the official seal, the vehicle safety test sticker. This test 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 of 12 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 the emission 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]
Registration seal, City of Duisburg, pre-1994 version with city arms
Registration seal, City of Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, post-1994 version with state emblem
Registration seal, Mühldorf am Inn, pre-1994, Bavaria state arms monochrome
Registration seal, Coburg district, post-1994, Bavaria state arms in colours
Bundeswehr registration seal with the Bundesadler
Safety test sticker
Emission test sticker (1985–2010)
Safety test (here: valid until June 2007) and registration seal (Fürth, Bavaria)
Ancient safety test marker, September 1964[l]
| 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)
Serial letters and digits
The final identifier or Erkennungsnummer 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.
Identifiers are categorized into five groups, according to the number of letters and numbers:[5]:Appendix 1
| Group | Letters | Numbers | From – to | Number of possible combinations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | 1 | 1–3 | A1–Z999 | 26×999 = 25,974 |
| b | 2 | 1–2 | AA1–ZZ99 | 26×26×999 = 675,324 |
| c | 2 | 3 | AA100–ZZ999 | 26×26×900 = 608,400 |
| d | 1 | 4 | A1000–Z9999 | 26×9,000 = 234,000 |
| e | 2 | 4 | AA1000–ZZ9999 | 26×26×9,000 = 6,084,000 |
Not every group is issued by every authority and group e cannot be combined with three-letter area codes.
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 from FS T 683. The risk of confusion can be avoided by writing a hyphen after the city code, like F-ST 683. For this reason, the police will usually radio the location name and spell out the next letters, using the German spelling alphabet. Thus, F ST 683 would be radioed as Frankfurt, Siegfried, Theodor, sechs-acht-drei and FS T 683 as Freising, Theodor, sechs-acht-drei. If the officer should not know the meaning of the area code, he would spell it out too, as Friedrich, 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]
Personalised plates
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 Mrs Ulrike Mustermann, born 2 May 1965 and living in Essen, might choose E-UM 2565 for her car. By combining area code and random letters, further possibilities arise, such as a man from Oldenburg named Olaf, born on Christmas Eve, could choose OL-AF 2412. A resident of the town of Pirna might choose PIR-AT 77, Pirat meaning "pirate" in German. Kiel and Kleve are two examples of places where the number plate can spell out all of the city name.
These vanity plates can only be made up of the available prefixes and numbers, within the general rules. A James Bond fan from Hamburg would not be allowed the plate HH-JB 007 because leading digits 0 (or even double-0) are not possible; however, he might strive for HH-J 8007 or HH-OO 7, imitating digits by letters or vice versa. The owner of a Volkswagen Polo can certainly show VW in the middle section, but neither PO-LO 1995 nor VW-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.
Company cars
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 is ADAC, the German automobile association, based in Munich. All their assistance cars, operating from the Alps to the North Sea, bear an M plate.
Deutsche Bahn, after being corporatised and relinquishing their Behördenkennzeichen (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 uses BN 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 letters DT are preferred.
The Kone company registers their German vehicles in Koblenz, with middle letters NE, thus displaying their trademark on their plates. BMW, owner of Mini, registers all Mini press/marketing cars in the district of Minden-Lübbecke which holds the code MI, to get "MI-NI" number plates for the cars. BMW itself is based in Munich, yet M-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 with E-AT number plates. This may be regarded a pun, as eat translates into German as Essen.[25][26]
ADAC roadside assistance car
Deutsche Bahn (DB) construction supervisor
2 cars of Deutsche Telekom (DT), registered in Münster
A car of Kone's, unmistakably
Bus E-AT 895, headed for Essen-Kray in 1991
Prohibited combinations
Combinations that are regarded as a Verstoß 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 to Nazi Germany, such as NS (National Socialism), KZ (Konzentrationslager, concentration camp), HJ (Hitlerjugend, Hitler Youth), SS (Schutzstaffel) and SA (Sturmabteilung). Therefore, these two-letter combinations are generally not issued in any district, nor do the city districts of Hanover, Nuremberg, Cologne and Stuttgart 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]
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 renowned ADAC had no qualms with the middle letters SA, 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 combination SA followed by the double-digit numbers 01 to 08 for the then seven rural districts in the Saar Protectorate and its capital Saarbrücken. By 1990, however, codes like these were not taken into consideration for newly formed districts in former GDR: The district Sächsische Schweiz used the name of its capital, Pirna, in its code PIR, to avoid the use of SS. When the districts of Torgau, Delitzsch and Oschatz merged into Nordsachsen, they combined their initials into TDO, instead of abbreviating Northern Saxony as NS.[o]
On the other hand, the area codes HH and AH were chosen for Hansestadt Hamburg and former district Ahaus, although they could be interpreted as Heil Hitler and Adolf 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 into Nazi 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).
In 2004 in Nuremberg, a car owner was refused a number plate beginning N-PD because of the connection to the political party NPD.[32] After the terror group National Socialist Underground was uncovered in 2011, the city of Nuremberg refused number plates beginning with N-SU and even abolished the respective plates on their own vehicles of Stadtentwässerung und Umweltanalytik (sewage and environmental department).[33] In the 2010s, some districts started banning licence plates with the middle letters IS which resembled the Islamic State.[34] The Herford 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 the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[35]
The combinations STA-SI, S-ED[29]/SE-D,[36]HE-IL/HEI-L, IZ-AN and WAF-FE are also forbidden or discouraged, to avoid association with Stasi, the Sozialistische Einheitspartei of the GDR, the Nazi salute, NAZI backwards and the German word for weapon respectively. Other combinations affected are BUL-LE (German derogative for police, roughly comparable to pig),[37]MO-RD (German word for murder),[38]TO-D (German word for death), KI-LL (kill) and SU-FF (boozing).[39][40]
On the other hand, plates that would seem offensive in other circumstances have been allowed, such as the infamous acronym AC-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.
Reserved combinations
For quite different reasons, some districts hold certain letter combinations reserved. The Saxon capital Dresden issues all DD-Q plates to the state police vehicles. Likewise, Erfurt uses EF-LP for the police in Thuringia. Munich and other Bavarian cities reserve certain combinations with P for the police units within their authorities, such as M-PM, N-PP or RO-P.[41] Cologne issues K-TX to taxis and K-LN to the city's own vehicles.[28] In various districts, firefighter vehicles will be issued the middle letters FW standing for Feuerwehr.[42] The combinations B-FA and BN-AA with any 4-digit numbers are issued by Berlin and Bonn, respectively, to embassy domestic staff without diplomatic status.[43]
Fictitious licence plates
Sometimes, such as in films or television series, 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 as NN-XY 555. In the 1980s TV series Der Fahnder,[44] the area code G was used for a fictional "large city" (German: Großstadt) in the Ruhrgebiet 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 in Tomorrow Never Dies, the obviously fake Berlin licence plates on his BMW were soon pointed out.[45]
Prior to 2000, it was also 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. However, any of these letters can appear on a real licence plate. In order to demonstrate clearly that the plate shown is a fictitious one, the crew could use an impossible identifier, such as an umlaut in this middle section.
Registration
Procedures
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 the district 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.[46] 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[47] Inquiries from foreign authorities can be addressed to ZFZR which will then direct them to the correct district.[11]:§37[48]
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.[49]
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, scratching tools 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.[50] 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 get entstempelt, 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.
Costs
As of 2020, the average registration fee is €26.00[51] 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.[52] 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 for motor vehicle tax (€194 on average[53] yet very much depending on engine and emissions) and mandatory liability insurance (€260 on average, in 2019;[54] depending on the model of the vehicle, age and residence of the owner, etc.). Comprehensive insurance is recommended but voluntary.
Special types of registration
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 a motorhome) 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.
Special codes, colours and formats
Certain types of vehicle bear special codes.[5]:App. 3[r]
Different codes
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.
Highest state offices
The President uses the licence plate 0-1, the Chancellor uses 0-2, the Foreign Minister uses 0-3 and the First State Secretary of the Foreign Office (i.e. the deputy Foreign Minister) uses 0-4. The President of the Parliament uses 1-1. 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.
Federal government
Instead of a city code (which would mostly mean B for Berlin) the federal government uses an exclusive abbreviation of their own. The code BD(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 |
Federal administration
Some branches and institutions of the federal government use their special prefix (often an abbreviation of their name) instead of a city code.
- The Technisches Hilfswerk (German Federal Agency for Technical Relief) uses its abbreviation THW, so the plates read THW-80000, for example. All numbers on THW plates start either with the digit 8 or 9.
- The Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes (Federal Administration of Waterways and Navigation) uses BW followed by a digit identifying the region of the office (from 1=north to 7=south).
- Before the Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railways) was corporatised and the Deutsche Bundespost (German Federal Mail) was privatised, they used the abbreviations DB and BP (e.g. DB-12345, BP-12345).
- The federal police uses the code BP for Bundespolizei instead of a local code. Before 2006 the code BG, for their former name Bundesgrenzschutz, was used in the scheme BG-12345. This old code still remains valid, but any new vehicles will get the new code BP.
Official registered vehicle for Technisches Hilfswerk (German Federal Agency for Technical Relief)
Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes, here: South Office in Würzburg
Bundesgrenzschutz licence plate, old-style code BG, no longer issued
Bundespolizei (Federal Police), code BP in use since 2005
State governments
In a similar way as the federal government, the state governments and diets can use their respective codes. This difference is not made in the Stadtstaaten Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen, as they fulfil both district and state function in addition to their municipality's. In some Bundesländer, such as North Rhine-Westphalia, the state code is also used by the police.[example 7]
Public sector
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 as M-1234. These included:
- vehicles of the district government: 1–199, 1000–1999, 10000–19999
- vehicles of the local government, e.g. fire brigade: 200–299, 2000–2999, 20000–29999, 300–399
- police: 3000–3999, 7000–7999, 30000–39999, 70000–79999
- disaster relief (mostly changed to "THW", see above): 8000–8999, 80000–89999
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.
Official registered vehicle (here: fire brigade)
Official registered vehicle for disaster relief
License plate of official vehicle in North Rhine-Westphalia
License plate of city council of Trier
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.
Diplomatic plates
Plates of cars covered by diplomatic immunity bear the digit 0 (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 digit 1 in this final place denotes the ambassador or chef de mission. Lower-ranking embassy or consular staff without full diplomatic status are issued plates with the regular city code (mostly B for the capital, Berlin, or BN for the former capital, Bonn); the following numerals are analogous to the "0-plates", e.g. B 19–256. Further holders of diplomatic plates are certain international organizations, such as the UNHCR or the European Central Bank.[43]
Car of the Cypriot ambassador
Diplomatic plate, Indonesian embassy in Berlin
Plate for diplomatic employee, French embassy in Berlin
Consular corps plate in Hamburg
Small format plate for a U.S. diplomat
| Diplomatic Codes on German Licence Plates[43][55][56][57] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Code | Flag with State | State in German | Notes |
| 10[s] |  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 | |
 East Germanybefore 1990 | DDR | ||
| 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 | |
| 207–299 | available for further nations | ||
| 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 Study The 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 |
| 304 | UN SDG Action Campaign | Aktionskampagne für die Ziele der Vereinten Nationen für nachhaltige Entwicklung | SDG |
| 305 | Global Center for UN Personal Services | Globales Zentrum für Personaldienste der Vereinten Nationen | oneHR |
| 306 | UNICEF, Berlin office | UNICEF, Büro Berlin | |
| 307 | World Bank, Berlin Office | Weltbank, Büro Berlin | |
| 308 | United Nations Research Institute for Social Development | Forschungsinstitut der Vereinten Nationen für Soziale Entwicklung | UNRISD |
| 309 | Initiative for Transparency in Climate Protection | Initiative für Transparenz im Klimaschutz | UNOPS-ICAT |
| 310 | Secretariate for Water Supply | UN-Habitat/-Sekretariat für Wasserversorgung | GWOPA |
| 311 | United Nations System Staff College | Wissenszentrum für nachhaltige Entwicklung | UNSSC |
| 312 | World Health Organization | Weltgesundheitsorganisation | WHO |
| 313 | United Nations Institute for Training and Research | Ausbildungs- und Forschungsinstitut der Vereinten Nationen | UNITAR |
| 314 | United Nations Development Programme | Entwicklungsprogramm der Vereinten Nationen | UNDP |
| 315 | Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS | Gemeinsames Programm der Vereinten Nationen für HIV/Aids | UNAIDS |
| 316 | United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs | Hauptabteilung Wirtschaftliche und Soziale Angelegenheiten der Vereinten Nationen | UN-DESA |
| 317 | Bank for International Settlements | Bank für internationalen Zahlungsausgleich | BIZ |
| 318 | European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts | Europäisches Zentrum für mittelfristige Wettervorhersage | ECMWF / EZMW |
| 319 | European Union – Latin America and Caribbean Foundation | EU-Lateinamerika-Karibik-Stiftung | EU-LAK |
| 320 | United Nations Population Fund | Bevölkerungsfonds der Vereinten Nationen | UNFPA |
| 321 | Anti-Money Laundering Authority | Behörde zur Bekämpfung von Geldwäsche und Terrorismusfinanzierung | AMLA |
| 322 | United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women | Einheit der Vereinten Nationen für Gleichstellung und Ermächtigung der Frauen | |
| 323 | International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance | Internationale Allianz zum Holocaustgedenken | IHRA |
| 324–399 | available for further organisations | ||
Military
- Bundeswehr uses old style non-reflecting plates. The German flag is shown, instead of the blue EU strip. Bundeswehr plates use the letter Y instead of a city code, as no German city has this initial. The Y is followed by a dash and a six-digit number (or five digits for motorcycles), for example Y-123 456. These vehicles are tax-exempt and need not to be insured since the German government acts as insurer. There is also no mandatory technical inspection required but the Armed Forces carry out a regular internal inspection on these vehicles similar to the official inspection.
- Military vehicles which are used by the NATO headquarters in Germany use the same design as the Y-plates except they carry the letter X followed by a four-digit number, for example X-1234.
Different colours
Very rarely, German licence plates bear characters in different colours than black. These exceptions are:
Green on white
Vehicles which are exempt from vehicle taxes (for example ambulances, 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.
Red on white – 06
Car dealers' plates are in red print on a white background, and the code begins with 06.[5]:§41 Red plates may be attached to cars which are changing hands, such as the test run of unregistered cars, and the liability insurance is connected to the plate, not a specific car.
Red on white – 07
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.
Different formats and styles
H for historic
Classic vehicles (known in German by the pseudo-English expression Oldtimer) can get an H (historisch, historic) at the end of the plate, such as K-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 first documented registration was at least 30 years ago.
- The car must be in mostly original and preservation worthy condition. Preservation worthy means a grade C by popular car grading standards. The older the car, the more signs of usage it can show. This purely concerns the car's appearance; the road worthiness is established by separate mandatory safety inspections.[t]
E for electric
The 2015 Electric Mobility Act authorised issuing special licence plates for plug-in electric vehicles to allow proper identification to avoid abuses of these privileges.[5]:§11[58][59] The special licence plate adds the letter E at the end of the licence number. Owners of all-electric cars and plug-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.[60][61]
Seasonal
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.
Interchangeable
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 and B-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 for Wechselkennzeichen, 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.[62]
Temporary registration
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 numbers 04, 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.
Export
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.
Special plate for vehicles to be exported (Ausfuhrkennzeichen)
Former special plate for vehicles to be exported (Zollkennzeichen, customs plate) — no longer in use. It was replaced by the Ausfuhrkennzeichen in the 1980s.
Car with a combination of interchangeable and historic plate
History
German Empire and Weimar Republic
The first German licence plates that had a lettering plan were issued from 1906 onwards. The various states and realms which made up the German Empire used different prefixes, such as Roman 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.[63][64]
| 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 | 1906–1922then 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 | 1906–1922then 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 of Nuremberg | 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 BautzenKreishauptmannschaft Dresden-Bautzen | 1906–19321932–1945 | |
| II | Kreishauptmannschaft DresdenKreishauptmannschaft Dresden-Bautzen | 1906–19321932–1945 | |
| III | Kreishauptmannschaft Leipzig | ||
| IV | Kreishauptmannschaft Chemnitz | ||
| V | Kreishauptmannschaft Zwickauand police authorities (Polizeiämter) Zwickau and Plauen | ||
| 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 of Upper Hesse | Provinz Oberhessen | 1906–1937 |
| V R | Province of Rhenish Hesse | Provinz Rheinhessen | 1906–1937 |
| V S | Province of Starkenburg | 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 of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha | 1906–1918 |
| Free State of Gotha | Freistaat Gotha | 1918–1920then merged into Thuringia | |
| Free State of Coburg | Freistaat Coburg | 1918–1920then united with Bavaria | |
| HB | Hansestadt Bremen | ||
| HH | Hansestadt Hamburg | ||
| HL | Hansestadt Lübeck | 1906–1937 | |
| L | Hansestadt Lübeck | 1903–1906 | |
| L | Principality of Lippe | Fürstentum Lippe | 1906–1918 |
| Free State of Lippe | Freistaat Lippe | 1918–1945 | |
| M | Mecklenburg | 1934–1945 | |
| M I | Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | GroßherzogtumMecklenburg-Schwerin | 1906–1918 |
| Free State of Mecklenburg-Schwerin | FreistaatMecklenburg-Schwerin | 1918–1934then merged into Mecklenburg | |
| M II | Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | GroßherzogtumMecklenburg-Strelitz | 1906–1918 |
| Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz | Freistaat Mecklenburg-Strelitz | 1918–1934then 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 | 1906–1937then merged into Schleswig-Holstein |
| O III | Oldenburg, Birkenfeld exclave | Landesteil Birkenfeld | 1906–1937then merged into Rhine Province |
| RA | Reuss Elder Line | Reuß älterer Linie | 1906–1920then merged into Thuringia |
| RJ | Reuss Younger Line | Reuß jüngerer Linie | 1906–1920then merged into Thuringia |
| S | Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach | Großherzogtum / FreistaatSachsen-Weimar-Eisenach | 1906–1920then merged into Thuringia |
| SA | Saxe-Altenburg | Herzogtum / FreistaatSachsen-Altenburg | 1906–1920then merged into Thuringia |
| SAAR | Saar Basin | Saargebiet | 1920–1935 |
| Saar | Saarland | 1935–1945 | |
| SL | Schaumburg-Lippe | Fürstentum / FreistaatSchaumburg-Lippe | 1906–1945 |
| SM | Saxe-Meiningen | Herzogtum / FreistaatSachsen-Meiningen | 1906–1920then merged into Thuringia |
| SR | Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt | Fürstentum / FreistaatSchwarzburg-Rudolstadt | 1906–1920then merged into Thuringia |
| SS | Schwarzburg-Sondershausen | Fürstentum / FreistaatSchwarzburg-Sondershausen | 1906–1920then merged into Thuringia |
| T | Thuringia | Thüringen | 1920–1922 |
| Th | 1922–1945 | ||
| W | Waldeck | Fürstentum / FreistaatWaldeck und Pyrmont | 1906–1929then merged into Hessen-Nassau |
During World War I the German Army was assigned the combination MK for Militärkraftwagen des Deutschen Heeres, military vehicle of the German Army. After the war, during the Weimar Republic, the German Army used RW for Reichswehr. Beyond this, there were no significant changes after the overthrow of the German monarchy.
Nazi Germany
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, WH Wehrmacht Heer, WL Wehrmacht Luftwaffe, WM Wehrmacht Kriegsmarine and WT Wehrmacht 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.
Postwar Germany
After 1945, however, the victorious allied forces abolished the system of German licence plates and instead assigned new lettering combinations in their respective occupation zones. Although each nation implemented their own ideas initially, a system for all four zones was introduced by 1949.[65] At first, the different zones were distinguishable by the first letter prefix A, B, F or S standing for the American, British, French or Soviet occupation zone, respectively. A second letter below indicated the area or country in question, such as AB stood for American zone/Bavaria. This area code was followed by a two-digit number signifying the district and another number counting within that area. When the numbers became scarce after some years, another zone prefix (e. g. without the first letter) would be introduced additionally.
The city of Berlin had a special status and, consequentially, special plates. Having abolished the old I A number plates in 1945, the Soviet occupation forces issued plates with Cyrillic characters at first. Motorcycles were issued БM (=BM, 1945–1946) and ГM (GM, 1945–1947). Cars, lorries and buses received ГФ (=GF, 1945–1946) and БГ (=BG, 1945–1947).[66] These were replaced on the insistence of the western powers, first to KB for Kommandatura Berlin and, in the Eastern part of the city, to GB in 1948.
Licence plate from Bavaria, American occupation zone
Licence plate from Schleswig-Holstein, British occupation zone
Licence plate from Baden, French occupation zone (motorcycle format)
Licence plate from Saxony,[u] Soviet occupation zone
Vehicles of occupation/NATO forces
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, 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.
US Forces vehicles
The American Forces have tried to "blend in" their servicepersons′ private vehicles in another way. Starting in 2000, they adopted a type of license 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,[v] later also IF and QQ. These codes still stood out, especially as they bore the NATO symbol instead of the EU's circle of stars and the registration seal candidly read Streitkräfte der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika instead of, e.g. Bayern, Landratsamt Neustadt a.d. Waldnaab. Since 2006, the vehicles in question bear license plates with regular German area codes, generally referring to the district of their official stationing.
East Germany, DDR
The German Democratic Republic issued their own style of licence plates beginning in 1953. The first letter would indicate the Bezirk (administrative district[w]) 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.
| 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) |
| VP | 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.
West Germany
In July 1956 the current system was introduced in then West Germany, replacing the post-war system.[67] The occupation zones were no longer referred to, instead the new system based on the districts 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 city Hamburg which bears HH for Hansestadt Hamburg, because of its historical membership in the Hanseatic League, reflected already in its prefix used between 1906 and 1945. A similar principle applies to Bremen and Bremerhaven, forming the state Free 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 of Wittlich rejected the code WC, understandably, and received WIL instead. The code KZ, initially projected for Konstanz, was withdrawn fast, due to recent history, and replaced by KN. Neither were SA, SS or HJ considered to be issued. The code SD was projected for Stade and was finally altered into STD after protests from that district who did not want to bear the abbreviation of the Sicherheitsdienst.
When originally planned, the system included codes for districts in Eastern Germany which were to be reserved until reunification. That included the territory of the GDR as well as the territories annexed to Poland and the Soviet Union after World 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 for Potsdam) were indeed issued to East German districts in January 1991, often as originally planned and as they existed at that time.
First changes
Starting in the early 1970s, West German districts were extensively rearranged.[68] In order to reduce their number and so simplify governance, different steps could be taken:
- city districts "swallowed" neighboring municipalities and thus grew.[example 8]
- city districts lost their sovereignty and were integrated into the surrounding or neighbouring rural district.[example 9]
- rural districts merged with one or several others, or were split up between neighbouring districts.[example 10]
- single municipalities were moved between districts, as was deemed appropriate or practical.
In each of these cases, the new districts had to be endowed with an area code. Again, various solutions were possible:
- the largest or most populous district bestowed its name and code upon the newly created unit.[example 11]
- one former district gave its name and/or capital while another's area code was used for the new district.[example 12]
- the new unit was given a new name yet continued to use an existing area code.[example 13]
- the new unit was given a new name and created a new area code.[example 14]
In any case, the adamant rule was that one 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]
Germany reunited
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 for Potsdam, EF for Erfurt, SON for Sonneberg. 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-letter L which was originally planned for Leipzig, by far the largest German city starting with L. However this code was given to the newly formed Hessian city of Lahn and the district Lahn-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 issued LDK instead.
The letter G was first reserved for the East German city of Görlitz and later awarded to the city of Gera, although both are smaller than the West German Gelsenkirchen (GE). The area code ZK had been reserved, in the 1950s, for the city of Zwickau but was rejected as ZK had become the abbreviation of the loathed Zentralkomitee of the former Communist party SED.
In analogy to the three northwestern Hansestädte Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck, but without historical examples of formerly issued prefixes, four northeastern Hanseatic cities, Greifswald, Rostock, Stralsund and Wismar, chose the prefixes HGW, HRO, HST and HWI. There were no suitable two-letter codes available since HG, HR, HS and HW were already taken by West German districts.[y]
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.
Liberalized registration rules
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 a classic 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][69] 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-called Kennzeichenliberalisierung (licence plate liberalization).[70] 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.[71]
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[72] – or, as the district of Westerwaldkreis put it, "reopen the old trenches between former Oberwesterwaldkreis (WEB) and former Unterwesterwaldkreis (MT)."[73]
Nonetheless, the Federal 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 of Wesel, it has again become possible to register vehicles with MO as used for the former district of Moers and DIN as used for the former district of Dinslaken, additionally to the standard WES 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.[74] The reactions by the political bodies responsible for an implementation of this idea were restrained but varied.[75][76]
Slackening of rules
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.[77] 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 of Munich applied for a second code, as the remaining free combinations with M, which the city has to share with the district of Munich, were becoming scarce. The code MUC, which is also the IATA code for Munich Airport, was granted by the Federal government on 21 September.[78]
Insurance plates
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. This Versicherungskennzeichen (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[aa] than the plates for normal cars and are only valid for one year from 1 March until the end of February the following year.[79] 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.
Colours of the insurance plates from 1 March onwards of each year 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
See also
- Liste aller Kfz-Kennzeichen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland List of all registration codes issued under the current registration system
- Liste der deutschen Kfz-Kennzeichen, die nicht mehr ausgegeben werden List of registration codes no longer issued
- Liste der deutschen Kfz-Kennzeichen (historisch) List of repealed registration codes
- Liste der Kfz-Kennzeichen in Deutschland List of registration codes currently issued
Annotations
Notes
- ↑Front plate, post-2010 hence without sticker; coloured registration seal of Steinburg district
- ↑Front plate with emission test sticker (valid July 1994) and silver registration seal "Stadt Karlsruhe"
- ↑Used on a motorcycle, from Osterode am Harz
- ↑seasonal plate, valid March to October every year
- ↑from Hansestadt Lübeck, final letter H for historic
- ↑Literally, "Road-Traffic-Admission-Ordinance", cf. German compounds
- ↑As necessary e.g. on certain cars, such as the rear of a Volkswagen Beetle
- ↑The term "rural district" does not necessarily denote rural surroundings or landscape but rather refers to the fact that the municipalities belonging to a "rural" district lack certain administrative rights of an "urban" district, such as issuing registration plates. These rights are exercised by the district office.
- ↑This habit is uncommon in most other European countries but does appear on regular Montenegrin, Croatian and Serbian (letters Đ, Č, Ć, Š and Ž), Åland registration plates (letters Å, Ä and Ö), as well as on Finnish, Swedish (letters Å, Ä and Ö) and Danish (letters Æ, Ø and Å) personal registration plates.
- ↑The letter ß does not occur in the beginning of any word and therefore did not have an upper-case form before 2008.
- ↑It may be argued that "there has to be a principle that two vehicles can't share the same letter-number combination, even if disregarding the dash (shown as blank on plates). So if a car has SR-A 123, no car can have S-RA 123. Otherwise this would violate the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic annex 2 which says that letters and numerals are used for registration numbers, but not that spaces or dashes are significant." – However this principle has not been revealed yet, cf. discussion.
- ↑Note that the numbers run in the opposite direction as now, and the black mark 11–12–1 has not yet been invented.
- ↑The point behind figures 6 and 9 was meant to avoid confusion (6. vs 9.).
- ↑There has to exist a method to avoid two vehicles getting plate numbers only distinguished by the position of the blank space, because the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic describes some rules about international road traffic, and it does not define blank or hyphen as a significant character on plates.[24]
- ↑TOD would have seemed indecent too, as it means death.
- ↑AH would rather be regarded as an abbreviation for Altenheim (old people's home) or Autohaus (car dealership); cf. German Wikipedia.
- ↑It was certainly not common to refer to the Nazi "Führer" by his initials, neither before nor after 1945.
- ↑Appendix 3 defines the unique prefixes for vehicles of federal and state government bodies, agencies, police, the armed forces, diplomatic missions and privileged international organizations.
- ↑The nuncio is declared doyen of the diplomatic corps and therefore bears the first available code.
- ↑Universally accepted modifications include changes that benefit safety, such as seat belts and disc brakes, and environmental friendliness, such as catalytic converters and LPG conversions (if invisible from the outside). Further modifications that are generally accepted are those contemporary of the car's first registration (plus and minus 10 years, burden of proof lies with the owner through historic material such as photographs) and new paintjobs of any colour, including two-tone paint if originally offered and historic company logos, but no murals or custom patterns.
- ↑Saxony was abbreviated L for Leipzig, to avoid infamous SS.
- ↑HK has meanwhile been assigned to Heidekreis.
- ↑Any GDR Bezirk consisted of several Kreise and was much larger than the unit described as district elsewhere on this page.
- ↑With emission test sticker valid February 2011
- ↑HG = Hochtaunuskreis, capital: Bad Homburg vor der HöheHR = Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, capital: HombergHS = Kreis HeinsbergHW = Kreis Halle (Westfalen).
- ↑Additionally, the white sticker reading "25" signals low speed to following drivers.
- ↑Regular size 130 mm × 101 mm (5+1⁄8 in × 4 in); also available as sticker for e-scooters in 67 mm × 55 mm (2+5⁄8 in × 2+1⁄8 in)
Examples
- ↑When the districts of Eutin and Oldenburg in Holstein merged to form the new district of Ostholstein, in 1970, both their codes EUT and OLD became obsolete and were replaced by OH.
- ↑The urban district of Straubing has had one letter after the area code (SR-A 123), whereas the surrounding district Straubing-Bogen has two letters (SR-AB 123) in this place.
- ↑Up to 9 in Mecklenburgische Seenplatte (district): MSE, AT, DM, MC, MST, MÜR, NZ, RM, WRN
- ↑ESB, formerly standing for Eschenbach district, is now issued by the districts of Neustadt a.d. Waldnaab, Amberg-Sulzbach, Bayreuth and Nürnberger Land.
- ↑Drivers from Offenbach are slandered to be ohne Verstand (without sense) and even misspell it OF.
- ↑In Nürnberger Land district e.g., LAU and HEB can be used in any combination, ESB with N only, PEG with A only, N with one-letter identifiers only, yet excluding the "new" letters B, F, G, I, O, Q and S.
- ↑The Police of North Rhine-Westphalia uses NRW 4, NRW 5 and, for motorbikes, NRW 6 instead of a local code. This is followed by a four-digit number (e.g. NRW 4-1960).
- ↑The city of Bielefeld incorporated the largest part of the eponymous rural district, almost doubling their population.
- ↑The district-free towns of Marktredwitz and Selb were merged into the district of Wunsiedel.
- ↑The district of Springe split up into the districts of Hameln-Pyrmont, Hanover, Hildesheim and Schaumburg.
- ↑The urban district of Schwandorf (SAD) merged with the rural districts of Burglengenfeld (BUL), Nabburg (NAB), Neunburg (NEN) and Oberviechtach (OVI) into a new rural district of Schwandorf (SAD).
- ↑The Rheingaukreis (RÜD for Rüdesheim) and Untertaunuskreis (SWA for Bad Schwalbach) districts merged into Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis, choosing the area code RÜD but the capital Bad Schwalbach.
- ↑The districts of Eschwege and Witzenhausen merged into Werra-Meißner-Kreis, using Eschwege's ESW and dropping WIZ.
- ↑The districts of Eiderstedt (TÖN for Tönning), Husum (HUS) and Südtondern (NIB for Niebüll) merged into Nordfriesland (NF).
- ↑The rural districts of Heidelberg (HD), Mannheim (MA) and part of Sinsheim (SNH) merged into Rhein-Neckar-Kreis (HD); the districts of Alsfeld (ALS) and Lauterbach (LAT) merged into Vogelsbergkreis (VB).
- ↑Öhringen (ÖHR) and Künzelsau (KÜN) merged into Hohenlohekreis (KÜN).
- ↑The rural districts of Straubing and Bogen merged to Straubing-Bogen, keeping SR (and sharing it with Straubing city district) while dropping Bogen's BOG.
- ↑The rural districts of Koblenz and Mayen merged to Mayen-Koblenz, newly introducing MYK while dropping MY and leaving KO to the city of Koblenz.
- ↑DZ had once been reserved for Danzig but was now issued to Delitzsch.
- ↑Gotha had been scheduled to receive GT, yet this code went to the newly-created district of Gütersloh in 1973. Gotha was given GTH instead.
- ↑In Torgau-Oschatz district, merged in 1994, you might well see the new TO alongside Torgau's TG and Oschatz's OZ, at the same time.
- ↑EIN = Einbeck, which was merged into Northeim in 1974.
References
- ↑"BMDV – Überblick über die Kraftfahrzeugkennzeichen". bmdv.bund.de. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ↑"Strassenverkehrsamt.de | STVA". www.strassenverkehrsamt.de. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ↑"Alle Autokennzeichen in Deutschland". bussgeldkatalog.org (in German). 18 November 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ↑"Auto Quiz: Kfz Kennzeichen raten"[Guess Car Plates]. Geo-Quiz (in German). Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- 1234567891011121314151617181920212223"Verordnung über die Zulassung von Fahrzeugen zum Straßenverkehr" (in German). Bundesamt für Justiz. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ↑"Kennzeichengrößen"[Sizes of Licence Plates]. Kennzeichenbox.de (in German). 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ↑"Kfz-Kennzeichen: Neue Nummernschilder aus Plastik". www.t-online.de (in German). 12 November 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ↑"3D Kennzeichen – Das Original bei Kennzeichenheld.de". Kennzeichenheld (in German). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ↑"Kennzeichen mit Sticker bekleben: Ist es erlaubt?"[Sticking a badge on a plate – is it allowed?] (in German). Gutschild Mobilitätsblog. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ↑Tiroch, Stephan (15 July 2010). "Kann das FCN-Logo Urkundenfälschung sein?"[Can the FCN logo be a forgery of documents?]. infranken.de (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- 1234"Straßenverkehrsgesetz" (in German). Bundesamt für Justiz. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
- 123Bochert, Ralf (October 2020). "Initiative Kennzeichenliberalisierung"[Initiative on the Liberalization of Licence Plates] (in German). Hochschule Heilbronn. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ↑"Kfz-Kennzeichen Deutschland". KFZ-MAG.de. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ↑Kremp, Axel (10 February 2020). "Zwei Kennzeichen, ein geeinter Kreis". Badische Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ↑"Das Nummernschild als ein Stück Heimat"[The number plate as a piece of home] (in German). Westdeutsche Zeitung. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ↑"Fahrzeugkennzeichen BÜS". Municipality of Büsingen (in German). Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ↑"Deutsche Autokennzeichen". Kfz.new. 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ↑"Anlage 3 - Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV)". Buzer.de. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ↑"Anlage 1 - Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV)". Buzer.de. 25 April 2006. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ↑"Gültige Unterscheidungszeichen"(PDF). 5 April 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
- ↑"Fusion der Stadt Eisenach mit dem Wartburgkreis", retrieved 23 June 2021.
- ↑Westdeutscher Rundfunk (1 December 2016). "1. Dezember 1951 – TÜV-Untersuchung für Autos wird Pflicht"[TÜV inspection for cars becomes mandatory]. wdr.de (in German). Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ↑TÜV Nord (31 March 2020). "Abgasuntersuchung: Von der ASU bis zur UMA" (in German). Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ↑Vienna Convention on Road Traffic (see annex 2 page 47)
- ↑"Ruhrbahn | Essen-Bus | Busse in der Ruhrstadt Essen". essen-bus.de. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ↑"Verkehrshistorische Arbeitsgemeinschaft EVAG e.V."vhag-evag.de. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ↑"Wunschkennzeichen". Stadt Nürnberg Ordnungsamt (in German). City of Nuremberg. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- 12"Wunschkennzeichen – Stadt Köln". Stadt Köln (in German). • Spezielle und verbotene Kennzeichen: City of Cologne. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- 123"Kraftfahrzeugkennzeichen – Wunschkennzeichen reservieren" (in German). City of Stuttgart. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ↑"M-AH 8888 ist durchgerutscht"[M-AH 8888 slipped through]. Sueddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 9 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
- ↑"Verschärfte Regeln gegen Nazi-Autokennzeichen"[Stricter rules against Nazi plates]. Rheinische Post (in German). 18 September 2010.
- ↑"Nicht erlaubt – Hinter diesen Kfz-Kennzeichen stecken Nazi-Codes"[Not allowed – these licence plates conceal nazi codes]. Hamburger Morgenpost (in German). 23 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ↑"Nürnberg entfernt NSU-Kennzeichen"[Nuremberg removes NSU plates]. Nürnberger Nachrichten (in German). 9 November 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ↑"IS als Auto-Kennzeichen verbieten?"[Forbidding IS as a licence plate?]. Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). 22 April 2016.
- ↑"Keine "Z"-Kennzeichen mehr im Kreis Herford"[No more "Z" license plates in the Herford district]. WDR (in German). 8 April 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
- 12"Wunschkennzeichen". Kreis Segeberg (in German). Kraftfahrzeug-Zulassungsbehörde. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ↑"Autokennzeichen "BUL-LE" aus dem Verkehr gezogen"[Car plate sign "BUL-LE" withdrawn from circulation]. Die Welt (in German). 13 August 2013.
- ↑"30 Moerser wollten Kennzeichen MO-RD"[30 Moers people wanted plate "MO-RD"]. Rheinische Post (in German). 13 November 2012.
- ↑"Lieber kein SU-FF für Autofahrer"[Rather no SU-FF (booze) for automobilists] (in German). broeltal.de. 10 May 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ↑"Wunschkennzeichen". Rhein-Sieg-Kreis (in German). Retrieved 26 July 2024.
- ↑"Wie sehen Polizeikennzeichen aus?"[What do police plates look like?]. Autokennzeichen.de (in German). 3 August 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ↑Feuerwehr Essen, (Essen Fire Dept.) (20 March 2007). "FW-E: Feuerwehrfahrzeuge mit neuen KFZ-Kennzeichen unterwegs"[Fire Engines on the road with new number plates] (in German). Retrieved 20 June 2021.
- 123"Diplomaten, Konsulate und internationale Organisationen". Kennzeichenwelt (in German). 2 September 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
- ↑Der Fahnder on IMDb
- ↑"Auto-Filmfehler bei James Bond"[Car-Filmbugs at James Bond] (in German). Auto Bild. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ↑"Das kosten Kennzeichen"[This is what plates cost] (in German). 29 May 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ↑"Central Vehicle Register". Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ↑"EUCARIS". Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
Cross-border prosecution of traffic violations
- ↑Verbraucherzentrale Nordrhein-Westfalen e.V. (2 December 2014). "Kfz-Kennzeichen: HH auch für Frankfurter". Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ↑"Kaufvertrag fürs Auto"[Sales contract for the car] (in German). ADAC. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ↑"Gebührenordnung für Maßnahmen im Straßenverkehr"[Fees for measures in road traffic](PDF). Gesetze-im-Internet.de (in German). Bundesministerium der Justiz (Federal Ministry of Justice). 29 June 2020. pp. 13–16. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ↑"Kfz Behörden Gebühren" (in German). Strassenverkehrsamt. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ↑"KFZ Steuer". KfzVersicherungen.org (in German). 15 September 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ↑"Versicherungen". Statista (in German). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- ↑"Kraftfahrzeugkennzeichen Liste der diplomatischen Vertretungen und derjenigen Internationalen Organisationen, die Kennzeichen für bevorrechtigte Personen erhalten"(PDF). Verkehrsblatt 2020 – Heft 4. Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur. 17 January 2020. p. 92. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑Trapp, Peter; Henkel, Frank (16 May 2014). "Schriftliche Anfrage des Abgeordneten Peter Trapp und Antwort: Ermittlungen gegen Angehörige des Diplomatischen Dienstes in Berlin 2013, Drucksache 17/13660"[Investigation against Members of the Diplomatic Service in Berlin, in 2013; Written Question and Answer](PDF). PARDOK – Parlamentsdokumentation (in German). Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin. pp. 1–4. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- ↑"Diplomatenkennzeichen Codes". fragdenstaat.de. Bundesministerium für Verkehr. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
- ↑"Elektromobilitätsgesetz: Bundestag beschließt Vorfahrt für E-Autos"[Electric Mobility Act: Bundestag passes priority for electric cars]. Spiegel Online (in German). 6 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
- ↑"Bundestag will Vorfahrt für E-Autos"[Bundestag wants priority for electric cars]. KFZ-betrieb (in German). 5 March 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑""E" wie Elektroauto"["E" as electric car]. Autobild (in German). 29 September 2015. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ↑Viehmann, Sebastian (3 June 2016). "E-Kennzeichen und Elektromobilitätsgesetz: Mit diesem Nummernschild parken Sie jetzt umsonst"[E-Plate and Electromobility Act: With this number plate you park now for free]. Focus (in German). Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ↑"Wechselkennzeichen" (in German). ADAC Rechtsberatung. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ↑"Kennzeichenwelt - Unterscheidungszeichen". www.kennzeichenwelt.de. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ↑Mike (22 June 2012). "German license plates | License Plates History". Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ↑"Kennzeichen 1948–1956" (in German). Retrieved 8 November 2020.
- ↑"special case Greater Berlin". kennzeichenwelt.de (in German). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ↑"Auto-Nummern – Damit die Polizei notiert"[Car numbers – For the police to write down]. Der Spiegel (in German) (12): 10–12. 19 March 1952. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ↑Wollmann, Hellmut. "Local Government Modernisation in Germany: Stages, discourses, patterns, international perspective"(PDF). p. 7. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- ↑"Kennzeichenliberalisierung". vox news (in German). 30 September 2011. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ↑Perske, Jörn (21 January 2019). "Nummernschilder-Nostalgie"[Number plate nostalgia]. Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ↑""Wir sind keine Separatisten!" – Gute Chancen für Alt-Kennzeichen "HÜN""["We're not separatists" – Good chances at old code "HÜN"] (in German). Osthessen-News. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ↑Klein, Hendrik (6 February 2025). "50 Jahre Märkischer Kreis: Noch 674 Fahrzeuge mit Altkennzeichen"[50 years of Märkischer Kreis: still 674 vehicles with old registration plates] (in German). LokalDirekt. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
- ↑"Kreis lehnt Alt-Kennzeichen MT und WEB ab"[District rejects old license plates MT and WEB]. rhein-zeitung.de (in German). Westerwälder Zeitung. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ↑Bochert, Ralf (26 September 2024). "Kennzeichenliberalisierung II. Teil (2024ff)" (in German). Hochschule Heilbronn. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ↑Bauer, Luca (24 September 2024). "Neue Kennzeichen für rund 320 Städte?"[New License Plates for about 320 towns?] (in German). Südwestrundfunk. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ↑Ehm, Harald (5 October 2024). "So könnte Zirndorf ein eigenes Autokennzeichen bekommen"[This is how Zirndorf could receive their own license plate] (in German). Nürnberger Nachrichten. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ↑Haschek, Brigitte; Cerchez, Stefan (18 July 2013). "Nummernschild zum Mitnehmen"[Take-away number plate] (in German). Auto Motor und Sport. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ↑Bayerische Staatsregierung (Bavarian State Government) (21 September 2023). ""MUC"-Kennzeichen kommt!"["MUC" plate is coming!]. Pressemitteilungen (in German). Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ↑"Jetzt Nummernschild wechseln!"[Change number plate now!]. AutoBild (in German). 26 February 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
External links
Media related to License plates of Germany at Wikimedia Commons- FZV law, officially announced in Bundesgesetzblatt Nr. 199
- The complete list, edited by ADAC
- Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (≈Federal Office of Road Traffic)Archived 19 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine, official website, English page
- German Number Plates, Also shows how they are made (saved 2011-12-21)
- History of German licence plates
- Editable licence plates graphics, back to series from 1956
- More information about German car number plates and their history
- رموز المدن الألمانية، قائمة كاملة برموز المدن، مؤرشفة بتاريخ 9 مارس 2010 على موقع Wayback Machine
- تم تحديث معلومات لوحات السيارات الألمانية. الأنواع والرموز
- لوحات تسجيل المركبات حسب البلد
- النقل البري في ألمانيا
- مركبات ألمانيا