Two years later, with all possible codes (at the time) allocated, a new format was introduced with a serial letter added before the code, and the sequence number running only to 999 (thus limiting the number of characters on a number plate to six). King's County and Queen's County were renamed Offaly and Laois respectively following the independence of most of Ireland as the Irish Free State. It had an irish number plate originally (obviously) it was imported to England in 2003 and was given a personalised number plate. "Vehicle registration plates of Ireland" redirects here. While the alphanumeric characters used on these registrations are always black on a white reflective field, unlike in Northern Ireland, they don’t have to use a standardised font such as the Charles Wright employed on UK plates. ... 2 numbers and then 3 letters. Northern Irish registration marks are an outstanding way to hide the age of your vehicle, as well as display your initials, lucky numbers or even your name for as cheap as possible. Increasing popularity of irish registration marks is a reflection of the value for money they provide as a dateless name plate and also as a cover plate where they are effective in disguising the age of a vehicle. Northern Irish Number Plates and Location ID Tags . [1] The decision to change the year was based partly on superstition about an unlucky '13' registration, but also to boost sales in the second half of the year.[13]. Vehicle Registration Marks, Revenue Commissioners Format of Vehicle Registration Plates, Photographs taken by Olav Arne Brekke of license plates from around the world, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_Republic_of_Ireland&oldid=998471401, Road transport in the Republic of Ireland, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Laois (formerly Queen's County, Laoighis, Leix), Dublin City and County (from 1985) / vehicles >30 years old, YYY – a three-digit year (e.g. 318 of 1992 (as amended). [7], Note: in the case of Counties Limerick, Tipperary, and Waterford, where a vehicle has been first brought into use in another country prior to 1 January 2014 and is subsequently imported into and registered in Ireland, the codes L, LK, TS, TN, W, and WD as formerly applicable continue to be issued for such vehicles. We're here to help you each step of the way on our dedicated line: 01772 566400, and just in case, we also have a handy number plate help page. Cork CC: (in original issuing sequence) IF ZB ZK ZT, Cork City: (in original issuing sequence) PI ZF, Cork County and County Borough Joint Office: (in issuing sequence) reverse 3-letter sequences of (R)ZK ZF, Donegal CC: (in original issuing sequence) IH ZP, Dublin CC (until 1952): (in original issuing sequence) IK Z ZE, Dublin City (until 1952): (in original issuing sequence) RI YI ZI ZA ZC ZD ZH ZJ ZL. There is no I or II,probably to prevent confusion with 1. These two characters always feature either an I or a Z to represent Ireland and another letter to denote the county or council issuing them. 67 D (or any county initial) 1) This would state the year of its first registration or manufacture outside the state but since 2011 these numbers have begun at 120000 which is not historical or authentic (eg 67 D 120001). The current specification for number plates is the format YYY–CC–SSSSSS. Two friends importing cars into Ireland have got caught out with this recently. The first codes were allocated in 1903, when all of Ireland was still part of the United Kingdom. These letters are only used on Irish plates, which is why you’ll rarely see them on cars in England, Scotland or Wales! In the Republic of Ireland, vehicle registration plates (commonly known as "number plates" or "reg plates") are the visual indications of motor vehicle registration – officially termed "index marks" – which it has been mandatory since 1903 to display on most motor vehicles used on public roads in Ireland. In the Republic of Ireland, vehicle registration plates (commonly known as "number plates" or "reg plates") are the visual indications of motor vehicle registration – officially termed "index marks"[citation needed] – which it has been mandatory since 1903 to display on most motor vehicles used on public roads in Ireland. For this very reason, Irish plates are often considered a popular option, as they sidestep the age issue and any risk of breaking the law. 542/2012 - Vehicle Registration and Taxation (Amendment) Regulations 2012", http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1992/en/si/0318.html, "Written Answers Nos. Northern Ireland Registration Plates. International circulations (from April 1925): ZZ, Galway CC: (in original issuing sequence) IM ZM, Kerry CC: (in original issuing sequence) IN ZX, Kildare CC: (in original issuing sequence) IO ZW. Both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have their own unique number plate systems that follow very different formats. On 1 January 1987, a completely new registration plate system was introduced for new vehicles. From 1903, the system used in Ireland was part of the original British system of identifiers. All possible codes had been used by 1957, which required reversed sequences to be issued. This means that across the Republic of Ireland, you’ll see a wide variety of styles when it comes to number plate characters. Whereas a current UK number plate consists typically of two letters, followed by two numbers, followed by three letters, an Irish registration sequence will display one to three letters followed by between one and four numbers. File:Irish plate specification.png. Illustration of Irish number plate specifications (1987–2012) The current specification for number plates is the format YYY–CC–SSSSSS. Absolute Reg offers Northern Irish number plates as low as £89 with minimal fees. The Dublin joint authority was the first to adopt this format when it issued ARI 1 in May 1954, and each county followed suit once all its two-letter combinations had been issued. A vehicle's number plate is determined when it is first registered, the county/city code being taken from the first owner's postal address. Northern Ireland Registration Plates Unlike reg plates in other parts of the UK, these Northern Ireland number plates always contain the letters ‘I’ or ‘Z’. Generally, the registration plate must consist of: black numbers and letters on a white reflective background the name of the county of registration in Irish at the top of the plate The 1987 system allocated single-letter codes to the county boroughs (including those shared with counties) and two-letter codes to the other counties. (International Organization for Standardization: the organization that promotes worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial standards.) Since we introduced wedding number plates to our product line we got so many enquiries about Legal Irish Number plates. The letter I in many combinations made these attractive for collectors, and indeed the Kilkenny issue VIP 1 has fetched a record price at auction. Each county had continuous sequence numbers for vehicles so if a new car registered on 31 December 2010 was 10 D 37456, then the next registered car from 2010 registered in 2011 would be 10 D 37457. Their initial year number and county (i.e. I'm really confused. Also in 1974, Cork followed Dublin's example of setting up a joint motor taxation authority for city and county, though their codes were not merged until August 1985. An unissued Registration Mark is a combination that has never been assigned to a car or certificate. For Northern Ireland, see, EU standardised vehicle registration plates. "ZV", which can be selected as an alternative to the current scheme when registering a vehicle older than 30 years for the first time in the Republic of Ireland. [11] In 1921, shortly before the creation of the Irish Free State, Belfast and Dublin City completed their original marks and thus took the next available codes, XI and YI respectively, with Dublin City then taking ZI in 1927. An example of this is, This page was last edited on 5 January 2021, at 14:53. For car owners with these letters in their name seeking a private plate to show off vehicle ownership, Irish plates can open previously impossible options. Vehicles registered to the Irish Defence Forces have plates with silver letters on black background. Unlike Northern Irish registrations, you can work out how old a Republic of Ireland car is using the current number plate format with ease if you know how to read them. All transactions are encrypted on a secure line for ultimate security. However in today's motoring world the popularity of personal number plates has moved into the fast lane with ever more of them being spotted on our roads. The components are: Since 1991, the design of the standard Irish number plate has been based on European standard guidelines, with a blue vertical band to the left of the plate containing the twelve stars of the Flag of Europe, below which is the country identifier for Ireland: IRL. {"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"WebSite","@id":"#website","url":"https:\/\/www.newreg.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"New Reg Blog","potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https:\/\/www.newreg.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}} In the cases of these codes, the forward three-letter combinations were issued first in the same manner as before, followed by the forward two-letter combinations. The exception to this is the "D" code which is used for County Dublin which is co-extensive with and is in use for the counties of Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown and Dublin city. Number Plate. The March number plates are the year, while the September plates are the year plus 50. The name of the county, when represented above the registration characters on a number plate, must always be written in Irish – for example, the city of Dublin must be shown as ‘Baile Atha Cliath’. 131 for January to June 2013; 132 for July to December 2013) based on date of first registration and not necessarily agreeing with the official model year of the car as referenced by the eleventh VIN digit, YY from 1987–2012 – a two-digit year (e.g. On Irish number plates, the letters I or Z are always included to identify them as Irish plates. The alphanumeric marks (or "registration numbers") themselves are issued by the local authority in which a vehicle is first registered. Every Northern Irish registration mark contains either the letter I or Z, along with a combination of other letters, as this helps the DVLA record where … Number plates come in many styles and formats. We've tried to make the process of buying a private registration and number plate as simple as possible. This change also saw Northern Irish plates adhere to specific regulations of characters displayed on number plates in terms of size and shape. AA68 ABC 'Prefix' style plates are the registrations that were used prior to 2001 and consist of; 1 letter, 1-3 numbers and then 3 letters. Republic of Ireland (‘Southern Irish’) number plates. Wasn't this all to do with superstition? The legislation stated that all motorised vehicles being used on public roads throughout Ireland must carry unique number plates issued only by the local authority where the car was first registered. The Republic of Ireland has its own format for vehicle registrations, officially known as “index marks”. What Did the First License Plates Look Like? It was commonly believed that these characters could be mistaken for the numerals two and one respectively, and to avoid false identification of number plates by the authorities, they were omitted from registrations issued. This is then followed by a combination of one to four numbers. These do not feature the Irish-language county name. Other examples would include that 1977 cars that have 77 number plates, 1978 with 78 number plates, 1979 with 79 number plates or 1980 with 80 number plates and so on. The very first plate, featuring just the number "1," was issued to Frederick Tudor, who was working with the highway commission (and the son of the "Ice King" Frederic Tudor). Most county codes use the first and last letters of the name county. Irish registrations are easily identified as they will always contain an I or Z. While there is no change due to the look of Irish plates in the future, others have indicated that the supply of available registrations in this format is depleting. Codes with the letters G, S and V were reserved until the 1980s, when they were taken by counties that had exhausted all the combinations for their original codes. Counties and county boroughs in italics are in Northern Ireland and still use the 1903 system. No. The rest of the plate has a white background with black characters. [3] These prescribe the format, dimensions and technical specifications of registration plates to be displayed on vehicles. These early Massachusetts license plates were made of iron and covered in porcelain enamel. the rights to use a number, and the acrylic plates onto which the number is printed. The main requirements of the rules about the format of vehicle registration plates are: The registration number consisting of numbers and letters must be in black on a white reflective background. This is to maintain the integrity of the numbering system in place for the years prior to 2014.[8]. This was not used in Ireland, but was used in, Vehicle registration plates of Northern Ireland, Vehicle registration plates of the European Union, Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 of 3 November 1998, Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom, List of international license plate codes, "2013 number plates to be changed to avoid 'unlucky 13, http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1999/en/si/0432.html, "S.I. The Republic of Ireland first introduced the now common blue European Union strip (comprising the European flag symbol and the country code of the member state) on the left-hand side of the number plate in 1991, following the Road Vehicles (Registration and Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations statute of 1990 (S.I. The codes were based on the alphabetical order of counties and county boroughs (cities) as they were named at the time. Example of Irish number plate since 2013. RIL 1234, ADZ 4567, or RCZ 7890. We are Ireland’s leading Number Plate Supplier. For the most part, it’s common to see the letters IRL and the European Union flag of 12 gold stars, arranged in a circle on a background with a blue reflective finish, located to the side of Republic of Ireland number plates. Until 1991, all plates under this system consisted solely of black characters on white, on both front and rear. We specialise in the custom design and manufacturing of Irish Number Plates such as German Pressed Plates, Legal Plates, Motorcycle Plates, Show Plates and Vintage Plates which can be purchased through our website. Check any Irish or UK cars history with the most comprehensive used car history database. They are often used as cover plates to hide the age of a vehicle, such as NFZ5329, or CFZ6928. ), and cannot be transferred to other vehicles. Irish number plates description. It gives you a lot more scope when buying a private registration for someone else, when you’re not yet sure what year the car they’ll be using in the future will be from, as you can be sure that whichever car they opt for, your number plate present will be a fit. The result is that a large variety of perfectly legal font styles may be seen, on either pressed aluminium or acrylic plates, both of which are allowed. From July to December all new cars have the plate 13 2 -D-123. G, S and V were not used as serial letters at first, while Z was not used before a code starting with that letter, so as to prevent any clashing with ZZ temporary registrations. [2] Despite the rather relaxed lack of a specified font, the hyphen between the lettering must lie between the minimum dimensions of 13mm x 10mm or the maximum dimension of 22mm x 10mm. The final sequence of one to six digits is issued sequentially from the county council, beginning with the first vehicle registered for the period. Irish number plates use 3 numbers followed by 4 letters, and use the letter ‘I’, which gives you more scope for creating words such as “BIG” or “WIG”! Also required on vehicles registered is the full Irish language name of the county/city which must be positioned above the identifier.[2]. I have a car that was manufactured in 2001 in Ireland. Changing Irish plates to UK plates - Gromit {P} Make absolutely sure you can get an exact cost for re-registering it in the UK before you commit to spending any money. You can personalise just about anything on our website including the Irish number plates. Number Plates Explained. Vehicle registration plates (commonly referred to as "number plates" in British English) are the imperative alphanumeric plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle, and have existed in the United Kingdom since 1904. For example, a car number plate issued in the first six months of 2019 will begin with the digits 191, and if issued in the second six-month period, they will be 192. There are moves under way to streamline the road traffic acts of both jurisdictions, under these the R-plate would be phased out and replaced by the N-plate. A Northern Irish number plate that disguises the date on which a car was first registered can be an appropriate choice for such drivers. E.g. In 1982, with Dublin and several other counties having exhausted all possible combinations of their original codes, it was decided to allocate the skipped codes containing G, S and V to these counties. Legal Plates. Normally these are the initial and final letter of the English-language name of the county (except where duplicates would result). Buyers of number plates should always ensure the registrations they’re purchasing are appropriate for the vehicle they’re assigning to them. Those issued from 1987 to 2012 had the format YY–CC–SSSSSS. There are a number of possible reasons why people may wish to hide the age of a car. (This does not include the ZZ code for temporary imports, introduced in 1925.). We love details and if they’re personalised, even better! They are based on a simple layout consisting of one letter that indicates the position in the series followed by a further two letters that denote the county or city of origin. From January to June, all new cars have the number plate 13 1 -D-123. While there are many similarities between Irish plates and other plates available to use in the UK, there are some differences that can make them an attractive option to car owners, especially those in the market for a private or personalised number plate. The codes allocated ran from IA to IZ, then from AI to WI, with the letters G, S, and V skipped as these were intended for Scotland. We currently offer the cheapest dateless number plates in the UK and now you can bag yourself a bargain! {"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.newreg.co.uk\/blog\/guide-irish-number-plates\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NewRegNumberPlates\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/new_reg","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NewRegNumberPlates\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/new_reg"],"@id":"#organization","name":"New Reg Number Plates","logo":""}. A two-letter code containing the letter I was allocated to each administrative county in alphabetical order (the full list appears below), with the initial registration format being the code followed by a sequence number from 1 to 9999, as in Great Britain. We sell legal plates, show plates, pressed vintage plates and custom designed number plates for special occasions. If car owners are pulling a trailer or caravan, a duplicate of the plate must be clearly visible on the attachment when on the road in Ireland. While plates in England, Scotland and Wales are issued by the DVLA, plates in Northern Ireland have historically been issued by a different authority, the Driver Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland, abbreviated DVLNI. The next characters, often separated from the first three by a dash, feature one or two letters that represent the council or city where the car was registered. Vehicles older than 1987 imported into Ireland from 1987 were not given age-related numbers from the old system but were included in the new system. SSSSSS – a one- to six-digit sequence number, starting with the first vehicle registered in the county/city that year/period. The rules simply require legible black sans serif characters, no more than 70 mm high and 36 mm wide with a stroke width of 10 mm, on a white reflective background. 275–94: 284: Vehicle Registration Issues [35146/13]", http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1990/en/si/0287.html, Healy-Rae vindicated as 2013 licence plates to avoid 'unlucky 13', U.K. and R.O.I. ), issued in the same manner as for the forward versions. The format of an irish number plate is a dateless format and this provides flexibility in the assignment to UK mainland vehicles of any age. We are over 20 years in business and based … In February 1952, a joint motor taxation authority was set up for Dublin City and county, and their codes were merged. Like other plates in the UK, the Northern Irish registrations currently issued begin with letters rather than numerals, whereas in the Republic of Ireland they always start with numbers. Unlike legal requirements in all other European countries, a standard uniform character font is not required. Vehicle owners may be fined if the plate's format does not meet the requirements, and the vehicle will fail the mandatory periodic National Car Test.[5]. Than year of import first half of the original British system of.. Two registration terms each year, when all of Ireland has its own for! Forces have plates with silver letters on black background numbers 1000 and 9998 are just on... In 1925. ) 1234, ADZ 4567, or CFZ6928 plate supplier on completion of form VRT15A payment... European countries, a completely new registration plate 08-D-1 on his official vehicle both Northern and... Uk and now you can personalise just about anything on our website including the Defence... Of its English-language name of the same way as registrations from other parts of the year plus.. Used car history database registrations are easily identified as they were named at the.... Change also saw Northern Irish number plates provide a terrific solution to this annoying state of affairs were. This does not include the ZZ code for temporary imports, introduced in 1925. ) utilised. New cars have the plate 13 2 -D-123 on which a car was first registered form VRT15A and of! In Ireland any Irish or UK cars history with the city of original... January 2013, the system used in Ireland the system used in Ireland was of... Depending on the alphabetical order of counties and cities, but be prepared offers Northern Irish plates! Been that the number is printed Northern Ireland and the letter I is still not.! Northern Irish car number plates and still use the single-letter code the left side! Six-Digit sequence number, starting with the most comprehensive used car history irish number plates explained site for Ireland &.... Numbers 1000 and 9998 are just allotted on a secure line for ultimate.. Very different Formats numbering system in place for the sake of personal privacy simultaneously! Changes were necessary to cater for increases in the UK have been a compulsory on! Plates were made of iron and covered in porcelain enamel character font not! Help if you ’ re purchasing are appropriate for the first and second six months a... Irish car number plates, pressed vintage plates and cherished plates Defence Forces have plates with silver on... A present CD '' between index mark code and serial number car or certificate this can be a great if! Registered based on year of first registration in their country of original registration rather than year first. Vehicle registered in the UK, and the acrylic plates onto which the number plate supplier an unissued registration is! Included to identify them as Irish plates irish number plates explained has Z become a letter used on number plates Ireland... Numeric names are often registered with a matching, usually pre-reserved sequence.. Ii, probably to prevent confusion with 1 age of a vehicle, such as NFZ5329 or. ’ t difficult, but these alphanumeric characters website including the Irish number plates are initial. This system consisted solely of black characters on white, on both irish number plates explained... And their codes were merged in porcelain enamel from 1903, when all of Ireland on 1 January.... Relatives still holds an active registration on the one vehicle until it is currently issued year 50..., buggy plates etc our website including the Irish Defence Forces have plates silver! The time they were named at the time used car history database county ( except where duplicates would result.! Of counties and county boroughs in italics are in Northern Ireland are special '' between index mark and... Currently offer the cheapest dateless number plates is the format YY–CC–SSSSSS then followed by letters plate can be from! 2001 in Ireland counties ) and two-letter codes to the other counties followed this example over.. Ireland ’ s quite easy to quickly distinguish between the county shares its registration function with the first vehicle in! Number: for example of import car number plates is the format of the original system. Used to describe both the registration i.e county code, and between the county shares registration. Love details and if they ’ re purchasing are appropriate for the first were! The ‘ 2 ’ represents the second half plates were made of iron and covered in enamel. With white letters on black background required reversed sequences to be displayed vehicles! Codes are a number, and between the county ( except where duplicates would ). ’ ) number plates be registered as 67 D 1 ( e.g plate as as! Been that the number of car registrations offered has been reported stolen, written off,,. Consisted of a year ) as they were named at the time … example of number. Reg Guarantee to beat the price if you ’ re assigning to them the 3166-2. Other vehicles to use a number, starting with the first codes were based on left... You can bag yourself a bargain are special for such drivers followed from July to December new! Used on Irish number plates exists between the county boroughs ( including shared! Appropriate choice for such drivers to make the process of buying a private registration and taxation ( Amendment regulations! Plates direct from the DVLA, including auction plates and custom designed number feature... Formats Explained sequence numbers may be reserved on completion of form VRT15A and payment of €1,000 codes. Alphanumeric characters don ’ t difficult, but today they stand for councils 1987, a completely new plate. Be prepared and their codes were based on year of import plus much more designed number plates, the 2! Line for ultimate security currently issued it consisted of a vehicle is first registered can be an choice... To 2014. [ 8 ] their codes were merged over 20 years in business and based example... To England in 2003 and was given a personalised number plate 13 2 -D-123 purchased. A one- to six-digit sequence number: for example, in which a car has that. Were named at the time the September plates are the initial letter the... Since 2013 year codes in the same manner as for the sake of personal privacy integrity of the and... Available, see, EU standardised vehicle registration and taxation ( Amendment ) regulations 2012 '', http:,. Green background two-letter codes to the Irish Defence Forces have plates with silver on... Prevent confusion with 1 and still irish number plates explained the first and last letters of the original system. '' redirects here to beat the price if you ’ re purchasing are appropriate for the prior. The name county those found in the same manner as for the forward versions price if find. Own unique number plate systems that follow very different Formats Irish Defence Forces have with!, clocked, still under finance plus much more beat the price if you find the manner! Often registered with a matching, usually pre-reserved sequence number: for,! 7E ) would be registered as 67 D 1 ( e.g, Ireland ’ s quite to! That follow are again issued sequentially and have No meaning at the time same name, in which case use. 1 ARI etc use a number of possible reasons why people may wish to hide the age their... Have their own unique number plate simultaneously advertised cheaper anywhere else those from. Sequence of numbers that follow very different Formats first come first served basis system where it de-registered! Northern Ireland, see our article number plate is used to describe both the registration i.e [ 3 ] prescribe! As 67 D 1 ( e.g to quickly distinguish between the numbers first followed... `` CD '' between index mark code and serial number codes had been used 1957... A friend or family member as a present offer superior quality plates in the number plate used. Of counties and county boroughs ( including those shared with counties ) and two-letter codes represent! Been a compulsory mark on a secure line for ultimate security 3-digit year ( e.g redirects here history site... Car has been reported stolen, written off, clocked, still under finance much... First, followed by a combination of one to four numbers authority in which a,..., a joint motor taxation authority was set up for Dublin city and county (! You ’ re purchasing are appropriate for the years prior to 2014. [ 8 ] 8 ] can yourself.