Austrian car number plates are mandatory vehicle registration plates displaying the registration mark (German : Kennzeichen) of motor vehicles in Austria. They are used to verify street legality, proof of a valid liability insurance and to identify and recognise the vehicle.
The licence plates are made of metal; the imprinted text is in black letters and digits on a white background. Since November 1, 2002 the common design comprises a blue section on the left with the EU circle of stars and the country code ('A') like other vehicle registration plates of the European Union. On the top and bottom, there are red-white-red tribands, the national colours of Austria. Two plates have to be present on each car (front and rear). Dealer plates show white letters on a green background, temporary plates show white letters on a cyan background, and foreign trailers show white letters on a red background. For motorbikes and cars with smaller areas for plates, smaller licence plates are available with two lines of text. Moped plates are in different appearance and shape, they show white letters on a red background.
The alphanumeric format for registration plates is "XX ∇=provincial emblem number+letter(s)" or "XX ∇=provincial emblem personalised letters+number";
There are several lettering schemes:
W ∇ 12345 A).FK ∇ 1 ABC in the Feldkirch district), two digits and two letters (e.g. WL ∇ 12 AB in the Wels-Land district) or three digits and one letter.XX ∇ 123 AB) in each district or four digits and two letters in state capitals respectively.
BB Bundesbahnen (Federal Railways), only with Index "W", e.g. W ∇ 1234 BBBE Bestattung (funeral services)EW E-Werk (electric power company)FF Freiwillige Feuerwehr (volunteer firemen)FW Feuerwehr (firemen)GW Gaswerk (gas power company)GT Gütertransport (vehicles transporting goods)IBK Stadt Innsbruck (municipal vehicles of Innsbruck)KT Kleintransport (private vehicles transporting parcels)LO Linienomnibus (public service buses)LR Landesregierung (Local government of Niederösterreich)LV Landesregierung (Local government of Tyrol)MA Magistrat Wien (Local government of Vienna)MW Mietwagen (private hire car or bus service [with driver])RD Rettungsdienst (ambulance vehicles)RK Rotes Kreuz (Red Cross)TX Taxi (taxis)
In Austria, it is possible to obtain a customized registration plate by payment of €228.30 for registration and €21.00 for the plates themselves. [1] An example of a customized plate is XX ∇ ABC 1. In general, the alphanumeric combination that goes after the coat of arms must consist of at least three characters and begin with a letter and end with a number. The letters and numbers must each be grouped together in a block. This makes such plates easily distinguishable from standard ones.
Since 2017, electric plates have been introduced in Austria, [2] these special plates are given only to electric vehicles and are exempt from parking charges in Vienna, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Wels, Linz, Graz, Mödling, Zell am See, Klosterneuburg and Krems.
Export transit plates are vehicle plates that are issued to vehicles that are being exported, the plate is used for vehicles that need to get to their desired export destination, but are not allowed to use regular licence plates because they have been deregistered abroad. For motor vehicles the cost of an export transit plate is €197.3. [3] The export transit plates are valid for 3 to 21 days.
| Code | City, District and official vehicles | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| A | Federal officials |  Federal president's plate |
| AM | Amstetten | |
| B | Bregenz, Burgenland official | |
| BA | Bad Aussee sub-district | Suspended on July 1, 2013; replaced with LI. |
| BB | Bundesbahnen (Federal Railways) | Obsolete, ÖBB vehicles now use W ∇ XXX BB plates |
| BD | Kraftfahrlinien Bundesbus (Bus Service) |  Since 2008 for Postbus coaches only, until 1997 also for ÖBB coaches |
| BG | Bundesgendarmerie (Federal gendarmerie) |  Obsolete since July 2005, when Gendarmerie and police merged |
| BH | Bundesheer (Federal Army) |  |
| BL | Bruck an der Leitha | |
| BM | Bruck-Mürzzuschlag | Since 2013, Bruck an der Mur until 2012. |
| BN | Baden | |
| BP | Bundespolizei (Federal police) |  Since July 2005 for all new registered police cars |
| BR | Braunau am Inn | |
| BZ | Bludenz | |
| DL | Deutschlandsberg | |
| DO | Dornbirn | |
| E | Eisenstadt | Also for the city of Rust, Burgenland. |
| EF | Eferding | |
| EU | Eisenstadt-Umgebung | Eisenstadt surrounding area |
| FB | Feldbach | Suspended on July 1, 2013; replaced with SO. |
| FE | Feldkirchen | |
| FF | Fürstenfeld | Suspended on July 1, 2013; replaced with HF. |
| FK | Feldkirch | |
| FR | Freistadt | |
| FV | Finanzverwaltung (Financial Administration) |  since 2005 |
| FW | Feuerwehr (Fire brigade) |  since February 2020 |
| G | Graz | |
| GB | Gröbming sub-district | |
| GD | Gmünd | |
| GF | Gänserndorf | |
| GK | Consular corps in Styria | |
| GM | Gmunden | |
| GR | Grieskirchen | |
| GS | Güssing | |
| GU | Graz-Umgebung | Graz surrounding area. |
| HA | Hallein | |
| HB | Hartberg | Suspended on July 1, 2013; replaced with HF. |
| HE | Hermagor | |
| HF | Hartberg-Fürstenfeld | Since July 1, 2013. |
| HL | Hollabrunn | |
| HO | Horn | |
| I | Innsbruck | |
| IL | Innsbruck-Land | Innsbruck countryside area. |
| IM | Imst | |
| JE | Jennersdorf | |
| JO | St. Johann im Pongau | |
| JU | Judenburg | Suspended on July 1, 2012; replaced with MT. |
| JW | Justizwache (Justice police) | |
| K | Klagenfurt | |
| KB | Kitzbühel | |
| KG | Klosterneuburg | |
| KI | Kirchdorf an der Krems | |
| KF | Knittelfeld | Suspended on July 1, 2012; replaced with MT. |
| KK | Consular corps in Carinthia | |
| KL | Klagenfurt-Land | |
| KO | Korneuburg | |
| KR | Krems-Land | Krems countryside area. |
| KS | Krems City | |
| KU | Kufstein | |
| L | Linz | |
| LA | Landeck | |
| LB | Leibnitz | |
| LE | Leoben City | |
| LF | Lilienfeld | |
| LI | Liezen | |
| LL | Linz-Land | Linz countryside area. |
| LN | Leoben (district) | Leoben countryside area. |
| LZ | Lienz | |
| MA | Mattersburg | |
| MD | Mödling | |
| ME | Melk | |
| MI | Mistelbach | |
| MT | Murtal | Since July 1, 2012. |
| MU | Murau | |
| MZ | Mürzzuschlag | Suspended on July 1, 2012; replaced with BM. |
| N | Lower Austria official | |
| ND | Neusiedl am See | |
| NK | Neunkirchen | |
| O | Upper Austria official | |
| OP | Oberpullendorf | |
| OW | Oberwart | |
| P | St. Pölten | |
| PE | Perg | |
| PL | St. Pölten-Land | St. Pölten countryside area. |
| PT | Post & Telekom Austria (national mail and phone company) | Actually for postal cars only. |
| RA | Bad Radkersburg | Suspended on July 1, 2013; replaced with SO |
| RE | Reutte | |
| RI | Ried im Innkreis | |
| RO | Rohrbach | |
| S | Salzburg City and official | |
| SB | Scheibbs | |
| SD | Schärding, Diplomatic corps in Salzburg | |
| SE | Steyr-Land | Steyr countryside area. |
| SK | Consular corps in Salzburg | |
| SL | Salzburg-Umgebung | Salzburg countryside area. |
| SP | Spittal an der Drau | |
| SO | Südoststeiermark | Since July 1, 2013. |
| SR | Steyr City | |
| ST | Styria official | |
| SV | St. Veit an der Glan | |
| SW | Schwechat City | |
| SZ | Schwaz | |
| T | Tirol official | |
| TA | Tamsweg | |
| TD | Diplomatic corps in Tirol | |
| TK | Consular corps in Tirol | |
| TU | Tulln | |
| UU | Urfahr-Umgebung | |
| V | Vorarlberg official | |
| VB | Vöcklabruck | |
| VD | Diplomatic corps in Vorarlberg | |
| VI | Villach City | |
| VK | Völkermarkt, Consular corps in Vorarlberg | |
| VL | Villach-Land | Villach countryside area. |
| VO | Voitsberg | |
| W | Vienna (Wien) | |
| WB | Wiener Neustadt-Land | Wiener Neustadt countryside area |
| WD | Diplomatic corps in Vienna | |
| WK | Consular corps in Vienna | |
| WE | Wels City | |
| WL | Wels-Land | Wels countryside area |
| WN | Wiener Neustadt City | |
| WO | Wolfsberg | |
| WT | Waidhofen an der Thaya | |
| WU | Wien-Umgebung | Vienna surrounding area; suspended on January 1, 2017; replaced with BL, KO, PL, TU |
| WY | Waidhofen an der Ybbs | |
| WZ | Weiz | |
| ZE | Zell am See | |
| ZT | Zwettl | |
| ZW | Zollwache (Customs officials) | Obsolete since 2005 when Zollwache merged with federal police |
From 1906 until 1919, the plates always composed one letter followed by Roman numerals and three numbers (e.g. "BXV 639"). Temporary admission plates always followed by prefix. The prefixes are G= Bosnia and Herzegovina, U= Hungary, Z= All other countries.
From 1919 until 1930, the plates format is the same as before but became authority supplied.
From 1930 until 1939, the plates comprised one letter followed by five digits. (e.g. B 12345) The thousands of digits encoded the districts.[ clarification needed ]
From 1939 until 1945, the plates comprised two letters followed by a hyphen and seven digits. (e.g. W-1234567) This followed the Nazi German system.
From 1945 until 1946, the plates comprised by a state coat of arms followed by maximum six numbers. They were only issued in the USSR-occupied zone.
From 1947 until 1989, the plates comprised one or two letters to indicate the state or federal code followed by up to six digits (e.g. W 123.456), the first number block was reserved for vehicles, the second one was the serial, when they run out of serials they began to issue XX 999.A99. The background is black with white characters for private vehicles (unknown for all other vehicles). One or two letters are the prefixes set by state and federals, they are:
B Burgenland BH Bundesheer (Federal Army)G Graz K Carinthia L Linz N Lower Austria O- Upper Austria (the dash after the letter O prevents misunderstandings with the number 0)PT Post & Telekom Austria (Federal Mail and Telekom)S Salzburg (state) St Styria (the only prefix with a lower case letter)T Tirol V Vorarlberg W Vienna (Wien)
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate or license plate or licence plate, is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. All countries require registration plates for road vehicles such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Whether they are required for other vehicles, such as bicycles, boats, or tractors, may vary by jurisdiction. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric ID that uniquely identifies the vehicle or vehicle owner within the issuing region's vehicle register. In some countries, the identifier is unique within the entire country, while in others it is unique within a state or province. Whether the identifier is associated with a vehicle or a person also varies by issuing agency. There are also electronic license plates.
Vehicles registered in Slovakia were generally assigned to one of the districts (okres) and from 1997 until 2022, the license plate coding generally consisted of seven characters and takes the form XX-NNNLL, where XX was a two letter code corresponding to the district, NNN was a three digit number and LL were two additional letters.
Vehicle registration plates are mandatory alphanumeric plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle registered in Germany. They have existed in the country since 1906, with the current system in use since 1956. German registration plates are alphanumeric plates in a standardized format, issued officially by the district authorities.
The Italian vehicle registration plates are the compulsory alphanumeric plates used to display the registration mark of motor vehicles registered in Italy. They have existed in the country since 1897.
Turkish vehicle registration plates are number plates found on Turkish vehicles. The plates use an indirect numbering system associated with the geographical info. In Turkey, number plates are made by authorized private workshops.
Vehicle registration plates of Poland indicate the region of registration of the vehicle given the number plate.
A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate, license plate or licence plate, is a metal or plastic plate or plates attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing authority's database. In Europe most countries have adopted a format for registration plates that satisfies the requirements in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which states that cross-border vehicles must display a distinguishing code for the country of registration on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may be an oval sticker placed separately from the registration plate, or may be incorporated into the plate. When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front plate of the vehicle, and may be supplemented with the flag or emblem of the national state, or the emblem of the regional economic integration organisation to which the country belongs. An example of such format is the common EU format, with the EU flag above the country code issued in EU member states.
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Malaysian registration plates are displayed at the front and rear of all private and commercial motorised vehicles in Malaysia, as required by law. The issuing of the number plates is regulated and administered by the Malaysian Road Transport Department or JPJ.
Standard Bulgarian vehicle registration plates display black glyphs on a white background, together with – on the left-hand side of the plate – a blue vertical "EU strip" showing the flag of Europe and, below it, the country code for Bulgaria: BG.
The Portuguese vehicle registration plate system for automobiles and motorcycles is simple and sequential. The system has no link to geographical locations or similar. It is an incremental numbering system consisting of three groups of two characters, separated by dashes. This system started in 1937 with AA–10–00, which ran out on 29 February 1992. This then went on to 00–01–AA and changed to 00–AA–01 in 2005. This last sequence was exhausted early in 2020, and it was announced on 3 March that it had been replaced by the sequence AA–00–AA. Moreover, the letters W and Y, never before used, and the letter K, used only for a short-lived series for imported vehicles in 1997, are being employed in the new system, meaning that this sequence should last more than six-and-a-half times as long as the previous. At current rates that it would not need replacing at least until the end of the 21st century, but the expected lifetime of the series is stated as being forty-five years.
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Slovenian car number plates are vehicle registration plates found on Slovenian cars. The code for Slovenia itself is SLO. The registration plates are made of metal. On the left there is a blue bar as in other EU countries along with tamper-proof text up to 2008; the text is in black letters on a white background in Helvetica typeface. In 2008 the plates reverted to a green border used before 2004 and the old font but retaining the EU border at the left. Two plates must be present on each car - one at the front and one at the rear. In the case of motorcycles, only one plate is needed on the back of the vehicle. These plates can have different sizes, being the regional code in the first line, at the top.
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Media related to License plates of Austria at Wikimedia Commons
