Vehicle registration plates of Colombia

Colombia requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates . The current plate design was introduced in the 1990s, but some of the previous 1972 through 1990 design remain in use. Current regular system uses black on yellow plates. ^[1]

All vehicles are required to display plates, one on the front and one on the back. Peculiarly, in Colombia commercial vehicles are also required to display plates on the sides. Those plates have a white background. This is usually done not with actual metal plates, but by a large decal of the license plate. This practice can also be found on taxis in neighboring Panama and Peru, but in Colombia all commercial vehicles and public transport vehicles must display them.

Current plate types

Category	Image	Type		Colors	Serial format	Legends
		English	Spanish
Passenger		Private	Particular	black on yellow	ABC·123 [2] [3]	The municipality of issuance is embossed at the bottom of the plate. [2] [3] Plates issued in Bogotá until 1991 read "BOGOTA D.E." for Distrito Especial (Special District). In 1991 the city's name was changed to Santa Fé de Bogotá and plates began to read "STFE DE BOGOTA." In 2000 the city's name was changed yet again Bogotá, D.C. and those issued since read "BOGOTA D.C.". As of 2017 plates that say "BOGOTA D.E." are becoming quite rare and somewhat of a collector's item. Santa Fe plates are still somewhat common but are beginning to go the same way.
		Commercial	Comercial	black on white [2] [3]
Non-passenger		Official	Oficial	white on green	OAB·123
		Antique car	Auto antiguo	black on white with vertical blue stripes at left and right and blue graphic of an antique car at center [3]	ABC·123 [3]	"ANTIGUO" is screened at the top of the plate and the municipality of issuance is embossed at the bottom of the plate.
		Motorcycle	Motocicleta	black on yellow	ABC·12F (current); ABC·12 without letter and A to E (previous, still in use).	"COLOMBIA" is embossed at the bottom of the plate.
		Auto rickshaw private	Mototaxi privado	black on yellow	123·ABC
		Auto rickshaw commercial	Mototaxi commercial	black on white	123·ABC
		Trailer	Remolque	white on green	R·12345
		Tank truck	Carrotanque	white on red [2] [3]	T·1234 [2] [3]
Diplomatic		Consular corps	Cuerpo consular	white on blue [2] [3]	CC·1234 [2] [3]
		Diplomatic corps	Cuerpo diplomático		A-Z country initials ·123 FE-Schrift
		International organization	Organización internacional		OI·1234
		Non-diplomatic staff	Servicio Administrativo y Técnico		AT·1234
Armed Forces		Colombian Air Force	Fuerza Aérea Colombiana	yellow on black	FAC 123456
		National Police	Policía Nacional	green on white	12-3456	"COLOMBIA" is screened at the top of the plate and "POLICIA NACIONAL" is screened at the bottom of the plate.

Previous plate types

Category	Image	Type		Years	Colors	Serial format	Legends
		English	Spanish
Passenger		Private	Particular	1972-1990	white on black	A B 1234	"COLOMBIA" is embossed at the bottom of the plate
		Commercial	Comercial		white on purple
Non-passenger		Official	Oficial		yellow on black	O A 1234

References

1. "Colombia plates". Matriculasdelmundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-13.
2. Ortiz, María Luisa (September 16, 2015). "¿Sabes cuántos tipos de placas existen en Colombia?" (in Spanish). Escuela Andina de Automovilismo. Archived from the original on 2018-11-22. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
3. García, Gilbert. "Tipos de placas en Colombia". pruebaderuta.com (in Spanish). Retrieved August 16, 2017.