Vehicle registration plates of Denmark

Last updated

Denmark (Mainland)
Denmark DK common license plate 2009.svg
Current standard number plate from Denmark. Euroband is optional and is chosen at issuance.
CountryFlag of Denmark.svg Denmark
Country codeDK
Current series
Size520 mm × 110 mm
(20+12 in × 4+516 in)
Serial formatAB12345
Colour (front)Black on white and red
Colour (rear)Black on white and red
Danish number plate.jpg
Denmark europlates.jpg
Since July 2009, car buyers could pick a license plate with or without an EU strip.

Vehicle registration plates in Denmark normally have two letters and five digits and are issued by authorities. Plates can be obtained at authorized car dealers, vehicle inspection stations or official registration centers (Skat Motor center). The combination is simply a serial and has no connection with a geographic location, but the digits have number series based on vehicle type. [1] [2] The country's official international road code is DK, excluding the Faroe Islands. Danish plates can be issued conforming to EU registration plate standards, allowing the vehicle to be driven throughout the EU/EEA without restrictions. Without a EU standard plate, a "DK" distinguishing sign must be displayed separately on the vehicle when driving abroad.

Contents

Danish registration plates do not follow the owner or the vehicle. When a vehicle is traded in with a dealership, the plates are usually turned in. The reason is that if the dealership just changes the ownership to themselves, they will be charged for insurance and taxes until the vehicle is sold to a new owner. If the dealer already has a buyer on hand or if the vehicle is sold directly by the owner to a buyer, the ownership can be changed and the plates transfer with the vehicle. This way a vehicle can, in principle, keep the same plate for its entire lifespan. However, this is rare and most Danish vehicles have numerous plates during their lifespans. When the car is recycled, the plates are surrendered so that no plates are recycled with the vehicle, unlike in Sweden or the UK where the plates follow the vehicle, which can often be seen at a scrap yard with the plates still on.

Numbering before 2012 and format after 2012

[3] [4]

On the number combination one can see the type of a vehicle before 2012. Numbering after 2012 is completely random in order to allow for more combinations. Exceptions from this are diplomatic vehicles still using "76" and "77" and taxis/limousines using "98" and "99" The letters have no significance and are random. You can no longer determine the type of vehicle from the first two digits after 2012.

Vehicle typeSerial rangeHighest assigned serial letters
(without EU stripe) [5]
Highest assigned serial letters
(with EU stripe) [5]
Large mopeds (max 45 km/h [28 mph])001 - 699RV
Tractors700 - 999VUDF
Trailers10 00 - 29 99YMEF
Trailers and semi-trailers55 00 - 99 99PZHF
Small mopeds5 500 - 9 999XY
Motorcycles10 000 - 18 999HTAW
Tractors19 000 - 19 499MLEG
Common vehicles (rectangular format)20 000 - 59 999FCJF
Common vehicles (square format)60 000 - 75 999DTAF
Diplomatic vehicles76 000 - 76 999AXAF
Diplomatic vehicles (international organizations)77 000 - 77 999ANAF
Trucks, buses, vans (rectangular format)78 000 - 87 999DH, privat: GAAF, privat: FA
Trucks, buses, vans (square format)88 000 - 97 999XS, privat: GEDG, privat: FK
Taxis and limousines (rectangular format)98 000 - 99 699JHBF
Taxis and limousines (square format)99 700 - 99 999BNAW

Types

TypeAppearance
Private use
Denmark common license plate 2008 DK.svg
Denmark DK common license plate 2009.svg
The grey stripe in the lower image represents the security hologram fitted to all new plates.

Registration tax: Up to 150% of car value. VAT: 25% of the sum of the car value + Registration tax

Commercial use
DK van plate 1976.svg
Rear seats not allowed. Only for use in commercial sense. Private use is illegal

Registration tax: 0% VAT: 0% (only commercial transport allowed)

"Parrot-plate"
"Papegøje-plade"
DK parrot license plate 2008.svg
DK parrot license plate 2009.svg
Commercial vehicles that can also be used privately (this to make sure that nobody uses tax relieved vans (yellow plates) for personal use). Rear seats not allowed.

Registration tax: around 50% of car value. VAT: 25% of the sum of the car value + Registration tax

Diplomatic use

Denmark diplomatic license plate 1976 DD 12 312.svg

Blue plates with white text. The same format as the (old) format for private vehicles. Diplomatic plates always use the numbers "76" and "77" and are divided into diplomatic plates and international organizations, like UN. EU strip and hologram now on all new plates.
Historical 1950 series DK oldtimer plate.jpg Black background, white text. [6]
Armed forces Danish armed forces licenseplates.jpg (top-down): Army, Navy, Air Force, and the newer symbol common to all three branches.
Royal Danmark Royal licenseplate.JPG The King's personal car used for official occasions only features a royal crown on a white background.
DEMA BRS nummerplade cropped.jpg For use by the Danish Emergency Management Agency (Civil defense)
"Fixed" temporary plate FastProveskiltNonEU.svg For the special use of vehicle manufacturers, importers, distributors or car repairers [7]
Temporary export plate 2017 DK temporary export license plate.jpg Composed of a red field showing the year of validity and five digits
Vanity plates
Danmark licenseplate own made.JPG
Ozdemir.JPG
These plates cost kr.9,180 ( 1,230) per set as of 2021 and must be renewed each eight years at a cost of kr.8,000 (€1,070). The plates can be transferred from one vehicle to another. This is not possible for standard plates. 26 Roman letters, numbers and the Danish letters Æ, Ø and Å can be used in combination. The combination cannot be in the same format as standard plates. The EU strip can be chosen optionally.
Ambulances and fire trucks
Helsingor Denmark firetruck license plate V2.jpg
Denmark DK ambulance license plate A8.jpg
These plates employ the insignia of the local fire brigade between the serials; this insignia often features a version the local coat of arms
Airport VehiclesThese plates are ONLY used by airports in Denmark. You will most likely find them in Copenhagen/København (Kastrup) Airport, Aalborg Airport and Billund Airport. The letters are always and only RF but the numbers differ.
Gooseneck trailers/block truckThese license plates are used on Gooseneck trailers/blocktrucks in Denmark.

Hearses are registered as yellow-plate cars (commercial use). The actual plates are, however, white (personal use), reflecting the view that the deceased is a passenger rather than commercial freight.

EU plates

A new design with an EU stripe was expected in 2008, but was thereafter delayed to 12 October 2009. [8] This makes Denmark potentially the last EU country to adopt euro plates (Vehicle registration plates of Europe). The EU stripe is, however, currently optional. [8] In preparation for the new design, the plate font was slightly condensed on some new plates issued after mid-2008. Since July 2009, buyers of a car could pick a license plate with or without an EU strip. [9]

If a Danish registered vehicle does not have the plate with the EU stripe then it must be equipped with an approved oval DK-sign when driving abroad. If one drives both with a car and a caravan/trailer, both must bear the label. The sign shall be elliptical (oval) 175 mm × 115 mm (7 by 4+12 inches), white background with black lettering. The letters must be 80 mm (3 inches) in height, the distance between them shall be 10 mm (38 inch), and there shall be no advertising. [10]

Autonomous countries

Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands, Kingdom of Denmark
BG 339 Faroer license plate seen in Vaduz FL.jpg
Current regular private legal standard number plate from the Faroes.
Country codeFO
Current series
Size520 mm × 110 mm
(20+12 in × 4+516 in)
Serial formatAB123
Colour (front)Black on white
Colour (rear)Black on white

Cars registered in the Faroe Islands before 1996 have plates with white background, black text in Danish style, but with black edge and only one letter, F.
Cars registered after 1996 have white background, blue text in their own style, two letters and three digits. There is a blue stripe to the left with the Faroese flag and the international road code "FO". The Faroe Islands are outside the EU.

Pre-1996 Faroe Islands plate Car registration plate of the Faroe Islands before 1996.jpg
Pre-1996 Faroe Islands plate

Greenland

Greenland, Kingdom of Denmark
Greenland license plate.jpg
Current regular private legal standard number plate from Greenland.
Country codeDK
Current series
Size520 mm × 110 mm
(20+12 in × 4+516 in)
Serial formatGR12345
GL12345
Colour (front)Black on white and red
Colour (rear)Black on white and red

Plates have a white background, and black text in Danish style with the serial letters "GR" and "GL" reserved for Greenland. The EU stripe is not applicable since Greenland is a non-EU member. Greenland unofficially uses the international registration code KN, but the official code to use is DK. The only way to transport a vehicle to or from Greenland is by container ship, which is time consuming and expensive due to the long distance, so it is rare for Greenlandic vehicles to drive outside Greenland. [11]

Confusion with Norwegian plates

In 1971 Norway began with two letters and five digits, just after Denmark. In the beginning there was an informal system of avoiding the same code for a Norwegian and a Danish car, in which some letter combinations were used by Norway and some by Denmark. Norway having geographical codes used a higher number of letter combinations than Denmark. This was later abandoned, because of larger number of vehicles, so now a Norwegian and a Danish car can have same registration code, although they have national stripes now, and have always needed a national mark outside their country.

References

  1. "skat.dk". Archived from the original on 1 August 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  2. "skat.dk". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  3. "Liste over alle pladetyper i Danmark pr" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2017.
  4. "Continuously updated highest assigned serial letters --> "Nye serier fra 2012"".
  5. 1 2 nrpl.dk
  6. Style used before 1976. For historical/antique vehicles, available upon special request. Plates representing 1950-1958 use only one prefix letter, with the letter corresponding to a Danish city or county (amt)
  7. "PLADER PÅ PRØVE" (in Danish). Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  8. 1 2 Page from the Danish EU Information Centre Archived 5 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine (in Danish)
  9. The Copenhagen post - 2 July 2009
  10. "fdm.dk". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  11. Assartuinermi akit Fragtpriser (Royal Arctic Line)