Vehicle registration plates of Germany

Germany

German number plate, current format (FE-style)
Country	Germany
Country code	D
Current series
Size	520 mm × 110 mm 20+1⁄2 in × 4+3⁄8 in
Serial format	Not standard (max 8 characters)
Colour (front)	Black on white
Colour (rear)	Black on white
Introduced	1956
History
First issued	1906
v t e

1-letter area code Z for Zwickau

2-letter area code TR for Trier

3-letter area code CUX for Cuxhaven

Vehicle registration plates (German : Kraftfahrzeug-Kennzeichen or, more colloquially, Nummernschilder) 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 standardised format, issued officially by the district authorities. ^{[1] [2]}

All motorised vehicles participating in road traffic on public space, whether moving or stationary, have to bear the plates allotted to them, displayed at the appropriate spaces at the front and rear. Additionally, the official seals on the plates show their validity which can also be proven by the documentation coming with them. Motorcycles and trailers carry only a rear plate.

A significant feature of German vehicle registration plates is the area code, which can be used to tell the district of registration. It has developed into a widespread habit in Germany, even a children's game when travelling, to guess "where that vehicle is from". ^{[3] [4]}

Format and legal requirements

Number plate in post-1994 format (FE-style)

Number plate in pre-1994 format (DIN-style), no longer issued but still in use

Number plate with few characters, hence shorter than standard 520×110

Number plate for motorcycles, issued until 2011 (280×200)

Small number plate (255×130)

Legal

The legal requirements for these licence plates are laid down in a federal law titled Verordnung über die Zulassung von Fahrzeugen zum Straßenverkehr (Ordinance on the admission of vehicles for road traffic), or in the shortened version Fahrzeug-Zulassungs-Verordnung, FZV ^[5] which replaced part of an older law named Straßenverkehrszulassungsordnung, StVZO ^[e] in 2011. The law distinguishes between Kennzeichen meaning a specific combination of letters and digits, and Kennzeichenschilder which are the physical licence plates. ^{[5] : §12} In everyday language, these terms are often replaced indifferently by Nummernschild and rarely is the difference emphasized by restricted use of either Nummer or Schild.

Physical characteristics

German number plates are rectangular, with standard dimensions 520 mm × 110 mm (20+1⁄2 in × 4+3⁄8 in) for cars, trucks, buses and their trailers. Plates bearing few characters may have reduced length but must retain the size and shape of the characters. Plates in two lines for the said types of vehicles ^[f] measure 340 mm × 200 mm (13+3⁄8 in × 7+7⁄8 in). Motorcycles also have plates in two lines but with specific dimensions: Plates for "large motorcycles" (engine displacement over 125 cc or power output exceeding 11 kW (15 bhp)) issued until 2011 combine a size of 280 mm × 200 mm (11 in × 7+7⁄8 in) with characters of the same size as used for car plates, while those issued since 2011 have characters of reduced size and measure either 180 mm × 200 mm (7+1⁄8 in × 7+7⁄8 in) or 220 mm × 200 mm (8+5⁄8 in × 7+7⁄8 in). Plates for "light motorcycles" (Leichtkrafträder up to 125 cc and 11 kW (15 bhp)) combine a size of 255 mm × 130 mm (10 in × 5+1⁄8 in) with characters of reduced size. This smallest size of plates is also used for agricultural tractors with a maximum speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) and their trailers and may also be issued as an exception for certain import cars, when a plate of regular size cannot be applied at the available space.

The characters on the licence plate, as well as the narrow rim framing it, are black on a white background. ^{[5] : §12(1)} In standard size they are 75 mm (3 in) high, and 47.5 mm (1+7⁄8 in) wide for letters or 44.5 mm (1+3⁄4 in) wide for digits. The smaller plates bear characters of 49 mm (1+7⁄8 in) height and 31 or 29 mm (1+1⁄4 or 1+1⁄8 in) width, respectively. ^{[5] : Appendix 4} In the current system, introduced in 1956, they consist of an area code of one, two or three letters, followed by an identifier sequence of one or two letters and one to four digits. The total quantity of characters on the plate must not exceed eight. Identifiers consisting of one letter with one- or two-digit numbers are often reserved for motorcycle use since there is less space for plates on these vehicles, especially before the reduction of plate size to 180 × 200 mm and 220 × 200 mm in 2011. ^[6]

Typeface

Modern German plates use a typeface called FE-Schrift (fälschungserschwerende Schrift, tamper-hindering script). It is designed so that the letter P cannot be altered to look exactly like an R, and vice versa; nor can the F or the L be forged to equal an E, etc. Another feature is the equal width of all characters, different from the old DIN 1451 script which had been in use since the introduction of the current system in 1956. FE-Schrift can be read by OCR software for automatic number plate recognition more easily than DIN 1451.

The present style was introduced in 1994 and became mandatory in 2000, so the number of licence plates issued in the old style has become very rare. As with many plates for countries within the European Union, a blue strip on the left shows a shortened country code in white text (D for Deutschland = Germany) and the Flag of Europe (12 golden stars forming a circle on a blue background).

Material

Traditionally, German licence plates are made of aluminium sheeting, with embossed characters rising above background level. Over the years, however, various other materials have been used, albeit to a small extent only. Since 2013, a new style of plates made of plastic is allowed. ^[7] They are said to be less sensitive to mechanical damage and to cause less CO₂ emission in their production, but are more expensive. ^[8]

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  Licence plate with part-plastic (1964); plate and area code are embossed whereas the identifier characters (J 5) are riveted on.
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  All-plastic plate (2008)
• 
  Plastic licence plate (2013), characters clipped on
• 
  Detailed view of all-metal plate, characters partly worn off
• 
  FCN sticker on a licence plate (not exactly legal)

Number plates are retroflective, but must not be mirroring, concealed or soiled, nor may they be covered by glass, foil or similar layers. ^{[5] : §12(2)} Occasionally, drivers who adorn their licence plate with a badge of their favourite football club are fined and ordered to restore the original state. ^{[9] [10]}

Constituent elements

Map of German districts and their licence plate codes

Area code

The first part or Unterscheidungszeichen consists of one, two or three letters representing the district where the car was registered, such as B for Berlin or HSK for Hochsauerlandkreis. These letters formerly coincided with the German districts. They were assigned unambiguously, as each district had one abbreviation only. Whenever a district changed its name or was merged with another, the area code would be redefined and any vehicle registered henceforth could only be issued the current code. Since 2013, however, this rule was revoked and area codes long abolished were re-introduced. ^{[11] [12]} In consequence, many districts use more than one code, ^[g] and certain codes, on the other hand, are not assigned to one district only. ^{[example 1]} The assignation of each code and combination is registered with the Zentrales Fahrzeugregister (ZFZR). ^{[13] : §34}

In some cases an urban district and the surrounding non-urban district share the same letter code. Usually, these are distinguished by different letter/digit patterns. For example, the urban district of Straubing has one letter after the area code (SR-A 123), whereas the surrounding district Straubing-Bogen has two letters (SR-AB 123) in this place. However, several cities that share their code with the surrounding rural districts have started using any available codes for both districts without any distinction; the city of Regensburg, for example, and the surrounding rural district of Regensburg used different systems with their code R only until 2007.

Germany includes diacritical marks in the letters of some codes, that is the letters Ä, ^[14] Ö, and Ü, ^[h] , but not ẞ. For a long time, German codes kept to the rule that a code with an umlaut would prohibit another code with the respective blank vowel, e.g. there could not be a district code FU as the code FÜ was already in use for Fürth. This rule was disregarded in 1996, when BÖ was introduced for Bördekreis in spite of BO existing for Bochum, although Bördekreis got BK in 2007 since there were confusions internationally for e.g. fines.

There is 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.

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  N plate with two middle letters from Nuremberg (Nürnberg) city
• 
  N plate with one middle letter from Nürnberger Land district
• 
  Two plates with umlauts, from Göttingen and Würzburg

Development of the area code

When the area codes were introduced, they were intended mainly as a means for police officers to identify speeders and other traffic offenders. However, they soon developed into everyday abbreviations of people's home areas and were cherished or despised. Sometimes, the codes of neighbouring districts were given mocking or spiteful meanings. ^{[example 2]} When districts merged and only one of their codes could be continued, fierce battles might ensue about which one. ^[15]

The Büsingen exclave

Main article: Büsingen am Hochrhein

Licence plate from the municipality of Büsingen, 1970s

Since 1968, a peculiar rule has applied to the municipality of Büsingen am Hochrhein which is a German exclave completely surrounded by Swiss territory. Although Büsingen belongs to the German district of Konstanz, it is part of the Swiss customs area. For this reason, a vehicle registered to a citizen of Büsingen does not bear KN for Konstanz but BÜS, signifying to Swiss customs officers that this is in fact a domestic vehicle. There are about 700 cars with this area code, which makes Büsingen the smallest and least-populated registration precinct in Germany. ^[16]

List of area codes

List of license plate area codes of Germany [17] [18] [19] [20]
Codes starting with letter A Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes A Augsburg City Bavaria Augsburg From [A-AA 100 to 999] To [A-ZZ 100 to 999] (Excludes [A-PS 100 to 999], reserved for city Police) From [A-AA 5000 to 9999] to [A-ZZ 5000 to 9999] [A-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G [A-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G Augsburg District From [A-A 1000 to 9999] To [A-Z 1000 to 9999] From [A-AA 1000 to 4999] to [A-ZZ 1000 to 4999] [A-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G [A-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G' AA Ostalb District Baden-Württemberg Aalen AB Aschaffenburg District Bavaria Aschaffenburg From [AB-AA 100 to 9999] to [AB-ZZ 100 to 9999] [AB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [AB-'XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Aschaffenburg City From [AB-A 1000 to 9999] to [ AB-Z 1000 to 9999] [AB-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [AB-'XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q ABG Altenburger Land District Thuringia Altenburg ABI Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Anhalt-Bitterfeld AC Aachen Region North Rhine-Westphalia Aachen AE Vogtland District Saxony Auerbach AH Borken District North Rhine-Westphalia Ahaus AIB Munich District Bavaria Bad Aibling From [AIB-Q 1] to [AIB-Q 9999] Rosenheim District Every other available combination AIC Aichach-Friedberg District Bavaria Aichach AK Altenkirchen (Westerwald) District Rhineland-Palatinate Altenkirchen ALF Hildesheim District Lower Saxony Alfeld ALZ Aschaffenburg District Bavaria Alzenau AM Amberg City Bavaria Amberg From [AM-A 1 to 999] to [AM-Z 1 to 999] From [AM-AA 1 to 99] to [AM-ZZ 1 to 99] AN Ansbach District Bavaria Ansbach From [AN-AA 100 to 999] to [AN-ZZ 100 to 999] [AN-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [AN-'XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Ansbach City [AN-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [AN-'XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q ANA Erzgebirge District Saxony Annaberg-Buchholz ANG Uckermark District Brandenburg Angermünde ANK Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Anklam AÖ Altötting District Bavaria Altötting AP Weimarer Land District Thuringia Apolda APD Weimarer Land District Thuringia Apolda ARN Ilm District Thuringia Arnstadt ART Kyffhäuser District Thuringia Artern AS Amberg-Sulzbach District Bavaria Amberg-Sulzbach ASL Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Ascherleben ASZ Erzgebirge District Saxony Aue-Schwarzenberg AT Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Altentreptow AU Erzgebirge District Saxony Aue-Bad Schlema AUR Aurich District Lower Saxony Aurich AW Ahrweiler District Rhineland-Palatinate Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler AZ Alzey-Worms District Rhineland-Palatinate Alzey AZE Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Anhalt-Zerbst
Codes starting with letter B Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes B Berlin Berlin BA Bamberg City Bavaria Bamberg From [BA-AA 100 to 9999] to [BA-ZZ 100 to 9999] [BA-X 1 to 9999] Where X is :B, F, G, I, O , Q (Excludes [BA-P 1000 to 9999], reserved for City Police) [BA-XY 1 to 999] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O , Q Bamberg District [BA-X 1 to 9999] Where X is not:B, F, G, I, O , Q (Excludes [BA-P 1000 to 9999], reserved for District Police) [BA-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O , Q BAD Baden-Baden City Baden-Württemberg Baden-Baden BAR Barnim District Brandenburg Barnim BB Böblingen District Baden-Württemberg Böblingen BBG Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Bernburg BBL Brandenburg Government, Landtag, and Police Brandenburg Brandenburgische Landesregierung Code reserved for Brandenburg State-owned governmental vehicles BC Biberach District Baden-Württemberg Biberach BCH Neckar-Odenwald District Baden-Württemberg Buchen BD German Bundestag, Bundesrat, Office of the Federal President, Federal Government and Ministries, Federal fiscal administration (incl. Federal Customs Service), and Federal Constitutional Court Bundesdienst (Federal service) Code reserved for Federally-owned governmental vehicles BE Warendorf District North Rhine-Westphalia Beckum BED Mittelsachsen District Saxony Brand-Erbisdorf BER Barnim District Brandenburg Bernau BF Steinfurt District North Rhine-Westphalia Burgsteinfurt BGD Berchtesgadener Land District Bavaria Berchtesgaden BGL Berchtesgadener Land District Bavaria Berchtesgadener Land BH Ortenau District Baden-Württemberg Bühl [BH-OF 1 to 999] and [BH-OP 1 to 999] From [BH-F 7000] to [BH-F 7999] From [BH-N 8000] to [BH-N 8999] From [BH-O 2000] to [BH-O 2999] From [BH-OF 1000] to [BH-OF 6999] From [BH-OG 9000] to [BH-OG 9999] From [BH-OK 3000] to [BH-OK 3999] From [BH-OP 1000] to [BH-OP 4999] Rastatt District Every other available combination BI Bielefeld City North Rhine-Westphalia Bielefeld BID Marburg-Biedenkopf District Hesse Biedenkopf BIN Mainz-Bingen District Rhineland-Palatinate Bingen BIR Birkenfeld District Rhineland-Palatinate Birkenfeld BIT Eifel District Bitburg-Prüm Rhineland-Palatinate Bitburg BIW Bautzen District Saxony Bischofswerda BK Rems-Murr District Baden-Württemberg Backnang From [BK-A 100 to 999] to [BK-M 100 to 999] (Excluding Codes B, F, G, I) From [BK-N 1] to [BK-Z 999] (Excluding codes O and Q) From [BK-AA 1 to 99] to [BK-PZ 1 to 99] (Excluding Codes B, F, G, I, O, Q) From [BK-A 1000 to 9999] to [BK-Z 1000 to 9999] Schwäbisch Hall District [BK-A 1 to 99] to [BK-M 1 to 99] (Excluding Codes B, F, G, I) From [BK-RA 1 to 99] to [BK-ZZ 1 to 99] (Excluding Codes B, F, G, I, O, Q) From [BK-TA 1000 to 999] to [BK-ZZ 1000 to 999] Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Bördekreis [BK-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [BK-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are : B, F, G, I, O, Q From [BK-A 1000 to 9999] to [BK-Z 1000 to 999] From [BK-AA 100 to 9999] to [BK-ZZ 100 to 999] From [BK-AA 1000 to 999] to [BK-SZ 1000 to 999] BKS Bernkastel-Wittlich District Rhineland-Palatinate Bernkastel-Kues BL Zollernalb District Baden-Württemberg Balingen BLB Siegen-Wittgenstein District North Rhine-Westphalia Bad Berleburg BLK Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Burgenlandkreis BM Rhein-Erft District North Rhine-Westphalia Bergheim BN Bonn City North Rhine-Westphalia Bonn BNA Leipzig District Saxony Borna BO Bochum City North Rhine-Westphalia Bochum BÖ Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Börde BOG Straubing-Bogen District Bavaria Bogen BOH Borken District North Rhine-Westphalia Bocholt BOR Borken District North Rhine-Westphalia Borken BOT Bottrop City North Rhine-Westphalia Bottrop BP German Federal Police Bundespolizei Code reserved for Vehicles of German Federal Police BRA Wesermarsch District Lower Saxony Brake BRB Brandenburg an der Havel City Brandenburg Brandenburg BRG Jerichower Land District Saxony-Anhalt Burg BRK Bad Kissingen District Bavaria Bad Brückenau BRL Goslar District Lower Saxony Braunlage BRV Rotenburg (Wümme) District Lower Saxony Bremervörde BS Braunschweig City (Brunswick) Lower Saxony Braunschweig BSB Osnabrück District Lower Saxony Bersenbrück BSK Oder-Spree District Brandenburg Beeskow BT Bayreuth District Bavaria Bayreuth From [BT-AA 100 to 9999] to [BT-ZZ 100 to 9999] [BT-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G [BT-XY 1 to 99] Where X or Y or both are: B, F, G Bayreuth City [BT-X 1 to 999] Where X is not : B, F, G, I, O, Q [BT-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q [BT-X 1000 to 9999] Where X is not: B, F, G BTF Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Bitterfeld-Wolfen BÜD Wetterau District Hesse Büdingen BUL Amberg-Sulzbach District Bavaria Burglengenfeld [BUL-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G Schwandorf District Every other available combination BÜR Paderborn District North Rhine-Westphalia Büren BÜS Büsingen am Hochrhein Municipality (A subdivision of Konstanz District) Baden-Württemberg Büsingen It is allocated its own code to facilitate cross-border travel, as it is a German exclave within Switzerland BÜZ Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Bützow BW Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration Bundes-Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung Code reserved for Vehicles of German Federal Waterway and Shipping Admin. BWL Baden-Württemberg Government, Landtag, and Police Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württembergischer Landtag Code reserved for Baden-Württemberg State-owned governmental vehicles BYL Bavaria Government and Landtag Bavaria Bayerischer Landtag Code reserved for Bavaria State-owned governmental vehicles BZ Bautzen District Saxony Bautzen
Codes starting with letter C Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes C Chemnitz City Saxony Chemnitz From [C-AA 1 to 9999] to [C-ZZ 1 to 9999] CA Oberspreewald-Lausitz District Brandenburg Calau CAS Recklinghausen District North Rhine-Westphalia Castrop-Rauxel CB Cottbus City Brandenburg Cottbus From [CB-AA 1 to 999] to [CB-ZZ 1 to 999] CE Celle District Lower Saxony Celle CHA Cham District Bavaria Cham CLP Cloppenburg District Lower Saxony Cloppenburg CLZ Goslar District Lower Saxony Clausthal-Zellerfeld CO Coburg City Coburg District Bavaria Coburg COC Cochem-Zell District Rhineland-Palatinate Cochem COE Coesfeld District North Rhine-Westphalia Coesfeld CR Schwäbisch Hall District Baden-Württemberg Crailsheim CUX Cuxhaven District Lower Saxony Cuxhaven CW Calw District Baden-Württemberg Calw
Codes starting with letter D Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes D Düsseldorf City North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf DA Darmstadt City Hesse Darmstadt From [DA-AA 100 to 999] to [DA-ZZ 100 to 999] [DA-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q [DA-X 1 to 99] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Darmstadt-Dieburg District From [DA-A 1000 to 9000] to [DA-Z 1000 to 9999] From [DA-AA 1000 to 9999] to [DA-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [DA-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q [DA-X 1 to 99] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q DAH Dachau District Bavaria Dachau DAN Lüchow-Dannenberg District Lower Saxony Dannenberg DAU Vulkaneifel District Rhineland-Palatinate Daun DBR Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Bad Doberan DD Saxony Police Saxony Dresden From [DD-Q 1] to [DD-Q 9999] Dresden City From [DD-AA 1 to 9999] to [DD-ZZ 1 to 9999] DE Dessau-Roßlau City Saxony-Anhalt Dessau-Roßlau DEG Deggendorf District Bavaria Deggendorf DEL Delmenhorst City Lower Saxony Delmenhorst DGF Dingolfing-Landau District Bavaria Dingolfing DH Diepholz District Lower Saxony Diepholz DI Darmstadt-Dieburg District Hesse Dieburg DIL Lahn-Dill District (Excluding Wetzlar City) Hesse Dillenburg DIN Wesel District North Rhine-Westphalia Dinslaken DIZ Rhein-Lahn District Rhineland-Palatinate Diez DKB Ansbach District Bavaria Dinkelsbühl DL Mittelsachsen District Saxony Döbeln DLG Dillingen an der Donau District Bavaria Dillingen DM Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Demmin DN Düren District North Rhine-Westphalia Düren DO Dortmund City North Rhine-Westphalia Dortmund DON Donau-Ries District Bavaria Donauwörth DU Duisburg City North Rhine-Westphalia Duisburg DUD Göttingen District (Excluding Göttingen City) Lower Saxony Duderstadt DÜW Bad Dürkheim District Rhineland-Palatinate Bad Dürkheim an der Weinstraße DW Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge District Saxony Dippoldiswalde DZ Nordsachsen District Saxony Delitzsch
Codes starting with letter E Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes E Essen City North Rhine-Westphalia Essen EA Wartburg District Thuringia Eisenach Eisenach was an independent urban District until 1 July 2021, when it was merged into Wartburg District due to a budgetary crisis. [21] EB Nordsachsen District Saxony Eilenburg EBE Ebersberg District Bavaria Ebersberg EBN Haßberge District Bavaria Ebern EBS Kulmbach District Bavaria Ebermannstadt From [EBS-A 1 to 999] to [EBS-M 1 to 999] Bayreuth District From [EBS-N 1 to 999] to [EBS-Z 1 to 999] Forchheim District Every other available combination ECK Rendsburg-Eckernförde District Schleswig-Holstein Eckernförde ED Erding District Bavaria Erding EE Elbe-Elster District Brandenburg Elbe-Elster EF Thuringia Police Thuringia Erfurt From [EF-LP 1000] to [EF-LP 9999] Erfurt City From [EF-AA 1 to 999] to [EF-ZZ 1 to 999] EG Rottal-Inn District Bavaria Eggenfelden EH Oder-Spree District Brandenburg Eisenhüttenstadt EI Eichstätt District Bavaria Eichstätt EIC Eichsfeld District Thuringia Eichsfeld EIL Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Eisleben EIN Northeim District Lower Saxony Einbeck EIS Saale-Holzland District Thuringia Eisenberg EL Emsland District Lower Saxony Emsland EM Emmendingen District Baden-Württemberg Emmendingen EMD Emden City Lower Saxony Emden EMS Rhein-Lahn District Rhineland-Palatinate Bad Ems EN Ennepe-Ruhr District North Rhine-Westphalia Ennepe ER Erlangen City Bavaria Erlangen ERB Odenwald District Hesse Erbach ERH Erlangen-Höchstadt District Bavaria Erlangen-Höchstadt ERK Heinsberg District North Rhine-Westphalia Erkelenz ERZ Erzgebirge District Saxony Erzgebirge ES Esslingen District Baden-Württemberg Esslingen ESB Bayreuth District Bavaria Eschenbach From [ESB-AT 1 to 99] to [ESB-ZT 1 to 99] Amberg-Sulzbach District From [ESB-'B 1] to [ESB-X 999] 'Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Nürnberger Land District From [ESB-N 1] to [ESB-N 999] Neustadt an der Waldnaab District Every other available combination ESW Werra-Meißner District Hesse Eschwege EU Euskirchen District North Rhine-Westphalia Euskirchen EW Barnim District Brandenburg Eberswalde
Codes starting with letter F Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes F Frankfurt am Main City Hesse Frankfurt FB Wetterau District Hesse Friedberg FD Fulda District Hesse Fulda FDB Aichach-Friedberg District Bavaria Friedberg FDS Freudenstadt District Baden-Württemberg Freudenstadt FEU Ansbach District Bavaria Feuchtwangen FF Frankfurt (Oder) City Brandenburg Frankfurt FFB Fürstenfeldbruck District Bavaria Fürstenfeldbruck FG Mittelsachsen District Saxony Freiberg FI Elbe-Elster District Brandenburg Finsterwalde FKB Waldeck-Frankenberg District Hesse Frankenberg FL Flensburg City Schleswig-Holstein Flensburg FLÖ Mittelsachsen District Saxony Flöha FN Bodensee (Lake Constance) District Baden-Württemberg Friedrichshafen FO Forchheim District Bavaria Forchheim FOR Spree-Neiße District Brandenburg Forst FR Freiburg im Breisgau City Baden-Württemberg FReiburg [FR-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [FR-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [FR-NA 1000 to 9999] to [FR-ZZ 1000 to 9999] Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald District [FR-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [FR-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [FR-AA 1000 to 9999] to [FR-MZ 1000 to 9999] FRG Freyung-Grafenau District Bavaria Freyung-Grafenau FRI Friesland District Lower Saxony Friesland FRW Märkisch-Oderland District Brandenburg Bad Freienwalde FS Moosburg an der Isar City (A subdivision of Freising District) Bavaria Freising [FS-I 1 to 999] [FS-X 1000 to 999] Where X is: H, I, M, P, R [FS-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: I Freising District (Excluding Moosburg an der Isar City) [FS-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: I, O, Q [FS-XY 1 to 999] Where neither X nor Y are: I, O, Q FT Frankenthal (Pfalz) City Rhineland-Palatinate Frankenthal FTL Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge District Saxony Freital FÜ Fürth City Bavaria Fürth [FÜ-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [FÜ-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [FÜ-AA 100 to 9999] to [FÜ-ZZ 100 to 9999] Fürth District [FÜ-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [FÜ-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [FÜ-A 1000 to 9999] to [FÜ-Z 1000 to 9999] FÜS Ostallgäu District Bavaria Füssen FW Oder-Spree District Brandenburg Fürstenwalde FZ Schwalm-Eder District Hesse Fritzlar
Codes starting with letter G Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes G Gera City Thuringia Gera GA Altmark District Salzwedel Saxony-Anhalt Gardelegen GAN Northeim District Lower Saxony Bad Gandersheim GAP Garmisch-Partenkirchen District Bavaria Garmisch-Partenkirchen GC Zwickau District Saxony Glauchau GD Ostalb District Baden-Württemberg Schwäbisch Gmünd GDB Nordwestmecklenburg District (Excluding Wismar City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Gadebusch GE Gelsenkirchen City North Rhine-Westphalia Gelsenkirchen GEL Kleve District North Rhine-Westphalia Geldern GEO Haßberge District Bavaria Gerolzhofen [GEO-A 1000 to 9990] [GEO-B 1000 to 9990] Schweinfurt District Every other available combination GER Germersheim District Rhineland-Palatinate Germersheim GF Gifhorn District Lower Saxony Gifhorn GG Groß-Gerau District Hesse Groß-Gerau GHA Leipzig District Saxony Geithain GHC Wittenberg District Saxony-Anhalt Gräfenhainichen GI Gießen District Hesse Gießen GK Heinsberg District North Rhine-Westphalia Geilenkirchen GL Rheinisch-Bergischer District North Rhine-Westphalia Bergisch Gladbach GLA Recklinghausen District North Rhine-Westphalia Gladbeck GM Oberbergischer District North Rhine-Westphalia Gummersbach GMN Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Grimmen GN Main-Kinzig District (Excluding Hanau City) Hesse Gelnhausen GNT Jerichower Land District Saxony-Anhalt Genthin GÖ Göttingen District (Excluding Göttingen City) Lower Saxony Göttingen [GÖ-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, O, Q [GÖ-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, O, Q From [GÖ-AA 100 to 999] to [GÖ-ZZ 100 to 999] Göttingen City (A subdivision of Göttingen District) [GÖ-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [GÖ-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [GÖ-A 1000 to 9999] to [GÖ-Z 1000 to 9999] GOA Rhein-Hunsrück District Rhineland-Palatinate Sankt Goar GOH Rhein-Lahn District Rhineland-Palatinate Sankt Goarshausen GP Göppingen District Baden-Württemberg Göppingen GR Görlitz District Saxony Görlitz GRA Freyung-Grafenau District Bavaria Grafenau GRH Meißen District Saxony Großenhain GRI Rottal-Inn District Bavaria Bad Griesbach [GRI-XY 100 to 999] Where either X or Y or both are: B, I, O, Q GRM Leipzig District Saxony Grimma GRZ Greiz District Thuringia Greiz GS Goslar District Lower Saxony Goslar GT Gütersloh District North Rhine-Westphalia Gütersloh GTH Gotha District Thuringia Gotha GÜ Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Güstrow GUB Spree-Neiße District Brandenburg Guben GUN Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen District Bavaria Gunzenhausen GV Rhein District Neuss North Rhine-Westphalia Grevenbroich GVM Nordwestmecklenburg District (Excluding Wismar City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Grevesmühlen GW Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Greifswald GZ Günzburg District Bavaria Günzburg
Codes starting with letter H Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes H Hanover City (A subdivision of Hanover Region) Lower Saxony Hannover [H-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [H-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [H-A 1000 to 9999] to [H-Z 1000 to 9999] From [H-BA 1000 to 9999] to [H-BZ 1000 to 9999] From [H-FA 1000 to 9999] to [H-GZ 1000 to 9999] Hanover Region (Excluding Hanover City) [H-X 1 to 9999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [H-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [H-AA 1000 to 9999] to [H-AZ 1000 to 9999] From [H-CA 1000 to 9999] to [H-EZ 1000 to 9999] From [H-HA 1000 to 9999] to [H-ZZ 1000 to 9999] HA Hagen City North Rhine-Westphalia Hagen HAB Bad Kissingen District Bavaria Hammelburg HAL Halle (Saale) City Saxony-Anhalt Halle HAM Hamm City North Rhine-Westphalia Hamm HAS Haßberge District Bavaria Hassfurt HB Bremen City State of Bremen Hansestadt Bremen From [HB-A 1 to 999] to [HB-Z 1 to 999] From [HB-AA 1 to 999] to [HB-ZZ 1 to 999] Bremerhaven City From [HB-A 1000 to 9999] to [HB-Z 1000 to 9999] HBN Hildburghausen District Thuringia Hildburghausen HBS Harz District Saxony-Anhalt Halberstadt HC Mittelsachsen District Saxony Hainichen HCH Freudenstadt District Baden-Württemberg Hechingen [HCH-QY 1000 to 999], [HCH-VY 1000 to 999] [HCH-YQ 1000 to 999], [HCH-YV 1000 to 999] [HCH-ZQ 1000 to 999] Zollernalb District Every other available combination HD Rhein-Neckar District Baden-Württemberg Heidelberg [HD-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [HD-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [HD-AA 100 to 9999] to [HD-ZZ 100 to 9999] Heidelberg City [HD-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [HD-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [HD-A 1000 to 9999] to [HD-Z 1000 to 9999] HDH Heidenheim District Baden-Württemberg Heidenheim HDL Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Haldensleben HE Helmstedt District Lower Saxony Helmstedt HEB Nürnberger Land District Bavaria Hersbruck HEF Hersfeld-Rotenburg District Hesse Bad Hersfeld HEI Dithmarschen District Schleswig-Holstein Heide HEL Hesse Government and Landtag Hesse Hessischer Landtag Code reserved for Hesse State-owned governmental vehicles HER Herne City North Rhine-Westphalia Herne HET Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Hettstedt HF Herford District North Rhine-Westphalia Herford HG Hochtaunus District Hesse Bad Homburg HGN Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hagenow HGW Greifswald City (A subdivision of Vorpommern-Greifswald District) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansestadt Greifswald HH Hamburg Hansestadt Hamburg HHM Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Hohenmölsen HI Hildesheim District Lower Saxony Hildesheim HIG Eichsfeld District Thuringia Heilbad Heiligenstadt HIP Roth District Bavaria Hilpoltstein HK Heide District Lower Saxony Heidekreis HL Lübeck City Schleswig-Holstein Hansestadt Lübeck HM Hameln-Pyrmont District Lower Saxony Hameln (Hamelin) HMÜ Göttingen District (Excluding Göttingen City) Lower Saxony Hann. Münden HN Heilbronn District Baden-Württemberg Heilbronn From [HN-AA 100 to 999] to [HN-ZZ 100 to 999] From [HN-AA 1000 to 9999] to [HN-MZ 1000 to 9999] [HN-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [HN-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Heilbronn City From [HN-A 1000 to 9999] to [HN-Z 1000 to 9999] From [HN-NA 1000 to 9999] to [HN-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [HN-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [HN-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q HO Hof District Bavaria Hof From [HO-AA 100 to 999] to [HO-ZZ 100 to 999] From [HO-AA 1000 to 9999] to [HO-ZZ 1000 to 9999] (Shared) [HO-B 1 to 999] [HO-G 1 to 999] [HO-F 1 to 99] Hof City From [HO-AA 1000 to 9999] to [HO-ZZ 1000 to 9999] (Shared) [HO-F 100 to 999] [HN-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [HO-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q HOG Kassel District Hesse Hofgeismar HOH Haßberge District Bavaria Hofheim HOL Holzminden District Lower Saxony Holzminden HOM Saarpfalz District (Excluding Sankt Ingbert City) Saarland Homburg HOR Freudenstadt District Baden-Württemberg Horb HÖS Erlangen-Höchstadt District Bavaria Höchstadt HOT Zwickau District Saxony Hohenstein-Ernstthal HP Bergstraße District Hesse Heppenheim HR Schwalm-Eder District Hesse Homberg HRO Rostock City Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansestadt Rostock HS Heinsberg District North Rhine-Westphalia Heinsberg HSK Hochsauerland District North Rhine-Westphalia HochSauerlandKreis HST Stralsund City (A subdivision of Vorpommern-Rügen District) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansestadt Stralsund From [HST-AA 1 to 999] to [HST-ZZ 1 to 999] [HST-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, G, I, O, Q HU Main-Kinzig District Hesse Hanau HV Stendal District Saxony-Anhalt Havelberg HVL Havelland District Brandenburg Havelland HWI Wismar City (A subdivision of Nordwestmecklenburg District) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansestadt Wismar HX Höxter District North Rhine-Westphalia Höxter HY Bautzen District Saxony Hoyerswerda HZ Harz District Saxony-Anhalt Harz
Codes starting with letter I Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes IGB St. Ingbert City (A subdivision of Saarpfalz District) Saarland St. Ingbert IK Ilm District Thuringia Ilm-Kreis IL Ilm District Thuringia Ilmenau ILL Neu-Ulm District Bavaria Illertissen IN Ingolstadt City Bavaria Ingolstadt IZ Steinburg District Schleswig-Holstein Itzehoe
Codes starting with letter J Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes J Jena City Thuringia Jena JE Wittenberg District Saxony-Anhalt Jessen JL Jerichower Land District Saxony-Anhalt Jerichower Land JÜL Düren District North Rhine-Westphalia Jülich
Codes starting with letter K Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes K Cologne City North Rhine-Westphalia Köln KA Karlsruhe City Baden-Württemberg Karlsruhe From [KA-AA 100 to 999] to [KA-ZZ 100 to 999] From [KA-NA 1000 to 9999] to [KA-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [KA-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, Q [KA-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, Q Karlsruhe District From [KA-A 1000 to 9999] to [KA-Z 1000 to 9999] From [KA-AA 1000 to 9999] to [KA-MZ 1000 to 9999] [KA-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, Q [KA-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, Q KB Waldeck-Frankenberg District Hesse Korbach KC Kronach District Bavaria Kronach KE Kempten (Allgäu) City Bavaria Kempten From [KE-A 1 to 999] to [KE-Z 1 to 999] From [KE-AA 1 to 99] to [KE-ZZ 1 to 99] KEH Kelheim District Bavaria Kelheim KEL Ortenau District Baden-Württemberg Kehl KEM Bayreuth District Bavaria Kemnath From [KEM-AT 1 to 99] to [KEM-ZT 1 to 99] Tirschenreuth District Every other available combination KF Kaufbeuren City Bavaria Kaufbeuren KG Bad Kissingen District Bavaria Bad Kissingen KH Bad Kreuznach District (Excluding Bad Kreuznach City) Rhineland-Palatinate Bad Kreuznach From [KH-AA 1 to 999] to [KH-ZZ 1 to 999] Bad Kreuznach City (A subdivision of Bad Kreuznach District) From [KH-A 1 to 9999] to [KH-Z 1 to 9999] KI Kiel City Schleswig-Holstein Kiel KIB Donnersberg District Rhineland-Palatinate Kirchheimbolanden KK Viersen District North Rhine-Westphalia Kempen-Krefeld KL Kaiserslautern District Rhineland-Palatinate Kaiserslautern From [KL-AA 100 to 999] to [KL-ZZ 100 to 999] [KL-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [KL-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Kaiserslautern City [KL-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [KL-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q KLE Kleve District North Rhine-Westphalia Kleve KLZ Altmark District Salzwedel Saxony-Anhalt Klötze KM Bautzen District Saxony Kamenz KN Konstanz District (Excluding Büsingen am Hochrhein Municipality) Baden-Württemberg Konstanz KO Koblenz City Rhineland-Palatinate Koblenz KÖN Rhön-Grabfeld District Bavaria Bad Königshofen KÖT Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Köthen KÖZ Cham District Bavaria Bad Kötzting KR Krefeld City North Rhine-Westphalia Krefeld KRU Günzburg District Bavaria Krumbach KS Kassel District Kassel City Hesse Kassel KT Kitzingen District Bavaria Kitzingen KU Kulmbach District Bavaria Kulmbach KÜN Hohenlohe District Baden-Württemberg Künzelsau KUS Kusel District Rhineland-Palatinate Kusel KW Dahme-Spreewald District Brandenburg Königs Wusterhausen KY Ostprignitz-Ruppin District Brandenburg Kyritz KYF Kyffhäuser Dristrict Thuringia Kyffhäuser
Codes starting with letter L Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes L Leipzig City Saxony Leipzig From [L-A 1 to 9999] to [L-T 1 to 9999] From [L-AA 1 to 9999] to [L-TZ 1 to 9999] Leipzig District From [L-U 1 to 9999] to [L-Z 1 to 9999] From [L-UA 1 to 9999] to [L-ZZ 1 to 9999] LA Landshut District Bavaria Landshut From [LA-AA 5000 to 9999] to [LA-ZZ 5000 to 9999] From [LA-AA 100 to 999] to [LA-ZZ 100 to 999] [LA-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [LA-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Landshut City From [LA-AA 1000 to 4999] to [LA-ZZ 1000 to 4999] [LA-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [LA-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q LAN Dingolfing-Landau District Bavaria Landau LAU Nürnberger Land District Bavaria Lauf LB Ludwigsburg District Baden-Württemberg Ludwigsburg LBS Saale-Orla District Thuringia Bad Lobenstein LBZ Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Lübz LC Dahme-Spreewald District Brandenburg Luckau LD Landau in der Pfalz City Rhineland-Palatinate Landau LDK Lahn-Dill District (Excluding Wetzlar City) Hesse Lahn-Dill-Kreis LDS Dahme-Spreewald District Brandenburg Landkreis Dahme-Spreewald LEO Böblingen District Baden-Württemberg Leonberg LER Leer District Lower Saxony Leer LEV Leverkusen City North Rhine-Westphalia Leverkusen LF Altötting District Bavaria Laufen [LF-X 1 to 999] Where X is: C, I, J, L, M, O, Q, V [LF-E 1 to 599] Traunstein District [LF-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is: FZ, GH, KQ, RW, TS, WW,XX, ZZ [LF-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G [LF-XY 1 to 99] Where XY is: DH, FZ, GH, KQ, LU, RW, TK, TS ,WW, XX, ZZ [LF-DH 100 to 199] [LF-LU 100 to 299] [LF-TK 100 to 199] [LF-VW 200 to 499] Berchtesgadener Land District Every other available combination LG Lüneburg District Lower Saxony Lüneburg LH Coesfeld District Unna District North Rhine-Westphalia Lüdinghausen LI Lindau (Bodensee) District Bavaria Lindau LIB Elbe-Elster District Brandenburg Bad Liebenwerda LIF Lichtenfels District Bavaria Lichtenfels LIP Lippe District North Rhine-Westphalia Lippe LL Landsberg District Bavaria Landsberg am Lech LM Limburg-Weilburg District Hesse Limburg LN Dahme-Spreewald District Brandenburg Lübben LÖ Lörrach District Baden-Württemberg Lörrach LÖB Görlitz District Saxony Löbau LOS Oder-Spree District Brandenburg Landkreis Oder-Spree LP Soest District North Rhine-Westphalia Lippstadt LR Ortenau District Baden-Württemberg Lahr LRO Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landkreis Rostock LSA Saxony-Anhalt Government, Landtag, and Police Saxony-Anhalt Land Sachsen-Anhalt Code reserved for Saxony-Anhalt State-owned governmental vehicles LSN Saxony Government and Landtag , Saxony Landtag Sachsen Code reserved for Saxony State-owned governmental vehicles LSZ Unstrut-Hainich District Thuringia Bad Langensalza LU Ludwigshafen am Rhein City Rhineland-Palatinate Ludwigshafen LÜN Unna District North Rhine-Westphalia Lünen LUP Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ludwigslust-Parchim LWL Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ludwigslust
Codes starting with letter M Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes M Munich City Bavaria München [M-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G [M-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G [M-XY 100 to 9999] Where neither X nor Y are: I, O, Q Unless either X or Y is: B, F, G In addition, XY can be any other combination of letters. Munich District [M-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G [M-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y: B, F, G [M-XY 100 to 9999] Where either X or Y or both are: I, O, Q But neither X nor Y are: B, F, G MA Mannheim City Baden-Württemberg Mannheim MAB Erzgebirge District Saxony Marienberg MAI Landshut District Bavaria Mainburg [MAI-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Kelheim District Every other available combination MAK Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge District Bavaria Marktredwitz MAL Landshut District Bavaria Mallersdorf-Pfaffenberg [MAL-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Straubing-Bogen District Every other available combination MB Miesbach District Bavaria Miesbach MC Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Malchin MD Magdeburg City Saxony-Anhalt Magdeburg ME Mettmann District North Rhine-Westphalia Mettmann MED Dithmarschen District Schleswig-Holstein Meldorf MEG Schwalm-Eder District Hesse Melsungen MEI Meißen District Saxony Meißen MEK Erzgebirge District Saxony Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis MEL Osnabrück District Lower Saxony Melle MER Saale District Saxony-Anhalt Merseburg MET Rhön-Grabfeld District Bavaria Mellrichstadt MG Mönchengladbach City North Rhine-Westphalia Mönchengladbach MGH Main-Tauber District Baden-Württemberg Bad Mergentheim MGN Schmalkalden-Meiningen District Thuringia Meiningen MH Mülheim an der Ruhr City North Rhine-Westphalia Mülheim MHL Unstrut-Hainich District Thuringia Mühlhausen MI Minden-Lübbecke District North Rhine-Westphalia Minden MIL Miltenberg District Bavaria Miltenberg MK Märkischer District North Rhine-Westphalia Märkischer Kreis MKK Main-Kinzig District (Excluding Hanau City) Hesse Main-Kinzig-Kreis ML Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Mansfelder Land MM Memmingen City Bavaria Memmingen MN Unterallgäu District Bavaria Mindelheim MO Wesel District North Rhine-Westphalia Moers MOD Ostallgäu District Bavaria Marktoberdorf MOL Märkisch-Oderland District Brandenburg Märkisch-Oderland MON Aachen Region Düren District North Rhine-Westphalia Monschau MOS Neckar-Odenwald District Baden-Württemberg Mosbach MQ Saale District Saxony-Anhalt Merseburg-Querfurt MR Marburg-Biedenkopf District Hesse Marburg MS Münster City North Rhine-Westphalia Münster MSE Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburgische Seenplatte MSH Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Mansfeld-Südharz MSP Main-Spessart District Bavaria Main-Spessart MST Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Strelitz MTK Main-Taunus District Hesse Main-Taunus-Kreis MTL Leipzig District Saxony Muldental MÜ Mühldorf am Inn District Bavaria Mühldorf MÜB Bayreuth District Bavaria Münchberg From [MÜB-A 100 to 999] to [MÜB-M 100 to 999] From [MÜB-N 1 to 999] to [MÜB-Z 1 to 999] Hof District Every other available combination MÜR Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Müritz MVL Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Government, Landtag, and Police Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommerscher Landtag Code reserved for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State-owned governmental vehicles MW Mittelsachsen District Saxony Mittweida MY Mayen-Koblenz District Rhineland-Palatinate Mayen MYK Mayen-Koblenz District Rhineland-Palatinate Mayen-Koblenz MZ Mainz City Rhineland-Palatinate Mainz From [MZ-AA 100 to 999] to [MZ-ZZ 100 to 999] From [MZ-AA 1000 to 9999] to [MZ-KY 1000 to 9999] [MZ-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [MZ-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Mainz-Bingen District From [MZ-A 1000 to 9999] to [MZ-Z 1000 to 9999] From [MZ-LA 1000 to 9999] to [MZ-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [MZ-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [MZ-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q MZG Merzig-Wadern District Saarland Merzig
Codes starting with letter N Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes N Nuremberg City Bavaria Nürnberg From [N-A 1000 to 9999] to [N-Z 1000 to 9999] From [N-AA 100 to 9999] to [N-ZZ 100 to 9999] [N-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [N-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Nürnberger Land District [N-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q, S NAB Schwandorf District Bavaria Nabburg [NAB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G Amberg-Sulzbach District Every other available combination NAI Hof District Bavaria Naila NAU Havelland District Brandenburg Nauen NB Neubrandenburg City (A subdivision of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Neubrandenburg From [NB-AA 1 to 999] to [NB-ZZ 1 to 999] ND Neuburg-Schrobenhausen District Bavaria Neuburg an der Donau NDH Nordhausen District Thuringia Nordhausen NE Rhein District Neuss North Rhine-Westphalia Neuss NEA Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim District Bavaria Neustadt an der Aisch NEB Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Nebra NEC Coburg City Coburg District Bavaria Neustadt bei Coburg NEN Schwandorf District Bavaria Neunburg NES Rhön-Grabfeld District Bavaria Bad Neustadt an der Saale NEW Neustadt an der Waldnaab District Bavaria Neustadt an der Waldnaab NF Nordfriesland District Schleswig-Holstein Nordfriesland NH Sonneberg District Thuringia Neuhaus NI Nienburg/Weser District Lower Saxony Nienburg NK Neunkirchen District Saarland Neunkirchen NL Lower Saxony Government and Landtag Lower Saxony Niedersächsischer Landtag Code reserved for Lower Saxony State-owned governmental vehicles NM Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz District Bavaria Neumarkt NMB Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Naumburg NMS Neumünster City Schleswig-Holstein Neumünster NÖ Donau-Ries District Bavaria Nördlingen NOH Grafschaft Bentheim District Lower Saxony Nordhorn NOL Görlitz District Saxony Niederschlesische Oberlausitz NOM Northeim District Lower Saxony Northeim NOR Aurich District Lower Saxony Norden NP Ostprignitz-Ruppin District Brandenburg Neuruppin NR Neuwied District (Excluding Neuwied City) Rhineland-Palatinate Neuwied am Rhein From [NR-AA 1 to 999] to [NR-ZZ 1 to 999] Neuwied City (A subdivision of Neuwied District) From [NR-A 1 to 9999] to [NR-Z 1 to 9999] NRW North Rhine-Westphalia Government, Landtag, and State Police North Rhine-Westphalia Nordrhein-Westfalen Code reserved for North Rhine-Westphalia State-owned governmental vehicles NT Esslingen District Baden-Württemberg Nürtingen NU Neu-Ulm District Bavaria Neu-Ulm NVP Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Nordvorpommern NW Neustadt an der Weinstraße City Rhineland-Palatinate Neustadt an der Weinstraße NWM Nordwestmecklenburg District (Excluding Wismar City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Nordwestmecklenburg NY Görlitz District Saxony Niesky NZ Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Neustrelitz
Codes starting with letter O Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes OA Oberallgäu District Bavaria Oberallgäu OAL Ostallgäu District Bavaria Ostallgäu OB Oberhausen City North Rhine-Westphalia Oberhausen OBB Miltenberg District Bavaria Obernburg OBG Stendal District Saxony-Anhalt Osterburg OC Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Oschersleben OCH Würzburg District Bavaria Ochsenfurt OD Stormarn District Schleswig-Holstein Bad Oldesloe OE Olpe District North Rhine-Westphalia Olpe OF Offenbach District Offenbach am Main City Hesse Offenbach OG Ortenau District Baden-Württemberg Offenburg OH Ostholstein District Schleswig-Holstein Ostholstein OHA Göttingen District (Excluding Göttingen City) Lower Saxony Osterode am Harz ÖHR Hohenlohe District Baden-Württemberg Öhringen OHV Oberhavel District Brandenburg Oberhavel OHZ Osterholz District Lower Saxony Osterholz-Scharmbeck OK Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Ohrekreis OL Oldenburg City Lower Saxony Oldenburg From [OL-AA 100 to 999] to [OL-ZZ 100 to 999] [OL-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [OL-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, Q Oldenburg District From [OL-A 1000 to 9999] to [OL-Z 1000 to 9999] [OL-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [OL-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q OP Leverkusen City North Rhine-Westphalia Opladen OPR Ostprignitz-Ruppin District Brandenburg Ostprignitz-Ruppin OS Osnabrück District Lower Saxony Osnabrück From [OS-AA 100 to 999] to [OS-ZZ 100 to 999] (Excludes [OS-PD 100 to 999], reserved for District Police) From [OS-AA 3000 to 9999] to [OS-ZZ 3000 to 9999] [OS-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [OS-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Osnabrück City From [OS-AA 1000 to 2999] to [OS-ZZ 1000 to 2999] [OS-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q (Excludes [OS-P 1 to 9999], reserved for City Police) [OS-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q OSL Oberspreewald-Lausitz District Brandenburg Oberspreewald-Lausitz OTW Neunkirchen District Saarland Ottweiler OVI Schwandorf District Bavaria Oberviechtach OVL Vogtland District Saxony Obervogtland OZ Nordsachsen District Saxony Oschatz
Codes starting with letter P Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes P Potsdam City Brandenburg Potsdam PA Passau City Bavaria Passau From [PA-A 1 to 9999] to [PA-Z to 9999] Passau District From [PA-AA 1 to 999] to [PA-ZZ 1 to 999] PAF Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm District Bavaria Pfaffenhofen PAN Rottal-Inn District Bavaria Pfarrkirchen PAR Kelheim District Bavaria Parsberg [PAR-Q 1 to 999], [PAR-Y 1 to 999] [PAR-BB 1 to 999], [PAR-CC 1 to 9999] Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz District Every other available combination PB Paderborn District North Rhine-Westphalia Paderborn PCH Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Parchim PE Peine District Lower Saxony Peine PEG Nürnberger Land District Bavaria Pegnitz [PEG-A 1 to 999] Bayreuth District From [PEG-B 1 to 999] to [PEG-Z 1 to 999] Forchheim District From [PEG-AA 1 to 99] to [PEG-ZZ 1 to 99] From [PEG-A 1000 to 9999] to [PEG-Z 1000 to 9999] PF Pforzheim City Baden-Württemberg Pforzheim From [PF-AA 100 to 999] to [PF-ZZ 100 to 999] From [PF-NA 1000 to 9999] to [PF-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [PF-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [PF-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Enz District From [PF-A 1000 to 9999] to [PF-Z 1000 to 9999] From [PF-AA 1000 to 9999] to [PF-MZ 1000 to 9999] [PF-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [PF-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q PI Pinneberg District Schleswig-Holstein Pinneberg PIR Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge District Saxony Pirna PL Vogtland District Saxony Plauen PLÖ Plön District Schleswig-Holstein Plön PM Potsdam-Mittelmark District Brandenburg Potsdam-Mittelmark PN Saale-Orla District Thuringia Pößneck PR Prignitz District Brandenburg Prignitz PRÜ Eifel District Bitburg-Prüm Rhineland-Palatinate Prüm PS Pirmasens City Rhineland-Palatinate Pirmasens From [PS-A 1 to 9999] to [PS-Z 1 to 9999] Südwestpfalz District From [PS-AA 1 to 999] to [PS-ZZ 1 to 999] PW Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Pasewalk PZ Uckermark District Brandenburg Prenzlau
Codes starting with letter Q Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes QFT Saale District Saxony-Anhalt Querfurt QLB Harz District Saxony-Anhalt Quedlinburg
Codes starting with letter R Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes R Regensburg City Bavaria Regensburg From [R-AA 100 to 999] to [R-ZZ 100 to 999] From [R-MN 1000 to 9999] to [R-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [R-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [R-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q (Excludes [R-PR 100 to 999], reserved for City Police) Regensburg District From [R-A 1000 to 9999] to [R-Z 1000 to 9999] From [R-AA 1000 to 9999] to [R-MM 1000 to 9999] [R-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [R-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q RA Rastatt District Baden-Württemberg Rastatt RC Vogtland District Saxony Reichenbach RD Rendsburg-Eckernförde District Schleswig-Holstein Rendsburg RDG Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ribnitz-Damgarten RE Recklinghausen District North Rhine-Westphalia Recklinghausen REG Regen District Bavaria Regen REH Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge District Bavaria Rehau [REH-AU 900 to 999] [REH-X 1 to 999] Where X is: A, E, F, H, J, M, N, P, R, S, V, X [REH-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is: AA, FF, GG, OO, ZZ Hof District Every other available combination REI Berchtesgadener Land District Bavaria Bad Reichenhall RG Meißen District Saxony Riesa-Großenhain RH Roth District Bavaria Roth RI Schaumburg District Lower Saxony Rinteln RID Kelheim District Bavaria Riedenburg RIE Meißen District Saxony Riesa RL Mittelsachsen District Saxony Rochlitz RM Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Röbel/Müritz RN Havelland District Brandenburg Rathenow RO Rosenheim District Bavaria Rosenheim From [RO-A 1000 to 9999] to [RO-Z 1000 to 9999] From [RO-AA 10 to 9999] to [RO-ZZ 100 to 9999] [RO-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [RO-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Rosenheim City [RO-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [RO-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q ROD Schwandorf District Bavaria Roding [RO-B 1 to 599], [RO-F 1 to 799] [RO-G 50 to 499] [RO-I 100 to 1999] (Excludes [RO-P 100 to 999], reserved for City Police) Cham District Every other available combination ROF Hersfeld-Rotenburg District Hesse Rotenburg an der Fulda ROK Donnersberg District Rhineland-Palatinate Rockenhausen ROL Landshut District Bavaria Rottenburg an der Laaber From [ROL-AA 1 to 999] to [ROL-ZZ 1 to 999] [ROL-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Kelheim District Every other available combination ROS Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Rostock ROT Ansbach District Bavaria Rothenburg ob der Tauber ROW Rotenburg (Wümme) District Lower Saxony Rotenburg (Wümme) RP Rhein-Pfalz District Rhineland-Palatinate Rhein-Pfalz RPL Rhineland-Palatinate Government, Landtag, and State Police Rhineland-Palatinate Rheinland-Pfälzischer Landtag Code reserved for Rhineland-Palatinate State-owned governmental vehicles RS Remscheid City North Rhine-Westphalia Remscheid RSL Dessau-Roßlau City Saxony-Anhalt Dessau-Rosslau RT Reutlingen District Baden-Württemberg Reutlingen RU Saalfeld-Rudolstadt District Thuringia Rudolstadt RÜD Rheingau-Taunus District Hesse Rüdesheim RÜG Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Rügen RV Ravensburg District Baden-Württemberg Ravensburg RW Rottweil District Baden-Württemberg Rottweil RZ Herzogtum Lauenburg District Schleswig-Holstein Ratzeburg
Codes starting with letter S Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes S Stuttgart City Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart SAB Trier-Saarburg District Rhineland-Palatinate Saarburg SAD Schwandorf District Bavaria Schwandorf SÄK Waldshut District Baden-Württemberg Bad Säckingen SAL Saarland Government, Landtag, and State Police Saarland Saarländischer Landtag Code reserved for Saarland State-owned governmental vehicles SAN Kronach District Bavaria Stadtsteinach From [SAN-S 1 to 999] to [SAN-V 1 to 999] From [SAN-AA 1 to 99] to [SAN-FZ 1 to 99] Kulmbach District From [SAN-A 1 to 999] to [SAN-R 1 to 999] From [SAN-JA 1 to 99] to [SAN-ZZ 1 to 99] Hof District From [SAN-W 1 to 999] to [SAN-Z 1 to 999] From [SAN-GA 1 to 999] to [SAN-IZ 1 to 999] SAW Altmark District Salzwedel Saxony-Anhalt Salzwedel SB Saarbrücken Region (Excluding Völklingen City) Saarland Saarbrücken SBG Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Strasburg SBK Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Schönebeck SC Schwabach City Bavaria Schwabach SCZ Saale-Orla District Thuringia Schleiz SDH Kyffhäuser Dristrict Thuringia Sondershausen SDL Stendal District Saxony-Anhalt Stendal SDT Uckermark District Brandenburg Schwedt SE Segeberg District Schleswig-Holstein Bad Segeberg SEB Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge District Saxony Sebnitz SEE Märkisch-Oderland District Brandenburg Seelow SEF Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim District Bavaria Scheinfeld SEL Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge District Bavaria Selb SFB Oberspreewald-Lausitz District Brandenburg Senftenberg SFT Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Staßfurt SG Solingen City North Rhine-Westphalia Solingen SGH Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Sangerhausen SH Schleswig-Holstein Government, Landtag, and Schleswig-Holstein Police Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Code reserved for Schleswig-Holstein State-owned governmental vehicles SHA Schwäbisch Hall District Baden-Württemberg Schwäbisch Hall SHG Schaumburg District Lower Saxony Stadthagen SHK Saale-Holzland District Thuringia Saale-Holzland-Kreis SHL Suhl City Thuringia Suhl SI Siegen-Wittgenstein District North Rhine-Westphalia Siegen SIG Sigmaringen District Baden-Württemberg Sigmaringen SIM Rhein-Hunsrück District Rhineland-Palatinate Simmern SK Saale District Saxony-Anhalt Saalekreis SL Schleswig-Flensburg District Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig SLE Düren District Euskirchen District North Rhine-Westphalia Schleiden SLF Saalfeld-Rudolstadt District Thuringia Saalfeld SLG Ravensburg District Baden-Württemberg Bad Saulgau [SLG-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: A, M, P, Q, W From [SLG-AX 1 to 999] to [SLG-ZX 1 to 999] Where X is: U, Y Sigmaringen District [SLG-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, D, F, H, N, O, R, S, T, Y From [SLG-AX 1 to 999] to [SLG-ZX 1 to 999] Where X is: From A to J SLK Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Salzlandkreis SLN Altenburger Land District Thuringia Schmölln SLS Saarlouis District Saarland Saarlouis SLÜ Main-Kinzig District (Excluding Hanau City) Hesse Schlüchtern SLZ Wartburg District Thuringia Bad Salzungen SM Schmalkalden-Meiningen District Thuringia Schmalkalden SMÜ Augsburg District Bavaria Schwabmünchen SN Schwerin City Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Schwerin SO Soest District North Rhine-Westphalia Soest SOB Neuburg-Schrobenhausen District Bavaria Schrobenhausen SOG Weilheim-Schongau District Bavaria Schongau SOK Saale-Orla District Thuringia Saale-Orla-Kreis SÖM Sömmerda District Thuringia Sömmerda SON Sonneberg District Thuringia Sonneberg SP Speyer City Rhineland-Palatinate Speyer SPB Spree-Neiße District Brandenburg Spremberg SPN Spree-Neiße District Brandenburg Spree-Neiße SR Straubing City Bavaria Straubing From [SR-A 1 to 9999] to [SR-Z 1 to 9999] (Excludes [SR-P 1000 to 9999], reserved for City Police) Straubing-Bogen District From [SR-AA 1 to 999] to [SR-ZZ 1 to 999] SRB Märkisch-Oderland District Brandenburg Strausberg SRO Saale-Holzland District Thuringia Stadtroda ST Steinfurt District North Rhine-Westphalia Steinfurt STA Starnberg District Bavaria Starnberg STB Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Sternberg STD Stade District Lower Saxony Stade STE Lichtenfels District Bavaria Bad Staffelstein STL Erzgebirge District Saxony Stollberg STO Sigmaringen District Baden-Württemberg Stockach [STO-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, D, F, H, N, O, R, S, T, Y From [STO-AX 1 to 999] to [STO-ZX 1 to 999] Where X is: From A to J Konstanz District (Excluding Büsingen am Hochrhein Municipality) [STO-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: C, E, G, I, J, K, L, V, X, Z From [STO-AX 1 to 999] to [STO-ZX 1 to 999] Where X is: From K to T SU Rhein-Sieg District North Rhine-Westphalia Siegburg SUL Amberg-Sulzbach District Bavaria Sulzbach-Rosenberg SÜW Südliche Weinstraße District Rhineland-Palatinate Südliche Weinstraße SW Schweinfurt District Bavaria Schweinfurt From [SW-AA 100 to 9999] to [SW-ZZ 100 to 9999] [SW-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [SW-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Schweinfurt City [SW-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [SW-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q SWA Rheingau-Taunus District Hesse Bad Schwalbach SY Diepholz District Lower Saxony Syke SZ Salzgitter City Lower Saxony Salzgitter SZB Erzgebirge District Saxony Schwarzenberg
Codes starting with letter T Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes TBB Main-Tauber District Baden-Württemberg Tauberbischofsheim TDO Nordsachsen District Saxony Torgau-Delitzsch-Oschatz TE Steinfurt District North Rhine-Westphalia Tecklenburg TET Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Teterow TF Teltow-Fläming District Brandenburg Teltow-Fläming TG Nordsachsen District Saxony Torgau THL Thuringia Government and Landtag Thuringia Thüringer Landtag Code reserved for Thuringia State-owned governmental vehicles THW Federal Agency for Technical Relief Technisches Hilfswerk Code reserved for Vehicles of German Federal Agency for Technical Relief. TIR Tirschenreuth District Bavaria Tirschenreuth TO Nordsachsen District Saxony Torgau-Oschatz TÖL Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen District Bavaria Bad Tölz TP Uckermark District Brandenburg Templin TR Trier-Saarburg District Trier City Rhineland-Palatinate Trier TS Traunstein District Bavaria Traunstein TT Bodensee (Lake Constance) District Baden-Württemberg Tettnang TÜ Tübingen District Baden-Württemberg Tübingen TUT Tuttlingen District Baden-Württemberg Tuttlingen
Codes starting with letter U Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes ÜB Sigmaringen District Baden-Württemberg Überlingen [ÜB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: K, N, P, Q, U, W, Y, Z [ÜB-X 1000 to 9999] Where X is : A, E From [ÜB-XA 1 to 99] to [ÜB-XZ 1 to 99] Where X is: A, C, E [ÜB-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is: BB, HH, II, MM, NN, OO, XX [ÜB-XY 1000 to 9999] Where XY is: FF, GG, PP, RR, VV Ravensburg District [ÜB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: A, C, E, G, I, J, L [ÜB-X 1000 to 9999] Where X is: B, X From [ÜB-XA 1 to 99] to [ÜB-XZ 1 to 99] Where X is: U, V, W, Y, Z [ÜB-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is: AA, DD, FF [ÜB-XY 1000 to 9999] Where XY is: KK, OO, TT, RV Bodensee (Lake Constance) District [ÜB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, D, F, H, M, O, R, S, T, V, X [ÜB-X 1000 to 9999] Where X is not: A, B, E, X From [ÜB-XA 1 to 99] to [ÜB-XZ 1 to 99] Where X isn't: A, C, E, U, V, W, Y, Z [ÜB-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is not: AA, BB, DD, FF, HH, II, MM, NN, OO, XX [ÜB-XY 1000 to 9999] Where XY is not: FF, GG, KK, OO, PP, RR, RV,TT, VV UE Uelzen District Lower Saxony Uelzen UEM Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ueckermünde UFF Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim District Bavaria Uffenheim UH Unstrut-Hainich District Thuringia Unstrut-Hainich UL Alb-Donau District Baden-Württemberg Ulm From [UL-AA 100 to 999] to [UL-ZZ 100 to 999] From [UL-NA 1000 to 9999] to [UL-ZZ1000 to 9999] [UL-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [UL-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Ulm City [UL-A 1000 to 4999], [UL-A 6000 to 9999] From [UL-B 1000 to 9999] to [UL-Z 1000 to 9999] [UL-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [UL-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q UM Uckermark District Brandenburg Uckermark UN Unna District North Rhine-Westphalia Unna USI Hochtaunus District Hesse Usingen
Codes starting with letter V Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes V Vogtland District Saxony Vogtland VAI Ludwigsburg District Baden-Württemberg Vaihingen VB Vogelsberg District Hesse Vogelsberg VEC Vechta District Lower Saxony Vechta VER Verden District Lower Saxony Verden VG Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Vorpommern-Greifswald VIB Rottal-Inn District Bavaria Vilsbiburg [VIB-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, I, O, Q] Mühldorf am Inn District [VIB-G 1 to 9999] Landshut District Every other available combination VIE Viersen District North Rhine-Westphalia Viersen VIT Regen District Bavaria Viechtach VK Völklingen City (A subdivision of Saarbrücken Region) Saarland Völklingen VOH Neustadt an der Waldnaab District Bavaria Vohenstrauß VR Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Vorpommern-Rügen VS Schwarzwald-Baar District Baden-Württemberg Villingen-Schwenningen
Codes starting with letter W Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes W Wuppertal City North Rhine-Westphalia Wuppertal WA Waldeck-Frankenberg District Hesse Waldeck WAF Warendorf District North Rhine-Westphalia Warendorf WAK Wartburg District Thuringia Wartburgkreis WAN Herne City North Rhine-Westphalia Wanne-Eickel WAR Höxter District North Rhine-Westphalia Warburg WAT Bochum City North Rhine-Westphalia Wattenscheid WB Wittenberg District Saxony-Anhalt Wittenberg WBS Eichsfeld District Thuringia Leinefelde-Worbis WDA Zwickau District Saxony Werdau WE Weimar City Thuringia Weimar WEL Limburg-Weilburg District Hesse Weilburg WEN Weiden in der Oberpfalz City Bavaria Weiden WER Augsburg District Bavaria Wertingen [WAR-YA 1 to 999] to [WAR-YZ 1 to 999] From [WAR-A 7000 to 9999] to [WAR-Z 7000 to 9999] Dillingen an der Donau District Every other available combination WES Wesel District North Rhine-Westphalia Wesel WF Wolfenbüttel District Lower Saxony Wolfenbüttel WG Ravensburg District Baden-Württemberg Wangen WHV Wilhelmshaven City Lower Saxony Wilhelmshaven WI Wiesbaden City Hesse Wiesbaden (Excludes [WI-HP 100 to 9999], reserved for City Police) WIL Bernkastel-Wittlich District Rhineland-Palatinate Wittlich WIS Nordwestmecklenburg District (Excluding Wismar City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Wismar WIT Ennepe-Ruhr District North Rhine-Westphalia Witten WIZ Werra-Meißner District Hesse Witzenhausen WK Ostprignitz-Ruppin District Brandenburg Wittstock WL Harburg District Lower Saxony Winsen (Luhe) WLG Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Wolgast WM Weilheim-Schongau District Bavaria Weilheim WMS Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Wolmirstedt WN Rems-Murr District Baden-Württemberg Waiblingen WND Sankt Wendel District Saarland Sankt Wendel WO Worms City Rhineland-Palatinate Worms WOB Wolfsburg City Lower Saxony Wolfsburg WOH Kassel District Hesse Wolfhagen WOL Freudenstadt District Baden-Württemberg Wolfach From [WOL-A 9000 to 9999] to [WOL-E 9000 to 9999] Ortenau District Every other available combination WOR Munich District Bavaria Wolfratshausen [WOL-F 1 to 9999] [WOL-O 1 to 9999] Starnberg District [WOL-B 1 to 9999] [WOL-G 1 to 9999] Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen District Every other available combination WOS Freyung-Grafenau District Bavaria Wolfstein WR Harz District Saxony-Anhalt Wernigerode WRN Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Waren WS Mühldorf am Inn District Bavaria Wasserburg [WS-Q 1 to 9999] From [WS-QA 1 to 9999] to [WS-QZ 1 to 9999] Rosenheim District Every other available combination WSF Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Weissenfels WST Ammerland District Lower Saxony Westerstede WSW Görlitz District Saxony Weisswasser WT Waldshut District Baden-Württemberg Waldshut-Tiengen WTL Osnabrück District Lower Saxony Wittlage WTM Wittmund District Lower Saxony Wittmund WÜ Würzburg City Bavaria Würzburg From [WÜ-AA 100 to 999] to [WÜ-ZZ 100 to 999] From [WÜ-AA 1000 to 9999] to [WÜ-ZZ 1000 to 9999] (Excludes [WÜ-PP 1 to 9999], reserved for Police) [WÜ-X 1 to 999] Where X is B, F, G, I, O, Q [WÜ-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Würzburg District From [WÜ-A 1000 to 9999] to [WÜ-Z 1000 to 9999] [WÜ-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't B, F, G, I, O, Q [WÜ-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q WUG Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen District Bavaria Weißenburg WÜM Cham District Bavaria Waldmünchen (with rearranged letter order) WUN Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge District Bavaria Wunsiedel WUR Leipzig District Saxony Wurzen WW Westerwald District Rhineland-Palatinate Westerwald WZ Lahn-Dill District Hesse Wetzlar WZL Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Wanzleben-Börde
Codes starting with letter X Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes X NATO Headquarters in Germany Arbitrarily chosen [X-1000] Format
Codes starting with letter Y Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes Y Bundeswehr (German Federal Military) Arbitrarily chosen [Y-100 123] Format
Codes starting with letter Z Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes Z Zwickau District Saxony Zwickau ZE Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Zerbst ZEL Cochem-Zell District Rhineland-Palatinate Zell ZI Görlitz District Saxony Zittau ZIG Schwalm-Eder District Hesse Ziegenhain ZP Erzgebirge District Saxony Zschopau ZR Greiz District Thuringia Zeulenroda-Triebes ZW Zweibrücken City Rhineland-Palatinate Zweibrücken From [ZW-A 1 to 9999] to [ZW-Z 1 to 9999] From [ZW-AA 100 to 9999] to [ZW-ZZ 100 to 9999] Südwestpfalz District From [ZW-AA 1 to 99] to [ZW-ZZ 1 to 99] ZZ Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Zeitz
Codes starting with Numbers, 0 to 9 Code City / rural district State Namesake Notes 0 [0-1] Vehicle of the Federal President [0-2] Vehicle of the Federal Chancellor [0-3] Vehicle of the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs [0-4] Vehicle of the State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office [0-## 1 to 999] [0-### 1 to 999] Diplomatic license plate Where ## or ### is a numerical code associated with each country. 1 [1-1] Vehicle of the President of the Bundestag

Stickers

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 applies to most vehicles, but differs for 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 (Coburg district, Bavaria)
• 
  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 ^[i]

Colours of the emission test (1985–2010) and vehicle safety test stickers (since 1974)

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

Old style safety test sticker, 1967

Colours of vehicle safety test stickers (1961–73)

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

Bus with repeater plate, due to the bike carrier

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.

This plate from Frankfurt am Main bears the letters F ST, whereas FS T may be found on a vehicle from Freising.

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, ^[k] 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, such 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 3]} Further restrictions are caused by "prohibited" combinations (see below). There has to exist a method^{[ which? ]} 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]

Personalised plates

Very old example of a personalised plate, from Kiel

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 is one of few 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.

• 
  Bier means beer
• 
  Geld means money
• 
  AC/DC is a rock band.
• 
  110 is the police emergency number
• 
• 

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 dependant 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 privatised 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]}

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  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 Nuremberg, Cologne and Stuttgart issue one-letter plates which would result in the combinations N-S, K-Z, S-A, S-D and S-S. ^{[27] [28] [29]}

Those prefixes which will not be issued as middle letters were also excluded from the list of possible area codes with the introduction of the current system, although between 1945 and 1949 the French occupation force had 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. Nor were these codes later 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. ^[l]

Example of banned combination (NS) which was issued accidentally

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, ^[m] even less so in the 1950s when the lists were created. ^[n] 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).^{[ citation needed ]}

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]

Permitted: AC-AB

The combinations STA-SI, S-ED ^[29] /SE-D, ^[36] 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 for murder) ^[38] and SU-FF (boozing). ^{[39] [40]}

Consensual: SE-X

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

Licence plate of a police car in Saxony

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]

Bogus licence plates

Fake number plate, seemingly from Munich but obviously not correct, due to the umlaut and the leading digit 0

Sometimes, e.g. in movie films, 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 , ^[43] 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. ^[44]

In the time before 2000, it had also been 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. Meanwhile, however, all these letters can appear on a real licence plate. In order to state clearly that the plate shown is a fictive one, the crew could use an impossible identifier, such as an umlaut in this middle section. Yet another way would be to have a valid registration issued (or at least reserved) by the district authority.

Registration

Procedures

Several shops advertising Schilder (plates), in the street of the registration authority

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. ^[45] 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). ^{[13] : §31} The data which are stored there refer to the vehicle, the owner and the insurance. ^{[13] : §33  [46]} Inquiries from foreign authorities can be addressed to ZFZR which will then direct them to the correct district. ^{[13] : §37  [47]}

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. ^[48]

Example of a defaced plate – notice how the bottom seal is completely gone, due to scraping. (from Kronach).

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, special machines 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. ^[49] 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 ^[50] 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. ^[51] 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 ^[52] yet very much depending on engine and emissions) and mandatory liability insurance (€260 on average, in 2019; ^[53] 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  [o]}

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

Plate of the German Chancellor

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.

Military

Bundeswehr (armed forces)

• 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.

Bundesfinanzverwaltung (customs)

Vehicle of Baden-Württemberg state government

Federal and state governments

Both the federal government and federal state governments use special abbreviations instead of a city code. The code BD(Bundesrepublik Deutschland) applies to the federal government, ministries, parliament, presidential office, etc., whereas the state governments and diets 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 4]}

Bundespost vehicle, 1960s/70s, with old-style BP plate

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) and the Deutsche Bundespost (German Federal Mail) were 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

Public sector

Official registered vehicle (here: fire brigade)

Official registered vehicle for disaster relief

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.

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, 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 characters are identical 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. ^[54]

• 
  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

List

Diplomatic Codes on German Licence Plates [55]
Code	Flag with State	State in German	Notes
10	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	formerly  Dahomey
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
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	UNEP Convention 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
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

Different colours

Very rarely, German licence plates bear characters in different colours than black. These exceptions are:

Green on white

Plate for tax-exempt vehicles

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

Plate for dealer's cars (red colour, old DIN-style)

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

Plate for vintage car collector

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

Plate for a specific vintage car

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. ^[p]

E for electric

Plate for Plug-in electric vehicle

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  [56] [57]} 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. ^{[58] [59]}

Seasonal

Seasonal number plate, here valid from 1 April to 31 October of each year

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

Interchangeable licence plate (Wechselkennzeichen)

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. ^[60]

Temporary registration

Temporary plate (Kurzzeit-Kennzeichen); this one was valid until 9 March 2004.

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

Licence plate from Thuringia (1930s)

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. ^{[61] [62]}

German Empire (1871–1918)

Weimar Republic (1918–1933)

List of codes on German licence plates (1906–1945)

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	1906–1922 then 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	1906–1922 then 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 Bautzen Kreishauptmannschaft Dresden-Bautzen		1906–1932 1932–1945
II	Kreishauptmannschaft Dresden Kreishauptmannschaft Dresden-Bautzen		1906–1932 1932–1945
III	Kreishauptmannschaft Leipzig
IV	Kreishauptmannschaft Chemnitz
V	Kreishauptmannschaft Zwickau and 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	1918–1920 then merged into Thuringia
	Free State of Coburg	Freistaat Coburg	1918–1920 then united with Bavaria
HB	Hansestadt Bremen
HH	Hansestadt Hamburg
HL	Hansestadt Lübeck		1906–1937
L	Hansestadt Lübeck		1903–1906
L	Lippe		1906–1945
M	Mecklenburg		1934–1945
M I	Mecklenburg-Schwerin		1906–1934 then merged into Mecklenburg
M II	Mecklenburg-Strelitz		1906–1934 then 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	1906–1937 then merged into Schleswig-Holstein
O III	Oldenburg, Birkenfeld exclave	Landesteil Birkenfeld	1906–1937 then merged into Rhine Province
RA	Reuss Elder Line	Reuß älterer Linie	1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia
RJ	Reuss Younger Line	Reuß jüngerer Linie	1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia
S	Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach	Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach	1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia
SA	Saxe-Altenburg	Sachsen-Altenburg	1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia
SAAR	Saar Basin	Saargebiet	1920–1935
Saar	Saarland		1935–1945
SL	Schaumburg-Lippe
SM	Saxe-Meiningen	Sachsen-Meiningen	1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia
SR	Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt		1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia
SS	Schwarzburg-Sondershausen		1906–1920 then merged into Thuringia
T	Thuringia	Thüringen	1920–1922
Th	Thuringia		1922–1945
W	Waldeck		1906–1929 then 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

Army vehicle

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

Occupation zones of Germany, 8 Jun 1947 - 22 Apr 1949

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. ^[63] 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 ^A
_B 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. Often the numbers would become scarce after some years and another zone prefix without the first letter was 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). ^[64] 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, ^[q] Soviet occupation zone

Vehicles of occupation/NATO forces

Occupation 1947 licence plate

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^{[ citation needed ]}, 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

Main article: Vehicle registration plates of the United States Army in Germany

“HK” number plate

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, ^[r] 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

Main article: Vehicle registration plates of the German Democratic Republic

The German Democratic Republic issued their own style of licence plates beginning in 1953. The first letter would indicate the Bezirk (administrative district ^[s] ) 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.

Districts (Bezirke) of the GDR

3 Trabants with East Berlin licence plates. The red car bears a plate in the "Western" typeface.

Prefix	Bezirk
A	Rostock
B	Schwerin
C	Neubrandenburg
D	Potsdam
P
E	Frankfurt (Oder)
H	Magdeburg
M
I	Berlin Hauptstadt 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)
V P	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. ^[65] 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.

Number plate in the 1956 style, from Hannover

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, Hansestadt Lübeck 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. ^[66] In order to reduce their number and so simplify governance, different steps could be taken:

• city districts "swallowed" neighboring municipalities and thus grew. ^{[example 5]}
• city districts lost their sovereignty and were integrated into the surrounding or neighbouring rural district. ^{[example 6]}
• rural districts merged with one or several others, or were split up between neighbouring districts. ^{[example 7]}
• 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 8]}
• one former district gave its name and/or capital while another's area code was used for the new district. ^{[example 9]}
• the new unit was given a new name yet continued to use an existing area code. ^{[example 10]}
• the new unit was given a new name and created a new area code. ^{[example 11]}

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 12]} or historical features. ^{[example 13]} As well it was possible to combine the names of the districts that had merged, either keeping one of their codes ^{[example 14]} or creating a new one. ^{[example 15]}

Germany reunited

Trabant registered in Stendal; pre-1994 typeface

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 16]} or because the projected code had meanwhile been issued to a West German district. ^{[example 17]}

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. ^[u]

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 18]} 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 19]}

Überlingen licence plate, reintroduced in Bodenseekreis in 2020

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. ^{[11] [67]} 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). ^[v]

The police, however, warned against this step, 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.

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. ^[11]

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. ^[68] The reactions by the political bodies responsible for an implementation of this idea were restained but varied. ^{[69] [70]}

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. ^[71] 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. ^[w]

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. ^[72]

Insurance plates

Insurance plates; the colour of the letters is changed every year.

Car with maximum speed reduced to 25 km/h (16 mph), hence using an insurance plate

E-Scooter

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 ^[y] than the plates for normal cars and are only valid for one year from 1 March until the end of February the following year. ^[73] 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 are changed every year 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

1. Front plate, post-2010 hence without sticker; coloured registration seal of Steinburg district
2. Front plate with emission test sticker (valid July 1994) and silver registration seal “Stadt Karlsruhe”
3. Used on a motorcycle, from Osterode am Harz
4. from Hansestadt Lübeck, final letter H for historic
5. Literally, “Road-Traffic-Admission-Ordinance”, cf. German compounds
6. As necessary e.g. on certain cars, such as the rear of a Volkswagen Beetle
7. Up to 9 in Mecklenburgische Seenplatte (district): MSE, AT, DM, MC, MST, MÜR, NZ, RM, WRN
8. 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.
9. Note that the numbers run in the opposite direction as now, and the black mark 11–12–1 has not yet been invented.
10. The point behind figures 6 and 9 was meant to avoid confusion (6. vs 9.).
11. Recently (2020), it has been observed that instead of a hyphen, a colon is written to imitate the pair of stickers, such as A:BC 123.
12. TOD would have seemed indecent too, as it means death.
13. AH would rather be regarded as an abbreviation for Altenheim (old people's home) or Autohaus (car dealership); cf. German Wikipedia.
14. It was certainly not common to refer to the Nazi "Führer" by his initials, neither before nor after 1945.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. Saxony was abbreviated L for Leipzig, to avoid infamous SS.
18. HK has meanwhile been assigned to Heidekreis.
19. Any GDR Bezirk consisted of several Kreise and was much larger than the unit described as district elsewhere on this page.
20. With emission test sticker valid February 2011
21. HG = Hochtaunuskreis, capital: Bad Homburg vor der Höhe
    HR = Schwalm-Eder-Kreis, capital: Homberg
    HS = Kreis Heinsberg
    HW = Kreis Halle (Westfalen).
22. It may be possible that they hoped to have a better chance at getting a personalized licence plate if the aspired combination was available not once but several times within their district.
23. They did so, however, at some time in the past, and may have to buy a new plate when buying a new car.
24. Additionally, the white sticker reading "25" signals low speed to following drivers.
25. 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

1. ESB, formerly standing for Eschenbach district, is now issued by the districts of Neustadt a.d. Waldnaab, Amberg-Sulzbach, Bayreuth and Nürnberger Land.
2. Drivers from Offenbach are slandered to be ohne Verstand (without sense) and even misspell it OF.
3. 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.
4. 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).
5. The city of Bielefeld incorporated the largest part of the eponymous rural district, almost doubling their population.
6. The district-free towns of Marktredwitz and Selb were merged into the district of Wunsiedel.
7. The district of Springe split up into the districts of Hameln-Pyrmont, Hanover, Hildesheim and Schaumburg.
8. 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).
9. 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.
10. The districts of Eschwege and Witzenhausen merged into Werra-Meißner-Kreis, using Eschwege's ESW and dropping WIZ.
11. The districts of Eiderstedt (TÖN for Tönning), Husum (HUS) and Südtondern (NIB for Niebüll) merged into Nordfriesland (NF).
12. 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).
13. Öhringen (ÖHR) and Künzelsau (KÜN) merged into Hohenlohekreis (KÜN).
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. DZ had once been reserved for Danzig but was now issued to Delitzsch.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. EIN = Einbeck, which was merged into Northeim in 1974.

References

1. "BMDV - Überblick über die Kraftfahrzeugkennzeichen". bmdv.bund.de. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
2. "Strassenverkehrsamt.de | STVA". www.strassenverkehrsamt.de. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
3. "Alle Autokennzeichen in Deutschland". bussgeldkatalog.org (in German). 18 November 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
4. "Auto Quiz: Kfz Kennzeichen raten" [Guess Car Plates]. Geo-Quiz (in German). Retrieved 30 December 2020.
5. "Verordnung über die Zulassung von Fahrzeugen zum Straßenverkehr" (in German). Bundesamt für Justiz. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
6. "Kennzeichengrößen" [Sizes of Licence Plates]. Kennzeichenbox.de (in German). 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
7. "Kfz-Kennzeichen: Neue Nummernschilder aus Plastik". www.t-online.de (in German). 12 November 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
8. "3D Kennzeichen – Das Original bei Kennzeichenheld.de". Kennzeichenheld (in German). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
9. "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.
10. "Kann das FCN-Logo Urkundenfälschung sein?" [Can the FCN logo be a forgery of documents?]. infranken.de (in German). 5 July 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
11. Bochert, Ralf Prof Dr (October 2020). "Initiative Kennzeichenliberalisierung" [Initiative on the Liberalization of Licence Plates] (in German). Hochschule Heilbronn . Retrieved 18 December 2020.
12. "Kfz-Kennzeichen Deutschland". KFZ-MAG.de. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
13. "Straßenverkehrsgesetz" (in German). Bundesamt für Justiz. 12 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
14. Kremp, Axel (10 February 2020). "Zwei Kennzeichen, ein geeinter Kreis". Badische Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
15. "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.
16. "Fahrzeugkennzeichen BÜS". Municipality of Büsingen (in German). Retrieved 24 December 2020.
17. "Deutsche Autokennzeichen". Kfz.new. 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
18. "Anlage 3 - Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV)". Buzer.de. 3 February 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
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64. "special case Greater Berlin". kennzeichenwelt.de (in German). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
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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
• German City Codes, Complete City Code List Archived 9 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine
• German plates information updated. Types and codes