Vehicle registration plates of Iraq

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The Iraqi vehicle registration plate is a license plate used for official identification purposes for motor vehicles in Iraq.

Contents

Design and format

The license plates are in Standard European size (520mm x 110 mm). With a bar on the left hand side, where the code IRQ, representing Iraq is shown in a vertical manner. In the 4 governorates of Kurdistan, the bar on the left hand side features a smaller sized code KR, representing Kurdistan Region.

Current license plate design is the result of negotiations between Federal Government and Kurdistan Regional Government to unify the design of license plates across the country. [1] The license plates are in Latin alphabet and western Arabic numerals, instead of the old plates in Arabic and Eastern Arabic numerals, and Governorates of Iraq are be represented by a code, instead of their fully name written out.

The current format has been issued since April 2022 in the four governorates of Kurdistan Region. The rest of Iraq followed suit starting from June 2024. [2] [3]

License plates follow the following format: GG X ####, where GG is a two digit code indicating the Governorate. This format is the first time that Halabja Governorate gets its own representation.

Plates of size 335x155 mm are issued on shall issue basis for vehicles with license plate size restrictions.

Below are the codes for governorates of Iraq. [4]

CodeGovernorate
11 Baghdad Governorate
12 Nineveh Governorate
13 Maysan Governorate
14 Basra Governorate
15 Al Anbar Governorate
16 Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate
17 Muthanna Governorate
18 Babil Governorate
19 Karbala Governorate
20 Baghdad Governorate
21 Sulaymaniyah Governorate
22 Erbil Governorate
23 Halabja Governorate
24 Duhok Governorate
25 Kirkuk Governorate
26 Saladin Governorate
27 Dhi Qar Governorate
28 Najaf Governorate
29 Wasit Governorate

Codes 21 to 24 are for governorates under the jurisdiction of Kurdistan Region. In these governorates a smaller sized code KR, representing Kurdistan Region is placed on the license plates as well.

ColourImage (Rest of Iraq)Image (Kurdistan)Type
White Iraq - License Plate - Private.png
Iraq - License Plate - Small - Private.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Private.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Small - Private.png
Private vehicle
Red Iraq - License Plate - Bus and Taxi.png
Iraq - License Plate - Small - Bus and Taxi.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Bus and Taxi.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Small - Bus and Taxi.png
Vehicle for hire, bus, taxi
Blue Iraq - License Plate - Governmental.png
Iraq - License Plate - Small - Governmental.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Governmental.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Small - Governmental.png
Governmental
Yellow Iraq - License Plate - Truck.png
Iraq - License Plate - Small - Truck.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Truck.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Small - Truck.png
Trade, e.g. trucks, tractors, cranes
Green Iraq - License Plate - Agricultural.png
Iraq - License Plate - Small - Agricultural.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Agricultural.png
Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Small - Agricultural.png
Red on white Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Temporary - Erbil - Sulimaniyah.png Temporary

There are plans to replace all existing license plates with the current format.

For Kurdistan Region, as the letter-digit configuration has undergone a change, certain rules apply for the transition into new plates.

For rest of Iraq, such issue does not exist, and the only change in the registration number of the plate would be the replacement of the governorate name with the corresponding code. The previous format already had Latin letter and numbers in small font, these are to be preserved through the transition.

Historical Formats

1988-2001

In 1988, Iraq adopted a new license plate format. This new format applied to all governorates of Iraq.

Up until 2001, the all Iraqi license plates were of this format, including those issued to Iraqi-occupied Kuwait for a duration of 6 months in 1990 and 1991. Whereas the de facto autonomous Kurdistan Region did not follow suit, rest of Iraq adopted a new license plate format in 2001.

The license plate was divided in half with a horizontal line. On the bottom right quarter, the name of the country "Al-Iraq" in Arabic is written. On the bottom left quarter, the name of the province in Arabic. On the top of the license plate, there's the registration number.

2001-2008

In 2001, the shape and dimensions of the license plates changed, while the general format remained the same. The length of the plate was increased, while its width was reduced. The font of the plate was also changed. The name of the country "Al-Iraq", and the name of the province were moved to the left hand side of the license plate, with the country name above the province name. The coloring and classifications of the new license plates remained unchanged.

2008-2024

This license plate format was adopted on 2008. The license plate was rectangular in shape and made of aluminum, with a dimension of 335x155 mm. On the left side, the word "Iraq" appeared in English, written vertically. There was a horizontal line that divided the license plate into two sections. In the narrower bottom section, the name of the Province was written, plus the classification of the license plate in Arabic. In the top, the registration code was written, large font in Arabic, and underneath it, smaller font in Latin. The license plate consisted of a letter, and a 5-digit number. [5]

ColourImageTypeType in Arabic
White Iraq - License Plate - 2008-2024 Private.png Private vehicleخصوصي
Iraq - License Plate - Bike - Basrah.png Motorcycleدراجة
Iraq - License Plate - Temporary.png Temporaryفحص مؤقت
Red Iraq - License Plate - 2008-2024 Bus and Taxi.png Vehicle for hire, bus, taxi اجرة
Blue Iraq - License Plate - 2008-2024 Governmental.png Governmental
No Province name
حكومية
Yellow Iraq - License Plate - 2008-2024 Truck.png Trade, e.g. trucks, tractors, cranes حمل
Orange Iraq - License Plate - Temporary Customs.png Temporary awaiting Customs Clearance
No Province Name
ادخال كمرکي مؤقت
Green Iraq - License Plate - 2008-2024 Agricultural.png Agriculturalزراعي
Iraq - License Plate - Construction.png Constructionإنشائية
Black Iraq - License Plate - ICTS.png ICTS جهاز مكافحة الارهاب
Letters used for Vehicle Registration
Letter
(Arabic)
Letter
(Latin)
اA
بB
جJ
دD
رR
سS
طT
فF
كK
مM
نN
هـH
ىE
قQ
لL
وW
زZ

Kurdistan Region

1988-2022

The format that was introduced in 1988, continued to be used in the Kurdistan Region . Since 1992, the Kurdistan Region has had de facto, and from the year 2005, also constitutionally-recognized autonomy, the license format changes that affected the rest of Iraq, were not enforced in the Kurdistan Region. This region still continued to use the old format from 1988 until 2022.

The license plate is divided in half with a horizontal line. On the bottom right quarter, the name of the country "Al-Iraq" in Arabic is written. On the bottom left quarter, the name of the province in Arabic. On the top of the license plate, there's the registration number. Currently, the provinces of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk use 6-digit numbers. No information exists as of yet on the province of Halabja

The different classes of the license plates are differentiated by the colour of their background. Besides that, there are no texts or different number or letter on each different class of each plate to differentiate them.

ColourImageType
Black on White Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Erbil.png Private vehicle
Black on White Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - International -2021-2022 - Erbil.png Private vehicle, International plate
White on Red Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - 1988-2022 Bus and Taxi.png Vehicle for hire, bus, taxi
Black on Yellow Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - 1988-2022 Truck.png Trade, e.g. trucks, tractors, cranes
White on Blue Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - 1988-2022 Police.png Law Enforcement
Golden on Dark GreenMilitary
Red on White Iraq - Kurdistan - License Plate - Temporary.png Temporary

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References

  1. Hassan, Soran. “تغيير لوحات أرقام سيارات إقليم كوردستان لتوحيدها مع المحافظات العراقية / Changing the Number Plates of the Cars of Kurdistan Region to Unify It with the Iraqi Provinces.” Rudawarabia.net, April 25, 2022. Link.
  2. Farman, H. (2024, June 4). Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf Traffic Department begins printing new traffic plates (مرور النجف الأشرف تباشر بطباعة اللوحات المرورية الجديدة). Iraqi News Agency (وكالة الأنباء العراقية).
  3. Alsumaria News. (2024, June 2). Symbols instead of names of governorates.. The new license plates are called “distinctive” (رموز بدل أسماء المحافظات.. اللوحات المرورية الجديدة تهوي بالمميز). Alsumaria News (قناه السومرية العراقية). Link
  4. https://ninanews.com/Website/News/Details?key=977300 الرموز الجديدة لأرقام السيارات في العراق New codes for license plates in Iraq, Ninanews.com, May 20, 2022
  5. "Iraq plates information". Matriculasdelmundo.com (in Spanish).