American Samoa first required residents to register motor vehicles and display license plates in 1924. The plates are North American standard12 by 6 inches (30cm ×15cm), with the current series introduced in 2011. They use a four-digit serial format (1234) and are made of aluminum. The plates display the slogan "Motu O Fiafiaga," meaning "Island of Paradise" in Samoan.
Guam first required residents to register motor vehicles and display license plates in 1916. The plates are North American standard12 by 6 inches (30cm ×15cm), with the current series introduced on February 27, 2009.[5] They use a two-letter, four-digit alphanumeric serial format (AB 1234) coded by municipality and are made of aluminum. The plates display the slogan "Tano Y Chamorro," meaning "The Land and the People" in Chamorro.[6]
On the 1994 base, passenger plate serial letters indicated the village of issuance. These three-letter codes were displayed in a smaller font than the numerical portion of the serial. Commercial truck plates were also coded by location, but used a different system based on specific geographical areas or features rather than political jurisdictions. Bus, dealer, taxi, and trailer plates were coded only by type, not location.
Since 1996, all passenger plates have featured a round mounting hole at the top right and horizontal slots in the other three corners, consistent with plates from Hawaii and the Northern Mariana Islands. On the 2009 base, passenger plate letters again indicate the village of issuance. These two-letter codes are displayed in the same font size as the numerical portion of the serial.
The Northern Mariana Islands first required residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1968, with the current series introduced in 2005. The islands, formerly under Japanese administration, became part of the United States in 1947 as the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.[7] The plates use a three-letter, three-number alphanumeric serial format (ABC 123), coded by administrative division, and are made of aluminum. They feature the slogan "HAFA ADAI," meaning "Hello" in Chamorro.[8]
A Puerto Rico National Guard soldier assists in a traffic stop in San Juan as part of Operation Shared Response. The vehicle displays a government-issued license plate, typically used on police and other official vehicles.
Puerto Rico first required residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates in 1906.[10] Only rear plates have been required since 1976. The plates are North American standard12 by 6 inches (30cm ×15cm), with the current series introduced in March 2023. They use a three-letter, three-number alphanumeric serial format (ABC 123), coded by municipality, and are made of aluminum. The plates display the slogan "Isla del Encanto," meaning "Island of Enchantment" in Puerto Rican Spanish.
In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, in coordination with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association, and the National Safety Council, standardized the size of license plates (except motorcycles) at 6 inches (15cm) in height by 12 inches (30cm) in width, with uniform mounting holes.[4] The 1955 (dated 1956) issue was the first Puerto Rico plate to comply with these standards. In 2012, the Puerto Rican government began issuing optional European-style plates featuring the same design language as the standard plates but in a longer, narrower format common in Europe.[11][12]
The United States Virgin Islands first required residents to register their motor vehicles and display license plates in 1917. The plates are North American standard12 by 6 inches (30cm ×15cm), with the current series introduced on March 1, 2023.[13] They use a three-letter, three-number alphanumeric serial format (ABC 123), coded by island of issuance, and are made of aluminum. The plates display the slogan "175th Emancipation," referring to the 175th anniversary of the emancipation of enslaved people in the Danish West Indies.[14]
In 1956, the United States, Canada, and Mexico, in coordination with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association, and the National Safety Council, standardized the size of license plates (except motorcycles) at 6 inches (15cm) in height by 12 inches (30cm) in width, with uniform mounting holes.[4] The U.S. Virgin Islands adopted these standards in 1956, having previously issued plates of the same dimensions but with non-standard mounting holes since 1952.[15]
Wake Island is an unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Department of the Interior and managed by the U.S. Air Force.[17] The island has no permanent population. The territorial government began issuing license plates for private or passenger vehicles in the 1950s. Additional series were released in 1963, 1965, 1968, and throughout the 1970s. Plates for non-passenger and military vehicles were also issued in the 1950s and 1960s, with motorcycle series released in 1963, 1965, 1968, and the 1970s. All license plate issuance ceased in the 1970s.[18]
1979 passenger car license plate from the Canal Zone, the final series issued.
The former U.S. territory of the Panama Canal Zone first issued license plates in 1910, continuing until September 1979.[19] The final plate, issued on December 31, 1978, by the Canal Zone Government, was North American standard12 by 6 inches (30cm ×15cm), used a five-digit serial format (12345), and was made of aluminum. The plates displayed the slogan "Funnel For World Commerce." A single plate was issued for all years, with the 1979 plate consisting of the 1978 plate with a 1979 decal affixed.
Panama also issued license plates identifying U.S. citizens who lived in Panama but worked in the Canal Zone, with the country name "Panama" clearly visible.[20] Reciprocity for license plates between the Canal Zone and Panama did not exist until 1950, so some historical photos show vehicles with both plates mounted.[21]
During the U.S. administration of the Philippines, Act No. 2159 was enacted in 1912 under the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands to regulate and license motor vehicle operators. This law created the Automobile Section within the Administrative Division of the Bureau of Public Works. In 1926, Act No. 3045 consolidated all existing motor vehicle laws and upgraded the Automobile Section to the Automobile Division, still under the Bureau of Public Works. Act No. 3992, known as the Revised Motor Vehicle Law, was enacted in 1933, amending Act No. 3045 and renaming the Automobile Division as the Division of Motor Vehicles.[26]
Following Japan's surrender, the United States regained control of the Philippines[28] and granted the country independence on 4 July 1946.[29] In 1945, before independence, the Department of Public Works and Highways issued Department Order No. 4, reorganizing the Division of Motor Vehicles after the country's liberation. Executive Order No. 94, promulgated in 1947, reorganized executive departments, bureaus, and offices, upgrading the Division of Motor Vehicles to the Motor Vehicles Office (MVO) under the Bureau category.
The MVO was abolished in 1964 by Republic Act No. 4136, also known as the Land Transportation and Traffic Code, which consolidated laws related to transportation and traffic, established a land transportation commission, and defined its duties.[30] The Land Transportation Commission was responsible for vehicle registration, operator licensing, and driver licensing. Regional offices were established to implement these duties,[31] and the powers and functions previously held by the Chief of the Motor Vehicles were transferred to the Land Transportation Commissioner.[30]
During the Marcos administration, Executive Order No. 546, issued in 1979, established the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC). The Land Transportation Commission was renamed the Bureau of Land Transportation and incorporated into the ministry. In 1985, Executive Order No. 1011 abolished the Board of Transportation and the Bureau of Land Transportation, reestablishing the Land Transportation Commission. The commission was tasked with registering motor vehicles, licensing drivers and conductors, franchising public utility vehicles, and enforcing land transportation regulations.
Map of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) nations: Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands shown in red; the United States shown in blue.
The Federated States of Micronesia requires residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates.[34] The plates are North American standard12 by 6 inches (30cm ×15cm), with the current series introduced in 2000. They use a four-digit serial format (1234) and display the slogan "ISLAND OF STONE MONEY," referring to the island of Yap, where the traditional currency[35] known as Rai originated.[36]
The plate designs vary by state, with Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap each issuing their own plates.[37] Although the history of license plates in these islands is not well documented, Chuuk, then known as Truk, had plates as early as 1964.[citation needed]
The Marshall Islands first required residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates in 1972.[38] The plates are North American standard12 by 6 inches (30cm ×15cm).[39] They use a four-digit serial format (1234) and are made of either silver or wood. The plates display the slogan "MAJURO ATOLL," referring to Majuro Atoll, the capital of the Marshall Islands.
Palau requires residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates. The plates are North American standard12 by 6 inches (30cm ×15cm).[40] Most states issue metal plates, some of which are stamped, while others are hand-painted, stenciled, or printed on laminated paper affixed to a wooden base. Some states issue new plates periodically, while others use revalidation stickers.
The designs vary by state, with each issuing its own plates, despite populations ranging from fewer than 100 residents to about 14,000. In the 1980s, political violence related to the nuclear issue prompted the introduction of a national plate in the 1990s, but plate issuance has since reverted to state-level production.[41]
References
1 2 Fox, Jams K. (1997). License Plates of the United States: A Pictorial History 1903-To the Present. Jerico, New York: Interstate Directory Publishing Company. p.75. ISBN9781886777002.
↑ Fox, Jams K. (1997). License Plates of the United States: A Pictorial History 1903-To the Present. Jerico, New York: Interstate Directory Publishing Company. ISBN9781886777002.
↑ "Historic American Buildings Survey: Wake Island Airfield, Terminal Building (Building 1502)", National Park Service, HABS No. UM-2-A, December 2007, Washington, DC, p. 11
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