España
Spain replaced provincial prefixes with a national sequence in 2000. Four digits are followed by three consonants, so a modern registration no longer identifies where the vehicle came from.
The number runs from 0000 through 9999 before the three-letter block advances.
The letter sequence starts at BBB and progresses nationally, with no province allocation.
Only B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y and Z are used.
Removing vowels prevents ordinary words; Ñ and Q are also excluded for clarity.
The registration remains with the vehicle until it is permanently withdrawn.
Colour and suffixes can completely change a plate's meaning.
Black characters on white, with an EU band at left.
A two-line rear plate carries the same national grammar and EU field.
Mopeds use a small vertical yellow plate with a C prefix and no EU band.
A dedicated H prefix identifies vehicles registered in the historic category.
Green P plates provide private temporary registration, normally for up to 60 days.
Red S and V plates cover new and used vehicles in eligible motor-trade use.
CD is white on red; CC, TA and OI use green, yellow and blue backgrounds.
Since 2018, taxis and ride-hail vehicles carry white characters on a blue rear plate.
6 reconstructed milestones show how colour, geography and numbering changed before the present system.
Provinces began issuing registrations before a single national visual specification existed.
One-to-three-letter province identifiers and unpadded serials became the national grammar.
Long keys such as ALB and CAC were reduced; Madrid eventually neared the six-digit ceiling.
Four digits and one or two serial letters follow the province.
Heavier characters and constitutional shield marks update the same geographic format.
Four digits and three consonants replace province codes and add the integrated E field.
Spain establishes its first vehicle registrations; Palma issues an early plate that year.
One- to three-letter province codes and numeric serials become uniform.
ALB, CAC, CAS, SEG and TER become two-letter identifiers.
Province + four digits + serial letters greatly expands capacity.
Thicker type and shield watermarks become standard.
A tax-benefit temporary import series begins, later ending after very limited use.
On 18 September, 0000 BBB removes the province and adds the EU band.
Metacrylate joins aluminium as an approved plate material.
Taxi and VTC rear plates switch to white characters on blue.
The little-used T registration is formally treated as ended.
The ordinary national sequence enters its N-led three-letter range.
Special status, vehicle class or use can change the colour, prefix, suffix or even the entire registration logic.
A leading H identifies vehicles registered in the historic category.
Green plates with white characters can cover temporary private registration.
Red S and V series identify new and used motor-trade vehicles.
Red CD, green CC, yellow TA and blue OI distinguish diplomatic statuses.
Heavy trailers use black characters on a red plate.
Agricultural and special vehicles use red characters on white.
White CC characters on green distinguish consular vehicles.
Black TA characters on yellow identify accredited technical and administrative staff.
White characters on blue serve qualifying international organisations.
A vertical yellow plate carries C, four digits and three letters without an EU field.
Only the rear changes to white-on-blue; the vehicle also retains its ordinary identity.
Police, armed forces, Guardia Civil and state fleets use dedicated named prefixes.
The present system is vehicle-bound and deliberately gives no provincial information.
All ten thousand numbers are used within each three-letter block.
The three-letter group advances after number 9999.
B C D F G H J K L M N P R S T V W X Y Z create 80 million combinations.
Words are avoided and ambiguous characters removed.
The registration remains with the vehicle until withdrawal and is not recycled.
Geography disappeared from new registrations in September 2000.
Spain uses one of Europe’s broadest current colour vocabularies for non-standard registrations.
An E band identifies the ordinary national system; H leads separately registered historic vehicles.
A temporary private authorisation is normally limited to 60 days.
S is for new and V for used vehicles in eligible company use.
Trailers over 750 kg carry their own R plate as well as the towing vehicle’s identity.
The small vertical format has no European band.
Agricultural and other special vehicles use the dedicated E family.
Diplomatic colours distinguish accreditation, while public fleets often state the organisation directly.
Three digits identify the country and three more the vehicle.
A parallel status series for consular vehicles.
Accredited technical-administrative personnel use black on yellow.
Organismos Internacionales use white on blue.
National Police and Guardia Civil operate named-prefix fleets.
Army, Air Force and naval fleets retain dedicated registrations.
The ordinary serial grammar may be rearranged for a mounting recess, while mopeds and special classes use their own proportions.
Standard cars carry the same white EU-band plate at front and rear.
A legal two-line alternative for suitable rear mounting spaces.
A rear-only two-line plate with the integrated E field.
The narrow vertical yellow C plate carries no EU field.
It is displayed with the towing vehicle’s ordinary registration.
The front remains the vehicle’s ordinary white plate.
The national system has no geographic identifier, but legally retained pre-2000 plates still display these province codes.
The current system removed province codes.
Letters are used without vowels to avoid forming many words.
Older provincial plates remain valid on vehicles that still carry them.