European vehicle registration plate

All EU countries issue registration plates in the common EU format. (D denotes Deutschland (Germany))

Some countries issue registration plates with a national flag or symbol. (N denotes Norway)

Some countries issue registration plates with no flag or symbol, for future EU (TR denotes Turkey)

Some countries issue registration plates with a different background colour. (UK denotes United Kingdom)

All of these registration plates satisfy the requirements for vehicles in cross-border traffic set in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic as they display the international vehicle registration code for the country of registration incorporated into the vehicle registration plate.

A vehicle registration plate is a metal or plastic plate or plates attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing authority's database. This article concerns these plates in territories across Europe.

Most countries in the region have adopted a format for registration plates that satisfies the requirements in the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which states that cross-border vehicles must display a distinguishing code for the country of registration on the rear of the vehicle. This sign may be an oval sticker placed separately from the registration plate, or may be incorporated into the plate. When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate, it must also appear on the front plate of the vehicle, and may be supplemented with the flag or emblem of the national state, or the emblem of the regional economic integration organisation to which the country belongs. An example of such format is the common EU format, with the European flag above the country code issued in EU member states.