European License Plate Generator
Preview / mockup only — not a real or registrable plate. The shared European piece is the blue band. The serial itself still belongs to one member state.
ONLY
Varies by member state; the common element is the blue band with 12 stars and the country code. Input limit: 8 characters for this German-format EU preview.
Documented styles: White or yellow base; blue band on the left with EU stars above the country code
Colour choices are preview concepts; registration rules and availability remain with the issuing authority. Preview / mockup only — not a real or registrable plate.
Plate formats by region
12 formats. Examples are previews only.
| Region | Pattern and example | Characters | Styles | Authority and sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Region kanji + class code + hiragana + 4 digits (e.g. 足立 500 き 21-41)足立 500 き 21-41 | Kanji office name, hiragana, digits 0-9. Limit: 4 digits plus prefix. | White/green (private car), green/white (commercial), yellow/black (kei private), black/yellow (kei commercial), 字光式 illuminated | MLIT Land Transportation Offices 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Saudi Arabia | 3 Arabic letters + up to 4 Arabic-Indic digits, with Latin/numeral transliterationا ب د 1234 | 17 Arabic letters only; digits 0-9. Limit: 3 letters + 4 digits. | White base; coloured strip (coat of arms, KSA, seal) on the right at 335x155 mm or centred at 550x110 mm | Government Printing Press, Riyadh (issued via MOI / Absher) 1 source. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| United Kingdom | 2 letters (memory tag) + 2 digits (age identifier) + 3 random letters, e.g. AB12 CDEAB12 CDE | A-Z excluding I and Q in the random block; area codes exclude I, Q, Z. Limit: 7. | White front, yellow rear, black characters; optional blue band (pre-2021 GB/EU) or UK identifier with flag | DVLA 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Germany | 1-3 letter area code + 1-2 letters + 1-4 digits, e.g. B-AB 1234B AB 1234 | A-Z including umlauts Ä, Ö, Ü in area codes; digits 0-9. Limit: 8 total including the area code. | White with black FE-Schrift; blue EU band with D; red expiry bar on export (Ausfuhrkennzeichen) plates | German district registration authorities; register held by KBA (ZFZR) 3 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Europe (EU common format) | Varies by member state; the common element is the blue band with 12 stars and the country codeD · B AB 1234 | Varies by member state. Limit: Varies by member state. | White or yellow base; blue band on the left with EU stars above the country code | National registration authorities under Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Czech Republic | Digit + region letter + digit + 4 digits (1x0 0001 series), later 1xa 0000 two-letter series1A0 1234 | A-Z excluding G, CH, O, Q, W on personalised plates; digits 0-9. Limit: 7 (standard), 8 (personalised XXX-XXXXX). | White with black characters; blue EU band with CZ since 2004; motorcycle plates two-line | Ministry of Transport / regional registration offices 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| California | 1ABC123 (1980-2026), 123ABC1 (from March 2026)123ABC1 | A-Z and 0-9; I, O, Q only allowed as the second letter. Limit: 7. | White with red script 'California' (current), 1960s Legacy black with yellow lettering, blue/yellow legacy variants | California Department of Motor Vehicles 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Michigan | ABC1234 (three letters, four digits); Mackinac Bridge plates use ABC123ABC1234 | A-Z and 0-9. Limit: 7 standard; personalised up to 6 or 7 depending on plate type. | Pure Michigan base; special-cause and university plates use the same base with an emblem | Michigan Secretary of State 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| New Jersey | A12-BCD (letter, two digits, three letters)A12 BCD | A-Z and 0-9. Limit: 7. | White with blue/yellow gradient band; front and rear plates required for most classes | New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Ontario | ABCD-123 (four letters, three digits)ABCD 123 | A-Z and 0-9. Limit: 7 standard; personalised 2-8 characters. | White with blue lettering; over 60 graphic options (loon, trillium, sports teams) | ServiceOntario 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Montana | County code + 6 characters: 1-12345A or 10-1234A1-12345A | A-Z and 0-9. Limit: 6 after the county code. | White with blue lettering; optional plates use ABC123 since 2003 | Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
| Russia | Letter + 3 digits + 2 letters + 2-3 digit region code, e.g. А777АА 77А777АА 77 | 12 Cyrillic letters that resemble Latin: А, В, Е, К, М, Н, О, Р, С, Т, У, Х. Limit: 6 characters plus region code. | White with black characters and the RUS flag/code on the right; trailers use 2 letters + 4 digits | GIBDD / traffic police registration units 2 sources. Checked 2026-11-09. |
Preview / mockup only — not a real or registrable plate. The full format list remains readable without JavaScript.
One band, many serials
Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 is the legal hook for the blue band with a circle of stars and a distinguishing country code. EUR-Lex answered with a challenge page when I fetched it, so I am not pretending I read the article text line by line. The Wikipedia article on EU plates cites that regulation and lists the codes readers actually need: D, F, I, NL, CZ, and the rest. I treat Wikipedia as the page I did read, and the regulation as the document it points at.
A random “European plate” that ignores the member state is a sticker, not a number. The EU comparison preset uses Germany’s D band and district-based serial, rather than mixing a country code with a different country’s number. It does not claim that France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Czechia share a character budget. Germany’s own essay covers the district code and FE-Schrift. The Czech essay covers the kraj letter. This page is the band they have in common, plus the warning that the serial rules diverge the moment you leave the blue strip.
The usual reference size is 520×110 mm. Some states still issue a yellow plate. Some add a regional code after the country code. The table’s Europe row says the charset “varies by member state” on purpose. I would rather show that sentence than invent a pan-European alphabet. If you need a picture for one country, switch the menu or open that country’s essay. Japan and the UK are the useful contrasts: Japan has no blue band, and the UK’s band is now a national identifier rather than an EU one.
Personalised rules are national too. A Czech personalised plate has a separate per-plate fee. A German reservation is a local-office fee. I do not average those into one European price.
Related plate previews
Compare German district codes, Czech regional letters. Open all formats, random mockups or the custom plate maker.
RUS
Questions
Is there one EU plate number format?
No. The blue band and the country code are the common part. The serial is national.
Why not quote the regulation directly?
The EUR-Lex page returned a challenge instead of the text. The Wikipedia article that cites it is the page I could read.
Sources
- Wikipedia — EU plates — checked 2026-11-09
- EUR-Lex 2411/98 — checked 2026-11-09
Checked 2026-11-09. How these pages are checked.