German License Plate Generator
Preview / mockup only — not a real or registrable plate. A German number is a district code, one or two letters, and up to four digits.
ONLY
1-3 letter area code + 1-2 letters + 1-4 digits, e.g. B-AB 1234. Input limit: 8 total including the area code.
Documented styles: White with black FE-Schrift; blue EU band with D; red expiry bar on export (Ausfuhrkennzeichen) plates
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.
District letters, then the serial
The distinguishing sign, the Unterscheidungszeichen, is the part readers actually hunt for. B is Berlin. M is Munich. HSK is Hochsauerlandkreis, a three-letter rural code. The code is one to three letters, then a seal space, then one or two further letters and one to four digits. The whole string, area code included, is capped at eight characters in the row I store. Umlauts Ä, Ö, and Ü appear in area codes. The random button only emits B, M, or K plus two serial letters, because a full district gazetteer would pretend I had loaded every Zulassungsstelle.
Ordinary plates are white with black FE-Schrift, the fälschungserschwerende font meant to be hard to alter with tape, and a blue band with the letter D under the EU stars. My PNG is not FE-Schrift. It is a labelled sketch. The legal font is the reason a costume plate and a road plate should not be confused, which is also why the watermark stays.
Export plates are the other search. ADAC’s explainer separates the red Ausfuhrkennzeichen, an export plate with a red expiry band, and also calls the export plate a Zollkennzeichen. The KBA page I could open is the English home of the federal motor authority, which keeps the ZFZR register. The deeper plate leaflet on kba.de returned 404 on 9 Nov 2026, so I do not quote a fee schedule from memory. Prohibited combinations are part of the Wikipedia article: NS, KZ, HJ, SS, and SA are not issued. The button’s two-letter draw can theoretically hit one of those pairs. If it does, treat it as a bad mockup, not as a plate a Berlin office would hand you. A reserved combination is a paid request at the local authority.
Sizes in the article are 520×110 mm for the single line and 340×200 mm for two lines. Neighbours with their own essays are Czech Republic and the shared EU band.
Related plate previews
Compare Czech regional letters, European layouts. Open all formats, random mockups or the custom plate maker.
RUS
Questions
What is a Zoll plate here?
People use the word for customs and export plates. ADAC uses Zollkennzeichen as another name for an export plate, which carries a red expiry band on the right.
Can I reserve B-AB 1234?
A local registration office can reserve a free combination for a fee. This preview cannot.
Sources
- Wikipedia — German plates — checked 2026-11-09
- KBA home — checked 2026-11-09
- ADAC — export plates — checked 2026-11-09
Checked 2026-11-09. How these pages are checked.