Vehicle registration plates of Germany facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Germany

German number plate, current format (FE-style)
Country	Germany
Country code	D
Current series
Size	520 mm × 110 mm 20.5 in × 4.3 in
Serial format	Not standard (max 8 characters)
Colour (front)	Black on white
Colour (rear)	Black on white
v t e

German vehicle number plates, called Kraftfahrzeug-Kennzeichen or Nummernschilder in German, are special signs with letters and numbers. They are given out by local government offices to cars, trucks, and other vehicles in Germany. These plates help identify vehicles and show that they are allowed to be on the road.

Every vehicle that uses public roads in Germany, whether it's moving or parked, must have these plates on the front and back. Motorcycles and trailers usually only have a plate on the back. The plates also have special stickers that show they are valid and that the vehicle has passed its safety checks. A fun thing many kids in Germany do when traveling is to guess where a car is from just by looking at the first letters on its number plate!

How German Number Plates Look

German number plates are usually rectangular. For cars, trucks, and buses, they are typically 520 millimeters long and 110 millimeters high. If a plate doesn't need many letters and numbers, it might be shorter, but the characters stay the same size. Some vehicles, like motorcycles, have two-line plates that are shaped differently.

The letters and numbers on the plates are black, and the background is white. They also have a thin black border. On standard plates, the characters are about 75 millimeters tall.

Special Typeface: FE-Schrift

Modern German number plates use a special font called FE-Schrift. This font was designed to make it very hard for people to change the letters or numbers on the plate. For example, it's hard to make a 'P' look like an 'R', or an 'F' look like an 'E'. This helps prevent fake plates. This font also makes it easier for computers to read the plates automatically.

This new style of plate started in 1994 and became required in 2000. So, you don't see many of the old-style plates anymore. On the left side of the plate, there's a blue strip. This strip has a white 'D' for Germany (Deutschland) and the Flag of Europe (12 golden stars in a circle).

What Plates are Made Of

Most German number plates are made from aluminum metal. The letters and numbers are raised, like they've been pressed out. Since 2013, plastic plates are also allowed. These plastic plates are said to be tougher and better for the environment to make, but they cost a bit more.

Number plates are designed to reflect light, which helps them be seen at night. But they must not be shiny like a mirror, dirty, or covered by anything like glass or plastic film. Sometimes, people get fined if they put stickers on their plates, like a sticker for their favorite football club, because it covers part of the plate.

• 

  An old plate from 1964, partly plastic.

• 

  An all-plastic plate from 2008.

• 

  A plastic plate from 2013, with characters clipped on.

• 

  A close-up of an all-metal plate.

• 

  A football club sticker on a plate (not allowed).

Parts of a German Number Plate

Area Code

The first part of the number plate is called the Unterscheidungszeichen, or area code. It has one, two, or three letters. These letters used to tell you the district where the car was first registered. For example, B is for Berlin, and HSK is for Hochsauerlandkreis.

In the past, each district had only one area code. But since 2013, some old area codes that were no longer used have been brought back. This means that some districts now use more than one code, and some codes are used by more than one district.

Sometimes, a city and the area around it share the same letter code. To tell them apart, they might use different patterns of letters and numbers after the area code. For example, the city of Straubing might have one letter after the area code (like SR-A 123), while the surrounding area of Straubing-Bogen might have two letters (like SR-AB 123).

German area codes can also include special letters like Ö and Ü (called umlauts).

The Büsingen Exclave

There's a unique situation for the town of Büsingen am Hochrhein. This German town is completely surrounded by Switzerland. Even though it's part of the German district of Konstanz, cars registered there don't use the code KN. Instead, they use BÜS. This special code helps Swiss customs officers know that the vehicle is from Büsingen, which is treated like a local vehicle in Switzerland. Only about 700 cars have this code, making Büsingen the smallest place in Germany to have its own unique area code.

List of Area Codes

List of License Plate Area Codes of Germany
Codes starting with letter A Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes A Augsburg City Bavaria Augsburg From [A-AA 100 to 999] To [A-ZZ 100 to 999] (Excludes [A-PS 100 to 999], reserved for city Police) From [A-AA 5000 to 9999] to [A-ZZ 5000 to 9999] [A-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G [A-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G Augsburg District From [A-A 1000 to 9999] To [A-Z 1000 to 9999] From [A-AA 1000 to 4999] to [A-ZZ 1000 to 4999] [A-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G [A-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G' AA Ostalb District Baden-Württemberg Aalen AB Aschaffenburg District Bavaria Aschaffenburg From [AB-AA 100 to 9999] to [AB-ZZ 100 to 9999] [AB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [AB-'XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Aschaffenburg City From [AB-A 1000 to 9999] to [ AB-Z 1000 to 9999] [AB-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [AB-'XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q ABG Altenburger Land District Thuringia Altenburg ABI Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Anhalt-Bitterfeld AC Aachen Region North Rhine-Westphalia Aachen AE Vogtland District Saxony Auerbach AH Borken District North Rhine-Westphalia Ahaus AIB Munich District Bavaria Bad Aibling From [AIB-Q 1] to [AIB-Q 9999] Rosenheim District Every other available combination AIC Aichach-Friedberg District Bavaria Aichach AK Altenkirchen (Westerwald) District Rhineland-Palatinate Altenkirchen ALF Hildesheim District Lower Saxony Alfeld ALZ Aschaffenburg District Bavaria Alzenau AM Amberg City Bavaria Amberg From [AM-A 1 to 999] to [AM-Z 1 to 999] From [AM-AA 1 to 99] to [AM-ZZ 1 to 99] AN Ansbach District Bavaria Ansbach From [AN-AA 100 to 999] to [AN-ZZ 100 to 999] [AN-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [AN-'XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Ansbach City [AN-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [AN-'XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q ANA Erzgebirge District Saxony Annaberg-Buchholz ANG Uckermark District Brandenburg Angermünde ANK Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Anklam AÖ Altötting District Bavaria Altötting AP Weimarer Land District Thuringia Apolda APD Weimarer Land District Thuringia Apolda ARN Ilm District Thuringia Arnstadt ART Kyffhäuser District Thuringia Artern AS Amberg-Sulzbach District Bavaria Amberg-Sulzbach ASL Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Ascherleben ASZ Erzgebirge District Saxony Aue-Schwarzenberg AT Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Altentreptow AU Erzgebirge District Saxony Aue-Bad Schlema AUR Aurich District Lower Saxony Aurich AW Ahrweiler District Rhineland-Palatinate Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler AZ Alzey-Worms District Rhineland-Palatinate Alzey AZE Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Anhalt-Zerbst
Codes starting with letter B Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes B Berlin Berlin BA Bamberg City Bavaria Bamberg From [BA-AA 100 to 9999] to [BA-ZZ 100 to 9999] [BA-X 1 to 9999] Where X is :B, F, G, I, O , Q (Excludes [BA-P 1000 to 9999], reserved for City Police) [BA-XY 1 to 999] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O , Q Bamberg District [BA-X 1 to 9999] Where X is not:B, F, G, I, O , Q (Excludes [BA-P 1000 to 9999], reserved for District Police) [BA-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O , Q BAD Baden-Baden City Baden-Württemberg Baden-Baden BAR Barnim District Brandenburg Barnim BB Böblingen District Baden-Württemberg Böblingen BBG Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Bernburg BBL Brandenburg Government, Landtag, and Police Brandenburg Brandenburgische Landesregierung Code reserved for Brandenburg State-owned governmental vehicles BC Biberach District Baden-Württemberg Biberach BCH Neckar-Odenwald District Baden-Württemberg Buchen BD German Bundestag, Bundesrat, Office of the Federal President, Federal Government and Ministries, Federal fiscal administration (incl. Federal Customs Service), and Federal Constitutional Court Bundesdienst (Federal service) Code reserved for Federally-owned governmental vehicles BE Warendorf District North Rhine-Westphalia Beckum BED Mittelsachsen District Saxony Brand-Erbisdorf BER Barnim District Brandenburg Bernau BF Steinfurt District North Rhine-Westphalia Burgsteinfurt BGD Berchtesgadener Land District Bavaria Berchtesgaden BGL Berchtesgadener Land District Bavaria Berchtesgadener Land BH Ortenau District Baden-Württemberg Bühl [BH-OF 1 to 999] and [BH-OP 1 to 999] From [BH-F 7000] to [BH-F 7999] From [BH-N 8000] to [BH-N 8999] From [BH-O 2000] to [BH-O 2999] From [BH-OF 1000] to [BH-OF 6999] From [BH-OG 9000] to [BH-OG 9999] From [BH-OK 3000] to [BH-OK 3999] From [BH-OP 1000] to [BH-OP 4999] Rastatt District Every other available combination BI Bielefeld City North Rhine-Westphalia Bielefeld BID Marburg-Biedenkopf District Hesse Biedenkopf BIN Mainz-Bingen District Rhineland-Palatinate Bingen BIR Birkenfeld District Rhineland-Palatinate Birkenfeld BIT Eifel District Bitburg-Prüm Rhineland-Palatinate Bitburg BIW Bautzen District Saxony Bischofswerda BK Rems-Murr District Baden-Württemberg Backnang From [BK-A 100 to 999] to [BK-M 100 to 999] (Excluding Codes B, F, G, I) From [BK-N 1] to [BK-Z 999] (Excluding codes O and Q) From [BK-AA 1 to 99] to [BK-PZ 1 to 99] (Excluding Codes B, F, G, I, O, Q) From [BK-A 1000 to 9999] to [BK-Z 1000 to 9999] Schwäbisch Hall District [BK-A 1 to 99] to [BK-M 1 to 99] (Excluding Codes B, F, G, I) From [BK-RA 1 to 99] to [BK-ZZ 1 to 99] (Excluding Codes B, F, G, I, O, Q) From [BK-TA 1000 to 999] to [BK-ZZ 1000 to 999] Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Bördekreis [BK-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [BK-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are : B, F, G, I, O, Q From [BK-A 1000 to 9999] to [BK-Z 1000 to 999] From [BK-AA 100 to 9999] to [BK-ZZ 100 to 999] From [BK-AA 1000 to 999] to [BK-SZ 1000 to 999] BKS Bernkastel-Wittlich District Rhineland-Palatinate Bernkastel-Kues BL Zollernalb District Baden-Württemberg Balingen BLB Siegen-Wittgenstein District North Rhine-Westphalia Bad Berleburg BLK Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Burgenlandkreis BM Rhein-Erft District North Rhine-Westphalia Bergheim BN Bonn City North Rhine-Westphalia Bonn BNA Leipzig District Saxony Borna BO Bochum City North Rhine-Westphalia Bochum BÖ Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Börde BOG Straubing-Bogen District Bavaria Bogen BOH Borken District North Rhine-Westphalia Bocholt BOR Borken District North Rhine-Westphalia Borken BOT Bottrop City North Rhine-Westphalia Bottrop BP German Federal Police Bundespolizei Code reserved for Vehicles of German Federal Police BRA Wesermarsch District Lower Saxony Brake BRB Brandenburg an der Havel City Brandenburg Brandenburg BRG Jerichower Land District Saxony-Anhalt Burg BRK Bad Kissingen District Bavaria Bad Brückenau BRL Goslar District Lower Saxony Braunlage BRV Rotenburg (Wümme) District Lower Saxony Bremervörde BS Braunschweig City (Brunswick) Lower Saxony Braunschweig BSB Osnabrück District Lower Saxony Bersenbrück BSK Oder-Spree District Brandenburg Beeskow BT Bayreuth District Bavaria Bayreuth From [BT-AA 100 to 9999] to [BT-ZZ 100 to 9999] [BT-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G [BT-XY 1 to 99] Where X or Y or both are: B, F, G Bayreuth City [BT-X 1 to 999] Where X is not : B, F, G, I, O, Q [BT-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q [BT-X 1000 to 9999] Where X is not: B, F, G BTF Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Bitterfeld-Wolfen BÜD Wetterau District Hesse Büdingen BUL Amberg-Sulzbach District Bavaria Burglengenfeld [BUL-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G Schwandorf District Every other available combination BÜR Paderborn District North Rhine-Westphalia Büren BÜS Büsingen am Hochrhein Municipality (A subdivision of Konstanz District) Baden-Württemberg Büsingen It is allocated its own code to facilitate cross-border travel, as it is a German exclave within Switzerland BÜZ Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Bützow BW Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration Bundes-Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung Code reserved for Vehicles of German Federal Waterway and Shipping Admin. BWL Baden-Württemberg Government, Landtag, and Police Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württembergischer Landtag Code reserved for Baden-Württemberg State-owned governmental vehicles BYL Bavaria Government and Landtag Bavaria Bayerischer Landtag Code reserved for Bavaria State-owned governmental vehicles BZ Bautzen District Saxony Bautzen
Codes starting with letter C Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes C Chemnitz City Saxony Chemnitz From [C-AA 1 to 9999] to [C-ZZ 1 to 9999] CA Oberspreewald-Lausitz District Brandenburg Calau CAS Recklinghausen District North Rhine-Westphalia Castrop-Rauxel CB Cottbus City Brandenburg Cottbus From [CB-AA 1 to 999] to [CB-ZZ 1 to 999] CE Celle District Lower Saxony Celle CHA Cham District Bavaria Cham CLP Cloppenburg District Lower Saxony Cloppenburg CLZ Goslar District Lower Saxony Clausthal-Zellerfeld CO Coburg City Coburg District Bavaria Coburg COC Cochem-Zell District Rhineland-Palatinate Cochem COE Coesfeld District North Rhine-Westphalia Coesfeld CR Schwäbisch Hall District Baden-Württemberg Crailsheim CUX Cuxhaven District Lower Saxony Cuxhaven CW Calw District Baden-Württemberg Calw
Codes starting with letter D Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes D Düsseldorf City North Rhine-Westphalia Düsseldorf DA Darmstadt City Hesse Darmstadt From [DA-AA 100 to 999] to [DA-ZZ 100 to 999] [DA-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q [DA-X 1 to 99] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Darmstadt-Dieburg District From [DA-A 1000 to 9000] to [DA-Z 1000 to 9999] From [DA-AA 1000 to 9999] to [DA-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [DA-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q [DA-X 1 to 99] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q DAH Dachau District Bavaria Dachau DAN Lüchow-Dannenberg District Lower Saxony Dannenberg DAU Vulkaneifel District Rhineland-Palatinate Daun DBR Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Bad Doberan DD Saxony Police Saxony Dresden From [DD-Q 1] to [DD-Q 9999] Dresden City From [DD-AA 1 to 9999] to [DD-ZZ 1 to 9999] DE Dessau-Roßlau City Saxony-Anhalt Dessau-Roßlau DEG Deggendorf District Bavaria Deggendorf DEL Delmenhorst City Lower Saxony Delmenhorst DGF Dingolfing-Landau District Bavaria Dingolfing DH Diepholz District Lower Saxony Diepholz DI Darmstadt-Dieburg District Hesse Dieburg DIL Lahn-Dill District (Excluding Wetzlar City) Hesse Dillenburg DIN Wesel District North Rhine-Westphalia Dinslaken DIZ Rhein-Lahn District Rhineland-Palatinate Diez DKB Ansbach District Bavaria Dinkelsbühl DL Mittelsachsen District Saxony Döbeln DLG Dillingen an der Donau District Bavaria Dillingen DM Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Demmin DN Düren District North Rhine-Westphalia Düren DO Dortmund City North Rhine-Westphalia Dortmund DON Donau-Ries District Bavaria Donauwörth DU Duisburg City North Rhine-Westphalia Duisburg DUD Göttingen District (Excluding Göttingen City) Lower Saxony Duderstadt DÜW Bad Dürkheim District Rhineland-Palatinate Bad Dürkheim an der Weinstraße DW Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge District Saxony Dippoldiswalde DZ Nordsachsen District Saxony Delitzsch
Codes starting with letter E Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes E Essen City North Rhine-Westphalia Essen EA Wartburg District Thuringia Eisenach Eisenach was an independent urban District until 1st July 2021, when it was merged into Wartburg District due to a budgetary crisis. EB Nordsachsen District Saxony Eilenburg EBE Ebersberg District Bavaria Ebersberg EBN Haßberge District Bavaria Ebern EBS Kulmbach District Bavaria Ebermannstadt From [EBS-A 1 to 999] to [EBC-M 1 to 999] Bayreuth District From [EBS-N 1 to 999] to [EBC-Z 1 to 999] Forchheim District Every other available combination ECK Rendsburg-Eckernförde District Schleswig-Holstein Eckernförde ED Erding District Bavaria Erding EE Elbe-Elster District Brandenburg Elbe-Elster EF Thuringia Police Thuringia Erfurt From [EF-LP 1000] to [EF-LP 9999] Erfurt City From [EF-AA 1 to 999] to [EF-ZZ 1 to 999] EG Rottal-Inn District Bavaria Eggenfelden EH Oder-Spree District Brandenburg Eisenhüttenstadt EI Eichstätt District Bavaria Eichstätt EIC Eichsfeld District Thuringia Eichsfeld EIL Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Eisleben EIN Northeim District Lower Saxony Einbeck EIS Saale-Holzland District Thuringia Eisenberg EL Emsland District Lower Saxony Emsland EM Emmendingen District Baden-Württemberg Emmendingen EMD Emden City Lower Saxony Emden EMS Rhein-Lahn District Rhineland-Palatinate Bad Ems EN Ennepe-Ruhr District North Rhine-Westphalia Ennepe ER Erlangen City Bavaria Erlangen ERB Odenwald District Hesse Erbach ERH Erlangen-Höchstadt District Bavaria Erlangen-Höchstadt ERK Heinsberg District North Rhine-Westphalia Erkelenz ERZ Erzgebirge District Saxony Erzgebirge ES Esslingen District Baden-Württemberg Esslingen ESB Bayreuth District Bavaria Eschenbach From [ESB-AT 1 to 99] to [ESB-ZT 1 to 99] Amberg-Sulzbach District From [ESB-'B 1] to [ESB-X 999] 'Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Nürnberger Land District From [ESB-N 1] to [ESB-N 999] Neustadt an der Waldnaab District Every other available combination ESW Werra-Meißner District Hesse Eschwege EU Euskirchen District North Rhine-Westphalia Euskirchen EW Barnim District Brandenburg Eberswalde
Codes starting with letter F Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes F Frankfurt am Main City Hesse Frankfurt FB Wetterau District Hesse Friedberg FD Fulda District Hesse Fulda FDB Aichach-Friedberg District Bavaria Friedberg FDS Freudenstadt District Baden-Württemberg Freudenstadt FEU Ansbach District Bavaria Feuchtwangen FF Frankfurt (Oder) City Brandenburg Frankfurt FFB Fürstenfeldbruck District Bavaria Fürstenfeldbruck FG Mittelsachsen District Saxony Freiberg FI Elbe-Elster District Brandenburg Finsterwalde FKB Waldeck-Frankenberg District Hesse Frankenberg FL Flensburg City Schleswig-Holstein Flensburg FLÖ Mittelsachsen District Saxony Flöha FN Bodensee (Lake Constance) District Baden-Württemberg Friedrichshafen FO Forchheim District Bavaria Forchheim FOR Spree-Neiße District Brandenburg Forst FR Freiburg im Breisgau City Baden-Württemberg FReiburg [FR-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [FR-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [FR-NA 1000 to 9999] to [FR-ZZ 1000 to 9999] Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald District [FR-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [FR-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [FR-AA 1000 to 9999] to [FR-MZ 1000 to 9999] FRG Freyung-Grafenau District Bavaria Freyung-Grafenau FRI Friesland District Lower Saxony Friesland FRW Märkisch-Oderland District Brandenburg Bad Freienwalde FS Moosburg an der Isar City (A subdivision of Freising District) Bavaria Freising [FS-I 1 to 999] [FS-X 1000 to 999] Where X is: H, I, M, P, R [FS-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: I Freising District (Excluding Moosburg an der Isar City) [FS-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: I, O, Q [FS-XY 1 to 999] Where neither X nor Y are: I, O, Q FT Frankenthal (Pfalz) City Rhineland-Palatinate Frankenthal FTL Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge District Saxony Freital FÜ Fürth City Bavaria Fürth [FÜ-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [FÜ-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [FÜ-AA 100 to 9999] to [FÜ-ZZ 100 to 9999] Fürth District [FÜ-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [FÜ-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [FÜ-A 1000 to 9999] to [FÜ-Z 1000 to 9999] FÜS Ostallgäu District Bavaria Füssen FW Oder-Spree District Brandenburg Fürstenwalde FZ Schwalm-Eder District Hesse Fritzlar
Codes starting with letter G Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes G Gera City Thuringia Gera GA Altmark District Salzwedel Saxony-Anhalt Gardelegen GAN Northeim District Lower Saxony Bad Gandersheim GAP Garmisch-Partenkirchen District Bavaria Garmisch-Partenkirchen GC Zwickau District Saxony Glauchau GD Ostalb District Baden-Württemberg Schwäbisch Gmünd GDB Nordwestmecklenburg District (Excluding Wismar City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Gadebusch GE Gelsenkirchen City North Rhine-Westphalia Gelsenkirchen GEL Kleve District North Rhine-Westphalia Geldern GEO Haßberge District Bavaria Gerolzhofen [GEO-A 1000 to 9990] [GEO-B 1000 to 9990] Schweinfurt District Every other available combination GER Germersheim District Rhineland-Palatinate Germersheim GF Gifhorn District Lower Saxony Gifhorn GG Groß-Gerau District Hesse Groß-Gerau GHA Leipzig District Saxony Geithain GHC Wittenberg District Saxony-Anhalt Gräfenhainichen GI Gießen District Hesse Gießen GK Heinsberg District North Rhine-Westphalia Geilenkirchen GL Rheinisch-Bergischer District North Rhine-Westphalia Bergisch Gladbach GLA Recklinghausen District North Rhine-Westphalia Gladbeck GM Oberbergischer District North Rhine-Westphalia Gummersbach GMN Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Grimmen GN Main-Kinzig District (Excluding Hanau City) Hesse Gelnhausen GNT Jerichower Land District Saxony-Anhalt Genthin GÖ Göttingen District (Excluding Göttingen City) Lower Saxony Göttingen [GÖ-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, O, Q [GÖ-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, O, Q From [GÖ-AA 100 to 999] to [GÖ-ZZ 100 to 999] Göttingen City (A subdivision of Göttingen District) [GÖ-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [GÖ-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [GÖ-A 1000 to 9999] to [GÖ-Z 1000 to 9999] GOA Rhein-Hunsrück District Rhineland-Palatinate Sankt Goar GOH Rhein-Lahn District Rhineland-Palatinate Sankt Goarshausen GP Göppingen District Baden-Württemberg Göppingen GR Görlitz District Saxony Görlitz GRA Freyung-Grafenau District Bavaria Grafenau GRH Meißen District Saxony Großenhain GRI Rottal-Inn District Bavaria Bad Griesbach [GRI-XY 100 to 999] Where either X or Y or both are: B, I, O, Q GRM Leipzig District Saxony Grimma GRZ Greiz District Thuringia Greiz GS Goslar District Lower Saxony Goslar GT Gütersloh District North Rhine-Westphalia Gütersloh GTH Gotha District Thuringia Gotha GÜ Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Güstrow GUB Spree-Neiße District Brandenburg Guben GUN Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen District Bavaria Gunzenhausen GV Rhein District Neuss North Rhine-Westphalia Grevenbroich GVM Nordwestmecklenburg District (Excluding Wismar City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Grevesmühlen GW Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Greifswald GZ Günzburg District Bavaria Günzburg
Codes starting with letter H Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes H Hanover City (A subdivision of Hanover Region) Lower Saxony Hannover [H-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [H-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [H-A 1000 to 9999] to [H-Z 1000 to 9999] From [H-BA 1000 to 9999] to [H-BZ 1000 to 9999] From [H-FA 1000 to 9999] to [H-GZ 1000 to 9999] Hanover Region (Excluding Hanover City) [H-X 1 to 9999] Where X is not: B, F, G, I, O, Q [H-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [H-AA 1000 to 9999] to [H-AZ 1000 to 9999] From [H-CA 1000 to 9999] to [H-EZ 1000 to 9999] From [H-HA 1000 to 9999] to [H-ZZ 1000 to 9999] HA Hagen City North Rhine-Westphalia Hagen HAB Bad Kissingen District Bavaria Hammelburg HAL Halle (Saale) City Saxony-Anhalt Halle HAM Hamm City North Rhine-Westphalia Hamm HAS Haßberge District Bavaria Hassfurt HB Bremen City State of Bremen Hansestadt Bremen From [HB-A 1 to 999] to [HB-Z 1 to 999] From [HB-AA 1 to 999] to [HB-ZZ 1 to 999] Bremerhaven City From [HB-A 1000 to 9999] to [HB-Z 1000 to 9999] HBN Hildburghausen District Thuringia Hildburghausen HBS Harz District Saxony-Anhalt Halberstadt HC Mittelsachsen District Saxony Hainichen HCH Freudenstadt District Baden-Württemberg Hechingen [HCH-QY 1000 to 999], [HCH-VY 1000 to 999] [HCH-YQ 1000 to 999], [HCH-YV 1000 to 999] [HCH-ZQ 1000 to 999] Zollernalb District Every other available combination HD Rhein-Neckar District Baden-Württemberg Heidelberg [HD-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [H-HD-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [HD-AA 100 to 9999] to [HD-ZZ 100 to 9999] Heidelberg City [HD-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [HD-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q From [HD-A 1000 to 9999] to [HD-Z 1000 to 9999] HDH Heidenheim District Baden-Württemberg Heidenheim HDL Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Haldensleben HE Helmstedt District Lower Saxony Helmstedt HEB Nürnberger Land District Bavaria Hersbruck HEF Hersfeld-Rotenburg District Hesse Bad Hersfeld HEI Dithmarschen District Schleswig-Holstein Heide HEL Hesse Government and Landtag Hesse Hessischer Landtag Code reserved for Hesse State-owned governmental vehicles HER Herne City North Rhine-Westphalia Herne HET Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Hettstedt HF Herford District North Rhine-Westphalia Herford HG Hochtaunus District Hesse Bad Homburg HGN Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hagenow HGW Greifswald City (A subdivision of Vorpommern-Greifswald District) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansestadt Greifswald HH Hamburg Hansestadt Hamburg HHM Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Hohenmölsen HI Hildesheim District Lower Saxony Hildesheim HIG Eichsfeld District Thuringia Heilbad Heiligenstadt HIP Roth District Bavaria Hilpoltstein HK Heide District Lower Saxony Heidekreis HL Lübeck City Schleswig-Holstein Hansestadt Lübeck HM Hameln-Pyrmont District Lower Saxony Hameln (Hamelin) HMÜ Göttingen District (Excluding Göttingen City) Lower Saxony Hann. Münden HN Heilbronn District Baden-Württemberg Heilbronn From [HN-AA 100 to 999] to [HN-ZZ 100 to 999] From [HN-AA 1000 to 9999] to [HN-MZ 1000 to 9999] [HN-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [HN-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Heilbronn City From [HN-A 1000 to 9999] to [HN-Z 1000 to 9999] From [HN-NA 1000 to 9999] to [HN-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [HN-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [HN-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q HO Hof District Bavaria Hof From [HO-AA 100 to 999] to [HO-ZZ 100 to 999] From [HO-AA 1000 to 9999] to [HO-ZZ 1000 to 9999] (Shared) [HO-B 1 to 999] [HO-G 1 to 999] [HO-F 1 to 99] Hof City From [HO-AA 1000 to 9999] to [HO-ZZ 1000 to 9999] (Shared) [HO-F 100 to 999] [HN-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [HO-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q HOG Kassel District Hesse Hofgeismar HOH Haßberge District Bavaria Hofheim HOL Holzminden District Lower Saxony Holzminden HOM Saarpfalz District (Excluding Sankt Ingbert City) Saarland Homburg HOR Freudenstadt District Baden-Württemberg Horb HÖS Erlangen-Höchstadt District Bavaria Höchstadt HOT Zwickau District Saxony Hohenstein-Ernstthal HP Bergstraße District Hesse Heppenheim HR Schwalm-Eder District Hesse Homberg HRO Rostock City Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansestadt Rostock HS Heinsberg District North Rhine-Westphalia Heinsberg HSK Hochsauerland District North Rhine-Westphalia HochSauerlandKreis HST Stralsund City (A subdivision of Vorpommern-Rügen District) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansestadt Stralsund From [HST-AA 1 to 999] to [HST-ZZ 1 to 999] [HST-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, G, I, O, Q HU Main-Kinzig District Hesse Hanau HV Stendal District Saxony-Anhalt Havelberg HVL Havelland District Brandenburg Havelland HWI Wismar City (A subdivision of Nordwestmecklenburg District) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Hansestadt Wismar HX Höxter District North Rhine-Westphalia Höxter HY Bautzen District Saxony Hoyerswerda HZ Harz District Saxony-Anhalt Harz
Codes starting with letter I Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes IGB St. Ingbert City (A subdivision of Saarpfalz District) Saarland St. Ingbert IK Ilm District Thuringia Ilm-Kreis IL Ilm District Thuringia Ilmenau ILL Neu-Ulm District Bavaria Illertissen IN Ingolstadt City Bavaria Ingolstadt IZ Steinburg District Schleswig-Holstein Itzehoe
Codes starting with letter J Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes J Jena City Thuringia Jena JE Wittenberg District Saxony-Anhalt Jessen JL Jerichower Land District Saxony-Anhalt Jerichower Land JÜL Düren District North Rhine-Westphalia Jülich
Codes starting with letter K Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes K Cologne City North Rhine-Westphalia Köln KA Karlsruhe City Baden-Württemberg Karlsruhe From [KA-AA 100 to 999] to [KA-ZZ 100 to 999] From [KA-NA 1000 to 9999] to [KA-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [KA-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, Q [KA-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, Q Karlsruhe District From [KA-A 1000 to 9999] to [KA-Z 1000 to 9999] From [KA-AA 1000 to 9999] to [KA-MZ 1000 to 9999] [KA-X 1 to 999] Where X is not: B, F, G, Q [KA-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, Q KB Waldeck-Frankenberg District Hesse Korbach KC Kronach District Bavaria Kronach KE Kempten (Allgäu) City Bavaria Kempten From [KE-A 1 to 999] to [KE-Z 1 to 999] From [KE-AA 1 to 99] to [KE-ZZ 1 to 99] KEH Kelheim District Bavaria Kelheim KEL Ortenau District Baden-Württemberg Kehl KEM Bayreuth District Bavaria Kemnath From [KEM-AT 1 to 99] to [KEM-ZT 1 to 99] Tirschenreuth District Every other available combination KF Kaufbeuren City Bavaria Kaufbeuren KG Bad Kissingen District Bavaria Bad Kissingen KH Bad Kreuznach District (Excluding Bad Kreuznach City) Rhineland-Palatinate Bad Kreuznach From [KH-AA 1 to 999] to [KH-ZZ 1 to 999] Bad Kreuznach City (A subdivision of Bad Kreuznach District) From [KH-A 1 to 9999] to [KH-Z 1 to 9999] KI Kiel City Schleswig-Holstein Kiel KIB Donnersberg District Rhineland-Palatinate Kirchheimbolanden KK Viersen District North Rhine-Westphalia Kempen-Krefeld KL Kaiserslautern District Rhineland-Palatinate Kaiserslautern From [KL-AA 100 to 999] to [KL-ZZ 100 to 999] [KL-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [KL-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Kaiserslautern City [KL-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [KL-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q KLE Kleve District North Rhine-Westphalia Kleve KLZ Altmark District Salzwedel Saxony-Anhalt Klötze KM Bautzen District Saxony Kamenz KN Konstanz District (Excluding Büsingen am Hochrhein Municipality) Baden-Württemberg Konstanz KO Koblenz City Rhineland-Palatinate Koblenz KÖN Rhön-Grabfeld District Bavaria Bad Königshofen KÖT Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Köthen KÖZ Cham District Bavaria Bad Kötzting KR Krefeld City North Rhine-Westphalia Krefeld KRU Günzburg District Bavaria Krumbach KS Kassel District Kassel City Hesse Kassel KT Kitzingen District Bavaria Kitzingen KU Kulmbach District Bavaria Kulmbach KÜN Hohenlohe District Baden-Württemberg Künzelsau KUS Kusel District Rhineland-Palatinate Kusel KW Dahme-Spreewald District Brandenburg Königs Wusterhausen KY Ostprignitz-Ruppin District Brandenburg Kyritz KYF Kyffhäuser Dristrict Thuringia Kyffhäuser
Codes starting with letter L Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes L Leipzig City Saxony Leipzig From [L-A 1 to 9999] to [L-T 1 to 9999] From [L-AA 1 to 9999] to [L-TZ 1 to 9999] Leipzig District From [L-U 1 to 9999] to [L-Z 1 to 9999] From [L-UA 1 to 9999] to [L-ZZ 1 to 9999] LA Landshut District Bavaria Landshut From [LA-AA 5000 to 9999] to [LA-ZZ 5000 to 9999] From [LA-AA 100 to 999] to [LA-ZZ 100 to 999] [LA-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [LA-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Landshut City From [LA-AA 1000 to 4999] to [LA-ZZ 1000 to 4999] [LA-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [LA-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q LAN Dingolfing-Landau District Bavaria Landau LAU Nürnberger Land District Bavaria Lauf LB Ludwigsburg District Baden-Württemberg Ludwigsburg LBS Saale-Orla District Thuringia Bad Lobenstein LBZ Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Lübz LC Dahme-Spreewald District Brandenburg Luckau LD Landau in der Pfalz City Rhineland-Palatinate Landau LDK Lahn-Dill District (Excluding Wetzlar City) Hesse Lahn-Dill-Kreis LDS Dahme-Spreewald District Brandenburg Landkreis Dahme-Spreewald LEO Böblingen District Baden-Württemberg Leonberg LER Leer District Lower Saxony Leer LEV Leverkusen City North Rhine-Westphalia Leverkusen LF Altötting District Bavaria Laufen [LF-X 1 to 999] Where X is: C, I, J, L, M, O, Q, V [LF-E 1 to 599] Traunstein District [LF-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is: FZ, GH, KQ, RW, TS, WW,XX, ZZ [LF-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G [LF-XY 1 to 99] Where XY is: DH, FZ, GH, KQ, LU, RW, TK, TS ,WW, XX, ZZ [LF-DH 100 to 199] [LF-LU 100 to 299] [LF-TK 100 to 199] [LF-VW 200 to 499] Berchtesgadener Land District Every other available combination LG Lüneburg District Lower Saxony Lüneburg LH Coesfeld District Unna District North Rhine-Westphalia Lüdinghausen LI Lindau (Bodensee) District Bavaria Lindau LIB Elbe-Elster District Brandenburg Bad Liebenwerda LIF Lichtenfels District Bavaria Lichtenfels LIP Lippe District North Rhine-Westphalia Lippe LL Landsberg District Bavaria Landsberg am Lech LM Limburg-Weilburg District Hesse Limburg LN Dahme-Spreewald District Brandenburg Lübben LÖ Lörrach District Baden-Württemberg Lörrach LÖB Görlitz District Saxony Löbau LOS Oder-Spree District Brandenburg Landkreis Oder-Spree LP Soest District North Rhine-Westphalia Lippstadt LR Ortenau District Baden-Württemberg Lahr LRO Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Landkreis Rostock LSA Saxony-Anhalt Government, Landtag, and Police Saxony-Anhalt Land Sachsen-Anhalt Code reserved for Saxony-Anhalt State-owned governmental vehicles LSN Saxony Government and Landtag, Saxony Landtag Sachsen Code reserved for Saxony State-owned governmental vehicles LSZ Unstrut-Hainich District Thuringia Bad Langensalza LU Ludwigshafen am Rhein City Rhineland-Palatinate Ludwigshafen LÜN Unna District North Rhine-Westphalia Lünen LUP Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ludwigslust-Parchim LWL Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ludwigslust
Codes starting with letter M Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes M Munich City Bavaria München [M-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G [M-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G [M-XY 100 to 9999] Where neither X nor Y are: I, O, Q Unless either X or Y is: B, F, G In addition, XY can be any other combination of letters. Munich District [M-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G [M-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y: B, F, G [M-XY 100 to 9999] Where either X or Y or both are: I, O, Q But neither X nor Y are: B, F, G MA Mannheim City Baden-Württemberg Mannheim MAB Erzgebirge District Saxony Marienberg MAI Landshut District Bavaria Mainburg [MAI-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Kelheim District Every other available combination MAK Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge District Bavaria Marktredwitz MAL Landshut District Bavaria Mallersdorf-Pfaffenberg [MAL-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Straubing-Bogen District Every other available combination MB Miesbach District Bavaria Miesbach MC Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Malchin MD Magdeburg City Saxony-Anhalt Magdeburg ME Mettmann District North Rhine-Westphalia Mettmann MED Dithmarschen District Schleswig-Holstein Meldorf MEG Schwalm-Eder District Hesse Melsungen MEI Meißen District Saxony Meißen MEK Erzgebirge District Saxony Mittlerer Erzgebirgskreis MEL Osnabrück District Lower Saxony Melle MER Saale District Saxony-Anhalt Merseburg MET Rhön-Grabfeld District Bavaria Mellrichstadt MG Mönchengladbach City North Rhine-Westphalia Mönchengladbach MGH Main-Tauber District Baden-Württemberg Bad Mergentheim MGN Schmalkalden-Meiningen District Thuringia Meiningen MH Mülheim an der Ruhr City North Rhine-Westphalia Mülheim MHL Unstrut-Hainich District Thuringia Mühlhausen MI Minden-Lübbecke District North Rhine-Westphalia Minden MIL Miltenberg District Bavaria Miltenberg MK Märkischer District North Rhine-Westphalia Märkischer Kreis MKK Main-Kinzig District (Excluding Hanau City) Hesse Main-Kinzig-Kreis ML Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Mansfelder Land MM Memmingen City Bavaria Memmingen MN Unterallgäu District Bavaria Mindelheim MO Wesel District North Rhine-Westphalia Moers MOD Ostallgäu District Bavaria Marktoberdorf MOL Märkisch-Oderland District Brandenburg Märkisch-Oderland MON Aachen Region Düren District North Rhine-Westphalia Monschau MOS Neckar-Odenwald District Baden-Württemberg Mosbach MQ Saale District Saxony-Anhalt Merseburg-Querfurt MR Marburg-Biedenkopf District Hesse Marburg MS Münster City North Rhine-Westphalia Münster MSE Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburgische Seenplatte MSH Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Mansfeld-Südharz MSP Main-Spessart District Bavaria Main-Spessart MST Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Strelitz MTK Main-Taunus District Hesse Main-Taunus-Kreis MTL Leipzig District Saxony Muldental MÜ Mühldorf am Inn District Bavaria Mühldorf MÜB Bayreuth District Bavaria Münchberg From [MÜB-A 100 to 999] to [MÜB-M 100 to 999] From [MÜB-N 1 to 999] to [MÜB-Z 1 to 999] Hof District Every other available combination MÜR Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Müritz MVL Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Government, Landtag, and Police Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommerscher Landtag Code reserved for Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State-owned governmental vehicles MW Mittelsachsen District Saxony Mittweida MY Mayen-Koblenz District Rhineland-Palatinate Mayen MYK Mayen-Koblenz District Rhineland-Palatinate Mayen-Koblenz MZ Mainz City Rhineland-Palatinate Mainz From [MZ-AA 100 to 999] to [MZ-ZZ 100 to 999] From [MZ-AA 1000 to 9999] to [MZ-KY 1000 to 9999] [MZ-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [MZ-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Mainz-Bingen District From [MZ-A 1000 to 9999] to [MZ-Z 1000 to 9999] From [MZ-LA 1000 to 9999] to [MZ-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [MZ-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [MZ-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q MZG Merzig-Wadern District Saarland Merzig
Codes starting with letter N Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes N Nuremberg City Bavaria Nürnberg From [N-A 1000 to 9999] to [N-Z 1000 to 9999] From [N-AA 100 to 9999] to [N-ZZ 100 to 9999] [N-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [N-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Nürnberger Land District [N-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q, S NAB Schwandorf District Bavaria Nabburg [NAB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G Amberg-Sulzbach District Every other available combination NAI Hof District Bavaria Naila NAU Havelland District Brandenburg Nauen NB Neubrandenburg City (A subdivision of Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Neubrandenburg From [NB-AA 1 to 999] to [NB-ZZ 1 to 999] ND Neuburg-Schrobenhausen District Bavaria Neuburg an der Donau NDH Nordhausen District Thuringia Nordhausen NE Rhein District Neuss North Rhine-Westphalia Neuss NEA Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim District Bavaria Neustadt an der Aisch NEB Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Nebra NEC Coburg City Coburg District Bavaria Neustadt bei Coburg NEN Schwandorf District Bavaria Neunburg NES Rhön-Grabfeld District Bavaria Bad Neustadt an der Saale NEW Neustadt an der Waldnaab District Bavaria Neustadt an der Waldnaab NF Nordfriesland District Schleswig-Holstein Nordfriesland NH Sonneberg District Thuringia Neuhaus NI Nienburg/Weser District Lower Saxony Nienburg NK Neunkirchen District Saarland Neunkirchen NL Lower Saxony Government and Landtag Lower Saxony Niedersächsischer Landtag Code reserved for Lower Saxony State-owned governmental vehicles NM Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz District Bavaria Neumarkt NMB Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Naumburg NMS Neumünster City Schleswig-Holstein Neumünster NÖ Donau-Ries District Bavaria Nördlingen NOH Grafschaft Bentheim District Lower Saxony Nordhorn NOL Görlitz District Saxony Niederschlesische Oberlausitz NOM Northeim District Lower Saxony Northeim NOR Aurich District Lower Saxony Norden NP Ostprignitz-Ruppin District Brandenburg Neuruppin NR Neuwied District (Excluding Neuwied City) Rhineland-Palatinate Neuwied am Rhein From [NR-AA 1 to 999] to [NR-ZZ 1 to 999] Neuwied City (A subdivision of Neuwied District) From [NR-A 1 to 9999] to [NR-Z 1 to 9999] NRW North Rhine-Westphalia Government, Landtag, and State Police North Rhine-Westphalia Nordrhein-Westfalen Code reserved for North Rhine-Westphalia State-owned governmental vehicles NT Esslingen District Baden-Württemberg Nürtingen NU Neu-Ulm District Bavaria Neu-Ulm NVP Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Nordvorpommern NW Neustadt an der Weinstraße City Rhineland-Palatinate Neustadt an der Weinstraße NWM Nordwestmecklenburg District (Excluding Wismar City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Nordwestmecklenburg NY Görlitz District Saxony Niesky NZ Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Neustrelitz
Codes starting with letter O Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes OA Oberallgäu District Bavaria Oberallgäu OAL Ostallgäu District Bavaria Ostallgäu OB Oberhausen City North Rhine-Westphalia Oberhausen OBB Miltenberg District Bavaria Obernburg OBG Stendal District Saxony-Anhalt Osterburg OC Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Oschersleben OCH Würzburg District Bavaria Ochsenfurt OD Stormarn District Schleswig-Holstein Bad Oldesloe OE Olpe District North Rhine-Westphalia Olpe OF Offenbach District Offenbach am Main City Hesse Offenbach OG Ortenau District Baden-Württemberg Offenburg OH Ostholstein District Schleswig-Holstein Ostholstein OHA Göttingen District (Excluding Göttingen City) Lower Saxony Osterode am Harz ÖHR Hohenlohe District Baden-Württemberg Öhringen OHV Oberhavel District Brandenburg Oberhavel OHZ Osterholz District Lower Saxony Osterholz-Scharmbeck OK Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Ohrekreis OL Oldenburg City Lower Saxony Oldenburg From [OL-AA 100 to 999] to [OL-ZZ 100 to 999] [OL-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [OL-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, Q Oldenburg District From [OL-A 1000 to 9999] to [OL-Z 1000 to 9999] [OL-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [OL-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q OP Leverkusen City North Rhine-Westphalia Opladen OPR Ostprignitz-Ruppin District Brandenburg Ostprignitz-Ruppin OS Osnabrück District Lower Saxony Osnabrück From [OS-AA 100 to 999] to [OS-ZZ 100 to 999] (Excludes [OS-PD 100 to 999], reseved for District Police) From [OS-AA 3000 to 9999] to [OS-ZZ 3000 to 9999] [OS-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [OS-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Osnabrück City From [OS-AA 1000 to 2999] to [OS-ZZ 1000 to 2999] [OS-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q (Excludes [OS-P 1 to 9999], reserved for City Police) [OS-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q OSL Oberspreewald-Lausitz District Brandenburg Oberspreewald-Lausitz OTW Neunkirchen District Saarland Ottweiler OVI Schwandorf District Bavaria Oberviechtach OVL Vogtland District Saxony Obervogtland OZ Nordsachsen District Saxony Oschatz
Codes starting with letter P Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes P Potsdam City Brandenburg Potsdam PA Passau City Bavaria Passau From [PA-A 1 to 9999] to [PA-Z to 9999] Passau District From [PA-AA 1 to 999] to [PA-ZZ 1 to 999] PAF Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm District Bavaria Pfaffenhofen PAN Rottal-Inn District Bavaria Pfarrkirchen PAR Kelheim District Bavaria Parsberg [PAR-Q 1 to 999], [PAR-Y 1 to 999] [PAR-BB 1 to 999], [PAR-CC 1 to 9999] Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz District Every other available combination PB Paderborn District North Rhine-Westphalia Paderborn PCH Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Parchim PE Peine District Lower Saxony Peine PEG Nürnberger Land District Bavaria Pegnitz [PEG-A 1 to 999] Bayreuth District From [PEG-B 1 to 999] to [PEG-Z 1 to 999] Forchheim District From [PEG-AA 1 to 99] to [PEG-ZZ 1 to 99] From [PEG-A 1000 to 9999] to [PEG-Z 1000 to 9999] PF Pforzheim City Baden-Württemberg Pforzheim From [PF-AA 100 to 999] to [PF-ZZ 100 to 999] From [PF-NA 1000 to 9999] to [PF-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [PF-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [PF-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Enz District From [PF-A 1000 to 9999] to [PF-Z 1000 to 9999] From [PF-AA 1000 to 9999] to [PF-MZ 1000 to 9999] [PF-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [PF-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q PI Pinneberg District Schleswig-Holstein Pinneberg PIR Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge District Saxony Pirna PL Vogtland District Saxony Plauen PLÖ Plön District Schleswig-Holstein Plön PM Potsdam-Mittelmark District Brandenburg Potsdam-Mittelmark PN Saale-Orla District Thuringia Pößneck PR Prignitz District Brandenburg Prignitz PRÜ Eifel District Bitburg-Prüm Rhineland-Palatinate Prüm PS Pirmasens City Rhineland-Palatinate Pirmasens From [PS-A 1 to 9999] to [PS-Z 1 to 9999] Südwestpfalz District From [PS-AA 1 to 999] to [PS-ZZ 1 to 999] PW Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Pasewalk PZ Uckermark District Brandenburg Prenzlau
Codes starting with letter Q Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes QFT Saale District Saxony-Anhalt Querfurt QLB Harz District Saxony-Anhalt Quedlinburg
Codes starting with letter R Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes R Regensburg City Bavaria Regensburg From [R-AA 100 to 999] to [R-ZZ 100 to 999] From [R-MN 1000 to 9999] to [R-ZZ 1000 to 9999] [R-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [R-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q (Excludes [R-PR 100 to 999], reserved for City Police) Regensburg District From [R-A 1000 to 9999] to [R-Z 1000 to 9999] From [R-AA 1000 to 9999] to [R-MM 1000 to 9999] [R-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [R-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q RA Rastatt District Baden-Württemberg Rastatt RC Vogtland District Saxony Reichenbach RD Rendsburg-Eckernförde District Schleswig-Holstein Rendsburg RDG Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ribnitz-Damgarten RE Recklinghausen District North Rhine-Westphalia Recklinghausen REG Regen District Bavaria Regen REH Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge District Bavaria Rehau [REH-AU 900 to 999] [REH-X 1 to 999] Where X is: A, E, F, H, J, M, N, P, R, S, V, X [REH-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is: AA, FF, GG, OO, ZZ Hof District Every other available combination REI Berchtesgadener Land District Bavaria Bad Reichenhall RG Meißen District Saxony Riesa-Großenhain RH Roth District Bavaria Roth RI Schaumburg District Lower Saxony Rinteln RID Kelheim District Bavaria Riedenburg RIE Meißen District Saxony Riesa RL Mittelsachsen District Saxony Rochlitz RM Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Röbel/Müritz RN Havelland District Brandenburg Rathenow RO Rosenheim District Bavaria Rosenheim From [RO-A 1000 to 9999] to [RO-Z 1000 to 9999] From [RO-AA 10 to 9999] to [RO-ZZ 100 to 9999] [RO-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [RO-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Rosenheim City [RO-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [RO-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q ROD Schwandorf District Bavaria Roding [RO-B 1 to 599], [RO-F 1 to 799] [RO-G 50 to 499] [RO-I 100 to 1999] (Excludes [RO-P 100 to 999], reserved for City Police) Cham District Every other available combination ROF Hersfeld-Rotenburg District Hesse Rotenburg an der Fulda ROK Donnersberg District Rhineland-Palatinate Rockenhausen ROL Landshut District Bavaria Rottenburg an der Laaber From [ROL-AA 1 to 999] to [ROL-ZZ 1 to 999] [ROL-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q Kelheim District Every other available combination ROS Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Rostock ROT Ansbach District Bavaria Rothenburg ob der Tauber ROW Rotenburg (Wümme) District Lower Saxony Rotenburg (Wümme) RP Rhein-Pfalz District Rhineland-Palatinate Rhein-Pfalz RPL Rhineland-Palatinate Government, Landtag, and State Police Rhineland-Palatinate Rheinland-Pfälzischer Landtag Code reserved for Rhineland-Palatinate State-owned governmental vehicles RS Remscheid City North Rhine-Westphalia Remscheid RSL Dessau-Roßlau City Saxony-Anhalt Dessau-Rosslau RT Reutlingen District Baden-Württemberg Reutlingen RU Saalfeld-Rudolstadt District Thuringia Rudolstadt RÜD Rheingau-Taunus District Hesse Rüdesheim RÜG Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Rügen RV Ravensburg District Baden-Württemberg Ravensburg RW Rottweil District Baden-Württemberg Rottweil RZ Herzogtum Lauenburg District Schleswig-Holstein Ratzeburg
Codes starting with letter S Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes S Stuttgart City Baden-Württemberg Stuttgart SAB Trier-Saarburg District Rhineland-Palatinate Saarburg SAD Schwandorf District Bavaria Schwandorf SÄK Waldshut District Baden-Württemberg Bad Säckingen SAL Saarland Government, Landtag, and State Police Saarland Saarländischer Landtag Code reserved for Saarland State-owned governmental vehicles SAN Kronach District Bavaria Stadtsteinach From [SAN-S 1 to 999] to [SAN-V 1 to 999] From [SAN-AA 1 to 99] to [SAN-FZ 1 to 99] Kulmbach District From [SAN-A 1 to 999] to [SAN-R 1 to 999] From [SAN-JA 1 to 99] to [SAN-ZZ 1 to 99] Hof District From [SAN-W 1 to 999] to [SAN-Z 1 to 999] From [SAN-GA 1 to 999] to [SAN-IZ 1 to 999] SAW Altmark District Salzwedel Saxony-Anhalt Salzwedel SB Saarbrücken Region (Excluding Völklingen City) Saarland Saarbrücken SBG Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Strasburg SBK Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Schönebeck SC Schwabach City Bavaria Schwabach SCZ Saale-Orla District Thuringia Schleiz SDH Kyffhäuser Dristrict Thuringia Sondershausen SDL Stendal District Saxony-Anhalt Stendal SDT Uckermark District Brandenburg Schwedt SE Segeberg District Schleswig-Holstein Bad Segeberg SEB Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge District Saxony Sebnitz SEE Märkisch-Oderland District Brandenburg Seelow SEF Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim District Bavaria Scheinfeld SEL Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge District Bavaria Selb SFB Oberspreewald-Lausitz District Brandenburg Senftenberg SFT Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Staßfurt SG Solingen City North Rhine-Westphalia Solingen SGH Mansfeld-Südharz District Saxony-Anhalt Sangerhausen SH Schleswig-Holstein Government, Landtag, and Schleswig-Holstein Police Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein Code reserved for Schleswig-Holstein State-owned governmental vehicles SHA Schwäbisch Hall District Baden-Württemberg Schwäbisch Hall SHG Schaumburg District Lower Saxony Stadthagen SHK Saale-Holzland District Thuringia Saale-Holzland-Kreis SHL Suhl City Thuringia Suhl SI Siegen-Wittgenstein District North Rhine-Westphalia Siegen SIG Sigmaringen District Baden-Württemberg Sigmaringen SIM Rhein-Hunsrück District Rhineland-Palatinate Simmern SK Saale District Saxony-Anhalt Saalekreis SL Schleswig-Flensburg District Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig SLE Düren District Euskirchen District North Rhine-Westphalia Schleiden SLF Saalfeld-Rudolstadt District Thuringia Saalfeld SLG Ravensburg District Baden-Württemberg Bad Saulgau [SLG-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: A, M, P, Q, W From [SLG-AX 1 to 999] to [SLG-ZX 1 to 999] Where X is: U, Y Sigmaringen District [SLG-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, D, F, H, N, O, R, S, T, Y From [SLG-AX 1 to 999] to [SLG-ZX 1 to 999] Where X is: From A to J SLK Salzland District Saxony-Anhalt Salzlandkreis SLN Altenburger Land District Thuringia Schmölln SLS Saarlouis District Saarland Saarlouis SLÜ Main-Kinzig District (Excluding Hanau City) Hesse Schlüchtern SLZ Wartburg District Thuringia Bad Salzungen SM Schmalkalden-Meiningen District Thuringia Schmalkalden SMÜ Augsburg District Bavaria Schwabmünchen SN Schwerin City Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Schwerin SO Soest District North Rhine-Westphalia Soest SOB Neuburg-Schrobenhausen District Bavaria Schrobenhausen SOG Weilheim-Schongau District Bavaria Schongau SOK Saale-Orla District Thuringia Saale-Orla-Kreis SÖM Sömmerda District Thuringia Sömmerda SON Sonneberg District Thuringia Sonneberg SP Speyer City Rhineland-Palatinate Speyer SPB Spree-Neiße District Brandenburg Spremberg SPN Spree-Neiße District Brandenburg Spree-Neiße SR Straubing City Bavaria Straubing From [SR-A 1 to 9999] to [SR-Z 1 to 9999] (Excludes [SR-P 1000 to 9999], reserved for City Police) Straubing-Bogen District From [SR-AA 1 to 999] to [SR-ZZ 1 to 999] SRB Märkisch-Oderland District Brandenburg Strausberg SRO Saale-Holzland District Thuringia Stadtroda ST Steinfurt District North Rhine-Westphalia Steinfurt STA Starnberg District Bavaria Starnberg STB Ludwigslust-Parchim District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Sternberg STD Stade District Lower Saxony Stade STE Lichtenfels District Bavaria Bad Staffelstein STL Erzgebirge District Saxony Stollberg STO Sigmaringen District Baden-Württemberg Stockach [STO-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, D, F, H, N, O, R, S, T, Y From [STO-AX 1 to 999] to [STO-ZX 1 to 999] Where X is: From A to J Konstanz District (Excluding Büsingen am Hochrhein Municipality) [STO-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: C, E, G, I, J, K, L, V, X, Z From [STO-AX 1 to 999] to [STO-ZX 1 to 999] Where X is: From K to T SU Rhein-Sieg District North Rhine-Westphalia Siegburg SUL Amberg-Sulzbach District Bavaria Sulzbach-Rosenberg SÜW Südliche Weinstraße District Rhineland-Palatinate Südliche Weinstraße SW Schweinfurt District Bavaria Schweinfurt From [SW-AA 100 to 9999] to [SW-ZZ 100 to 9999] [SW-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [SW-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Schweinfurt City [SW-X 1 to 9999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [SW-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q SWA Rheingau-Taunus District Hesse Bad Schwalbach SY Diepholz District Lower Saxony Syke SZ Salzgitter City Lower Saxony Salzgitter SZB Erzgebirge District Saxony Schwarzenberg
Codes starting with letter T Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes TBB Main-Tauber District Baden-Württemberg Tauberbischofsheim TDO Nordsachsen District Saxony Torgau-Delitzsch-Oschatz TE Steinfurt District North Rhine-Westphalia Tecklenburg TET Rostock District Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Teterow TF Teltow-Fläming District Brandenburg Teltow-Fläming TG Nordsachsen District Saxony Torgau THL Thuringia Government and Landtag Thuringia Thüringer Landtag Code reserved for Thuringia State-owned governmental vehicles THW Federal Agency for Technical Relief Technisches Hilfswerk Code reserved for Vehicles of German Federal Agency for Technical Relief. TIR Tirschenreuth District Bavaria Tirschenreuth TO Nordsachsen District Saxony Torgau-Oschatz TÖL Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen District Bavaria Bad Tölz TP Uckermark District Brandenburg Templin TR Trier-Saarburg District Trier City Rhineland-Palatinate Trier TS Traunstein District Bavaria Traunstein TT Bodensee (Lake Constance) District Baden-Württemberg Tettnang TÜ Tübingen District Baden-Württemberg Tübingen TUT Tuttlingen District Baden-Württemberg Tuttlingen
Codes starting with letter U Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes ÜB Sigmaringen District Baden-Württemberg Überlingen [ÜB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: K, N, P, Q, U, W, Y, Z [ÜB-X 1000 to 9999] Where X is : A, E From [ÜB-XA 1 to 99] to [ÜB-XZ 1 to 99] Where X is: A, C, E [ÜB-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is: BB, HH, II, MM, NN, OO, XX [ÜB-XY 1000 to 9999] Where XY is: FF, GG, PP, RR, VV Ravensburg District [ÜB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: A, C, E, G, I, J, L [ÜB-X 1000 to 9999] Where X is: B, X From [ÜB-XA 1 to 99] to [ÜB-XZ 1 to 99] Where X is: U, V, W, Y, Z [ÜB-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is: AA, DD, FF [ÜB-XY 1000 to 9999] Where XY is: KK, OO, TT, RV Bodensee (Lake Constance) District [ÜB-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, D, F, H, M, O, R, S, T, V, X [ÜB-X 1000 to 9999] Where X is not: A, B, E, X From [ÜB-XA 1 to 99] to [ÜB-XZ 1 to 99] Where X isn't: A, C, E, U, V, W, Y, Z [ÜB-XY 100 to 999] Where XY is not: AA, BB, DD, FF, HH, II, MM, NN, OO, XX [ÜB-XY 1000 to 9999] Where XY is not: FF, GG, KK, OO, PP, RR, RV,TT, VV UE Uelzen District Lower Saxony Uelzen UEM Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ueckermünde UFF Neustadt an der Aisch-Bad Windsheim District Bavaria Uffenheim UH Unstrut-Hainich District Thuringia Unstrut-Hainich UL Alb-Donau District Baden-Württemberg Ulm From [UL-AA 100 to 999] to [UL-ZZ 100 to 999] From [UL-NA 1000 to 9999] to [UL-ZZ1000 to 9999] [UL-X 1 to 999] Where X is: B, F, G, I, O, Q [UL-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Ulm City [UL-A 1000 to 4999], [UL-A 6000 to 9999] From [UL-B 1000 to 9999] to [UL-Z 1000 to 9999] [UL-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't: B, F, G, I, O, Q [UL-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q UM Uckermark District Brandenburg Uckermark UN Unna District North Rhine-Westphalia Unna USI Hochtaunus District Hesse Usingen
Codes starting with letter V Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes V Vogtland District Saxony Vogtland VAI Ludwigsburg District Baden-Württemberg Vaihingen VB Vogelsberg District Hesse Vogelsberg VEC Vechta District Lower Saxony Vechta VER Verden District Lower Saxony Verden VG Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Vorpommern-Greifswald VIB Rottal-Inn District Bavaria Vilsbiburg [VIB-X 1 to 9999] Where X is: B, I, O, Q] Mühldorf am Inn District [VIB-G 1 to 9999] Landshut District Every other available combination VIE Viersen District North Rhine-Westphalia Viersen VIT Regen District Bavaria Viechtach VK Völklingen City (A subdivision of Saarbrücken Region) Saarland Völklingen VOH Neustadt an der Waldnaab District Bavaria Vohenstrauß VR Vorpommern-Rügen District (Excluding Stralsund City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Vorpommern-Rügen VS Schwarzwald-Baar District Baden-Württemberg Villingen-Schwenningen
Codes starting with letter W Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes W Wuppertal City North Rhine-Westphalia Wuppertal WA Waldeck-Frankenberg District Hesse Waldeck WAF Warendorf District North Rhine-Westphalia Warendorf WAK Wartburg District Thuringia Wartburgkreis WAN Herne City North Rhine-Westphalia Wanne-Eickel WAR Höxter District North Rhine-Westphalia Warburg WAT Bochum City North Rhine-Westphalia Wattenscheid WB Wittenberg District Saxony-Anhalt Wittenberg WBS Eichsfeld District Thuringia Leinefelde-Worbis WDA Zwickau District Saxony Werdau WE Weimar City Thuringia Weimar WEL Limburg-Weilburg District Hesse Weilburg WEN Weiden in der Oberpfalz City Bavaria Weiden WER Augsburg District Bavaria Wertingen [WAR-YA 1 to 999] to [WAR-YZ 1 to 999] From [WAR-A 7000 to 9999] to [WAR-Z 7000 to 9999] Dillingen an der Donau District Every other available combination WES Wesel District North Rhine-Westphalia Wesel WF Wolfenbüttel District Lower Saxony Wolfenbüttel WG Ravensburg District Baden-Württemberg Wangen WHV Wilhelmshaven City Lower Saxony Wilhelmshaven WI Wiesbaden City Hesse Wiesbaden (Excludes [WI-HP 100 to 9999], reserved for City Police) WIL Bernkastel-Wittlich District Rhineland-Palatinate Wittlich WIS Nordwestmecklenburg District (Excluding Wismar City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Wismar WIT Ennepe-Ruhr District North Rhine-Westphalia Witten WIZ Werra-Meißner District Hesse Witzenhausen WK Ostprignitz-Ruppin District Brandenburg Wittstock WL Harburg District Lower Saxony Winsen (Luhe) WLG Vorpommern-Greifswald District (Excluding Greifswald City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Wolgast WM Weilheim-Schongau District Bavaria Weilheim WMS Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Wolmirstedt WN Rems-Murr District Baden-Württemberg Waiblingen WND Sankt Wendel District Saarland Sankt Wendel WO Worms City Rhineland-Palatinate Worms WOB Wolfsburg City Lower Saxony Wolfsburg WOH Kassel District Hesse Wolfhagen WOL Freudenstadt District Baden-Württemberg Wolfach From [WOL-A 9000 to 9999] to [WOL-E 9000 to 9999] Ortenau District Every other available combination WOR Munich District Bavaria Wolfratshausen [WOL-F 1 to 9999] [WOL-O 1 to 9999] Starnberg District [WOL-B 1 to 9999] [WOL-G 1 to 9999] Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen District Every other available combination WOS Freyung-Grafenau District Bavaria Wolfstein WR Harz District Saxony-Anhalt Wernigerode WRN Mecklenburgische Seenplatte District (Excluding Neubrandenburg City) Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Waren WS Mühldorf am Inn District Bavaria Wasserburg [WS-Q 1 to 9999] From [WS-QA 1 to 9999] to [WS-QZ 1 to 9999] Rosenheim District Every other available combination WSF Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Weissenfels WST Ammerland District Lower Saxony Westerstede WSW Görlitz District Saxony Weisswasser WT Waldshut District Baden-Württemberg Waldshut-Tiengen WTL Osnabrück District Lower Saxony Wittlage WTM Wittmund District Lower Saxony Wittmund WÜ Würzburg City Bavaria Würzburg From [WÜ-AA 100 to 999] to [WÜ-ZZ 100 to 999] From [WÜ-AA 1000 to 9999] to [WÜ-ZZ 1000 to 9999] (Excludes [WÜ-PP 1 to 9999], reserved for Police) [WÜ-X 1 to 999] Where X is B, F, G, I, O, Q [WÜ-XY 1 to 99] Where either X or Y or both are: B, F, G, I, O, Q Würzburg District From [WÜ-A 1000 to 9999] to [WÜ-Z 1000 to 9999] [WÜ-X 1 to 999] Where X isn't B, F, G, I, O, Q [WÜ-XY 1 to 99] Where neither X nor Y are: B, F, G, I, O, Q WUG Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen District Bavaria Weißenburg WÜM Cham District Bavaria Waldmünchen (with rearranged letter order) WUN Wunsiedel im Fichtelgebirge District Bavaria Wunsiedel WUR Leipzig District Saxony Wurzen WW Westerwald District Rhineland-Palatinate Westerwald WZ Lahn-Dill District Hesse Wetzlar WZL Börde District Saxony-Anhalt Wanzleben-Börde
Codes starting with letter X Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes X NATO Headquarters in Germany Arbitrarily chosen [X-1000] Format
Codes starting with letter Y Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes Y Bundeswehr (German Federal Military) Arbitrarily chosen [Y-100 123] Format
Codes starting with letter Z Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes Z Zwickau District Saxony Zwickau ZE Anhalt-Bitterfeld District Saxony-Anhalt Zerbst ZEL Cochem-Zell District Rhineland-Palatinate Zell ZI Görlitz District Saxony Zittau ZIG Schwalm-Eder District Hesse Ziegenhain ZP Erzgebirge District Saxony Zschopau ZR Greiz District Thuringia Zeulenroda-Triebes ZW Zweibrücken City Rhineland-Palatinate Zweibrücken From [ZW-A 1 to 9999] to [ZW-Z 1 to 9999] From [ZW-AA 100 to 9999] to [ZW-ZZ 100 to 9999] Südwestpfalz District From [ZW-AA 1 to 99] to [ZW-ZZ 1 to 99] ZZ Burgenland District Saxony-Anhalt Zeitz
Codes starting with Numbers, 0 to 9 Code City / Rural District State Namesake Notes 0 [0-1] Vehicle of the Federal President [0-2] Vehicle of the Federal Chancellor [0-3] Vehicle of the Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs [0-4] Vehicle of the State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office [0-## 1 to 999] [0-### 1 to 999] Diplomatic License plate Where ## or ### is a numerical code associated with each country. 1 [1-1] Vehicle of the President of the Bundestag

Stickers

Number plates become valid when official seals are put on them. These are round stickers, about 45 millimeters wide. They are placed after the area code. They show the seal of the German state (Bundesland) and the name of the district that issued the plate. Older stickers were smaller and only had one color. Vehicles used by federal groups, like the Federal Police, have the German eagle (Bundesadler) instead of a state seal.

On the back plate, above the official seal, there's another sticker for the vehicle safety test. This test is required every two years (or three years for a new car). The sticker makes it easy to see when the next test is due. The month of expiration is shown by how the sticker is rotated, and the year is printed in the middle. The color of the sticker also changes every six years to help identify the year.

Before 2010, there was also a hexagonal sticker on the front plate for the emission test. But now, the emission test is part of the safety test, so this sticker is no longer needed.

All these stickers are made so they are easy to put on but very hard to remove without damaging the plate. This helps prevent people from faking them. The only plates that don't need these seals are "repeater" plates. These are used when the original rear plate is covered by something, like a bike rack.

• 

  Registration seal, City of Duisburg, older version.

• 

  Registration seal, City of Duisburg, newer version.

• 

  Registration seal (Coburg district, Bavaria).

• 

  Safety test sticker.

• 

  Emission test sticker (used 1985–2010).

• 

  Safety test and registration seal (from Fürth, Bavaria).

• 

  Bundeswehr (armed forces) registration seal with the German eagle.

Colors of the Vehicle Safety Test Stickers

Color		Year
	Yellow-orange	—	1979	1983	1989	1995	2001	2007	2013	2019	2025	2031
	Sky blue	—	1978	1984	1990	1996	2002	2008	2014	2020	2026	2032
	Lemon yellow	—	1977	1985	1991	1997	2003	2009	2015	2021	2027	2033
	Copper brown	1974	1980	1986	1992	1998	2004	2010	2016	2022	2028	2034
	Light pink	1975	1981	1987	1993	1999	2005	2011	2017	2023	2029	2035
	Yellow-green	1976	1982	1988	1994	2000	2006	2012	2018	2024	2030	2036

Serial Letters and Digits

The last part of the number plate is the Erkennungsnummer, or identifier. It has one or two letters, followed by one to four numbers. This means many combinations are possible, like A1 to ZZ9999. However, the total number of characters on the plate (including the area code) can't be more than eight.

All 26 letters of the alphabet can be used. In the past, some letters like I, O, and Q were not used to avoid confusion with numbers. But since 2000, all letters are allowed.

In older plates (before 1994), there was a hyphen after the area code. This hyphen isn't on new plates, but the space between the area code and the serial letters is still important. For example, F ST 683 is different from FS T 683. To avoid confusion, people often write a hyphen, like F-ST 683.

Personalized Plates

For a small extra fee, car owners can choose their own letters and numbers for the identifier part of the plate. Many people like to choose their initials and numbers that match their birthday. For example, if someone named Ulrike Mustermann was born on May 2, 1965, and lives in Essen, she might choose E-UM 2565.

Some companies also use personalized plates for fun. For example, BMW, which owns Mini, registers its Mini press cars in the Minden-Lübbecke district, which has the code MI, so they can get "MI-NI" plates.

However, there are rules. You can't use leading zeros (like 007) or mix letters and numbers in ways that aren't allowed. But even with these rules, you can still see many creative personalized plates on German roads!

• 

  Bier means beer, of course…

• 

  …and Geld means money.

• 

  Guess what music this person likes!

• 

  Dial 110 for police.

• 
• 

Forbidden Combinations

Some letter combinations are not allowed on German number plates because they are considered offensive or linked to bad parts of history. This mostly includes abbreviations related to the Nazi era, such as NS, KZ, HJ, SS, and SA. These combinations are generally not issued in any district. For example, the city of Nuremberg does not issue plates like N-S.

In some cases, districts have chosen different codes to avoid these combinations. For instance, the district of Sächsische Schweiz used PIR (from its capital, Pirna) instead of SS.

Sometimes, combinations that might seem offensive in other languages are allowed, like AC-AB (from Aachen). But other combinations are avoided, like MO-RD (Mord means murder in German) or SU-FF (Suff means boozing). The local district office decides whether a combination is allowed.

Reserved Combinations

Some districts keep certain letter combinations reserved for special vehicles. For example, the city of Dresden uses all DD-Q plates for state police vehicles. Similarly, Erfurt uses EF-LP for the police in Thuringia. In Munich and other Bavarian cities, combinations with 'P' (like M-PM) are reserved for police units. Firefighter vehicles in many districts use the middle letters FW (for Feuerwehr, which means fire department).

Fake Number Plates

Sometimes, in movies or TV shows, you might see number plates that aren't real. It's easiest to create a fictional area code, like NN-XY 555. In the past, it was also possible to use letters like B, F, G, I, O, and Q in the middle section, as they weren't issued on real plates then. But now, all these letters can appear on real plates. To show a plate is fake, filmmakers might use an umlaut (like Ö or Ü) in the middle section, which is not allowed on real plates.

Registration Process

To get a number plate, vehicles must be registered with the owner's name and address. You need to show your ID, vehicle documents, and proof of insurance. The registration happens at the local district office. You can even ask for a specific number plate combination if you want.

However, you have to buy the actual physical plates separately. You can get them at local shops or online. After buying the plates, you go back to the registration office to get the official seals put on them. There's a fee for registration and for the plates themselves.

If you sell your car or move to a new district, you need to update the registration. If you stay in the same district, you can keep your plates. But if you move to a different district, you used to have to change your plates. Since 2015, this rule has changed. Now, you can keep your old plates even if you move to a new district. This means you can't always tell where a car owner lives just by looking at their plate's area code anymore.

When you want to stop using your vehicle, you "deregister" it. The office will remove the official seals from your plates to show they can't be used publicly anymore. Once the seals are removed, you can only drive the car home. It's usually a good idea to deregister your car when you sell it to avoid problems if the new owner gets into trouble.

If a car owner doesn't pay their insurance, the police can remove the official seal from their plate. This makes the car illegal to use or leave in public. You can only drive it to the registration office to get a new seal once the insurance is paid.

Costs

As of 2020, registering a car costs about €26. There might be extra fees if you choose a personalized plate. The prices for the number plates themselves can vary, from less than €10 to about €40 each. It's often cheaper to order plates online.

You also have to pay vehicle tax (which depends on the car's engine and emissions) and mandatory insurance.

Special Types of Registration

Besides regular registration, there are special ways to register vehicles:

• Seasonal plates: Popular for motorcycles or convertibles, these plates show the months the vehicle is allowed to be driven each year (e.g., April to October). This can save money on tax and insurance.
• Export plates: Used for vehicles being sent to other countries. They have a red strip on the right showing the expiration date of the plate and insurance.
• Interchangeable plates: You can register two vehicles (like two cars or two motorcycles) with one main number plate. Only the last digit changes between the two vehicles. The main part of the plate moves between the vehicles, while a small extra plate with the last digit stays on each.
• Temporary plates: These are valid for only five days and are used for unregistered vehicles, often to drive them to a safety inspection. They have a yellow strip on the right showing the expiration date.

Special Codes, Colors, and Formats

Some vehicles have special number plates with different codes or colors.

Different Codes

Vehicles owned by the government (federal, state, or local) often have special abbreviations instead of a district code.

• Highest State Offices: The German President uses 0-1, the Chancellor uses 0-2, and the Foreign Minister uses 0-3. These cars don't pay tax or need insurance because the government covers them.
• The Military (Bundeswehr): Uses the letter Y instead of a city code, followed by numbers (e.g., Y-123 456). There's no German city that starts with Y. These vehicles also don't pay tax or need insurance.

• NATO Headquarters: Military vehicles used by NATO in Germany use X followed by numbers (e.g., X-1234).
• Federal and State Governments: The federal government uses BD (for Bundesrepublik Deutschland). State governments use their own codes. For example, the police in North Rhine-Westphalia use the state code.

• Other Federal Institutions:

* The Technisches Hilfswerk (German Federal Agency for Technical Relief) uses THW. * The Federal Administration of Waterways and Navigation uses BW followed by a digit. * Before they were private, the German Federal Railways used DB and the German Federal Mail used BP. * The Federal Police uses BP. Before 2006, they used BG.

• 

  Official vehicle for Technisches Hilfswerk.

• 

  Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes.

• 

  Old Bundesgrenzschutz plate (no longer issued).

• 

  Bundespolizei (Federal Police) plate.

• Official Cars (before 2006): Police, fire fighting, and city vehicles used to have plates without a letter after the sticker, like M-1234. Many older official vehicles still have these plates.
• Diplomatic Plates: Cars used by embassies or consulates (covered by diplomatic immunity) have a 0 (zero) at the beginning, followed by numbers that identify the embassy and the specific car.

• 

  Diplomatic plate, Indonesian embassy in Berlin.

• 

  Plate for a diplomatic employee, French embassy in Berlin.

• 

  Consular corps plate in Hamburg.

Different Colors

Most German plates have black characters on a white background. But there are a few exceptions:

• Tax-Exempt Vehicles: Vehicles that don't have to pay vehicle taxes (like ambulances, tractors, or certain trailers) have green letters on a white background.

• Car Dealers' Plates: These plates are red with white characters and start with 06. Dealers use them for test drives of unregistered cars. The insurance is linked to the plate, not a specific car.

• Vehicle Collectors: Collectors of vintage cars can get red plates starting with 07. These plates can be used on any of their old cars, as long as they keep a record of when each car is used. The cars must be at least 30 years old.

Different Formats and Styles

• Classic Vehicles: Old cars (called Oldtimer in German) can get an H (for historisch, meaning historic) at the end of their plate, like K-AA 100H. This helps preserve these "cultural value" vehicles and gives them a flat tax rate. To get an H-plate, the car must be at least 30 years old and mostly in original condition.

• Electric Vehicles: Since 2015, electric cars can get a special plate with an E at the end of the number, like B-XY 123E. This helps identify them for special benefits.

• Seasonal Number Plates: These plates have two two-digit numbers at the end that show the months the vehicle is registered to drive (e.g., 04-10 for April to October). This is popular for vehicles only used part of the year, like motorcycles or convertibles, and can save money on taxes and insurance.

• Interchangeable Plates: Two vehicles of the same type (e.g., two cars) can share one main number plate. Only the last digit changes between them. The main part of the plate moves between the vehicles, and a small extra plate with the last digit stays on each.

• Temporary Registrations: These "yellow number plates" are used for vehicles that aren't currently registered. They are valid for only five days and are used to drive a vehicle to a technical inspection or to a new storage location. The numeric code starts with 04, and a yellow strip on the right shows the expiration date.

• 

  Special plate for vehicles to be exported.

• 

  Older export plate (no longer used).

• 

  Car with both interchangeable and historic plates.

History of German Number Plates

German Empire and Weimar Republic

The first German number plates with a clear lettering plan appeared in 1906. Different states and regions in the German Empire used different prefixes, like Roman numerals (e.g., I for Prussia) or letters (e.g., HH for Hamburg). During World War I, the German Army used MK. After the war, during the Weimar Republic, the army used RW.

Postwar Germany

After World War II in 1945, the winning Allied forces changed the German number plate system. They introduced new letter combinations for their different occupation zones. At first, the zones were identified by the first letter: A for American, B for British, F for French, and S for Soviet.

The city of Berlin had special plates. After 1945, the Soviet forces used Cyrillic letters (like БM) for a short time. Later, plates with KB (for Kommandatura Berlin) were used, and in East Berlin, GB was used.

• 

  Number plate from Bavaria, American occupation zone.

• 

  Number plate from Schleswig-Holstein, British occupation zone.

• 

  Number plate from Baden, French occupation zone (motorcycle).

• 

  Number plate from Saxony, Soviet occupation zone.

US Forces Vehicles

Since 2000, US military personnel in Germany have used plates that look similar to German plates but have special area codes like AD, AF, and HK. They also have the NATO symbol instead of the EU stars. Since 2006, these vehicles use regular German area codes, usually from the district where they are stationed.

East Germany (DDR)

East Germany (the German Democratic Republic) had its own style of number plates from 1953. The first letter showed the district, but these letters were given out almost alphabetically from North to South, not based on the district's name. After Germany reunited in 1990, the West German system was introduced in East Germany between 1991 and 1993.

West Germany

In July 1956, the current system was introduced in West Germany. It was based on the German districts. Each district got an alphabetical code, usually from the name of the city or capital. Larger cities often got one-letter codes (like B for Berlin or M for Munich), while most other districts got two- or three-letter codes. This was meant to make all plates about the same length.

Some cities, like Hamburg, kept their historical two-letter codes (HH for Hansestadt Hamburg) because of their past as Hanseatic League cities.

Some codes were changed early on to avoid confusion or offensive meanings. For example, the district of Wittlich rejected WC and got WIL instead. The code KZ was quickly removed for Konstanz and replaced with KN due to its connection to concentration camps. Codes like SA, SS, and HJ were also avoided.

When Germany reunited in 1990, new area codes were given to the East German districts, often using codes that had been reserved since before 1956. For example, P was used for Potsdam.

Liberalized Registration Rules

After the districts were reorganized from the 1970s onwards, many old area codes were no longer issued. However, plates issued before these changes remained valid. So, you could sometimes see a classic car with a code from a district that no longer existed.

In 2012, a new rule called Kennzeichenliberalisierung (number plate liberalization) was introduced. This allowed many of these old, abolished area codes to be used again. For example, in the district of Wesel, you can now register vehicles with MO (for the former district of Moers) or DIN (for the former district of Dinslaken), in addition to the standard WES. By 2020, 323 old codes had been brought back.

Also, it became possible to "take your number along" when you move. This means you can keep your old number plate even if you move to a different district. Because of this, the area code on a plate doesn't always tell you where the car owner currently lives.

Insurance Plates

Smaller, low-power vehicles like mopeds, motorized wheelchairs, and e-scooters use a different kind of number plate called a Versicherungskennzeichen (insurance plate). These plates are much smaller and have three numbers on top and three letters below. You can't choose your own combination for these plates.

These plates are only valid for one year, from March 1st to the end of February the next year. They are sold by insurance companies, and the fee includes both the registration and one year of insurance. There are four colors used for the letters: black, blue, green, and red (for temporary use). The first three colors change every year. This makes it easy for police to see if the vehicle has a current and valid plate and insurance.

Colors of the Insurance Plates (from March 1st each year)

Color		Year
	Jet black	1990	1993	1996	1999	2002	2005	2008	2011	2014	2017	2020	2023	2026	2029	2032
	Light blue	1991	1994	1997	2000	2003	2006	2009	2012	2015	2018	2021	2024	2027	2030	2033
	Grass green	1992	1995	1998	2001	2004	2007	2010	2013	2016	2019	2022	2025	2028	2031	2034

Images for kids

• 

  1-letter area code Z for Zwickau

• 

  2-letter area code TR for Trier

• 

  3-letter area code CUX for Cuxhaven

• 

  Registration seal, City of Duisburg, pre-1994 version with city arms

• 

  Registration seal, City of Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, post-1994 version with state emblem

• 

  Registration seal (Coburg district, Bavaria)

• 

  Safety test sticker

• 

  Emission test sticker (1985—2010)

• 

  Safety test (here: valid until June 2007) and registration seal (Fürth, Bavaria)

• 

  Bundeswehr registration seal with the Bundesadler

• 

  N plate with two middle letters from Nuremberg (Nürnberg) city

• 

  N plate with one middle letter from Nürnberger Land district

• 

  Two plates with umlauts, from Göttingen and Würzburg

• 

  Map of German districts and their licence plate codes

• 

  Example of banned combination (NS) which was issued accidentally

• 

  Licence plate of a police car in Saxony

• 

  Official registered vehicle for Technisches Hilfswerk (German Federal Agency for Technical Relief)

• 

  Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes, here: South Office in Würzburg

• 

  Bundesgrenzschutz licence plate, old-style code BG, no longer issued

• 

  Bundespolizei (Federal Police), code BP in use since 2005

• 

  Official registered vehicle (here: fire brigade)

• 

  Official registered vehicle for disaster relief

• 

  Diplomatic plate, Indonesian embassy in Berlin

• 

  Plate for diplomatic employee, French embassy in Berlin

• 

  Consular corps plate in Hamburg

• 

  Plate for tax-exempt vehicles

• 

  Plate for dealer's cars (red colour, old DIN-style) for test drives

• 

  Plate for vintage car collector

• 

  Plate for a specific vintage car

• 

  Plate for Plug-in electric vehicle

• 

  Seasonal number plate, here valid from 1 April to 31 October of each year

• 

  Interchangeable licence plate (Wechselkennzeichen)

• 

  Temporary plate (Kurzzeit-Kennzeichen); this one was valid until 9 March 2004.

• 

  Special plate for vehicles to be exported (Ausfuhrkennzeichen)

• 

  Former special plate for vehicles to be exported (Zollkennzeichen, customs plate) — no longer in use. It was replaced by the Ausfuhrkennzeichen in the 1980s.

• 

  Car with a combination of interchangeable and historic plate

• 

  Licence Plate from Thuringia (1930s)

• 

  Army vehicle

• 

  Licence plate from Bavaria, American occupation zone

• 

  Licence plate from Schleswig-Holstein, British occupation zone

• 

  Licence plate from Baden, French occupation zone (motorcycle format)

• 

  Licence plate from Saxony, Soviet occupation zone

• 

  Occupation 1947 licence plate

• 

  Trabant with East Berlin licence plate

• 

  Number plate in the 1956 style, from Hannover

• 

  Überlingen licence plate, reintroduced in Bodenseekreis in 2020

• 

  Insurance plates; the colour of the letters is changed every year.

• 

  Car with maximum speed reduced to 25 km/h (16 mph), hence using an insurance plate

• 

  E-Scooter

• 

  Plate of the German Chancellor

• 

  Example of permitted combination AC-AB

See also

In Spanish: Matrículas automovilísticas de Alemania para niños

• Liste aller Kfz-Kennzeichen der Bundesrepublik Deutschland List of all registration codes issued under the current registration system
• Liste der deutschen Kfz-Kennzeichen, die nicht mehr ausgegeben werden List of registration codes no longer issued
• Liste der deutschen Kfz-Kennzeichen (historisch) List of repealed registration codes
• Liste der Kfz-Kennzeichen in Deutschland List of registration codes currently issued