German European License Plate Meanings & Style Descriptions
The current form of German European license plates have been in use since 1994. Most license plates for countries in the European Union have a blue strip on the left side of the plate. This strip has the country code in white - for Germany it is a "D" for Deutschland. Above the country code is the Flag of Europe with is the 12 golden stars in a circle.
(FE-style)1994 & later format of German License Plates
(DIN-style) Pre-1994 Format. These are no longer issued but some are still in use.
After the blue decal, the 2 - 3 letter combo on the plate represents the region or city that the car was registered. For example, B for is for Berlin. The number of letters in the prefix code generally reflects the district size. The larger districts have short one letter codes and more numerical digist after. The larger cities are as follows: B=Berlin, M=Munich, K=Cologne (Köln), F=Frankfurt, L=Leipzig, S=Stuttgart. There are many exceptions to these general license plate rules based on location, size of the disctrict and population density. On authentic German license plates the total number of letters and numbers is never higher than eight. German car owners are able to choose customized license plates as long as the plate is unique and the numbers and letters a re not a prohibited combonation. Germany includes diacritical marks (Ä, Ö and Ü) in the letters of some codes, this is unique to Germany and not done in other EU countries. We are proud to offer the authentic typeface on our plates - FE-Schrift ("fälschungserschwerende Schrift", tamper-hindering script).
Special Issued German License Plates Meanings
Classic Cars are also known as Oldtimer cars in Germany. These are designated by placing an H (Historisch) at the end of the plate. To quality for an H-plate the car must be at leat 30 years old and in well maintained original condition.
Plate for Vintage German Cars
Seasonal number plates are typically registered to bikes. These have 2 numbers on the right that represent the months that the vehicle is licensed to drive. In the example of our seasonal German license plate to the right, the vehicle can be on the road from 1st May to 31st October of each year.
Official government cars such as police, fire fighting and municipality vehicles are shown below. The numbers distinguish between the section of government that the car represents.
Tax Exempt Vehicles ( agricultural trailers, ambulances, tractors, trailers for boats or trailers for gliders) have a white background with green paint.
Car dealers license plates have a white background with red print. The code begins with "06". These plates are for test driving and the liability insurance is tied to the plate rather than to the car.
Export plates are used for when sending cars abroad. They are also known as Ausfuhrkennzeichen - Customs plates. The do not have the blue sticker on the left and they are the only plates that a non-German resident can use to register the car. On the right side there is a red strip that displays the expiration date of the vehicle insurance.
Emission, safety test and registration sticker for German License plates
Stickers for emission tests are adhered to the front license plate and vehicle safety test stickers are attached to the rear plate. In the center of the sticker the number is the year that the test is expired. The month is designated by black markings. Starting in 2010 emission test stickers are no longer used as the safety test stickers cover both. The other sticker is the official seal of registration, which has the seal of the German state/district of issue.
Emission test sticker
Safety test sticker
Registration seal
Colors of the emission test and vehicle safety test stickers:
Color
Year
Orange
1995
2001
2007
Blue
1996
2002
2008
Yellow
1997
2003
2009
Brown
1998
2004
2010
Pink
1999
2005
2011
Green
2000
2006
2012
German City Codes
AB - Aschaffenburg, Bavaria
ABG - Altenburger Land, Thuringia
AC - Aachen, North-Rhine-Westphalia
AH - Ahaus, North-Rhine-Westphalia
AIB - Bad Aibling, Bavaria
AIC - Aichach-Friedberg, Bavaria
AE - Auerbach, Saxony
AK - Altenkirchen (Westerwald), Rhineland Palatinate
AL - Altena, North-Rhine-Westphalia
ALF - Alfeld, Lower Saxony
ALS - Alsfeld, Hesse
ALZ - Alzenau, Bavaria
AM - Amberg, Bavaria
AN - Ansbach, Bavaria
ANA - Annaberg-Buchholz, Saxony
ANG - Angermünde, Brandenburg
ANK - Anklam, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
AÖ - Altötting, Bavaria
AP - Apolda & Weimarer Land, Thuringia
APD - Apolda, Thuringia
AR - Arnsberg, North-Rhine-Westphalia
ARN - Arnstadt, Thuringia
ART - Artern, Thuringia
AS - Amberg-Sulzbach, Bavaria
ASD - Aschendorf, Lower Saxony
ASL - Aschersleben-Staßfurter Landkreis, Saxony-Anhalt
ASZ - Aue-Schwarzenberg, Saxony
AT - Alten-Treptow, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
AU - Aue, Saxony
AUR - Aurich, Lower Saxony
AW - Ahrweiler, Rhineland Palatinate
AZ - Alzey-Worms, Rhineland Palatinate
AZE - Anhalt-Zerbst, Saxony-Anhalt
B - Berlin
BA - Bamberg, Bavaria
BAD - Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg
BAR - Barnim (Eberswalde), Brandenburg
BB - Böblingen, Baden-Württemberg
BBG - Bernburg, Saxony-Anhalt
BBL - Brandenburg Land official vehicles
BC - Biberach, Baden-Württemberg
BCH - Buchen, Baden-Württemberg
BD - Federal German government vehicles (Bundestag /
