Dutch vehicle registration plates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dutch vehicle registrations are done by the Rijksdienst voor het Wegverkeer, short RDW. The accompanying license plates are assigned to the car's identity papers. If a car changes owner then the registration number stays with the car, not the owner. However, the number changes when the car undergoes technical changes that require its renewed validation.
License numbers are ordered only in time. The numbering scheme bears no relation to the geography of its registration.
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[edit] Numbering schemes
The current Dutch license plate system uses black letters on a light-reflecting yellow background. The previous series used white reflecting letters on a dark-blue background. Their numbering schemes however are the same.
Dutch car license plates can be formatted as follows (L=letter, D=digit)
- 1951 and on: LL-DD-DD
- 1965 and on: DD-DD-LL
- 1973 and on: DD-LL-DD
- 1978 and on: LL-DD-LL
- 1991 and on: LL-LL-DD
- 1999 and on: DD-LL-LL
- 2006 and on: DD-LLL-D
Letters do not include A,E,I,O,U to avoid profane or obscene language. Furthermore, the letters W and M are avoided for reasons of legibility, as are C and Q to avoid confusion with the zero. Letters and numbers are given out in strict alphabetical/numeric order. Hence, a Dutch license plate says all about the date of registration of a car, but nothing about where the car comes from or whom it belongs to.
[edit] Special-use license plates
The following exceptions are used to mark special use cases of a vehicle.
- The B in the first letter position used to refer to a "Bedrijfswagen" (commercial vehicle): a special status for cars that are exclusively used for commercial purposes. Commercial license registrations have a separate taxation class, though some 10% of the carpark is registered as commercial. A commercial license is often called "grijs kenteken" (gray registration), referring to the colour of the car's registration papers.
- The B was followed by the V to mark commercial registrations. Formats: DD-BL-LL or DD-VL-LL, earlier BL-LL-DD or VL-LL-DD.
- The M is used for motorcycles (ML-DD-LL)
- AA (AA-DD) is used for vehicles registered to the Dutch royal family.
- CD (CD-DD-DD) or (DD-CD-DD) stands for Corps Diplomatique and is used for diplomats
- DE, AE (DE/AE-DD-DD) (and YA in the format DD-YA-DD) are used for imported classic cars.
- BE are for classic commercial vehicles (BE-DD-DD)
- HA is used for car merchants, e.g. for test-rides with unregistered cars.
- GN and BN are used for vehicles whose owner is not liable to taxation
- GV (GV-DD-DD) or (DD-DD-GV) is used for agricultural vehicles that may cross national borders (grensverkeer)
- KW (KW-DD-DD) is used for military cars (not trucks or vans)
- ZZ (ZZ-DD-DD) is used for vehicles with a special exemption to enter public roads, such as cranes.
- The W is used for light trailers and caravans.
- For truck (heavy) trailers the combination with 0D, 0F and 0G is used.
This list is not exhaustive. The Dutch Wikipedia article nl:Nederlands kenteken contains more exceptions.
[edit] Recent changes
The license plates have subtly changed shape in 2002, when not only the letter type (or font) changed, but also a few other changes were made.
- Combatting fraudulent reports of stolen license plates (giving one three weeks to break speed limits with an alibi), license plates are replaced immediately but using the same number. The new license plate is tagged with a small number 1 over the first dash, that is increased with each new plate.
- A blue blackground is used for taxis.
- White letters on a blue background are used for oldtimers older than 25 years
- Black letters on a white background are used for trailers that hide the car's actual license plate.
- Trailers, caravans etc. have now got their own black/white license plate.
- The W has been introduced.
- The letter Y is no longer used.
The RDW (the government service handles the registrations) will soon exhaust all the combinations of license numbers. Starting 2005, the RDW will start requiring regular license plates for mopeds, replacing the old insurance license plates. When the old series of the other vehicle's license plates have ended, they will start using the same license plates, that is formatted as DD-LLL-D.
