Vehicle registration plates of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina vehicle registration plates have held their current form since 1998. Currently the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) vehicle registration consists of seven characters: five numbers and two letter arranged in the following order X00 - X - 000. The plates are uniform across the country and do not denote the place (town, municipality, canton, or entity) where the vehicle is registered, as was the case prior to 1998. Likewise the plates also do not contain any heraldic symbols. The plates use only letters which have the same pronunciation in Latin and Cyrillic script (A, E, O, J, K, M, T).

Contents

History

The revised registration plates were introduced as an initiative of the International High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Carlos Westendorp [1]. In a report from the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina prior to the decision, it had been noted that police conduct around the Inter-Entity Boundary Line separating the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, had been the "greatest obstacle to freedom of movement", including intimidation and arbitrary fines.[2]

Elsewhere it has been noted that vehicles which bore licence plates from one entity would be subject to vandalism in the other entity.[3] The development of licence plates which would not serve as proxy identifiers of driver ethnicity was a partial solution to these problems.[4] However, Bosnian towns typically contain all three constitutional ethnicities (Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs) making ethnic identity unclear regardless of the vehicle's origin. The post-1998 system of obscuring the region is also complicated by the fact that drivers of cars, lorries and buses proud of their ethnicity will advertise this phenomenon with all the matching insignia. For example: Croats and Serbs may drive with crosses hanging from their mirrors; besides the fact that Catholic and Orthodox crosses vary in design, they may also have by the cross - or elsewhere visible - their national flags. In addition, Croats and Serbs in areas where they form a majority do not display the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina or any national Bosnian symbols, making it clear that where Bosnian national markers are shown - whether attached to the registration plate, the back of the car or the interior - the driver/family is Bosniak.

BiH city auto plates code - Prior to 1992.

Sarajevo, SA Prijedor, PD Banja Luka, BL Tuzla, TZ Mostar, MO Brčko, BČ Bijeljina, BN
Mrkonjić Grad, MG Travnik, TR Zenica, ZE Bihać, BI Doboj, DO Visoko, VI Jajce, JC
Livno, LI Trebinje, TB Čapljina, ČP Konjic, KNJ Goražde, GŽ Zvornik, ZV Modriča, MD

BiH city auto plates code - Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

On territory controlled by Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1994. were used new license plates. They wore blue strip on the left side with script "BIH" and coat of arms above the script. On the white background form was XX-nnnnLL, where "XX" was sign of the town, "nnnn" were digits, and "LL" two letters, where the first letter denoted the municipality where it was issued. Towns are given in following table:

Sarajevo, SA Prijedor, PD Tuzla, TZ Mostar, MO Brčko, BR Travnik, TR Zenica, ZE Konjic, KO
Bihać, BI Doboj, DO Visoko, VI Jajce, JC Bugojno, BU Zvornik, ZV Modriča, MD Goražde, GO

BiH city auto plates code - Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

On territory of so-called "Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina", license plates were used similar to those before the war, with difference that instead of red star, the Serb four-S coat of arms was used. Letters on plates were in Cyrillic script.

Sarajevo (Srpsko Sarajevo, Српско Сарајево, СС Prijedor(Приједор), ПД Banja Luka (Бања Лука), БЛ Brčko (Брчко), БЧ Trebinje (Требиње), ТБ Mrkonjić Grad (Мркоњић Град), МГ
Foča (renamed to Srbinje (Србиње)), СЊ Doboj (Добој), ДО Zvornik (Зворник), ЗВ Modriča (Модрича), МД Bijeljina (Бијељина), БН

BiH city auto plates code - Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia

Main article: Vehicle registration plates of the Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia

On territory of so-called "Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia", license plates were used similar to those of Republic of Croatia, with difference in the shape of shield in Croat coat of arms ("checkerboard"-"šahovnica").

Mostar, MO Čapljina, ČA Posušje, PO Široki Brijeg, ŠB Jajce, JA Tomislavgrad, TG
Travnik, TR Orašje, OR Kiseljak, KI Prozor (renamed to Rama), RA Žepče, ŽE Livno, LI

References

  1. ^ "Decision on the Deadlines for the Implementation of the New Uniform Licence Plate System". 20 May 1998. http://www.ohr.int/decisions/statemattersdec/default.asp?content_id=347. 
  2. ^ "5th Report of the High Representative, s. 85". http://www.ohr.int/other-doc/hr-reports/default.asp?content_id=3668. 
  3. ^ Dahlman, C.; Ó Tuathail, G. (2000). "The legacy of ethnic cleansing: the international community and the returns process in post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina". Political Geography 24 (5): 569–599. doi:10.1016/j.polgeo.2005.01.007. 
  4. ^ Aitchison, A. (2007). "Police Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina: State, Democracy and International Assistance". Policing and Society 17 (4): 321–343. doi:10.1080/10439460701717908. 

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