Vehicle registration plates of Newfoundland and Labrador

The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display licence plates in 1920.

The last complete re-registration of all registered vehicles in Newfoundland was in 1981, with a switch from a numerical system (which reached a high of approximately 250000) to an alphanumeric system.

All plates issued since 1982 (beginning AAA-001) remain valid today. Plates remain with the vehicle to which they are originally registered, rather than with the owner. Used vehicles with expired plates are issued new licence plates - used vehicles with valid plates retain their original licence plate.

Since 1985, the province has not issued the letters Q, U, I or Y on licence plates. One exception exists: on the 1996-1997 Cabot 500 base, the HAY series was issued, and some of these plates can still be observed on the road today.

Since September 1997, the province requires only a rear plate for most registrations, except for B, C, E and G plates (see below). Some older cars still display both front and rear plates. Some early "World of Difference" and Cabot 500 base plates were issued in duplicate for the front and rear.

On Newfoundland licence plates, the first letter (or two letters) designates the registration class of the vehicle. For example, HMT-999 would belong to a passenger car, while TZD-019 would belong to a trailer.

Vehicle class

First letter(s) Vehicle type Notes on use/expiration/issue
A Private car Reached end at AZZ-999 in 1999. Front and rear plates required until 1997.
B Buses BAx for public-use buses, BPx for private use (tour buses, for example). Front and rear plates required.
C Truck/heavy vehicle Applies to pickup trucks, SUVs and large vans. Inconsistent issuance - some vans and trucks have C plates, some have H. Front and rear plates required. CRx indicates large mobile crane units that are generally overwidth and need special permits and escort on public roadways.
D Dealer Issued to auto dealers for test driving and transporting cars.
E ambulances Other emergency vehicles (fire trucks or police cars) are registered as provincial or municipal, as private ambulance companies operate in NL. Front and rear plates required.
F Farm vehicle Infrequently issued. FTx series exists for farm trucks that operate on roads.
G Government vehicles GMx on municipal vehicles, GPx on provincial, GFx on federal. Municipal/provincial still issue 2001 flag series, federal only has 2003 series. None on 2002 issue. Front and rear plates required. In 2010 provincial government vehicles started featuring 2007 type plates.
H Private car Issued as next available letter after A series. Began HAA-001 on Cabot 500 base.
M Motorcycle Began at MCA-001.
PR Apportioned Issued to transport trucks, began at PRP-001 on 1993 issue.
T Trailer For some reason, during the 2003 flag series, the province suddenly stopped (around TEx) and began issuing backward from TZZ.
TX Licenced taxis Supplemented with a municipal taxi licence sticker.
W Tow trucks Tow trucks display a second plate (in addition to a C series). Infrequently issued.
X Heavy machinery Issued to tractors, backhoes, forklifts, etc.

Passenger baseplates 1981 to present

Image First issued Design Slogan Serial format Serials issued Notes
1981 blue and red on reflective white none ABC-123 AAA-001 to ASZ-999
1994 red on reflective white A World of Difference ABC-123 ATA-001 to HEP-999
2001 red on reflective white with provincial flag none ABC-123 HER-001 to HFO-999
2002 red on reflective white with provincial flag none ABC-123 HFP-001 to HGZ-999
2003 red on reflective white with provincial flag none ABC-123 HHA-001 to HMT-999
2007 blue on reflective white with provincial wordmark (pitcher plant) none ABC-123 HMV-001 to present

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