View source for Vehicle registration plates of France

{{short description|France vehicle license plates}}
{{Infobox vehicle registration plate
| image = AA-229-AA ref License plate of France.png
| start_date = 1901
| colour front = Black on white
| caption = French front plate with local reference to a Department number (from 2009). In this example, 00 is used as a placeholder. There is a regional logo at the top right and the number of the department below it.
| caption2 = 
| image2 = 
| name = 
| countrycode = F
| country = France
| manufacturer = 
| nickname = 
| issuer = 
| designer = 
| current_start_date = 2009
| serial_format = AA-123-AA
| material = 
| size = {{convert|520|x|110|mm|in|abbr=on|disp=br}}
| slogan = 
| slogan_label = 
| colour rear = Black on white
}}
[[File:License plate of France AA-229-DB.png|thumb|261x261px]]
[[File:License plate of France AA-229-DB (2).png|thumb|153x153px]]
'''Vehicle registration plates''' are mandatory [[number plates]] used to display the ''registration mark'' of a vehicle registered in [[France]]. They have existed in the country since 1901. It is compulsory for most [[motor vehicles]] used on public roads to display them.

In [[French language|French]], vehicle registration plates are called ''{{lang|fr|plaques d'immatriculation}}'' or ''{{lang|fr|plaques minéralogiques}}''. The latter makes a reference to the national mining administration, which was responsible for issuing the plates in the early 20th century.[[File:FRANCE EEC passenger plate yellow - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg|thumb|A pre-2009 car plate with the two-digit code for Paris (75).]]Since 1901, various systems have been successively introduced, the most recent dating from 2009. The registration plates issued since 2009 use a XX-NNN-ZZ format, composed of a series of 7 alphanumeric characters: 2 letters, 3 numbers, and then 2 letters (e.g. AB-126-FD). This format is monitored nationwide and car plates are permanent and attached to a single vehicle from its first registration to its disposal. As such, car plates do not need to be changed if the car is sold or if the owner moves to another region within France.

Cars bought before 2009 can still bear the old format, dating from 1950, if the owner has not moved to a different [[departments of France|département]] since then. Unlike the new one, the 1950 format is geographical. Until 2009, car plates had to be changed whenever the owner moved to another département or bought a car from a person living in a different département. The 1950 format uses a N X NN format, composed of a series of one to four numbers, one to three letters and a two-digit code corresponding to the département where the car is registered. The international code for French plates is "F" (France). Some older French number plates didn’t have the blue stripes at all.

== Current scheme ==

=== SIV ===
[[File:French license plate 2009.png|thumb|A two-line registration plate with the code for [[Oise]] (60) and the logo of [[Picardy]] region.]]
Called ''{{lang|fr|système d'immatriculation des véhicules}}'' ("vehicle registration system"), shortened to ''SIV'', the current scheme was adopted in France in 2009 (15 April for new vehicles; 15 October for second-hand ones). It was inspired by the [[Vehicle registration plates of Italy|"AA-111-AA" format]] that was successfully adopted in [[Italy]] in 1994. Under the SIV scheme, car plates are permanent and do not need to be changed if the car owner sells it or moves to a different region.

The SIV system was adopted to ease vehicle registration and law enforcement on roads because it is fully monitored by computer and administered nationwide. The SIV database can easily be combined with other computer files. The SIV was also implemented to replace the 1950 format, which was running out of character combinations. Had it been maintained, it would have been completely exhausted by 2025 for [[Paris]], the most populous French [[départements of France|département]]. The SIV scheme started in 2004 for motorcycles with an engine capacity under 50 cc. However, these vehicles carry plates with fewer characters, such as AA-11-A.

Due to the [[financial crisis of 2007–2008]], the introduction of the new plates was postponed from 1 January 2009 until 15 April 2009 for all new cars.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F17638 |title=Qu'est-ce que le SIV (système d'immatriculation des véhicules) ?| website=www.service-public.fr}}</ref> It was again postponed until 15 October 2009 for all other vehicles due to computer bugs in the SIV system.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/ | title=interieur}}</ref>

=== Colour and dimensions ===
[[File:French license plates historic 2009.png|thumb|Black plates are permitted on registered classic cars.]]
[[File:Immatriculation SIV transit temporaire AA-572-BF.jpg|thumb|A temporary transit plate, with the expiry date on the right (October 2009).]]
Registration plates issued after 2009 must be displayed in accordance with the 9 February 2009 Order ({{langx|fr|Arrêté du 9 février 2009}}). They must be made of reflex-reflecting material, white at the front and rear, with black non-reflecting characters. Characters may be displayed on one or two lines. The industry standard size number plate is {{convert|520|x|110|mm|abbr=on}} or {{convert|520|x|120|mm|abbr=on}} if it includes a horizontal [[cartouche]] to display information about the car dealer. The left side of the plate must contain a blue band with the letter F for France under the stars of the [[European flag]]. A similar band must be present on the right side to display a [[departments of France|department]] code and the symbol of the [[region of France|region]] where the {{lang|fr|département}} is located.<ref name="Arreté">{{Cite web|url=http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jopdf/common/jo_pdf.jsp?numJO=0&dateJO=20090211&numTexte=28&pageDebut=02393&pageFin=02402|title= Arrêté du 9 février 2009 fixant les caractéristiques et le mode de pose des plaques d'immatriculation des véhicules|format=PDF|author=Legifrance|date=9 February 2009}}</ref>

The positioning of the characters on the plate is fully regulated but there is no official typeface. The law provides guidelines: characters must be [[sans serif]], [[monospaced font|monospaced]] and without any opening on closed characters.<ref name="Arreté"/>

In some cases, colours may vary. Vehicles registered as [[classic car]]s can carry black plates with silver or white characters and without the blue bands on the sides. Vehicles in transit on [[French territory]] must carry a red plate with white characters. Instead of the regional code, the right hand band displays the expiry date of the plate. Vehicles purchased in the [[free trade zone]]s of [[Gex, Ain|Gex]] and [[Savoie]] also carry red plates, but with the regional code. Diplomatic vehicles carry green plates with orange or white characters. Vehicles owned by the [[French Forces]] and [[French Civil Service|Civilian Elements]] stationed in Germany (FFECSA) carry a pale blue plate with white characters.<ref name="Arreté"/>

Motorcycles and mopeds have to display a rear plate. Motorcycle plates have the same colour and general design as the usual vehicle plates.<ref name="Arreté"/>

=== Numbering ===
[[File:Nouvelle immatriculation des véhicules de la police française.jpg|thumb|A registration plate on a National Police patrol car with the code for<br />[[Val-d'Oise]] (95) and the logo of [[Île-de-France]] region.]]
Under the SIV system, registration plates contain seven alphanumeric characters: two letters, a dash, three numbers, a dash and two letters, such as AA-229-AA and no such series as AI-111-AA, AO-111-AA and AU-111-AA. The system is nationwide and chronological. The first car registered in France under the SIV, a [[Mazda 6]] [[station wagon]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pdlv.fr/2020/08/26/cette-mazda-6-a-une-particularite-hors-du-commun/ | title=Cette Mazda 6 a une particularité hors du commun | date=26 August 2020 }}</ref> received a AA-001-AA registration plate, the second one AA-002-AA, the third AA-003-AA. The system will be exhausted when ZZ-999-ZZ is reached, which is scheduled to occur after 80 years of use.

The numbering system goes as follows:
* AA-001-AA to AA-999-AA (numbers evolve first);
* AA-001-AB to AA-999-AZ (then the last letter on the right);
* AA-001-BA to AA-999-ZZ (then the first letter on the right);
* AB-001-AA to AZ-999-ZZ (then the last letter on the left);
* BA-001-AA to ZZ-999-ZZ (then the first letter on the left).

[[File:French provisional license plate 2009.png|thumb|A temporary car plate, starting with WW, with the code for [[Corrèze]] (19) and the logo of [[Limousin]] region.]]
The SIV format provides <math>((23 \times 23) - 2) \times 999 \times ((23 \times 23) - 1)</math>, or 277,977,744, different combinations. This figure excludes three letters that are not used: I, O and U, as they can be confused with 1, 0 and V, respectively. It also excludes the SS combination because it is reminiscent of the [[SS (Nazi Germany)|Nazi organisation]] and WW in the first group of letters as it indicates a temporary plate. Other combinations of letters that were avoided in the previous system because they sounded vulgar to French speakers, such as KK, PD, PQ, QQ, and WC, were included in the SIV.

The SIV system does not provide special plates for the government, army, police or any other organisation that had such plates under the previous system. Their vehicles display regular registration plates.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr/ | title=National Gendarmerie | publisher=[[National Gendarmerie]]}}</ref> The only exception concern temporary plates, which start with WW, and demonstration cars at car dealers, whose plates start with W.

=== Regional codes ===
{{multiple image
| caption_align = center
| header_align = center
| width = 60
| image1 = Plaque SIV 56.svg
| image2 = FRANCE, CORSICA ISLAND 2011-LICENSE PLATE ^AT-969-BD, CLOSE UP OF REGIONAL CODE AND LOGO pic 2 - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg
| image3 = FRENCH GUIANA, REGION OF FRANCE, 2011 -LICENSE PLATE ^AS-848-JH, CLOSE UP OF REGIONAL CODE AND LOGO pic 2 - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg
| image4 = REUNION ISLAND, INDIAN OCEAN, REGION OF FRANCE 2011 -LICENSE PLATE ^AC-771-DL CLOSE UP OF REGIONAL CODE AND LOGO pic 2 - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg
| footer = Blue bands of plates from (left to right) [[Morbihan]] (56, [[Brittany]]), [[Corse-du-Sud]] (2A, [[Corsica]]), [[French Guiana]] (973), and [[Réunion Island]] (974).
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}}
{{Hatnote|For a list of the départements and their codes, see [[Departments of France#Current departments]]}}
As it is nationwide, the SIV system does not use geographical codes as did the previous system. At first, it was not planned to display the [[départements of France|departments']] codes on the new plates. Because of that, the new format encountered strong opposition. Parliamentarians from both the majority and opposition lobbied at the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] to keep what they saw as a part of national identity. In 2008, several months before the SIV system was implemented, the [[Minister of the Interior (France)|Minister of the Interior]] acknowledged the attachment French people had to their départements and decided to add a blue band on the right to display geographical codes.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2008/10/28/01016-20081028ARTFIG00583-plaques-un-numero-de-departement-obligatoire-.php | title=Immatriculations : le numéro de département sauvé | trans-title=Registrations: Department number saved | first=Jérôme | last=Bouin | date=2008-10-28| df=dmy-all | newspaper=[[Le Figaro]] | issn=0182-5852 | location = [[Paris]] | publisher=[[Dassault Group]] | language=fr}}</ref>

As it is not used for administrative purposes, car owners can choose the code of the {{lang|fr|département}} they want, no matter where they reside. The code must be displayed together with the symbol of the corresponding [[regions of France|region]]. It is forbidden to display the symbol of a region the chosen {{lang|fr|département}} does not belong to. The {{lang|fr|département}} code may be changed at any time without any change in the registration documents.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000020237165 |title=Journal officiel de la République française, arrêté du 9 février 2009, art. 9.}}</ref>

The {{lang|fr|département}} codes are also used for other purposes, such as statistics and postcodes. They contain two numbers, such as 05 for [[Hautes-Alpes]] or 67 for [[Bas-Rhin]]. Some exceptions exist however. The two départements of [[Corsica]], [[Corse-du-Sud]] and [[Haute-Corse]], use 2A and 2B because they were only created in 1976 when the Corse département (20) was split in two. The [[overseas departments and territories of France|overseas départements]] have three-digit codes, starting with 97, which was originally the single code for them all. For instance, the code for [[Guadeloupe]] is 971 and the one for [[Martinique]] is 972.

Shortly before the introduction of the system, [[regions of France|French regions]] were asked which symbol they wanted to represent them on car plates. The vast majority chose their logos, except [[Alsace]] which opted for its coat of arms and [[Brittany]] and [[Corsica]] which chose their flags.

== Previous scheme ==

=== FNI ===
[[Image:French Plate Bf2008.png|thumb|French registration plates (until 2009).]]
Before the introduction of the current format in 2009, French cars were registered under the FNI system ({{langx|fr|Fichier National des Immatriculations}}, "National Car Registration Record"). The FNI format was adopted in 1950 and amended several times due to its long operating life.

Vehicle owners had to re-register their vehicle if they relocated permanently to another {{lang|fr|département}}. There used to be an annual tax on cars, called the ''{{lang|fr|vignette}}'', whose rate depended on the {{lang|fr|département}}. This tax now exists only for corporate-owned vehicles (and there exist exemptions for small numbers of vehicles); it is thus no longer important to know the department of a car on sight. Furthermore, computerised files allow large national databases to be maintained without the need for them to be split at local level.

A side effect of the vehicle tax system was that many corporations registered their vehicles in departments, such as Oise (60), with lower rates. Regulations aimed at preventing such schemes were passed in 1999.

=== Colour and dimensions ===
[[File:1950-1993 France license plate Haute-Garonne 31.jpg|thumb|A pre-1993 black registration plate from [[Haute-Garonne]] (31).]]
As with the SIV format, plates issued under the FNI system were closely regulated by law. They had to meet a number of requirements about size, shape, colour, typeface and material. From the adoption of the format in 1950 until its withdrawal in 2009, several laws and orders came to modify regulations on plates. For instance, the blue band with the European stars and the letter F was introduced in 1998 and became compulsory on new plates in 2004.

At the beginning, plates were black with white or silver characters. Reflective plates were introduced in 1963 but only became compulsory on new cars in 1993. The new plates had to be white on the front and yellow on the rear until 2007, when white rear plates were allowed.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000000277172 | title=Arrêté du 27 avril 2007 modifiant l'arrêté du 1er juillet 1996 relatif aux plaques d'immatriculation des véhicules}}</ref>

=== Numbering ===
{{multiple image|caption_align=center|header_align=center
 | direction=vertical
 | width = 250
 | image1 = Placafr2007.jpg
 | image2 = French reg 6275.jpg
 | footer = Less populated départements such as [[Eure]] (27) still had only two letters on their car plates in the 2000s, while others like [[Paris]] (75) were approaching the ZZZ combination.
}}
The FNI format was chronological, as is the SIV system. It was also regional, which means that it evolved independently in each {{lang|fr|département}}. Registration plates contained from 4 to 8 alphanumeric characters split into three parts by spaces. The first space could be omitted on registration plates issued after 1996.

* First part: one to four numbers;
* Second part: one to three letters;
* Third part: the code for departments.

Numbering went as follows: numbers evolved first, starting from 1, until they reached 999. Then letters evolved. The first car registered in Paris had a 1 A 75 car plate, and the second one 2 A 75. Once 999 A 75 had been reached, the following car was registered under 1 B 75. The format would have been exhausted in Paris once 999 ZZZ 75 had been reached.

The following chronology summarises the numbering system. Most of the {{lang|fr|départements}} chose to have four numbers on their plates once the letters reached QA, in order to have more combinations available. The "00" at the end stands for the geographical code.
* 1 A 00 to 999 Z 00;
* 1 AA 00 to 999 PZ 00;
* 1 QA 00 to 9999 ZZ 00;
* 1 AAA 00 to 999 ZZZ 00.

Numbers from 1 to 10 and numbers identical to the {{lang|fr|département}} code (such as 24 VQ 24) were not used after 1976. As with the SIV system, The letters I and O were never used because they could be confused with other characters, like 1 and 0. U was excluded as well in 1984, similar to the letter V, but some départements issued registration plates containing that letter until 1991. The letter O was exceptionally used on official cars at the [[1992 Winter Olympics]] in [[Albertville]]. Such cars had registration plates with figures between 1 JO 73 and 9999 JO 73. "JO" stands for ''Jeux olympiques'' while "73" is the code for [[Savoie]] where the games took place. Offensive letter combinations, for instance SS, PD, PQ, QQ, KK or WC, were avoided by some {{lang|fr|départements}} either because of historical reasons or because they sound vulgar to French speakers. In the same way, [[Haute-Garonne]] did not deliver car plates with "AZF" after the tragic explosion of the [[AZF (factory)|AZF factory]] in [[Toulouse]] in 2001. MMM, MMW, MWM and MWW were withdrawn in 1994 because they needed too much space on plates.<ref>''Circulaire n° 84-84 du 24 décembre 1984 portant application de l’arrêté en date du 5 novembre 1984 relatif à l’immatriculation des véhicules.''</ref>

Bearing in mind that only 23 letters were used by the format and that most of the départements used four numbers after reaching QA, the number of car plates that the FNI format provides can be estimated at: (999 × 22) + (999 × 14 × 23) + (9988 × 9 × 23) + (988 × 21 × 23 × 23) = 13,386,864. This figure does not take into account avoided letter and number combinations.

=== Regional codes ===
{{Hatnote|For a list of the départements and their codes, see [[Departments of France#Current departments|''Departments of France § Current departments'']]}}
Under the FNI system, the code of the {{lang|fr|département}} was placed at the right of the registration plate. The codes are part of the [[Community Identification Number]] known in [[France]] as ''[[Code officiel géographique]]'' and are not only used for car registration but also in postcodes, statistics and for many other purposes.

Each code consists of two digits except for [[Corse-du-Sud]] and [[Haute-Corse]] (2A and 2B) and the [[overseas departments and territories of France|overseas departments]] where the identifier consists of 3 digits (in the series 971 to 978), the first two digits were often stacked on plates to save space.

Between 1950 and 2009, France experienced some territorial changes which reflected on regional codes. [[Algeria]] was part of France until 1962 and [[French Algeria]] was also divided into départements. They had their own codes which were used on plates the same way as in the rest of France: [[Alger (department)|Alger]] 91, [[Oran (department)|Oran]] 92, [[Constantine (departement)|Constantine]] 93 and the Southern Territories 94. [[Bône (département)|Bône]] was created in 1955 and received 99. Several new départements were created in 1956–1958 as France was struggling with independence movements in the [[Algerian War]]. The new départements used codes such as 9A, 9B, 9C, 9D, etc. After the independence of the country, French car plates were no longer used there and Algerian codes became obsolete.

In 1968, two {{lang|fr|départements}} in the Paris region were split into smaller ones because of the growing population. 75, which had been the code for [[Seine (department)|Seine]], was attributed to [[Paris]] and 78 ([[Seine-et-Oise]]) to [[Yvelines]]. Newly created {{lang|fr|départements}} were [[Essonne]] (91), [[Hauts-de-Seine]] (92), [[Seine-Saint-Denis]] (93), [[Val-de-Marne]] (94) and [[Val-d'Oise]] (95). Most of them received numbers that had previously been allocated to the {{lang|fr|départements}} in [[French Algeria]].

[[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]], now a self-governing [[overseas collectivity]] with its own registration plates, was a proper {{lang|fr|département}} between 1976 and 1985. As such, it could have had FNI format car plates but it always kept its own local format.

=== Special plates ===

==== Permanent special plates ====
[[File:French police and customs licence plate 2008.jpg|thumb|Registration plate of the [[National Police (France)|National Police]].]]
[[File:Renault Trafic gendarmerie nationale, septembre 2013 Paris.JPG|thumb|Registration plate of the [[National Gendarmerie]].]]
[[File:French military license plate 6042 0077.JPG|thumb|Registration plate of the [[French Army]].]]
[[File:A_RATP_bus_license_plate.jpg|thumb|Pre-2003 pair of RATP bus plates.]]
[[File:A_Sapeurs-Pompiers_de_Paris_license_plate.jpg|thumb|Old brigade of ''Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris'' plate, SPVL mean "''Sapeurs-Pompiers Véhicule Léger''".]]
[[File:France diplomatic license plate 168 CD 66.jpg|thumb|Diplomatic plate for the [[Czech Republic]] (168).]]
[[File:FRANCE, pre-EEC -TRACTOR LICENSE PLATE - Flickr - woody1778a.jpg|thumb|A plate for an agricultural vehicle.]]
[[File:German NATO Forces France license plate Flickr - woody1778a.jpg|thumb|Plate of German military staff in France]]
[[File:Plaque d'immatriculation d'un militaire français en Allemagne 35-4504.jpg|thumb|A registration plate for French Forces and Civilian Elements stationed in Germany.]]
Unlike the SIV system, the FNI comprised many special plates.

The state public services, such as the [[National Police (France)|National Police]] ({{langx|fr|Police nationale}}), had special plates that comprised the {{lang|fr|département}} code; a letter to indicate in which area the vehicle was authorised to travel (D for the {{lang|fr|département}}, R for the [[region of France|region]], N for the national territory, E for the [[European Union]]); a dash; four numbers from 1001 to 9999; and a letter.

The [[French Armed Forces]] ({{langx|fr|link=no|Forces armées françaises}}), including the [[National Gendarmerie]] ({{langx|fr|link=no|Gendarmerie nationale}}) had a different registration plate with: a number to identify the army unit (2 for Gendarmerie, 6 for the [[French Army|Army]] ({{langx|fr|link=no|Armée de terre}}), 7 for the [[French Air Force|Air Force]] ({{langx|fr|link=no|Armée de l'air}}), 7 for the [[French Navy|Navy]] ({{langx|fr|Marine nationale}}) and 8 for the General Services); two digits to identify the year of car registration (01 for 2001); a number to identify the type of vehicle (1 for cars and coaches, 3 for lorries, etc.) and four numbers from 0001 to 9999. Registration plates bore the symbol of the army unit the vehicle belonged to, for instance a black anchor on a [[French flag]] for the Navy.

The [[Paris Fire Brigade]] ({{langx|fr|Brigade des sapeurs-pompiers de Paris}}), although part of the Armed Forces, had different plates with letters to identify the type of vehicle, for instance PS for first aid, followed by numbers. The [[Marseille Naval Fire Battalion]] ({{langx|fr|Bataillon de marins-pompiers de Marseille}}) used regular plates with the [[Bouches-du-Rhône]] {{lang|fr|département}} code, while the one in [[Brest, France|Brest]] used similar plates as the Navy.

In [[Paris]], [[Bus (RATP)|RATP buses]] used special registration plates with only four numbers until March 2003, when standard registration plates were adopted.<ref>{{cite web | last=Vernhes | first=Bruno | url=http://plaque.free.fr/f_bus.html | website=Francoplaque – La Passion des Plaques d’Immatriculation | title=Immatriculations des Bus parisiens de la RATP jusqu'en 2003 | trans-title=Registration of Parisian RATP buses until 2003 | language=fr | df=dmy-all | access-date=2015-06-03 | archive-date=2015-04-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403103507/http://plaque.free.fr/f_bus.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

Diplomatic cars used green plates with orange or white lettering, depending on the series.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/le-ministere-et-son-reseau/protocole/privileges/article/les-vehicules | title=Privilèges – Les véhicules | trans-title=Benefits – Vehicles | publisher=[[French Foreign Ministry|Ministère des affaires étrangères]] | language=fr | date=July 2012 | df=dmy-all}}</ref> Plates comprised one to three numbers identifying the embassy or the international organisation; letters identifying the status (C for consulates, CD for embassies, CMD for ambassadors, K for technical staff); and a series of numbers.

Agricultural vehicles had white or yellow plates with black lettering. They contained one to five numbers identifying the farm and the {{lang|fr|département}} code. Several vehicles belonging to the same farm could share the same figures.

German military staff in France used black plates with white characters. Registration plates started with DF followed by a number identifying the headquarters area (0 to 3 for Paris, 4 for [[Var (department)|Var]] and 6 to 9 for [[Strasbourg]]) and three numbers between 000 and 999.

Vehicles owned by the French Forces and Civilian Elements stationed in [[Germany]] (FFECSA) carried a pale blue plate with silver characters. Plates contained a number from 0 to 9; a number identifying the headquarters area (0 for the Comptoir de l'Économat, 1 [[Baden-Baden]], 2 [[Freiburg im Breisgau]], 3 [[Landau-Pfalz]], etc.); a dash; and four numbers between 1001 and 9999.

The [[President of France]] could use registration plates ending with PR 75, for instance 9999 PR 75.

==== Temporary plates ====
[[File:French registration 2618.jpg|thumb|A red provisional plate.]]
As with the SIV system, the FNI allowed temporary plates for car dealers and mechanics. They contained one to four numbers, the two letters WW and the département code. Some {{lang|fr|départements}} used an extra letter after WW. [[Monaco]] could use these plates but with a blue background, white lettering and MC instead of the département code.

Duty-free cars purchased abroad or in the [[free trade zone]]s of [[Gex, Ain|Gex]] and [[Savoie]] used red plates with white or silver characters. They contained one to three numbers; three letters between TAA and TZZ; a département code; and an expiry date. Cars bought outside the [[European Union]] and registered in [[Gex, Ain|Gex]] and [[Savoie]] had plates with five numbers; TT; and a letter identifying the free zone (Q for Savoie and W for Gex). They did not have an expiry date as they were valid as long as the owner resided in a free zone.

== History ==

=== First attempts ===
The very first attempt to register vehicles in France date from the 18th century. In 1749, a [[Gendarmerie|Marechaussee]] officer from [[Paris]] suggested a system of vehicle identification to [[Louis XV]]. His idea only concerned Paris, where crimes were numerous in the streets.<ref>''Catalogue de l'exposition ''Gabriel de Saint-Aubin'', New York, Paris, 2007–2008'', texte de Kim de Beaumont, ''Gabriel de Saint-Aubin revisté : le contexte biographique de ses œuvres parisiennes'', note 51 page 46.</ref> No decision was taken until 1783, when [[Louis XVI]] required coachmen to put a metal plate with their name and address on their carriage.<ref>Recueil général des anciennes lois françaises : depuis l'an 420 ..., Volume 27, par Athanase-Jean-Léger Jourdan, Decrusy, François-André Isambert.</ref>

In the 19th century, several French cities implemented local registration systems for carriages. For instance in [[Lyon]], they had to bear a plate with a number to cross the [[Parc de la Tête d'Or]]. In 1893, it became mandatory for all cars and carriages in France to have a plate with the name and address of the owner.<ref name="f1901">{{Cite web | first1=Jean-Emmanuel | last1=Chevry | first2=Jean-François | last2=Zuraw | first3=Bruno | last3=Vernhes | url=http://plaque.free.fr/f_rec2f.html | title=3 articles sur le Système d'immatriculation Français de 1901 à 1928 | trans-title=Three articles on the French registration system 1901–1928 | website=Francoplaque – La Passion des Plaques d’Immatriculation | language=fr | df=dmy-all | access-date=2015-06-03 | archive-date=2015-10-12 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151012105155/http://plaque.free.fr/f_rec2f.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> Registration documents, called ''{{lang|fr|carte grise}}'' ("grey card"), were created in 1899.<ref name="Francoplaque">{{Cite web | url=http://plaque.free.fr/A4_recto-verso_Francoplaque.pdf | title=Une petite histoire des plaques d'immatriculation en France | trans-title=A short history of registration plates in France | website=Francoplaque – La Passion des Plaques d’Immatriculation | df=dmy-all | access-date=2015-06-03 | archive-date=2015-05-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513071804/http://plaque.free.fr/A4_recto-verso_Francoplaque.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== 1901 ===
{{multiple image|caption_align=center|header_align=center
 | width = 200
 | image1 = Arrondissements minéralogiques 1901.svg
 | image2 = Arrondissements minéralogiques 1922.svg
 | footer = Left: map of the districts and geographical codes used between 1901 and 1919. Right: map of the districts and geographical codes used after 1919.
}}
Following the rapid development of the motor vehicle at the end of the 19th century, French authorities adopted a nationwide registration system in 1901. The 11 September 1901 Circular created a regional system and registration plates contained three numbers followed by a letter identifying a region. In 1899, the Mining Administration had been chosen to approve car engines, and it logically had to attribute the new plates. The administration decided to use its regional mapping and attributed a letter to each of its districts. Each district comprised up to ten {{lang|fr|départements}}. They were only used by the Mining Administration and they have nothing to do with present-day [[regions of France|French regions]].<ref name="Francoplaque"/>

The system did not offer a wide range of combinations, even if regions could begin a second series of three numbers once they had reached 999 with the first one. The identifying letter had to be doubled to show that a car plate belonged to the second series.<ref name="f1901"/>

To anticipate any shortage, three regions obtained a second letter in 1904: '''O''' for [[Nancy, France|Nancy]], '''K''' for [[Poitiers]] and '''V''' for [[Marseille]]. Regions were allowed to begin new series of three numbers in 1905. The new ones were distinguished from the original ones by a number between 2 and 9 added after the letter. 1 was probably avoided because it could have been confused with another character such as the I.<ref name="f1901"/> As Paris was still running up of combinations, four-digit series were allowed locally in 1910.<ref name="f1901"/>

Temporary registration plates for vehicles for sale were created in 1909. They had the letter W instead of the regional code.<ref name="f1901"/>

{|
|+'''Schematic representations:'''
|-
|
{| border=1
|-
|- bgcolor="#000000"
|&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:white">'''456 – M'''</span>;
|}
|Plate from the [[Marseille]] region (before 1905)
|-
|
{| border=1
|-
|- bgcolor="#000000"
|&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:white">'''345 – MM'''</span>;
|}
|Plate from the [[Marseille]] region (before 1905, second series)
|-
|
{| border=1
|-
|- bgcolor="#000000"
|&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:white">'''634 – T3'''</span>;
|}
|Plate from the [[Toulouse]] region (after 1905)
|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible"
!colspan="6" align="center" |'''Geographical codes in use in 1901'''<ref name="f1901"/>
|-
!Code !!Region
!Code !!Region
!Code !!Region
|-
| '''A''' || [[Alès|Alais]] (nowadays Alès)
| '''B''' || [[Bordeaux]]
| '''C''' || [[Chalon-sur-Saône]]
|-
| '''D''' || [[Douai]]
| '''E'''/'''G'''/'''I'''/'''U'''/'''X''' || [[Paris]]
| '''F''' || [[Clermont-Ferrand]]
|-
| '''H''' || [[Chambéry]]
| '''L''' || [[Le Mans]]
| '''M''' || [[Marseille]]
|-
| '''N''' || [[Nancy, France|Nancy]]
| '''P''' || [[Poitiers]]
| '''R''' || [[Arras]]
|-
| '''S''' || [[Saint-Étienne]]
| '''T''' || [[Toulouse]]
| '''Y'''/'''Z''' || [[Rouen]]
|}

=== 1919 ===
In 1919, regions were reorganised. Some disappeared while other ones were created. After its reversion to France following [[World War I]], [[Alsace-Lorraine]] became the [[Strasbourg]] region in 1922. Until then, cars in that region had continued to use German plates with the regional code VI.<ref name="f1901"/>

{| class="wikitable collapsible"
!colspan="6" align=center| Geographical codes in use after 1919–1922<ref name="f1901"/>
|-
!Code !!Region
!Code !!Region
!Code !!Region
|-
| '''A''' || [[Alès|Alais]]
| '''B'''/'''P'''/'''K''' || [[Bordeaux]]
| '''C'''/'''H''' || [[Lyon]]
|-
| '''D''' || [[Douai]]
| '''E'''/'''G'''/'''I'''/'''U'''/'''X''' || [[Paris]]
| '''F''' || [[Clermont-Ferrand]]
|-
| '''J''' || [[Strasbourg]] (1922)
| '''L''' || [[Nantes]]
| '''M'''/'''V''' || [[Marseille]] (V withdrawn after 1921)
|-
| '''N'''/'''O''' || [[Nancy, France|Nancy]] (O withdrawn after 1920)
| '''R''' || [[Arras]]
| '''S''' || [[Saint-Étienne]]
|-
| '''T''' || [[Toulouse]]
| '''Y'''/'''Z''' || [[Rouen]]
|}

=== 1928 ===
[[File:1932_Gard_Department_license_plate_from_my_collection.jpg|thumb|A 1932 Gard department license plate, this model of plate could be lighted from the inside at night.]]
[[File:1949_Ille-et-Vilaine_Department_license_plate_from_my_collection.jpg|thumb|A pair of 1949 Ille-et-Vilaine department license plates.]]

In 1928, a new system was adopted to replace the first one. It retained its regional characteristic but greatly widened geographic codes. Under the 1928 system, each [[departement of France|département]] obtained its own codes consisting of two letters. The least populated, for instance [[Cantal]] and [[Haute-Loire]], received only one code (here CZ and JZ respectively), while most of the départements received several ones. [[Seine (departement)|Seine]], the most populous one, received several dozen new codes.<ref name="f1928">{{Cite web
 | url = http://plaque.free.fr/f_rec3f.html
 | title = Le Système d'immatriculation Français de 1928 à 1950
 | trans-title = The French Registration System from 1928 to 1950
 | language = fr
 | website = Francoplaque – La Passion des Plaques d’Immatriculation
 | access-date = 2016-11-10
 | df = dmy-all
 | archive-date = 2017-03-27
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170327161303/http://plaque.free.fr/f_rec3f.html
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

The new codes did not use the letters I and O (because they could be confused with the numbers 1 and 0) or W (which was reserved for use on provisional plates). Double letters and letter combinations that designated countries, such as GB for [[Great Britain]], were also avoided.<ref name="f1928"/> Blocks of codes were allocated to the départements following (for the most part) the alphabetical order of their names. The first département, [[Ain (departement)|Ain]], thus received AB, AC, AD, and AE, while the last, [[Yonne]], received ZU, ZV and ZY.<ref name="Histo">{{Cite web
 | url = http://www.standard216.com/lhistoire-des-transports-de-lagglomeration-grenobloise/la-fin-du-38-apres-59-ans-de-service/immatriculations-1928-1950/
 | title = Indices départementaux avant et après 1950
 | trans-title = Departmental indexes before and after 1950
 | language = fr
 | website = Histo Bus Grenoblois
 | publisher = Standard 216
 | access-date = 2016-11-10
 | df = dmy-all
 | archive-date = 2016-03-03
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222008/http://www.standard216.com/lhistoire-des-transports-de-lagglomeration-grenobloise/la-fin-du-38-apres-59-ans-de-service/immatriculations-1928-1950/
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

As the system lasted only 22 years, a lot of the départements never used all of their codes. [[Isère]], for instance, was allocated HK, HL, HM, HN, HP, and HQ but used only HK.<ref name="Histo"/>

Registration plates issued after 1928 were similar to the older ones, with one to four numbers followed by the two-letter code. This code could be in turn followed by a number from 1 to 9 for the same purpose as in the 1901 system. The first car registered in Paris obtained 1 RB, and when 999 RB had been reached the following car obtained 1 RB1.<ref name="f1928"/>

Temporary plates for vehicles in transit on the French territory were created in 1933. They used TT instead of the geographical code. Diplomatic plates were first issued in 1936. They were in dark yellow with white lettering.<ref name="f1928"/>

Initially planned to last 75 years, the system was withdrawn in 1950.<ref name="f1928"/> The following format kept the geographical structure but identified départements with numbers rather than letters, allowing a greater range of combinations.

{|
|+'''Schematic representations:'''
|-
|
{| border=1
|-
|- bgcolor="#000000"
|&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:white">'''7857 – BX'''</span>;
|}
|Plate from [[Aveyron]]
|-
|
{| border=1
|-
|- bgcolor="#000000"
|&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:white">'''4955 – HK9'''</span>;
|}
|Plate from [[Isère]]
|-
|
{| border=1
|-
|- bgcolor="#000000"
|&nbsp;&nbsp;<span style="color:white">'''3178 – ZA1'''</span>;
|}
|Plate from [[Vaucluse]]
|}

{| class="wikitable collapsible"
!colspan="10" align=center |Geographical codes in use between 1928 and 1950<ref name="Histo"/>
|-
!Code !!Region
!Code !!Region
!Code !!Region
!Code !!Region
!Code !!Region
|-
| '''AB''' – '''AE''' || [[Ain (departement)|Ain]]
| '''AF''' – '''AM''' || [[Aisne (departement)|Aisne]]
| '''AN''' – '''AQ''' || [[Allier (departement)|Allier]]
| '''AR''' || [[Alpes-de-Haute-Provence|Basses-Alpes]]
| '''AS''' || [[Hautes-Alpes]]
|-
| '''AT''' – '''AU''' || [[Ardèche]]
| '''AV''' – '''AY''' || [[Ardennes (department)|Ardennes]]
| '''AZ''' || [[Ariège (department)|Ariège]]
| '''BA''' – '''BM''' || [[Alpes-Maritimes]]
| '''BN''' – '''BS''' || [[Aube]]
|-
| '''BT''' – '''BV''' || [[Aude]]
| '''BX''' – '''BY''' || [[Aveyron]]
| '''BZ''' || [[Territoire-de-Belfort]]
| '''CA''' – '''CR''' || [[Bouches-du-Rhône]]
| '''CT''' – '''CY''' || [[Calvados (department)|Calvados]]
|-
| '''CZ''' || [[Cantal]]
| '''DB''' – '''DF''' || [[Charente]]
| '''DG''' – '''DM''' || [[Charente-Maritime|Charente-Inférieure]]
| '''DN''' – '''DQ''' || [[Cher (department)|Cher]]
| '''DR''' – '''DS''' || [[Corrèze]]
|-
| '''DT''' || [[Corsica|Corse]]
| '''DU''' – '''DZ''' || [[Côte-d'Or]]
| '''EA''' – '''EC''' || [[Côtes-d'Armor|Côtes-du-Nord]]
| '''ED''' – '''EF''' || [[Creuse]]
| '''EG''' – '''EI''' || [[Dordogne]]
|-
| '''EK''' – '''ER''' || [[Doubs (department)|Doubs]]
| '''ES''' – '''EZ''' || [[Eure]]
| '''FA''' – '''FD''' || [[Drôme]]
| '''FE''' – '''FH''' || [[Eure-et-Loir]]
| '''FJ''' – '''FM''' || [[Finistère]]
|-
| '''FN''' – '''FR''' || [[Gard]]
| '''FS''' – '''FX''' || [[Haute-Garonne]]
| '''FY''' – '''FZ''' || [[Gers]]
| '''GA''' – '''GN''' || [[Gironde]]
| '''GP''' – '''GU''' || [[Hérault]]
|-
| '''GV''' – '''GZ''' || [[Ille-et-Vilaine]]
| '''HA''' – '''HC''' || [[Indre]]
| '''HD''' – '''HJ''' || [[Indre-et-Loire]]
| '''HK''' – '''HQ''' || [[Isère]]
| '''HR''' – '''HT''' || [[Jura (department)|Jura]]
|-
| '''HU''' – '''HV''' || [[Landes (department)|Landes]]
| '''HX''' – '''HZ''' || [[Loir-et-Cher]]
| '''JA''' – '''JF''' || [[Loire (department)|Loire]]
| '''JG''' || [[Haute-Loire]]
| '''JH''' – '''JN''' || [[Loire-Atlantique|Loire-Inférieure]]
|-
| '''JP''' – '''JS''' || [[Loiret]]
| '''JT''' – '''JU''' || [[Lot (department)|Lot]]
| '''JV''' – '''JY''' || [[Lot-et-Garonne]]
| '''JZ''' || [[Lozère]]
| '''KA''' – '''KE''' || [[Maine-et-Loire]]
|-
| '''KF''' – '''KH''' || [[Manche]]
| '''KJ''' – '''KP''' || [[Marne (department)|Marne]]
| '''KQ''' – '''KR''' || [[Haute-Marne]]
| '''KS''' – '''KT''' || [[Mayenne]]
| '''KU''' – '''KZ''' || [[Meurthe-et-Moselle]]
|-
| '''LA''' – '''LD''' || [[Meuse (department)|Meuse]]
| '''LE''' – '''LG''' || [[Morbihan]]
| '''LH''' – '''LN''' || [[Moselle (department)|Moselle]]
| '''LP''' – '''LQ''' || [[Nièvre]]
| '''LS''' – '''LZ''' || [[Oise]]
|-
| '''MB''' – '''MV''' || [[Nord (French department)|Nord]]
| '''MX''' – '''MZ''' || [[Orne]]
| '''NA''' – '''NG''' || [[Pas-de-Calais]]
| '''NH''' – '''NK''' || [[Puy-de-Dôme]]
| '''NM''' – '''NR''' || [[Pyrénées-Atlantiques|Basses-Pyrénées]]
|-
| '''NS''' || [[Hautes-Pyrénées]]
| '''NT''' – '''NU''' || [[Pyrénées-Orientales]]
| '''NV''' – '''NZ''' || [[Bas-Rhin]]
| '''PB''' – '''PD''' || [[Haut-Rhin]]
| '''PF''' – '''PZ''' || [[Rhône (department)|Rhône]]
|-
| '''QA''' – '''QC''' || [[Haute-Saône]]
| '''QD''' – '''QH''' || [[Saône-et-Loire]]
| '''QJ''' – '''QM''' || [[Sarthe]]
| '''QN''' – '''QP''' || [[Savoie]]
| '''QR''' – '''QT''' || [[Haute-Savoie]]
|-
| '''QU''' – '''QZ''' || [[Seine-et-Marne]]
| '''RB''' – '''VZ''' || [[Seine (department)|Seine]]
| '''XA''' – '''XK''' || [[Seine-Maritime|Seine-Inférieure]]
| '''XL''' – '''XN''' || [[Deux-Sèvres]]
| '''XP''' – '''XU''' || [[Somme (department)|Somme]]
|-
| '''XV''' – '''XZ''' || [[Tarn (department)|Tarn]]
| '''YA''' – '''YR''' || [[Seine-et-Oise]]
| '''YS''' – '''YT''' || [[Tarn-et-Garonne]]
| '''YU''' – '''YZ''' || [[Var (department)|Var]]
| '''ZA''' – '''ZD''' || [[Vaucluse]]
|-
| '''ZE''' – '''ZG''' || [[Vendée]]
| '''ZH''' – '''ZK''' || [[Vienne (department)|Vienne]]
| '''ZL''' – '''ZP''' || [[Haute-Vienne]]
| '''ZQ''' – '''ZT''' || [[Vosges (department)|Vosges]]
| '''ZU''' – '''ZY''' || [[Yonne]]
|}

== Overseas territories ==
[[File:Plaques tom License plate of France.png|thumb|upright=1.5|From left to right, top to bottom: car plates from [[New Caledonia]], [[French Polynesia]], [[Kerguelen Islands]] and [[Wallis and Futuna]].]]
[[Overseas departments and territories of France|Overseas territories of France]] do not have the same system as continental France, unlike the [[overseas departments and territories of France|overseas départements]]. Overseas territories have diverse statuses and enjoy a large autonomy. They are [[French Polynesia]], [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]], [[Wallis and Futuna]], [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]], [[Saint Barthélemy]], [[New Caledonia]], the [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]] (TAAF) and [[Clipperton Island]].

[[File:Marigot - St. Martin License Plates (8912170510).jpg|thumb|Two plates from Saint Martin. The top one dates from when the island was part of [[Guadeloupe]] (971).]]
[[File:LpgenI.png.49d97da98aba742f99d361bac86df61b-2.png|thumb|Plate sample from French Polynesia (986)]]
[[File:Saint-Barthélemy license plate 2008 series.jpg|thumb|Plate sample from [[Saint Barthélemy]] (977)]]
[[File:St. Pierre & Miquelon license plates.jpg|thumb|Plate sample from [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]] (975)]]
* [[Saint Pierre and Miquelon]]: white front plate and white or yellow rear plate with black lettering. Contains SPM followed by one to three digits and a letter. <code>SPM 999 A</code>
* [[Saint Barthélemy]]: white front plate and white or yellow rear plate with black lettering. Contains one to three digits and a letter. <code>999 A</code>
* [[Collectivity of Saint Martin|Saint Martin]]: white front and rear plates. Contains four digits, a dash and three letters. <code>9999 - AAA</code>
* [[New Caledonia]]: white front and rear plate with black lettering. Contains one to six digits followed by NC. <code>999999 NC</code>
* [[French Polynesia]]: white front plate and yellow black plate or black plates with silver lettering. One to six digits followed by P. <code>999999 P</code>
* [[French Southern and Antarctic Lands]]: two digits indicating the year the car was built followed by the four last digits of the serial number of the car. Registration plates are only in use on [[Kerguelen Islands]] and are imported from [[Réunion]]. They are regular French plates, white with the European strip and the number and symbol of [[Réunion]] <code>99 9999</code>
* [[Wallis and Futuna]]: white front plate and yellow black plate or black plates with silver lettering. Contains one to four digits followed by WF. <code>9999 WF</code>

==Diplomatic codes (pre-2009)<ref>{{cite web | first=Fränk | last=Kraus | title=Diplomatic and Consular French plates | url=http://plaque.free.fr/f_cd1e.html | website=Francoplaque – La Passion des Plaques d’Immatriculation | df=dmy-all | access-date=2016-04-24 | archive-date=2016-03-24 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324221415/http://plaque.free.fr/f_cd1e.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>==

{| class="wikitable"
!Code !!Country
!Code !!Country
!Code !!Entity
|-
|2 || {{ZAF}}
|4 || {{DZA}}
|5 || {{DEU}}
|-
|6 || {{USA}}
|7 || {{EGY}}
|9 || {{ARG}}
|-
|11 || {{AUT}}
|12 || {{BEL}}
|16 || {{BRA}}
|-
|20 || {{CMR}}
|26 || {{CHN}}
|28 || {{COL}}
|-
|36 || {{DNK}}
|40 || {{ESP}}
|43 || {{GAB}}
|-
|45 || {{GBR}}
|46 || {{GRC}}
|53 || {{IND}}
|-
|54 || {{IDN}}
|59 || {{ISR}}
|60 || {{ITA}}
|-
|62 || {{JPN}}
|63 || {{JOR}}
|67 || {{LBN}}
|-
|76 || {{MAR}}
|77 || {{MRT}}
|78 || {{MEX}}
|-
|91 || {{PER}}
|93 || {{POL}}
|94 || {{PRT}}
|-
|96 || {{ROU}}
|100 || {{SEN}}
|105 || {{CHE}}
|-
|113 || {{TUN}}
|114 || {{TUR}}
|115 || {{RUS}}
|-
|120 || {{YUG}}
|180 || {{ERI}}
|415 || {{EU}}
|-
|416 || {{flagicon|EU}} [[European Atomic Energy Community|Euratom]]
|433 || {{flagicon image|Flag_of_La_Francophonie.svg}} [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]]
|434 || [[International Bureau of Weights and Measures]]
|-
|435 || [[European Molecular Biology Laboratory]]
|431 || [[CERN]]
|-
|}

== See also ==
* [[European vehicle registration plates]]

==References==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|License plates of France}}

*  [http://plaque.free.fr/index-english.html Site on French registration plates]
** [http://plaque.free.fr/f_e.html Information about French Licence Plates: codes, colors, etc.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160723160203/http://plaque.free.fr/f_e.html |date=2016-07-23 }} {{in lang|en}}
** [http://plaque.free.fr/f_f.html Informations sur les Plaques d'immatriculations Françaises] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112050102/http://plaque.free.fr/f_f.html |date=2011-01-12 }} {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/108/article_2497.asp Feature about the shake-up in the car registration system in 2009 – Radio France International]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4549542.stm A French game of numbers], ''From Our Own Correspondent'', BBC News, 22 December 2005.
* [http://matriculasdelmundo.com/francia.html Information and data about French plates] {{in lang|es}}
* [http://platesmania.com/fr/ Photos of license plates of France]

{{Vehicle registration plates of Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vehicle Registration Plates Of France}}
[[Category:Vehicle registration plates by country|France]]
[[Category:Road transport in France]]
[[Category:France transport-related lists]]
[[Category:Vehicles of France| Registration plates]]