ARGENTINA band 
Argentina
Mercosur plate saying ARGENTINA
- Mercosur style: blue band on top with REPUBLICA ARGENTINA.
- Format AB 123 CD.
- Older plates are black with white letters.
Licence plates by country
Plates differ from country to country in colour, format and design. These cards show the tells for 30 countries, each with a real photo zoomed onto the clue.
Test yourself: play Plate Spotter → ARGENTINA band 
Red-white-red stripes 
Austria
Red-white-red stripes
- Red-white-red stripes along the top and bottom edges.
- District letters, a small coat of arms, then the number.
- Blue EU band with A.
Red letters 
Belgium
Red letters on white
- White plate with dark red characters.
- Format 1-ABC-123: a digit, three letters, three digits.
- Blue EU band with B. The Netherlands is yellow instead.
BRASIL band 
Brazil
Mercosur plate saying BRASIL
- Mercosur style: blue band on top with BRASIL and the flag.
- Format ABC1D23, letters and numbers mixed.
- Older plates were grey with black letters and a city name.
1A2 3456 format 
Czech Republic
Digit, letter, digit, then four digits
- Format 1A2 3456: the region letter sits second.
- Blue EU band with CZ.
- Plain white plate with a black frame.
Red frame 
Denmark
ABC-123 format 
Finland
Letters, dash, numbers
- Format ABC-123 with a dash.
- Blue EU band with FIN.
- Shorter, squarer plates on older cars.
Blue bands both sides 
France
White plates with blue bands on both sides
- White plates front and back, format AB-123-CD.
- Blue EU band with F on the left.
- A blue band on the right with a region logo and department number.
Round seal stickers 
Germany
City letters and round seal stickers
- Format B AB 1234: city code, letters, numbers.
- Two round stickers (inspection and city seal) between the city code and the rest.
- Blue EU band with D and a narrow black font.
ABC-1234 format 
Greece
Three letters and four numbers
- Format ABC-1234, using letters shared by Greek and Latin.
- Blue EU band with GR.
- Black letters on white.
Letters-dash-numbers 
Hungary
Letters, then a dash and numbers
- Format ABC-123, or the newer AA BB-123.
- Blue EU band with H.
- A small Hungarian coat of arms on newer plates.
Black plate 
Indonesia
Region letter first, often black
- Format B 1234 XYZ: region letters, numbers, letters.
- Older plates are black with white letters; new ones are white with black.
- A small date (month and year) under the number.
County name in Irish 
Ireland
County name in Irish across the top
- White plates with black letters, front and back.
- Format 191-D-12345: year, county letters, number.
- The county name in Irish, like Baile Átha Cliath, above the number.
Blue bands both sides 
Italy
Blue bands on both ends
- Format AB 123 CD.
- Blue EU band with I on the left.
- A blue band on the right with the year and often a province code.
Square plate with kanji 
Japan
Small, nearly square plates
- Small, almost square plates.
- Place name in kanji on top, big numbers below.
- Private cars are white with green text; small kei cars are yellow.
Mexican state name 
Mexico
State name on a colourful plate
- Short, wide plates like in the US.
- The state name, often with MÉXICO.
- Colourful backgrounds with local pictures.
Yellow plate 
Netherlands
Bright yellow plates
- Yellow plates front and back.
- Black letters in groups split by dashes, like XX-123-X.
- Blue EU band with NL. Luxembourg plates are yellow too, but say L.
Plain ABC123 plate 
New Zealand
Plain plates with a dealer line
- Format ABC123, no spaces.
- Black letters on white, sometimes with a thin border.
- A dealer name or slogan in small text at the bottom.
Flag band with N 
Norway
Two letters and five numbers
- Format AB 12345: two letters, five numbers.
- Newer plates have a band with the Norwegian flag and N.
- Electric cars often start with EL, EK or EV.
Rizal monument plate 
Philippines
The Rizal monument and green letters
- Many plates show the Rizal monument with MATATAG NA REPUBLIKA along the bottom.
- Older plates have green letters and PHILIPPINES 2000.
- The newest plates are plain white with black letters, format ABC 1234.
Region letters first 
Poland
Region letters first
- Starts with two or three region letters, like WX or KR.
- Blue EU band with PL.
- Then a mix of numbers and letters.
Yellow band on the right 
Portugal
A yellow band on the right
- Format AA-00-AA with dashes.
- Blue EU band with P on the left.
- A yellow band on the right with the year and month.
County-number-letters 
Romania
County code, numbers, letters
- Format B 123 ABC: county code, two or three numbers, three letters.
- Blue EU band with RO.
- Black letters on plain white.
Hangul syllable 
South Korea
A Hangul syllable in the number
- Format 12가 3456: numbers with one Hangul syllable.
- Long, European-size white plates.
- Some have a small blue band on the left.
1234 ABC format 
Spain
Four numbers, three letters
- Format 1234 ABC: four numbers, then three letters.
- Blue EU band with E on the left only.
- Plain white plate with no band on the right.
ABC 123 format 
Sweden
Three letters, three characters
- Format ABC 123 (newer plates may end in a letter).
- Blue EU band with S.
- Black letters on white, no dash.
Swiss and canton shields 
Switzerland
Canton letters and two shields
- Format ZH 123456: two canton letters, then numbers.
- Rear plates show small shields of Switzerland and the canton.
- No EU band: Switzerland is not in the EU.
Thai script 
Thailand
Thai script and a province name
- Thai letters and numbers, like 1กข 1234.
- The province name in Thai under the number.
- Some plates have a coloured picture background.
Yellow rear plate 
United Kingdom
White at the front, yellow at the back
- White front, yellow rear plates.
- Format AB12 CDE: two letters, two digits, a space, three letters.
- No EU band on newer plates; some show UK and a Union flag.
State name 
United States
State name and pictures
- The state name across the top or bottom.
- Colourful designs, slogans and pictures.
- Short, wide plates; some states use only a rear plate.
