Licence plates in Portugal
A yellow band on the right
A white plate with a P band on the left and a yellow band on the right is Portuguese.
- 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.
10 photos, grouped by the clue they show.
Key clue Yellow band on the right 3
Key clue EU band with P 7
Portugal: what its plates look like
Portuguese plates are white with the format AA-00-AA, split into three pairs by dashes.
On the left is the EU band with a P, and on the right a yellow band with the year and month of registration.
The same design is used on the mainland, Madeira and the Azores.
Look-alikes: how to tell them apart
Portugal vs 
Spain
Spain has no band on the right and puts four numbers first. A yellow band on the right means Portugal.
Questions about plates in Portugal
What is the yellow band on Portuguese plates?
It shows the year and month the car was first registered.
How do I tell Portuguese plates from Spanish ones?
Look for the yellow band on the right and the pairs split by dashes; Spanish plates have neither.