British Registration Numbers
Allocation of registration marks 1903-1963
England and Wales
1903/4 allocation of marks to English & Welsh County Councils & County Borough Councils was single letters from A to Y, and double letters AA to FP (with a few gaps). These were arranged in order of population figures from the 1901 census which gave London letter A (population 4,536,541) through to Rutland FP (population 19,709)
At an early stage it was decided that I and Z were to be allocated to Ireland and G, S and V were to be allocated to Scotland's authorities - though many G and V combinations were diverted elsewhere. Unlike England & Wales, the allocations to Ireland & Scotland were made in alphabetical order of counties, followed by boroughs.
Blackpool and Tynemouth; awarded CBC status later in 1904 took the next available marks FR and FT. As an authority reached the end of its allotted mark, it was allocated another. London was quickly awarded LC, LN, LB, etc.
In 1932 the first three letter combination appeared ARF for Staffordshire. The first letter was a serial, which preceded the existing two letter mark. Many councils issued marks in the order of their original issue; Bedfordshire for example issued ABM, ANM, ATM, AMJ, then BBM etc.
In 1953 "Reversed" marks appeared, using single letter, double letter and three letter combinations on the same lines as before. The suffix letter system was phased in from 1963-5 - at this time Somerset County Council had reached "reversed" YYC while SJ (Bute CC) only reached SJ 2860!
The following table records the issue of single, double and three letter combinations by the various authorities. It should be realised that not all combinations were issued ARS, AWC for example. Certain large users; Government, War Office, Post Office were allocated large blocks which were still being filled over several years. The "last issue" is the last normal issue and does not take into account re-registrations, special advance issues, etc. If the final number issued is not known, this is credited as "999" or "9999"
| Authority | Combinations issued | Final marks used (Italics are "reversed") |
|---|---|---|
 | | |
| England & Wales | ||
| Anglesey CC | EY | PEY 112 |
| Barnsley CBC | HE | YHE 999, 6710 HE |
| Barrow-in-Furness CBC | EO | MEO 274 |
| Bath CBC | FB, GL | OGL 960 |
| Bedfordshire CC | BM, MJ, NM, TM | 65 RBM |
| Berkshire CC | BL, JB, MO, RX | 344 GBL |
| Birkenhead CBC | BG, CM | SCM 966 |
| Birmingham CBC | O, OA, OB, OC, OE, OF, OG, OH, OJ, OK, OL, OM, ON, OP, OV, OX, VP | 555 NOJ |
| Blackburn CBC | BV, CB | SCB 950 |
| Blackpool CBC | FR, FV (*= Blackpool only issued "FR" in "reversed" format) | 637 JFR* |
| Bolton CBC | BN, WH | YWH 600 |
| Bootle CBC | EM | DEM 11 |
| Bournemouth CBC | EL, LJ, RU | 670 CLJ |
| Bradford CBC | AK, KU, KW, KY | YKY 999, KW, 1166 KY |
| Breconshire CC | EU | PEU 511 |
| Brighton CBC | CD, UF | 812 FCD |
| Bristol CBC | AE, HT, HU, HW, HY | 408 YAE |
| Buckinghamshire CC | BH, KX, PP | 999 YPP, BH, KX, 6200 PP |
| Burnley CBC | CW, HG | RCW 471 |
| Burton-on-Trent CBC | FA | UFA 718 |
| Bury CBC | EN | VEN 193 |
| Caernarvonshire CC | CC, JC | OJC 362 |
| Cambridgeshire CC | CE, ER, VE | 7 EVE |
| Canterbury CBC | FN, JG | YJG 999, FN, 1473 JG |
| Cardiff CBC | BO, KG, UH | 866 FKG |
| Cardiganshire CC | EJ | SEJ 726 |
| Carlisle CBC | HH | YHH 820 |
| Carmarthenshire CC | BX, TH | 820 FBX |
| Chester CBC | FM | 999 YFM, 8417 FM |
| Cheshire CC | M, LG, MA, MB, TU | 999 YTU, LG, 5742 TU |
| Cornwall CC | AF, CV, RL | 983 WRL |
| Coventry CBC | DU, HP, KV, RW, VC, WK | 999 CWK, 9352 KV |
| Croydon CBC | BY, OY, RK, VB | 999 EOY |
| Cumberland CC | AO, RM | 826 MRM |
| Darlington CBC | HN | 122 YHN |
| Denbighshire CC | CA, UN | 530 BCA |
| Derby CBC | CH, RC | 672 FCH |
| Derbyshire CC | R, NU, RA, RB | 999 YRB, R, NU, 1001-3493 RA |
| Devon CC | T, DV, OD, TA, TT, UO | 240 TOD |
| Dewsbury CBC | HD | LHD 750 |
| Doncaster CBC | DT | 400 RDT |
| Dorset CC | FX*, JT, PR, TK (*= FX replaced BF, the originally allocated Dorset mark) | VTK 500 |
| Dudley CBC | FD | 581 EFD |
| Durham CC | J, PT, UP | 751 MUP |
| Eastbourne CBC | HC, JK | MJK 46 |
| East Ham CBC | HM, HV | YHV 355 |
| East Suffolk CC | BJ, RT | 349 WBJ |
| East Sussex CC | AP, NJ, PM, PN | YPN 999, 1001-9042 AP |
| East Yorks CC | BT, WF | 839 CBT |
| Essex CC | F, EV, HK, NO, OO, PU, TW, VW, VX, WC (OO and WC were allocated to Essex after normal issues were completed) | 999 YVX, OO, AOO-YOO, BWC-YWC, A00-YOO, BWC-950 YWC |
| Exeter CBC | FJ | 200 JFJ |
| Flintshire | DM | 88 JDM |
| Gateshead CBC | CN | SCN 56 |
| Glamorgan CC | L, NY, TG, TX | 955 XTX |
| Gloucester CBC | FH | 286 FFH |
| Gloucestershire CC | AD, DD, DF*, DG (*= DF first allocated to Northampton CBC) | 999 BDD, 1-4510 DG |
| Great Yarmouth CBC | EX | KEX 712 |
| Grimsby CBC | EE, JV | YJV 800 |
| Halifax CBC | CP, JX | UCP 24 |
| Hampshire CC (Officially Southampton CC until 1959) | AA, CG, HO, OR, OT, OU | 4 NOU |
| Hastings CBC | DY | VDY 479 |
| Herefordshire CC | CJ, VJ | 127 EVJ |
| Hertfordshire CC | AR, JH, NK, RO, UR | 999 WJH |
| Huddersfield CBC | CX, VH | YVH 900 |
| Huntingdonshire CC | EW | 749 MEW |
| Ipswich CBC | DX, PV | UPV 894 |
| Isle of Ely CC | EB, JE | RJE 6 |
| Isle of Wight CC | DL | 522 CDL |
| Kent CC | D, KE, KJ, KK, KL, KM, KN, KO, KP, KR, KT | 999 YKT, KM, KO, KP, KR, 1-5700 D |
| Kingston-upon-Hull CBC | AT, KH, RH | 909 HKH |
| Lancashire CC | B, TB, TC, TD, TE, TF, TJ | 999 YTJ, TD, TE, TF, 1-9700 TJ |
| Leeds CBC | U, NW, UA, UB, UG, UM | 250 LUG |
| Leicester CBC | BC, JF, RY | 601 HRY |
| Leicestershire CC | AY, JU, NR, UT | 537 EUT |
| Lincoln CBC | FE, VL | XVL 280 |
| Lincs CC - Holland | DO, JL | YJL 970 |
| Lincs CC - Kesteven | CT, TL | YTL 783 |
| Lincs CC - Lindsey | BE, FU, FW | 424 HFU |
| Liverpool CBC | K, KA, KB, KC, KD, KF, LV | 541 JKB |
| London CC | A, GC, GF, GH, GJ, GK, GN, GO, GP, GT, GU, GW, GX, GY, JJ, LA, LB, LC, LD, LE, LF, LH, LK, LL, LM, LN, LO, LP, LR, LT, LU, LW, LX, LY, UC, UL, UU, UV, UW, XA, XB, XC, XD, XE, XF, XH, XK, XL, XM, XN, XO, XP, XR, XT, XU, XV, XW, XX, XY, YE, YF, YH, YK, YL, YM, YN, YO, YP, YR, YT, YU, YV, YW, YX, YY QA, QB, QC, QD, QE, QF, QH, QJ, QK, QL, QM, QM, QP, QQ, QR, QT, QX, QY (Q series for temporary imports) | 999 HYH |
| Manchester CBC | N, NA, NB, NC, ND, NE, NF, VM, VR, VU, XJ | 1-5603 XJ |
| Merionethshire CC | FF | HFF 916 |
| Merthyr Tydfil CBC | HB | EHB 383 |
| Middlesbrough CBC | DC, XG | SXG 832 |
| Middlesex CC | H, HX, MC, MD, ME, MF, MG, MH, MK, ML MM, MP, MT, MU, MV, MX, MY (NMC etc not issued originally, used last) | 999 YMY, HX-MY, NMC-NMY, 1 NMC - 999 NMY |
| Monmouthshire CC | AX, WO | 997 JWO |
| Montgomery CC | EP | TEP 654 |
| Newcastle-upon-Tyne CBC | BB, TN, VK | 812 XBB |
| Newport (Monmouth) CBC | DW | 999 BDW, 501-5317 DW |
| Norfolk CC | AH, NG, PW, VF | 35 EPW |
| Northampton CBC | DF*, NH, VV (*= DF originally allocated, replaced by NH in 1905) | TVV 757 |
| Northamptonshire CC | BD, NV, RP | 375 GNV |
| Northumberland CC | X, JR, NL, TY | YJR 850 |
| North Yorks CC | AJ, PY, VN | 281 HAJ |
| Norwich CBC | CL, VG | YVG 130 |
| Nottingham CBC | AU, TO, TV | 422 UTO |
| Nottinghamshire CC | AL, NN, RR, VO | 257 YNN |
| Oldham CBC | BU | 167 KBU |
| Oxford CBC | FC, JO, WL | 850 VWL |
| Oxfordshire CC | BW, UD | YUD 800 |
| Pembrokeshire CC | DE | 324 YDE |
| Plymouth CBC | CO, DR*, JY | YJY 999 |
| Portsmouth CBC | BK, RV, TP | 870 DRV |
| Preston CBC | CK, RN | VCK 530 |
| Radnorshire CC | FO | EFO 543 |
| Reading CBC | DP, RD | YRD 999, DP, 1-2113 RD |
| Rochdale CBC | DK | 999 ADK, 201-7633 DK |
| Rotherham CBC | ET | 999 BET, 1000-8407 ET |
| Rutland CC | FP | DFP 136 |
| Saint Helens CBC | DJ | XDJ 280 |
| Salford CBC | BA, RJ | YRJ 899 |
| Sheffield CBC | W, WA, WB, WE, WJ | 345 JWB |
| Shropshire CC | AW, NT, UJ, UX | AW, 501-4757 NT |
| Soke of Peterborough CC | EG, FL | UFL 639 |
| Somerset CC | Y, YA, YB, YC, YD | 46 YYC |
| Southampton CBC | CR, OW, TR | 208 HTR |
| Southend-on-Sea CBC | HJ, JN | 999 BHJ, 1000-4938 JN |
| Southport CBC | FY, WM | YWM 757 |
| South Shields CBC | CU | NCU 125 |
| Staffordshire CC | E, BF*, RE, RF (*= BF originally Dorset, CBF 1 onwards for Staffordshire) (CBF etc. issued after completion of 9999 RE) | 999 YRF, H, RE, RF, CBF-YBF, CBF-999 YBF |
| Stockport CBC | DB, JA | YJA 999 |
| Stoke-on-Trent CBC | EH*, VT (*= EH originally Hanley CBC until 1910) | 999 YVT, VT, 1-8975 EH |
| Sunderland CBC | BR, GR | YBR 319 |
| Surrey CC | P, PA, PB, PC, PD, PE, PF, PG, PH, PJ, PK, PL | 999 YPL, PL, PK, PJ, PH, PG, PF, 1-8000 PE |
| Swansea CBC | CY, WN | 950 JCY |
| Tynemouth CBC | FT | KFT 333 |
| Wakefield CBC | HL | YHL 999, 1001-4151 HL |
| Wallasey CBC | HF | OHF 836 |
| Walsall CBC | DH | 999 WDH, 1001-5860 DH |
| Warley CBC (Smethwick CBC until 1966) | HA | 999 SHA, 501-9719 HA |
| Warrington CBC | ED | 101-8790 ED, 999 AED |
| Warwickshire CC | AC, NX, UE, WD | 247 LNX |
| West Bromwich CBC | EA | 97 UEAA |
| West Ham CBC | AN, JD | 459 EAN |
| West Hartlepool CBC | EF | REF 539 |
| Westmoreland CC | EC, JM | MJM 180 |
| West Suffolk CC | CF, GV | YGV 976 |
| West Sussex CC | BP, PO, PX | 670 PBP |
| West Yorkshire CC | C, WR, WT, WU, WW, WX, WY, YG | 58 HWR |
| Wigan CBC | EK, JP | LJP 578 |
| Wiltshire CC | AM, HR, MR, MW, WV | 277 EMW |
| Wolverhampton CBC | DA, JW, UK | 92 GDA |
| Worcester CBC | FK | 975 YFK, 1-5000 FK |
| Worcestershire CC | AB, NP, UY, WP | 520 MUY |
| York CBC | DN, VY | 999 BVY, 1-3000 VY |
Scotland | ||
| Aberdeen BC | RG, RS | WRS 322 |
| Aberdeen CC | AV, SA | YSA 981 |
| Angus CC (Forfarshire CC until 1928) | SR | YSR 999, 501-8576 SR |
| Argyll CC | SB | NSB 99 |
| Ayrshire CC | AG, CS, SD | YSD 259 |
| Banffshire CC | SE | HSE 900 |
| Berwickshire CC | SH | KSH 638 |
| Bute CC | SJ | SJ 2860 |
| Caithness CC | SK | ASK 871 |
| Clackmannanshire CC | SL | SL 2860 |
| Dumfries CC | SM | 344 FSM |
| Dunbartonshire CC | SN | VSN 555 |
| Dundee BC | TS, YJ* (YJ issued when marks were running out - only Scottish mark without a G, S or V) | STS 126 |
| East Lothian CC (Haddingtonshire CC until 1921) | SS | HSS 439 |
| Edinburgh BC | S, FS, SC, SF, SG, WS*, QS* (*= Leith BC (WS 1-520), absorbed by Edinburgh BC in 1920) (*= QS for temporary imports) | YWS 999, SF, SC, 1-415 FS |
| Fife CC | FG, SP | YFG 999, SP, 1-7918 FG |
| Glasgow BC | G, GA, GB, GD, GE, GG, US*, YS* (*= US Govan BC (US 1-529) until 1912) (*= YS Partick BC (YS 1-39) until 1912) | 344 KGE |
| Greenock BC | VS | EVS 999* (*= Higher numbers in this series were issued with a "B" suffix) |
| Inverness CC | ST | YST 219 |
| Kincardine CC | SU | BSU 686 |
| Kinross CC | SV | SV 3722 |
| Kirkcudbright CC | SW | GSW 474 |
| Lanark | VA, VD | 44 KVA |
| Midlothian CC | SY | NSY 175 |
| Morayshire CC (Elginshire CC until 1919) | SO | MSO 930 |
| Motherwell & Wishaw BC | GM | FGM 950 |
| Nairn CC | AS | AS 4097 |
| Orkney CC | BS | BS 7777 |
| Paisley BC | XS | JXS 600 |
| Peebles CC | DS | DS 6396 |
| Perthshire CC | ES, GS | VCS 575 |
| Renfrewshire CC | HS | YHS 964 |
| Ross & Cromarty CC | JS | NJS 333 |
| Roxburgh CC | KS | SKS 12 |
| Selkirk CC | LS | LS 9583 |
| Stirling CC | MS, WG | XWG 918 |
| Sutherland CC | NS | NS 5685 |
| West Lothian CC (Linlithgowshire CC until 1921) | SX | KSX 535 |
| Wigtownshire CC | OS | HOS 672 |
| Zetland CC (Shetland) | PS | PS 4080 |
Allocation of registration marks 1963 - 1974
Several new authorities were created after April 1963, and there were no available marks for them to issue. Many authorities having almost exhausted their supply of available combinations had already embraced the suffix letter system, and it was decided to withdraw London's X multiples and to award them to any new authorities to be used only with year suffix plates.
The following were allocated:
| Kirkaldy CBC | AXA 1A onwards | April 1963 |
| Coatbridge CBC | AXB 1B onwards | April 1964 |
| Solihull CBC | AXC 1B onwards | April 1964 |
| Luton CBC | AXD 1B onwards | April 1964 |
| Luton CBC | AXE 1B onwards | April 1964 |
| Torbay CBC | AXF 1F onwards | April 1968 |
Other Changes
In April 1965 there were various boundary changes:
- Croydon CBC, East Ham CBC, London CC, Middlesex CBC and West Ham CC were absorbed into the Greater London Council, and the marks were issued by GLC (with regional offices).
- Cambridgeshire CC merged with the Isle of Ely CC and the combined marks were then issued from Cambridge.
- Huntingdon CC merged with Soke of Peterborough CC to form Huntingdon & Peterborough CC and the combined marks were issued from Peterborough.
Allocation of registration marks 1903 to date
Northern Ireland
In contrast to the mainland, Northern Ireland issued two letter marks in the order they were allocated, followed by "reversed" two letter marks, then to three letter combinations: example for Antrim CC IA, DZ, KZ, RZ, IA, DZ, KZ, RZ, AIA-YIA, ADZ-YDZ, AKZ onwards, etc. (all with up to 4-digit numbers). Registrations in Northern Ireland continue to be issued in this manner to the present day. In recent years numbers 1-1000 have been withheld for sale as select marks by the DVLA.
The Republic of Ireland worked within the British system after 1922 issuing new marks as required, the last being issued in 1986 before a completely new year-number based system was introduced. The issue of marks was usually two letter, three letter, the "reversed" two letter, and "reversed" three letter.
| Authority | Combinations issued | Final marks used (Italics are "reversed") |
|---|---|---|
| | |
| Antrim CC | DZ, IA, KZ, RZ | AKZ 9999 onwards |
| Armagh CC | IB, LZ, XZ | ELZ onwards |
| Belfast CBC | AZ, CZ, EZ, FZ, GZ, MZ, OI, OZ, PZ, TZ, UZ, WZ, XI QI, QZ (for temporary imports) | AOI-YOI, AXI-YXI, AAZ-YAZ, ACZ onwards |
| Down CC | BZ, IJ, JZ, SZ | AJZ onwards |
| Fermanagh CC | IL | SIL onwards |
| Londonderry CBC | UI | KUI onwards |
| Londonderry CC | IW, NZ, YZ | ANZ onwards |
| Tyrone CC | HZ, JI, VZ | AHZ onwards |
| | |
Republic of Ireland 1903-1986 | ||
| Carlow CC | IC | YIC 994 |
| Cavan CC | ID | 906 IID |
| Clare CC | IE | 107 XIE |
| Cork CBC | PI, ZF | 542 FZF |
| Cork CC | IF, ZB, ZK | 999 YZK |
| Cork CBC & CC joint (Replaced CBC and CC separate authorities in June 1974) | ZT | 9999 ZT |
| Donegal CC | IH, ZP | 4853 ZP |
| Dublin CBC | RI, YI, ZA, ZC, ZD, ZH, ZI, ZJ, ZL, ZZ* (*= ZZ for temporary imports only) | ZL 9999 |
| Dublin CC | IK, Z, ZE | ZE 9999 |
| Dublin CBC & CC joint (Replaced CBC and CC separate authorities in February 1952) | SI, ZG, ZO, ZS, ZU, ZV (ASI-ZSI allocated 8/82, AZG-YZG allocated 6/83, AZS-YZS allocated 5/84) (AZV-YZV allocated 3/85, SI, ZG and ZS in 1/86) (ZV retained with four numbers for "age related marks") | 999 YZU, ZS 8709 |
| Galway CC | IM, ZM | 777 GZM |
| Kerry CC | IN, ZX | 375 CIN |
| Kildare CC | IO, ZW | 9343 ZW |
| Kilkenny CC | IP | 235 UIP |
| Kings County (Offaly CC) | IR | 7384 IR |
| Leitrim CC | IT | KIT 780 |
| Limerick CBC | TI | 929 FTI |
| Limerick CC | IU, IV (IV allocated by 2/82 after IU was completed) | 999 ZIU, AIV 1- OIV 520 |
| Longford CC | IX | PIX 710 |
| Louth CC | IY, ZY | 2507 ZY |
| Mayo CC | IS, IZ (IS allocated in 4/83 after IZ was completed) | 999 ZIZ, AIS 1-HIS 990 |
| Meath CC | AI, ZN | 88 ZN |
| Monaghan CC | BI | 6540 BI |
| Queens County (Laois CC) | CI | 7342 CI |
| Roscommon CC | DI | 292 BDI |
| Sligo CC | EI | 835 AEI |
| Tipperary North Riding | FI | 418 JFI |
| Tipperary South Riding | GI, HI (GI allocated in 5/85 after HI was completed) | 999 ZHI, AGI 1-CGI 871 |
| Waterford CBC | WI | WWI 80 |
| Waterford CC | KI | 586 AKI |
| Westmeath CC | LI | 869 GLI |
| Wexford CC | MI, ZR | 8071 ZR |
| Wicklow CC | NI | 426 TNI |
Republic of Ireland 1987 to date
In 1987 a new system came into operation, featuring two digit number, single or double letters, followed by up to four or five serial numbers. The first two numbers indicated the year; i.e. 87 = 1987, 02 = 2002 and so on. The single or double letter indicated the registration authority, as follows:
| | | | |
| C | Cork City & County | LS | Laois County | |
| CE | Clare County | MH | Meath County | |
| CN | Cavan County | MN | Monaghan County | |
| CW | Carlow County | MO | Mayo County | |
| D | Dublin City & County | OY | Offaly County | |
| DL | Donegal County | RN | Roscommon County | |
| G | Galway City & County | SO | Sligo County | |
| KE | Kildare County | TN | Tipperary North Riding | |
| KK | Kilkenny County | TS | Tipperary South | |
| KY | Kerry County | W | Waterford City | |
| L | Limerick City | WD | Waterford County | |
| LD | Longford County | WH | Westmeath County | |
| LH | Louth County | WW | Wicklow County | |
| LK | Limerick County | WX | Wexford County | |
| LM | Leitrim County |
Single letter authorities may have serial numbers up to five digits, and double-letter authorities up to four digits.
Although the series started in 1987, re-registrations are allowed to use preceding numbers - a vehicle from 1964 would start its registration as "64" etc.
