Vehicle registration plates of the European Union - wikipedia Vehicle registration plates of the European Union It has been suggested that this article be merged into Vehicle registration plates of Europe. ( Discuss ) Proposed since June 2017. This article is about registration plates of member states of the European Union, which share a common format. For a general overview of registration plates of Europe as a whole, see Vehicle registration plates of Europe. Vehicle registration plates of the European Union are the mandatory number plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle in the respective Member States. Most motor vehicles which are used on public roads are required by law to display them. Contents 1 Format 2 Variants 2.1 United Kingdom 2.2 Other countries 3 Validity 4 Gallery of blue sections 5 List 6 Motorcycle plates 7 See also 8 References Format The common EU format of having a blue section on the extreme left with EU circle of stars and the country code was introduced by Council Regulation ( EC ) No 2411 / 98 of 3 November 1998 and entered into force on the 11 November 1998. It was based on a model registration plate which several member states had introduced : Ireland ( 1991 ), Portugal ( 1992 ) and Germany ( 1994 ). Luxembourg plates had displayed the European Flag on the left part since 1988. The EU format is optional in Finland and the United Kingdom. Denmark implemented the EU format on a voluntary basis in 2009. Vehicles with EU number plates do not need to display the white oval international vehicle registration code while within another member state. However, according to the small print of the French legislation, the specified size of the lettering is slightly larger than that used on UK plates. Variants United Kingdom Within the United Kingdom, motorists with vehicles registered in Great Britain may use number plates featuring the national flag of England, Scotland and Wales, or alternatively the Union Flag, together with the code name `` ENG '' for England, `` SCO '' for Scotland, `` Wales '' or `` CYM '' for Wales, `` GB '' for Great Britain or `` UK '' for United Kingdom respectively. Although not officially recognised outside the UK, they are authorised by the nation 's Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. However, motorists with vehicles registered in Northern Ireland fall within the jurisdiction of the Driver & Vehicle Agency, which does not permit the letters NI to appear alongside any flag ; only the Union Flag alongside GB / UK or the EU format ( featuring in this case the letters GB ), being optionally permitted. The British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, unlike the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, counts as part of the EU and, therefore, uses number plates in the EU format. Other countries Several non-EU European states have implemented similar formats, replacing the circle of stars with own symbols. Norway is an example of such state, issuing europlates with the Norwegian flag replacing the circle of stars. From those states that joined in the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, Malta already used europlates, Slovakia had used its coat of arms instead of the circle of stars, while Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland had used EU number plates displaying the national flag before their accession, as did Bulgaria and Romania before their accession in 2007. These formats are valid in countries that have signed the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, as both the EU format and e.g. the Norwegian format satisfies the requirements set in the convention. Validity Following countries are required to recognize EU format licence plate as an international vehicle registration code : all EU member states European Economic Area members signatories to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic Gallery of blue sections List Vehicle registration plates of each European Union country are described in the following table : Member state Abbr. Example Austria Belgium Bulgaria BG Croatia HR Cyprus CY Czech Republic CZ Denmark DK Estonia EST Finland FIN France Germany Gibraltar GBZ Greece GR Hungary Ireland IRL Italy Latvia LV Lithuania LT Luxembourg Malta Netherlands NL Poland PL Portugal Romania RO Slovakia SK Slovenia SLO Spain Sweden United Kingdom GB Motorcycle plates These are used for motorcycles and vehicles where mounting space is an issue, such as taxis which display their licence plate beside the registration plate, and vehicles imported from countries where the mounting space was not originally designed to take European - sized plates ( e.g. United States ). Member state Abbr. Example France Germany Italy Latvia LV Malta Poland PL Spain Sweden United Kingdom GB See also List of international vehicle registration codes References Jump up ^ Council Regulation ( EC ) No 2411 / 98 of 3 November 1998 Jump up ^ http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1990/en/si/0287.html Jump up ^ http://www.worldlicenseplates.com/world/EU_PORT.html Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2016. Jump up ^ http://www.skat.dk/SKAT.aspx?oId=1815328&vId=0 ( dänisch ) Jump up ^ http://www.matriculasdelmundo.com/reinounido.html Jump up ^ DVLA ( 27 April 2009 ). `` INF104 : Vehicle registration numbers and number plates '' ( PDF ). Retrieved 2009 - 09 - 28. Jump up ^ http://www.parliament.uk/Templates/BriefingPapers/Pages/BPPdfDownload.aspx?bp-id=SN01328 Jump up ^ `` Convention on Road Traffic, of 8 November 1968 ( 2006 consolidated version ), Annex 3 '' ( PDF ). 3 September 1993. When the distinguishing sign is incorporated into the registration plate ( s ), the following conditions shall apply : (... ) When, in addition to the distinguishing sign, a non-numerical symbol and / or a flag and / or a regional or local emblem is displayed on the registration plate, the distinguishing sign of the State of registration shall obligatorily be placed on the far left of the plate Vehicle registration plates of Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies and other entities Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard Other entities European Union Sovereign Military Order of Malta European Union articles History Timeline Pre-1945 1945 -- 57 1958 -- 72 1973 -- 93 1993 -- 2004 Since 2004 Predecessors Timeline Founders European Coal and Steel Community ( 1951 -- 2002 ) European Economic Community ( 1958 -- 1993 / 2009 ) Euratom ( 1958 -- present ) European Communities ( 1967 -- 1993 / 2009 ) Justice and Home Affairs ( 1993 -- 2009 ) Geography Extreme points Geographic centre Largest municipalities Urban areas Larger urban zones Member states Regions ( first - level NUTS ) Special territories Politics Institutions European Council European Commission European Parliament Council of the European Union Court of Justice of the European Union European Central Bank European Court of Auditors Agencies Banking Border and coast security ( Frontex ) Disease prevention and control Environment Foreign affairs ( External Action Service ) Judicial cooperation ( Eurojust ) Law enforcement cooperation ( Europol ) Maritime safety Reconstruction Law Acquis Charter of Fundamental Rights Competition law Copyright law Directive Citizens ' Rights Directive Enhanced cooperation Environmental policy Four freedoms labour mobility Government procurement Journal Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification Legislative procedure Citizens ' Initiative Regulation Rural Development Policy Schengen Area Treaties opt - outs LGBT rights Politics Elections parliamentary constituencies Enlargement 1973 1981 1986 1995 2007 2013 Future Euromyths Political parties ( National parties by affiliation ) Euroscepticism Foreign relations ( defence ) Integration Parliamentary groups Pro-Europeanism Withdrawal ( Brexit ) 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Economy Budget Central bank Agricultural policy Fisheries policy Currencies Energy policy Euro Eurozone Free trade agreements Investment bank Investment fund Regional development Single market Societas Europaea Solidarity Fund Transport Galileo navigation system minimum wage average wage unemployment rate health expense per person Healthcare Health Insurance Card Driving licence European Common Aviation Area Culture Citizenship passports identity cards Cultural policies Demographics Douzelage Driving licence Education House of European History Institute of Innovation and Technology Laissez - passer Languages Media freedom Public holidays Religion Sport Telephone numbers Statistics Symbols Lists Concepts, acronyms, & jargon Agencies Books Companies Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants Largest cities by population within city limits Directives Tallest buildings Terrorist incidents Vehicle registration plates Theory Eurosphere Intergovernmentalism Multi-speed Neofunctionalism Optimum currency area Supranational union Outline Book Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vehicle_registration_plates_of_the_European_Union&oldid=854749122 '' Categories : Vehicle registration plates Transport and the European Union Hidden categories : Articles to be merged from June 2017 All articles to be merged Use dmy dates from March 2013 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2015 Talk Variants Contents About Wikipedia Languages Български Català Deutsch Italiano Magyar Македонски 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Shqip Türkçe Українська 中文 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 13 August 2018, at 14 : 28 ( UTC ). 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Question: what does b mean on a number plate
Answer: Belgium