# Vehicle registration plates of Manitoba

The Canadian province of Manitoba first required its residents to register their motor vehicles and display licence plates in 1911. As of 2022, plates are issued by the Manitoba Public Insurance. Front and rear plates are required for most classes of vehicles, while only rear plates are required for motorcycles and trailers.

## Passenger baseplates
### 1911 to 1947

In 1956, Canada, the United States, and Mexico came to an agreement with the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the Automobile Manufacturers Association and the National Safety Council that standardized the size for license plates for vehicles (except those for motorcycles) at 6 inches (15 cm) in height by 12 inches (30 cm) in width, with standardized mounting holes. The first Manitoba license plate that complied with these standards was issued 25 years beforehand, in 1931.
No slogans were used on passenger plates during the period covered by this subsection.
| Dates issued | Design | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| 1911 | White serial on blue porcelain plate; vertical "MAN" and "1911" at left and right respectively | 1234 | 1 to 1999; 3000 to approximately 3200 | Serials 2000 through 2999 reserved for dealers. |
| 1912 | White serial on black porcelain plate; provincial shield at left with "MAN. 1912" below | 1234 | 1 to approximately 4500 | |
| 1913 | Black serial on white porcelain plate; provincial shield at left with "MAN 1913" below | 1234 | 1 to approximately 5800 | |
| 1914 | Black serial on golden yellow porcelain plate; provincial shield at left with "MAN 1914" below | 1234 | 1 to approximately 7400 | |
| 1915 | Black serial on white flat metal plate; provincial shield at left with "MAN. 1915" below | 1234 | 1 to approximately 8900 | |
| 1916 | White serial on brown flat metal plate; provincial shield at left with "MAN. 1916" below | 12345 | 1 to approximately 12500 | |
| 1917 | White serial on black flat metal plate; provincial shield at left with "MAN. 1917" below | 12345 | 1 to approximately 18600 | |
| 1918–19 | Black serial on yellow flat metal plate; provincial shield at left with "MAN. 1918" below | 12345 | 1 to approximately 33000 | Revalidated for 1919 with dark green tabs. |
| 1920 | Embossed black serial on light green plate with border line; "MAN 1920" at left | 12345 | 1 to approximately 33500 | First embossed plate. |
| 1921 | Embossed gray serial on dark blue plate with border line; "MAN 1921" at left | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 37-500 | |
| 1922 | Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "MAN 1922" at left | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 38-500 | |
| 1923 | Embossed blue serial on gray plate with border line; "MAN 1923" at left | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 41-000 | |
| 1924 | Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "MAN 1924" at left | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 42-500 | |
| 1925 | Embossed black serial on white plate with border line; "MAN 1925" at left | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 41-500 | |
| 1926 | Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; slanted "MAN" and "26" at right | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 51-500 | |
| 1927 | Embossed black serial on white plate with border line; "MANITOBA 27" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 58-500 | First use of the full province name. |
| 1928 | Embossed black serial on turquoise plate with border line; "MANITOBA 28" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 59-000 | |
| 1929 | Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "MANITOBA 29" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 77-000 | |
| 1930 | Embossed white serial on blue plate with border line; "MANITOBA 30" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 80-000 | |
| 1931 | Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "MANITOBA 31" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 90-000 | First 6" x 12" plate. |
| 1932 | Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "MANITOBA 32" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 78-000 | |
| 1933 | Embossed white serial on blue plate with border line; "MANITOBA 33" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 65-000 | |
| 1934 | Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "34 MANITOBA" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 65-500 | |
| 1935 | Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "MANITOBA 35" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 64-500 | |
| 1936 | Embossed white serial on blue plate with border line; "MANITOBA 36" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 65-500 | |
| 1937 | Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "MANITOBA 37" at top | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 68-000 | |
| 1938 | Embossed white serial on black plate with border line; "MANITOBA 38" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 78-500 | |
| 1939 | Embossed white serial on blue plate with border line; "MANITOBA 39" at top | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 85-500 | |
| 1940 | Embossed white serial on green plate with border line; "MANITOBA 40" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 84-500 | |
| 1941 | Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "MANITOBA 41" at top | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 85-000 | |
| 1942–44 | Embossed black serial on silver plate with border line; "MANITOBA 42" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 84-000 | Revalidated for 1943 with red tabs, and for 1944 with windshield stickers, due to metal conservation for World War II. |
| 1945 | Embossed black serial on orange plate with border line; "MANITOBA 45" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 84-500 | |
| 1946 | Embossed blue serial on cream plate with border line; "MANITOBA 46" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 84-000 | |
| 1947 | Embossed black serial on silver plate with border line; "MANITOBA 47" at bottom | 12-345 | 1 to approximately 85-500 | |

### 1948 to present

Manitoba is currently one of five provinces where decals are not used to show that the vehicle has valid registration, the others being Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec.
| Dates issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| 1948–49 | Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "MANITOBA 48" at bottom | none | 123-456 | 1 to approximately 112-000 | Revalidated for 1949 with silver tabs. |
| 1950–51 | Embossed black serial on silver plate with border line; "MANITOBA 50" at bottom | none | 1A234 | 1A1 to approximately 9S999 | Revalidated for 1951 with red tabs. |
| 1952–57 | Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "MANITOBA 52" at bottom | none | 1A234 | 1A1 to 9Y999 | Revalidated for 1953 with black tabs, for 1954 with green tabs, for 1955 with white tabs, for 1956 with black tabs, and for 1957 with green tabs. |
| 1952–57 | Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "MANITOBA 52" at bottom | none | 12A34 | 10A1 to approximately 70P99 | Revalidated for 1953 with black tabs, for 1954 with green tabs, for 1955 with white tabs, for 1956 with black tabs, and for 1957 with green tabs. |
| 1958–63 | Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "MANITOBA 58" at bottom, offset to right, with embossed bison graphic to left | none | 1A234 | 1A1 to 9Y999 | Revalidated for 1959 with white tabs, for 1960 with yellow tabs, for 1961 with green tabs, for 1962 with white tabs, and for 1963 with yellow tabs. Letters I, O, Q, R and Z not used in serials; this practice continued until 1976. |
| 1958–63 | Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "MANITOBA 58" at bottom, offset to right, with embossed bison graphic to left | none | 12A34 | 10A1 to 99Y99 | Revalidated for 1959 with white tabs, for 1960 with yellow tabs, for 1961 with green tabs, for 1962 with white tabs, and for 1963 with yellow tabs. Letters I, O, Q, R and Z not used in serials; this practice continued until 1976. |
| 1958–63 | Embossed yellow serial on black plate with border line; "MANITOBA 58" at bottom, offset to right, with embossed bison graphic to left | none | AB123 | AA1 to approximately DV999 | Revalidated for 1959 with white tabs, for 1960 with yellow tabs, for 1961 with green tabs, for 1962 with white tabs, and for 1963 with yellow tabs. Letters I, O, Q, R and Z not used in serials; this practice continued until 1976. |
| 1964–70 | Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "MANITOBA 64" at bottom, offset to right, with embossed bison graphic to left | none | 1A234 | 1A1 to 9Y999 | Revalidated for 1965 with black tabs, for 1966 with red tabs, for 1967 with purple tabs, for 1968 with green tabs, for 1969 with black tabs, and for 1970 with purple tabs. Manitoba was thus the last jurisdiction in North America to revalidate its licence plates with tabs. |
| 1964–70 | Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "MANITOBA 64" at bottom, offset to right, with embossed bison graphic to left | none | 12A34 | 10A1 to 99Y99 | Revalidated for 1965 with black tabs, for 1966 with red tabs, for 1967 with purple tabs, for 1968 with green tabs, for 1969 with black tabs, and for 1970 with purple tabs. Manitoba was thus the last jurisdiction in North America to revalidate its licence plates with tabs. |
| 1964–70 | Embossed black serial on yellow plate with border line; "MANITOBA 64" at bottom, offset to right, with embossed bison graphic to left | none | AB123 | AA1 to approximately PJ999 | Revalidated for 1965 with black tabs, for 1966 with red tabs, for 1967 with purple tabs, for 1968 with green tabs, for 1969 with black tabs, and for 1970 with purple tabs. Manitoba was thus the last jurisdiction in North America to revalidate its licence plates with tabs. |
| 1971–75 | Embossed black serial on reflective white plate with border line; outline of bison's head and front leg embossed at left; "71" at bottom left | "SUNNY MANITOBA" and "100,000 LAKES" centred at top and bottom respectively | AB-123 AB12-34 | AA-1 to approximately DW99-99 | Former provincial slogan coincidentally similar to the U.S. state of Minnesota slogan, "10,000 LAKES" (which is still currently used on its license plates). |
| 1976–82 | Embossed purple serial on reflective yellow plate; border lines around plate and around bottom corners; "MANITOBA" centred at bottom; "76" at top right | "FRIENDLY" centred at top | ABC-123 | AAA-101 to approximately GUW-999 | Only letters A through E, G, H, K, L, N, S, T, U, W and X used in serials, and numbers 1–100 reserved in all series. |
| 1983–86 | Embossed black serial on reflective white plate; border lines around plate and around bottom corners; "MANITOBA" screened in red centred at bottom; debossed "83" at bottom left | "FRIENDLY" screened in red centred at top | 123 ABC | 101 AAA to 500 DWT | The 1986 design changes were made in order to cut costs. Letters initially used in serials same as those on the 1976–82 base, plus P as second and/or third letter only; all letters used from the QAA series onwards (1995). |
| 1986 – June 16, 1997 | As above, but non-reflective, and with province name embossed in black | As above, but embossed in black | 123 ABC | 501 DWT to approximately 999 QLV | The 1986 design changes were made in order to cut costs. Letters initially used in serials same as those on the 1976–82 base, plus P as second and/or third letter only; all letters used from the QAA series onwards (1995). |
| June 17, 1997 – late 2012 | Embossed dark blue serial on reflective white plate with river scene featuring green trees on either side and yellow wheat at the bottom; blue bison graphic screened at top right; "Manitoba" screened in blue at top, offset to right, with red maple leaf over the 'i' | "Friendly" screened in blue to left of province name, giving "Friendly Manitoba" | ABC 123 | AAA 101 to BZZ 999; DAA 101 to GLW 999 | Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new standard-issue licence plate of 1997 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time Manitoba has been so honored. Co-recipient with Wisconsin. Letters I, O and Q not used in serials; 'C' series reserved for Commercial plates and 'J' series for alternative Bienvenue plates (below). |
| late 2012 – present | As above, but with bison graphic changed from blue to black | "Friendly" screened in blue to left of province name, giving "Friendly Manitoba" | ABC 123 | GLX 101 to HZZ 999; KAA 101 to LTK 999 (as of November 25, 2024) | Awarded "Plate of the Year" for best new standard-issue licence plate of 1997 by the Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, the first and, to date, only time Manitoba has been so honored. Co-recipient with Wisconsin. Letters I, O and Q not used in serials; 'C' series reserved for Commercial plates and 'J' series for alternative Bienvenue plates (below). |
| February 25, 2013 – present | As above, but with bison graphic changed from blue to black | As above, plus "Bienvenue" screened in blue centered at bottom | ABC 123 | JBA 101 to JBZ 999 (as of November 12, 2024) | Alternative issue. |

## Specialty plates

| Type | First issued | Design | Slogan | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Blue | June 2011 | Blue Text, Blue to white gradient and screened Winnipeg Blue Bombers logo | "Friendly" and "True Blue" | BB1234 | BB0001 to BB9999 | Serials BB0001 through BB0150 were issued only to current Bomber players, Alumni and executives. |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Gold | ? | ? | "Friendly" and "Blue Bombers" | B12345 | B00001 to present | |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Grey Cup | Circa 2019 | ? | "Friendly" and "Blue Bombers" | B12345 | B00001 to present | |
| Winnipeg Jets | December 2011 | Blue serial on white and blue gradient plate with Jets logo screened at left | "Friendly" and "Fuelled By Passion" | WJ1234 | WJ0001 to WJ9999 | |
| Winnipeg Jets | December 2011 | Blue serial on white and blue gradient plate with Jets logo screened at left | "Friendly" and "Fuelled By Passion" | J12345 | J00001 to present | |
| Firefighter | September 2012 | Blue serial on white and red gradient plate with Fire Department crest screened at left | "Friendly" and "Serving Our Community" | FF1234 | FF0001 to FF9999 | Issued to active or retired fire fighters and their immediate family. The number in the serial usually matches the fire fighter's badge number. |
| Firefighter – Winnipeg | September 2012 | Blue serial on white and red gradient plate with Fire Department crest screened at left | "Friendly" and "Serving Our Community" | WF1234 | WF0001 to WF9999 | Issued to active or retired fire fighters and their immediate family. The number in the serial usually matches the fire fighter's badge number. |
| Winnipeg Goldeyes | March 2013 | Blue serial on white and gold gradient plate with Goldeyes logo screened at left | "Friendly" and "Goldeyes" | G12345 | G00001 to present | |
| Curling Manitoba | December 2013 | Black serial on white plate with yellow curling target screened at bottom and curling stone at left | "Friendly" and "curlingforlife.com" | CM1234 | CM0001 to present | |
| Brandon Wheat Kings | February 2014 | Black serial on white and yellow gradient plate with Wheat Kings logo and three wheat stalks screened at left | "Friendly" and "Wheat Kings" | WK1234 | WK0001 to present | |
| University of Winnipeg | June 2014 | Black serial on white and red plate with UWinnipeg campus screened in background and UWinnipeg crest at left | "Friendly" and "Discover, Achieve, Belong" | UW1234 | UW0001 to present | |
| Basketball Manitoba | June 2017 | | | | | |
| Winnipeg Jets Heritage | September 2021 | Blue serial on white plate with 1973 Jets logo screened at left | "Friendly" and "Honour the Past" | JH1234 | JH0001 to JH9999 | |
| Winnipeg Jets Heritage | September 2021 | Blue serial on white plate with 1973 Jets logo screened at left | "Friendly" and "Honour the Past" | H12345 | H00001 to present | |

## Non-passenger plates

| Type | Design | Serial format | Serials issued | Notes |
| Collector | Embossed black serial on yellow plate; "Friendly Manitoba" and black bison graphic at top; "Collector" at bottom | CL12345 | CL00001 to CL12299 (as of August 25, 2024) | First issued March 2014. Issued to cars and motorcycles that are at least 25 years old and are used only for pleasure. |
| Commercial | As current passenger base | CBC 123 | CAA 001 to CRM 999 (as of September 26, 2024) | |
| Dealer | As current passenger base | D12345 | D00001 to D70299 (as of August 22, 2024) | |
| Livery | As current passenger base | XBC 123 | XAA 001 to XAF 999 (as of December 20, 2017) | |
| Motorcycle | Same design as current passenger base; "MC" embossed below serial | 1AB23 | 1AA01 to 4EB99 (as of August 21, 2021) | |
| Motorcycle | Same design as current passenger base; "MC" embossed below serial | 1AB23 | 5EB01 to 7GH01 (as of August 1, 2022) | New smaller size. Continues on same serial format. |
| Repairer | | R12345 | R00001 to R19260 (as of July 1, 2022) | |
| ORV | Embossed black serial on yellow plate; "MANITOBA" at top and "ORV" at bottom | 123A4 | 1A1 to 999Z9 | First issued 1988. 1A234 serial format commenced 2010. |
| ORV | Embossed black serial on yellow plate; "MANITOBA" at top and "ORV" at bottom | 1A234 | 1A001 to 7M878 (as of May 24, 2022) | First issued 1988. 1A234 serial format commenced 2010. |
| PSV | As current passenger base | PBC 123 | PAA 001 to PEB 330 (as of November 8, 2019) | |
| Trailer | Same design as current passenger base; "TL" embossed below serial | A123B | A001A to Z999Z | 123AB serial format commenced 2017. |
| Trailer | Same design as current passenger base; "TL" embossed below serial | 123AB | 001AA to 433GE (as of May 15, 2022) | 123AB serial format commenced 2017. |
| Amateur Radio | | AB1CD | | 123AB serial format commenced 2017. |

## Vanity plates

The province also offers personalized vanity license plates, at a cost of $100. These plates can be affixed to passenger vehicles, non-commercial trucks, farm trucks, motorcycles, mopeds and motorhomes.