# Vehicle registration plates of the Philippines

Vehicle registration plates in the Philippines, commonly known as license plates (Filipino: plaka), are issued and regulated by the Land Transportation Office (LTO), a government agency under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

## History

In January 2013, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) began a license plate standardization project by issuing plates with modern security features, including holograms and bar codes. They also planned to slowly phase out the old 1981 plate format. In the current format, the LTO issues LLL-DDDD plates (where L represents a letter and D represents a one-digit number) for four-wheel vehicles and DDD-LLL/L-DDD-LL plates for motorcycles.
In 2016, the LTO issued "virtual plates" as a temporary measure to address the backlog in physical license plates. New vehicles were issued a virtual identification consisting of a combination of alphanumeric symbols, which will make it easier for the LTO to release the permanent license plates once they were available. In August 2017, the Department of Transportation selected the winning bidder under the government's "Moving Forward Program" to reduce the backlog of 3.4 million plates spanning from July 2016 to December 2017.
In January 2018, the Supreme Court ordered the release of license plates held due to restraining orders saddling the plate modernization program. It was expected that the distribution of new plates would commence at full swing by mid-February 2018. The machines were delivered to the LTO in February 2018 and were installed in a new plate making facility. The new license plates were released in July 2018 throughout the country. Under this new plate series, the first letter of the license plate will determine where the vehicle is registered. This is the same designation that was implemented during the 1981 series.

## Current plate design specifications
### Plate number dimension and font style

The current version of the license plates measure 390 mm wide and 140 mm high, while current motorcycle plates released since 2020 measure 235 mm wide and 135 mm high. The characters are stamped on an aluminum plate, which is then painted with reflective paint. FE-Schrift was chosen as the font to be used on license plates in 2018 as the characters are designed to be difficult to modify. Before 1981, the Philippines used the North American standard measuring 300 × 150 mm (12 × 6 inches) for cars and trucks.

### Registration area prefixes

After the release of the new plate number design in 2018, all virtual and temporary plates that were issued from July 2016 to December 2017 using the 2014 series design were updated to 2018's alphabetical designation. The first letter in the 2018 automobile plate number design represents the prefix, which denotes the region where the vehicle was registered. The letter S is used to indicate a government-owned vehicle.
Automobile and motorcycle plate number prefixes in the 2018 series :
| Prefix | Region |
| B | Cagayan Valley |
| C, R, W | Central Luzon |
| D, O | Calabarzon |
| E | Bicol Region |
| F | Western Visayas |
| G | Central Visayas |
| H | Eastern Visayas |
| I, A* (*motorcycles only) | Ilocos Region |
| J | Zamboanga Peninsula, Bangsamoro |
| K | Northern Mindanao |
| L | Davao Region |
| M | Soccsksargen |
| N, P, Q, T, U, X | National Capital Region |
| V | Mimaropa |
| Y | Cordillera Administrative Region |
| Z | Caraga |

### Vehicle classification by color scheme (2018 design)

| Pattern | Color | Class | Description |
| NBC 1234 123NBC N123BC NB123C N1234C | Black text on white background | Private vehicles | Private vehicles, not for commercial use |
| NBV 1234 123NVB N123VB NV123B | Green text on white background | Electric/hybrid vehicles | Private electric and/or hybrid vehicles, not for commercial use |
| NBC 1234 123NBC N123BC NB123C | Black text on yellow background | Public utility vehicles | Public utility vehicles and other for-hire vehicles (e.g. commercial trucks, public transport buses, taxis and jeepneys.) |
| SNA 1234 123SNA S123NA | Red text on white background | Government vehicles | Vehicles for official government use (e.g.; police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks). |
| 001 1234 | Blue text on white background | Diplomatic vehicles | Vehicles in diplomatic use 7 digit new diplomatic license plate with blue numbers on a white background. The first 3 digits of the plate will indicate the assigned number of the country, diplomatic missions, consular missions, and international organization. |

### Vehicle classification by second and third letter

The second letter on the number plate classifies special types of vehicles, such as trailers, electric, hybrid, and vintage vehicles.
Vehicles :
| Classification | Position of letter assignment | Example | Color |
| Private Trailers | Second letter is U | NUA 1234 | Black text on white background |
| Electric vehicle | Second letter may be from A to M Third letter may be the following: V, W, X, Y, Z | NHV 1234 NIV 5678 NGV 9012 | Green text on white background |
| Hybrid vehicle | Second letter may be from N to Z Third letter may be the following: V, W, X, Y, Z | JNW 4321 CRW 8765 NNV 2109 | Green text on white background |
| Vintage vehicle | Last two letters are the following: TX, TY, TZ | NTX 9876 BTY 5432 GTZ 1098 | Black text on white background with byline. (e.g. vintage vehicle 1960) |
Motorcycles :
| Classification | Position of letter assignment | Example |
| Electric vehicle | Second letter may be from V, W, X, Y, Z Third letter may be the following: A to M | D123VB J209XK N124YM |
| Hybrid vehicle | Second letter may be from V, W, X, Y, Z Third letter may be the following: N to Z | N583ZZ C789WO G897VQ |
| Vintage vehicle | Last two letters are the following: TX, TY, TZ | P123TX N921TY K388TZ |

### Motorcycle classification by color strip and position

Motorcycle registration plates released since 2020 features color-coded strips to indicate the region where they are registered, in addition to the registration area prefixes.
| Strip color | Strip position | Region |
| None | - | National Capital Region |
| Pink | Top | Cordillera Administrative Region |
| Pink | Bottom | Caraga |
| Green | Top | Ilocos Region |
| Green | Bottom | Eastern Visayas |
| Gray | Top | Bicol Region |
| Gray | Bottom | Northern Mindanao |
| Blue | Top | Central Luzon |
| Blue | Bottom | Davao Region |
| Purple | Top | Calabarzon |
| Purple | Bottom | Western Visayas |
| Orange | Top | Mimaropa |
| Orange | Bottom | Central Visayas |
| Red | Top | Cagayan Valley |
| Red | Bottom | Zamboanga Peninsula |
| Brown | Bottom | Soccsksargen |

## Special plate number designs
### High-ranking government plates

Known officially as low-numbered (protocol) license plates, these are reserved for top government officials of the Republic of the Philippines, and have the same paint scheme as private vehicles.
| Plate | Officials |
| 1 | President |
| 2 | Vice President |
| 3 | President of the Senate |
| 4 | Speaker of the House of Representatives |
| 5 | Chief Justice of the Supreme Court |
| 6 | Cabinet Secretaries |
| 7 | Senators |
| 8 | Representatives (Congressmen) |
| 9 | Associate Justices of the Supreme Court |
| 10 | Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan and Solicitor General |
| 11 | Chairperson of Constitutional Commissions and Ombudsman |
| 14 | Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Chief of the Philippine National Police |
The official LTO website lists plate 16 for Regional Trial Court justices and plate 17 for first level courts, including Metropolitan Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts, Municipal Trial Courts in cities and Sha 'ria Circuit Courts for the use of assistant city prosecutors, district prosecutors and chief city prosecutors.
Associate justices of the Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals and Sandiganbayan may also be allowed to use protocol plates upon the recommendation of the LTO and the approval of the DOTr.

### Diplomatic plates

The new diplomatic license plate contains seven numeric characters that are in blue with a white background. These plates are assigned to foreign diplomats, members of diplomatic missions, and international organizations in the Philippines. In October 2022 the LTO and DFA released these new diplomatic plates replacing the older ones, however, the old diplomatic plates and other exempted vehicles (OEV) plates can be still used and they will only be valid up to September 2023.
The first 3 digits of the plate will indicate the assigned number of the country, and international organizations that are based in the Philippines. For example; 003 0045 is an assigned number to Australia. The next 4 digits of the plate are randomized registration digits and are assigned by the LTO and DFA, however, the 1000 number will always be assigned and reserved for the ambassadors.
The list below are the assigned number of each countries and organizations on new diplomatic license plates. The orders of the list are based on when the diplomatic relations started.
The list of the assigned number of each country. :
| Number | Country | Number | Country | Number | Country | Number | Country |
| 001 | Vatican City | 021 | Turkey | 041 | European Union | 061 | United Arab Emirates |
| 002 | Egypt | 022 | Thailand | 042 | Sovereign Military Order of Malta | 062 | Oman |
| 003 | Australia | 023 | Pakistan | 043 | Malaysia | 063 | Qatar |
| 004 | Belgium | 024 | Iran | 044 | New Zealand | 064 | Brunei |
| 005 | Brazil | 025 | Canada | 045 | Venezuela | 065 | Ireland |
| 006 | Chile | 026 | India | 046 | Singapore | 066 | Palestine |
| 007 | Switzerland | 027 | Greece | 047 | Saudi Arabia | 067 | Palau |
| 008 | United Kingdom | 028 | Netherlands | 048 | Bangladesh | 068 | Angola |
| 009 | United States | 029 | Mexico | 049 | Romania | 069 | Timor-Leste |
| 010 | Colombia | 030 | Germany | 050 | Panama | 070 | Bahrain |
| 011 | Denmark | 031 | Laos | 051 | Hungary |
| 012 | Austria | 032 | Finland | 052 | Czech Republic |
| 013 | Sweden | 033 | Japan | 053 | Iraq |
| 014 | Spain | 034 | Myanmar | 054 | China |
| 015 | France | 035 | Israel | 055 | Morocco |
| 016 | Italy | 036 | Cambodia | 056 | Papua New Guinea |
| 017 | Argentina | 037 | South Africa | 057 | Russia |
| 018 | Norway | 038 | Sri Lanka | 058 | Vietnam |
| 019 | Indonesia | 039 | Nigeria | 059 | Libya |
| 020 | South Korea | 040 | Poland | 060 | Kuwait |
The list of the assigned number of International Organizations. :
| Number | Organization | Number | Organization | Number | Organization |
| 200 | Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines | 210 | United Nations Information Centres | 220 | United Nations Development Programme |
| 201 | United Nations | 211 | United States Agency for International Development | 221 | International Rice Research Institute |
| 202 | World Bank | 212 | International Monetary Fund | 222 | Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit |
| 203 | International Labour Organization | 213 | United Nations Population Fund | 223 | United Nations Industrial Development Organization |
| 204 | Food and Agriculture Organization | 214 | United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | 224 | Japan Bank for International Cooperation |
| 205 | Asian Development Bank | 215 | International Committee of the Red Cross | 225 | Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency |
| 206 | Australian Aid | 216 | International Organization for Migration | 300 | - |
| 207 | World Food Programme | 217 | International Finance Corporation |
| 208 | World Health Organization | 218 | Canadian International Development Agency |
| 209 | UNICEF | 219 | Japan International Cooperation Agency |

### Former head of state

A former president's vehicle bears the number 100 in blue letters.

### Personalized plates

A motorist who would like to have personalized plates under the Optional Motor Vehicle Special Plate (OMVSP) can choose any letter combination upon these conditions:
* It is unique i.e., the plate does not have a registered duplicate anywhere else in the Philippines.
* The plate is not in the same with government plates.
* The motorist pays a minimum of ₱5,000 fee depending on the combinations.
* The plates may only be issued to private cars, sports utility vehicles (SUV), Asian utility vehicles (AUV), sports pick-ups, and commuter vans.
| Combination | Fee |
| Three-letter, two-number plate (except 00) | ₱25,000 |
| Three-letter, three-number plate (except 000) | ₱15,000 |
| Three-letter, four-number plate (except 0000) | ₱35,000 |

## Temporary plate numbers
### Conduction stickers

The conduction stickers are temporary identification issued to vehicles in lieu of license plates while the official license plate are in production. Started in the 1980s, there are different digit and letter positions that have been produced over time.
| Years | Conduction sticker style | Examples | Background Color |
| 1987–1995 | DDD-LL | 855SH 235SF | Yellow (1991-1995) |
| 1995–2003 | DD-LLL | 30SNK 22SRW | Red |
| 2003–2017 | LL-DDDD | BX8032 VH2637 | White (2003-2012) Yellow (2012-2017) |
| 2017–2023 | LD-LDDD | Y1L350 A6J238 | Yellow |
| 2023–present | LL-DDDL | GD776A DH705A | Yellow |

### Motor vehicle file number

The motor vehicle file number for each vehicle has 15 digits, which are based on where the initial registration of the vehicle was carried out. (e.g. MV file no. 1301-00000012345 registered in NCR).
| Region | MV file no. | Temporary plate Number (PUVs) |
| NCR | 13**-*********** 18**-*********** | 13**** 18**** |
| CAR | 14**-*********** | 14**** |
| Region I | 01**-*********** | 01**** |
| Region II | 02**-*********** | 02**** |
| Region III | 03**-*********** | 03**** |
| Region IV-A | 04**-*********** | 04**** |
| Region V | 05**-*********** | 05**** |
| Region VI | 06**-*********** | 06**** |
| Region VII | 07**-*********** | 07**** |
| Region VIII | 08**-*********** | 08**** |
| Region IX | 09**-*********** | 09**** |
| BARMM | 17**-*********** | 17**** |
| Region X | 10**-*********** | 10**** |
| Region XI | 11**-*********** | 11**** |
| Region XII | 12**-*********** | 12**** |
| Region XIII | 30**-*********** 15**-*********** | 30**** 15**** |

### LTO-authorized 6-digit temporary plate number

The temporary plate number was later issued by LTO, which has 6 digits based on where the initial purchase location of the vehicle was and its use as a PUV. (e.g. 130123 for NCR use). It is widely used due to extensive backlog of vehicle plate distribution from 2016 to 2019.
Public utility vehicles registered from July 1, 2016, onwards currently use private plates (white), MV File Number or the 6-digit Temporary Plate Number since yellow plates are no longer used.
Government vehicles registered from 2020 onwards currently use private plates (white). In November 2021 the LTO have already released new red plates for government vehicles registered from 2016 to 2019. In 2024, the LTO released the new series of red plates for government vehicles which indicate the second letter as the region where they were registered (e.g. SNA for Metro Manila; SDA for Calabarzon).
In 2023, the LTO released green plates for hybrid and electric and white plates with indicating marks below for vintage Vehicles.

## Former plate number designs still in use
### 2014 series
#### Plate number design

The 2014 design, in production from 2014, used the numbering format LLL-DDDD for automobile vehicles, and LL-DDDDD for motorcycles. In this format, the region in which the vehicle is registered is stamped on the bottom of the plate, thereby removing the need for registration area prefixes (except for motorcycles).
The new plate format series and design was originally scheduled for release on September or October 2013. However, it was delayed several times primarily due to concerns about the release of funds for the license plate project, as well as the increase in purchases of new cars using temporary license plates bearing the conduction sticker number. Eventually, in May 2014, the first batch of new license plates was released. By January 2015, vehicle owners using the 1981 series plates were required to pay ₱450 to change their old plates into a modern series plate.

### Vehicle classification by color scheme (2014–2015 design)

| Pattern | Color | Class | Description |
| ABC 1234 AB 12345 | Black text on White background | Private Vehicles | Private vehicles, not for commercial use |
| ABC 1234 AB 12345 | Black text on Yellow background | Public utility vehicles | Public utility vehicles and other for-hire vehicles (e.g.; Commercial trucks, public transport buses, taxis & jeepneys.) |
| SBC 1234 SA 12345 | Red text on White background | Government vehicles | Vehicles for official government use (e.g.; police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks). |
| 00000 | Blue text on White background | Diplomatic vehicles | Vehicles in diplomatic use 4 digit diplomatic license plates with blue numbers on a white background are in embassy use. 5 digit diplomatic license plates with black numbers on a blue background are in diplomat use. |

### 1981 series
#### Plate number design

The 1981 design was the most widely used plate number design, in production from 1981 to 2014. LTO issued the numbering format LLL-DDD for automobile vehicles, and LL-DDDD and DDDD-LL for motorcycles. Color-coded year stickers appeared in 1982, based on the license plate's color scheme. Stickers for vehicle classification appeared in the same year.

#### Registration area prefix

The first letter in the 1981 series of license plates represents the prefix, which denotes the following region where the vehicle was registered. The letter S is used to indicate a government-owned vehicle.
| Prefix | Region |
| A | Ilocos Region and Cordillera Administrative Region |
| B | Cagayan Valley |
| C | Central Luzon |
| D | Calabarzon and Mimaropa |
| E | Bicol Region |
| F | Western Visayas |
| G | Central Visayas |
| H | Eastern Visayas |
| J | Zamboanga Peninsula and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao |
| K | Northern Mindanao |
| L | Davao Region and Caraga |
| M | Soccsksargen |
| N | National Capital Region |
| P | National Capital Region |
| R | Central Luzon |
| T | National Capital Region |
| U | National Capital Region |
| V | Calabarzon and Mimaropa |
| W | National Capital Region |
| X | National Capital Region |
| Y | Central Visayas |
| Z | National Capital Region |
The letters I and O were not used in plates as the prefix to avoid confusion with the numbers 1 and 0. In 2009, they are displayed either in the middle or end, which is exclusively for private vehicles.
The letter Q was also used on regular plate circulation for motorcycles in public use. In 2009, it was used as a middle or last letter for NCR plates, while it was used as a last letter for Central Visayas plates.

#### Vehicle classification by second letter

The second letter on the number plate classifies whether the vehicle is a wheeled trailer or an automobile. It is also used to classify whether the vehicle is private or public use. Letter U in the second letter represents a privately used trailer, while Z represents a publicly used trailer. Letters V, W, X and Y were used to indicate public utility vehicles. On the motorcycle license plates, U and Z represent private use for three-wheeled motorcycles, while V, W, X and Y represent public use in all types of motorcycles.

#### Vehicle classification by paint scheme

* Green on White: The most common type of registration plate, for privately owned vehicles. White background replaced by Rizal Monument in 2002 for automobiles.
* Black on Yellow: Commercial vehicle or public utility vehicles
* Red on White: Government-owned vehicles. Color white replaced by Rizal Monument in 2003 for automobiles.
* Blue on White: Vehicles in Diplomatic Use and Other Exempted Vehicles. Color white replaced by Rizal Monument placed in left side in 2002 for automobiles.

#### Inscriptions

* PILIPINAS ("Philippines", the most common inscription, in production 1981–1995, 2001–2003 for private and government vehicles, 2001–2014 for commercial and public utility vehicles)
* PHILIPPINES 2000 (1995–2000)
* ANGAT PINOY 2004 ("Rising Filipino 2004", in production 2000–2001)
* PILIPINAS - PERLAS NG SILANGAN ("Pearl of the Orient", in production 2002)
* MATATAG NA REPUBLIKA ("Strong Republic", in production 2003 – April 12, 2014, for private, tourist and government vehicles)
* MC (used for private motorcycles, placed in top left)
* TC (used for motorcycles and tricycles in public use or for-hire, placed in top left)

### Vehicle classification by color scheme (1981–2014 design)

| Pattern | Color | Class | Description |
| ABC 123 AB 1234 (Motorcycles) 1234 AB (Motorcycles) | Green text on White background (1981-2002); White text on Green background (rear only from 1988 to 1995); Green text on Rizal monument background (2002-2014) | Private vehicles | Private vehicles, not for commercial use |
| PVA 123 PV 1234 (Motorcycles) 1234 PV (Motorcycles) | Black text on Yellow background (1981-1992; 1995-2014); Yellow text on Black background (1992-1995) Black text on Rizal monument background with yellow hue (Tourist vehicles) | Public utility vehicles | Public utility vehicles and other for-hire vehicles (e.g.; Commercial trucks, public transport buses, taxis & jeepneys. |
| SBC 123 SB 1234 (Motorcycles) 1234 SB (Motorcycles) | Red text on White background (1981-2003); White text on Red background (rear only from 1989 to 1995); Red text on Rizal monument background (2002-2014) | Government vehicles | Vehicles for official government use (e.g.; police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks). |
| 1000 10000 | Blue text on White background (1981-1989; 1995-2003); White text on Blue background (1989-1995); Blue text on Rizal Monument background (2003-2014) | Diplomatic vehicles | Vehicles in diplomatic use 4 digit diplomatic license plates with blue numbers on a white background are in embassy use. 5 digit diplomatic license plates with black numbers on a blue background are in diplomat use. |
| GOB 123 | Red text on Yellow background (1981-2014); Yellow text on Red background (rear only from 1989 to 1995) | Official bus | Buses for official government use |