# Vehicle registration plates of Aruba

Aruba requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates. The island is one of the last jurisdictions in the world to continue issuing new plates each year rather than showing re-validation through stickers or other documentation.
The license plates have been changed annually since 1950. Only until 1958 the name "ARUBA N.A." was displayed on it. In 1976 the slogan "ISLA DI CARNAVAL" (English :"Island of Carnaval") was added. The slogan was changed again in 1983 to display "ONE HAPPY ISLAND". When Aruba became its own autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1986, the name "ARUBA N.A." was changed to "ARUBA". Since 2011 the word "ARUBA" was changed to "aruba.com". The plate itself is valid for the first half of the year, and then a metal tab is added to indicate validity during the second half of the year. This tab is painted in the reverse color scheme as the plate and displays the same serial number as the plate.
From 2019 onwards the FE-Schrift or Fälschungserschwerende Schrift is used as the font for all vehicle registration plates of Aruba. Following this change in the font, the name "aruba.com" will be changed to "ARUBA.COM" in all capitals. This is the first time since 1993 that the licence plates have undergone a drastic change in the use of its font.

## 1931 to 1957

While license plates in Aruba may have been issued as early as 1924, few of these plates are known to exist. All plates issued through 1957 appear to have been 14 centimetres (5.5 in) in height by 36 centimetres (14 in) in width.
| Image | Year | Plate colors | Slogan | Serial Format |
| 1234-A | 1931 | pink on green | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1932 | white on dark blue | none | A-1234 |
| 1234-A | 1933 | black on white | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1934 | yellow on black | none | A-1234 |
| A-1234 | 1935 | white on blue | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1936 | red on white | none | A-1234 |
| 1234-A | 1937 | white on black | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1938 | black on orange | none | A-1234 |
| 1234-A | 1939 | white on dark blue | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1940 | black on white | none | A-1234 |
| 1234-A | 1941 | yellow on black | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1942 | black on white | none | A-1234 |
| | 1943 | | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1944 | white on blue | none | A-1234 |
| 1234-A | 1945 | black on white | none | 1234-A |
| | 1946 | | none | A-1234 |
| A-1234 | 1947 | yellow on black | none | A-1234 |
| 1234-A | 1948 | black on white | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1949 | orange on black | none | A-1234 |
| 1234-A | 1950 | black on golden yellow | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1951 | white on black | none | A-1234 |
| 1234-A | 1952 | black on white | none | 1234-A |
| A-1234 | 1953 | golden yellow on black | none | A-1234 |
| A-1234 | 1954 | black on golden yellow | none | A-1234 |
| A-1234 | 1955 | golden yellow on black | none | A-1234 |
| A-1234 | 1956 | black on orange | none | A-1234 |
| A-1234 | 1957 | golden yellow on black | none | A-1234 |

## 1958 to 1975

In 1958 Aruba changed their license plate size to the North American standard plate size of 152 × 300 mm (6 × 12 inches). At the same time the words "ARUBA N.A." appeared at the top of the plate. Prior to 1958 the country name had not appeared on the plates. The long bolt slots introduced in 1960 allowed the use of 1/2 year validation tabs. Whether these tabs were issued from 1960 to 1963 is not known, but tabs for 1964 and all years since are known to exist.
| Image | Year | Plate colors | Slogan | Serial Format | Notes |
| A-1234 | 1958 | black on orange | none | A-1234 | |
| A-1234 | 1959 | golden yellow on black | none | A-1234 | |
| A-1234 | 1960 | white on blue | none | A-1234 | Plates modified with long bolt slots to accommodate 1/2 year validation tabs. |
| A-1234 | 1961 | black on golden yellow | none | A-1234 | |
| A-1234 | 1962 | black on white | none | A-1234 | |
| A-1234 | 1963 | white on red | none | A-1234 | |
| A-1234 | 1964 | red on white | none | A-1234 | |
| A-1234 | 1965 | black on golden yellow | none | A-1234 | |
| | 1966 | white on royal blue | none | A-1234 | |
| | 1967 | golden yellow on black | none | A-1234 | |
| A-1234 | 1968 | white on maroon | none | A-1234 | |
| | 1969 | maroon on white | none | A-12345 | Longer serial format starting this year is based on earliest known 5-digit plate. |
| | 1970 | green on white | none | A-12345 | |
| A-12345 | 1971 | white on maroon | none | A-12345 | |
| | 1972 | black on orange | none | A-12345 | |
| A-12345 | 1973 | blue on white | none | A-12345 | |
| A-12345 | 1974 | white on maroon | none | A-12345 | |
| | 1975 | white on blue | none | A-12345 | |

## 1976 to 2003

In 1976 new license plates were introduced with the slogan "ISLA DI CARNIVAL" centered at the bottom. The year was simultaneously re-positioned vertically at the far right into two sets of numbers separated by a bolt hole. The slogan was changed again in 1983 to "ONE HAPPY ISLAND". After Aruba became a separate autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1986, the N.A. in ″Aruba, N.A.″ (N.A. standing for Netherlands Antilles) was removed.
| Year | Plate colors | Slogan | Serial Format | Notes |
| 1976 | black on off-white | ISLA DI CARNIVAL | A-12345 | |
| 1977 | red on golden yellow | ISLA DI CARNIVAL | A-12345 | |
| 1978 | golden yellow on red | ISLA DI CARNIVAL | A-12345 | |
| 1979 | red on white | ISLA DI CARNIVAL | A-12345 | |
| 1980 | white on brown | ISLA DI CARNIVAL | A-12345 | |
| 1981 | black on yellow | ISLA DI CARNIVAL | A-12345 | Last year for wide dies for serial number. |
| 1982 | red on white | ISLA DI CARNIVAL | A-12345 | New thinner style font for serial number introduced. |
| 1983 | yellow on light blue | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | First year for new slogan. |
| 1984 | black on yellow | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | Very thin style font introduced for serial numbers. |
| 1985 | black on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1986 | red on yellow | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | Last year for "Aruba N.A." at top of plate. |
| 1987 | white on mauve | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1988 | black on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1989 | white on red | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1990 | white on blue | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1991 | white on black | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1992 | black on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1993 | white on brown | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1994 | white on blue | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1995 | black on red | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1996 | blue on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1997 | white on pine green | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1998 | black on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 1999 | white on orange | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 2000 | brown on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 2001 | black on yellow | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 2002 | white on black | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |
| 2003 | black on orange | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 | |

## 2004 to present

In 2004 the year of the license plate was moved to the left side, and it became hidden behind the semi-annual validation tab when the tab was placed onto the plate. This change allows the serial number to be moved farther to the right when five digit plates are used. Between 2015 and 2019, the four-pointed star seen on the flag of Aruba was also added to the design.
| Image | Year | Plate colors | Slogan | Serial Format |
| | 2004 | yellow on black | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| | 2005 | white on blue | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| | 2006 | white on red | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| | 2007 | black on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| | 2008 | white on green | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| | 2009 | black on yellow | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| | 2010 | white on blue | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| | 2011 | white on red | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| A-12345 | 2012 | brown on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| A-12345 | 2013 | white on orange | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| A-12345 | 2014 | black on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| A-12345 | 2015 | white on blue | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |
| | 2019 | white on orange | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | |
| A-12345 | 2020 | maroon on white | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | A-12345 |

## Type codes

The codes in the chart below are currently displayed as the first character in the serial number and identify the type of vehicle the license plate is registered to.
| Prefix | Type | Prefix | Type |
| A | Private automobile | MFA | Motorcycle A |
| AG | Agent | MFD | Motorcycle D |
| B | Bus | MFV | Motorcycle V |
| BR | Company car | N | Vanity plate |
| D | Service vehicle | O | Non-scheduled transport |
| DT | Diesel Truck | T | Touring |
| GAR | Garage | TR | Truck |
| MBA | Private motorboat | TX | Taxi |
| MBD | Pilot boat | V | Rental car |