Vehicle registration plates of Greece

Greek vehicle registration plates are composed of three letters and four digits per plate (e.g. AAA-1000). The letters represent the district that issues the plates while the numbers begin from 1000 to 9999. Similar plates with digits beginning from 1 to 999 are issued for motorcycles which exceed 50 cc.

With the exception of Athens and Thessaloniki (Salonica), all districts are represented by the first 2 letters. The final letter in the sequence changes in Greek alphabetical order after 9,000 issued plates. For example, Patras district plates are AXA-1000, where AX represents the Achaia district in which Patras is the capital. When AXA-9999 is reached the plates turn to AXB-1000 and this continues until AXX is finished. The letters used are only from the intersection between the Latin and Greek alphabets by glyph appearance, namely A, B, E, Z, H, I, K, M, N, O, P, T, Y, X (in Greek alphabetical order), however Greek B, H, P, and X don't represent the same sound as in the English alphabet. This is because Greece is a contracting party to the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic, which at Article 35 requires registration numbers be displayed in capital Latin characters and Arabic numerals.

Combinations used for overseas residents are L-DDDD (where L = letter and D = digit) and are limited. Until 2003, taxis used L-DDDD; the plate was aligned with the prefecture and the letters were colored red.

History

When number plates were introduced to Greece, they were numbered and in the late 1950s the system was D-DDD and DD-DDD. In the 1960s, the system was DDD-DDD. They became lettered in 1972 and the system was LL-DDDD while trucks used L-DDDD until 1983, when they changed to LLL-DDDD and now use the present system.

Car designations

In Greek alphabetical order

The first 2 of 3 letters (which are listed below) of a licence plate usually represent the prefecture (nomos) where the car was registered. The almost full list of plates in Greece is below (next to the prefecture / district is its capital or an area within the prefecture that the plates are issued; some prefectures have more than one combination):

* AB Kavala prefecture - Kavala {"motorcycles"}
* AZ Achaia prefecture - Patras
* AE Lasithi prefecture - Agios Nikolaos "(future use)"
* AH Xanthi prefecture - Xanthi
* AI Aitoloakarnania prefecture - Agrinio area
* AK Laconia prefecture - Sparti
* AM Phokida prefecture - Amfissa
** AM [O, P, T, Y, X] (red letters) tax free cars
* AN Lasithi prefecture - Agios Nikolaos
* AO Achaia prefecture - Patras {"motorcycles"}
* AP Argolis (Argolida) prefecture - Nafplio
* AT Arta prefecture - Arta
* AX Achaia prefecture - Patras

* BB Magnesia prefecture - Volos {"motorcycles"}
* BE Piraeus prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* BH Piraeus prefecture "(future use)"
* BI Boeotia (Viotia) prefecture - Livadeia
* BK East Attica prefecture - Pallini "(future use)"
* BM East Attica prefecture - Pallini "(future use)"
* BN West Attica prefecture - Elefsina "(future use)"
* BO Magnesia prefecture - Volos
* BP West Attica prefecture - Elefsina "(future use)"

* EB Evros prefecture - Alexandroupoli
* EE Pella Prefecture - Edessa
* EH Euboea (Evia) prefecture - Chalkida {"motorcycles"}
* EZ Cyclades prefecture - Ermoupoli {"motorcycles"}
** EK [A, B, E] (introduced maybe in 2003/2004, yellow colored) trucks and other vehicles used for national transport of goods
* EM Cyclades prefecture - Ermoupoli
* EP Serres prefecture - Serres
* ET Corfu (Kerkyra) prefecture - Corfu {"motorcycles"}
* EY Lefkada prefecture - Lefkada
** EY [Y] tax free cars of offshore companies

* ZA Zakynthos prefecture - Zakynthos
* ZZ Athens prefecture
* ZH Athens prefecture
* ZK Athens prefecture
* ZM Athens prefecture
* ZN Piraeus prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* ZP Piraeus prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* ZT West Attica prefecture - Elefsina {"motorcycles"}
* ZY East Attica prefecture - Pallini
* ZX East Attica prefecture - Pallini

* HA Ilia prefecture - Pyrgos
* HZ Heraklio prefecture - Heraklio {motorcycles}
* HK Heraklio prefecture - Heraklio
* HM Imathia prefecture - Veria
* HN Thesprotia prefecture - Igoumenitsa
* HP Heraklio prefecture - Heraklio

* IA
** IA [A, B, E] (yellow colored) trucks used for international transport
* IB Athens prefecture
* IE Athens prefecture
* IZ Athens prefecture
* IH Athens prefecture
* IK Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IM Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IN Ioannina prefecture - Ioannina
* IO Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IP Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IT Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* IY Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}

* KA Karditsa prefecture - Karditsa
* KB Kavala prefecture - Kavala
* KE Kefalonia and Ithaca prefecture - Argostoli
* KZ Kozani prefecture - Kozani
* KH Evrytania prefecture - Karpenisi
** KH [I, O, Y] (orange colored) state cars
* KI Kilkis prefecture - Kilkis
* KK Rhodope prefecture - Komotini {"motorcycles"}
* KM Messinia prefecture - Kalamata
* KN Pieria prefecture - Katerini
* KO Rhodope (Rodopi) prefecture - Komotini (exception: KOH and KOK --> Thessaloniki prefecture, KOP --> Heraklio prefecture {motorcycles})
* KP Corinthia prefecture - Corinth (Korinthos)
* KT Kastoria prefecture - Kastoria
* KY Corfu (Kerkyra) prefecture - Corfu
* KX Dodecanese prefecture - Kos island
** KX [Y] (red letters) tax free cars

* MO Samos prefecture - Samos "(future use)"
* ME Aitoloakarnania prefecture - Messolongi
* MH Lesvos prefecture - Myrina (Limnos island)
* MI Phthiotis (Fthiotida) prefecture - Lamia
* MO Samos prefecture - Samos
** MO [I, O, Y] (red letters) {tax free cars}
* MT Lesbos prefecture - Mytilini "(future use)"
* MY Lesbos (Lesvos) prefecture - Mytilini

* NA Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki (Salonica)
* NB Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki
* NE Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki
* NZ Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki
* NH Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki
* NI Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki {"motorcycles"}
* NK Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki {"motorcycles"}
* NM Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NN Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NO Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NP Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NT Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NY Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
* NX Thessaloniki prefecture "(future use)"
** NX [A, Y] (yellow colored) {trucks for transport of goods in a prefecture}

* OP Evros prefecture - Orestiada area

* PA Florina prefecture - Florina
** PA [I, O, Y] (red letters) tax free cars
* PB Corinthia prefecture - Corinth "(future use)"
* PE Rethymno prefecture - Rethymno
* PZ Preveza prefecture - Preveza
* PH Rethymno prefecture - Rethymno "(future use)"
* PI Larissa prefecture - Larissa
* PK Dodecanese prefecture - Rodos (Rhodes) {"motorcycles"}
* PM Drama prefecture - Drama
* PN Grevena prefecture - Grevena
** PN [I, M, N, O, P] (red letters) trucks
* PO Dodecanese prefecture - Rhodes (Rodos)
* PY Dodecanese prefecture - Rodos (Rhodes) {"motorcycles"}

* TA
** TA [A, B, E, Z, H] (marked in yellow) taxis
* TK Trikala prefecture - Trikala
* TP Arcadia prefecture - Tripoli

* YA Athens prefecture
* YB Athens prefecture
* YE Athens prefecture
* YZ Athens prefecture
* YH Athens prefecture
* YI Piraeus prefecture
* YK Piraeus prefecture
* YM Piraeus prefecture
* YN Piraeus prefecture
* YO West Attica prefecture - Elefsina
* YP West Attica prefecture - Elefsina
* YT West Attica prefecture - Elefsina {"motorcycles"}
* YY East Attica prefecture - Pallini
* YX East Attica prefecture - Pallini

* XA Euboea (Evia) prefecture - Chalkida
* XB Chania prefecture - Chania {"motorcycles"}
* XE Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* XZ Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* XH Athens prefecture {"motorcycles"}
* XI Chios prefecture - Chios
* XK Chalkidiki prefecture - Polygyros
* XN Chania prefecture - Chania
* XO Chios prefecture - Chios "(future use)"
* XP Athens prefecture "(future use)"
* XT Athens prefecture "(future use)"
* XY Athens prefecture "(future use)"
* XX Athens prefecture "(future use)"

Special plates

Vehicles that belong to public services and armed forces use special license plates with the following letter combinations followed by numbers:

* ΑΝ.Π. ( _el. Ανάπηροι Πολέμου, "Anapiroi Polemou") — Disabled in war (blue coloured)
* ΔΟΚ ( _el. Δοκιμαστικές, "Dokimastikes") — Test plates
* ΔΣ ( _el. Διπλωματικό Σώμα, "Diplomatiko Soma") — Diplomat or foreign delegation (eg ΔΣ 48 CD, ΔΣ 48-1 CD) (green coloured)
* Ε.Α. or ΕΛ.ΑΣ. ( _el. Ελληνική Αστυνομία, "Elliniki Astynomia") — Police
* ΛΣ ( _el. Λιμενικό Σώμα, "Limeniko Soma") — Coast Guard
* ΞΑ ( _el. Ξένες Αποστολές, "Xenes Apostoles") — Foreign missions (yellow coloured)
* ΕΣ ( _el. Ελληνικός Στρατός, "Ellinikos Stratos") — Hellenic Army
* ΠΑ ( _el. Πολεμική Αεροπορία, "Polemiki Aeroporia") — Hellenic Air Force
* ΠΝ ( _el. Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, "Polemiko Naftiko") — Hellenic Navy
* ΠΣ ( _el. Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα, "Pyrosvestiko Soma") — Fire Guard

The following categories are conflicting: The same letter combinations are used for both public services and specific regions:

* ΑΜ ( _el. Αγροτικά Μηχανήματα, "Agrotika Mekhanemata") — Agricultural vehicles
* ΚΥ ( _el. Κρατική Υπηρεσία, "Kratiki Ypiresia") — State
* ΜΕ ( _el. Μηχανήματα Έργων, "Mekhanimata Ergon") — Public works vehicles (yellow coloured)

External links

* [http://plaque.free.fr/eur/gr/ Francoplaque Photos - Greece]
* [http://worldlicenseplates.com/world/EU_GREE.html License Plates of the World - Greece]
* [http://olavsplates.com/greece.html Olav's License Plate Pictures - Number plates of Greece]
* [http://licenseplatemania.com/landenframes/griekenland_fr.htm License Plate Mania - Greece]