Norway licence plates: formats and history

Current plate formats

StandardSince 1971
AB 12345
Two letters for the traffic station that first registered the vehicle, then a number. Cars, vans, lorries and buses have five digits (10000 to 99999); motorcycles, mopeds, tractors and trailers have four (1000 to 9999). The number stays with the vehicle for life, even when it is sold or its owner moves. Vans with one row of seats and taxed more lightly have a green plate with black characters; vehicles that never drive on public roads, and all vehicles registered on Svalbard, have a black plate with yellow characters. Since November 2006 the plate has a blue strip on the left with the Norwegian flag and N.
black on white
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ElectricCurrent
EL 12345
Battery-electric vehicles (not hybrids) have E and a second letter (EL, EK, EV, EB, EC, ED, EE, EF, EH, EJ, EN, EP, ER, EA, EU, ES, ET, EX, EY, EZ) from a national series, so the letters do not show where the vehicle was registered. The prefix makes the privileges of zero-emission vehicles easy to enforce.
black on white
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StandardCurrent
HY 12345
National series for gas-powered vehicles (GA, for example natural gas buses) and hydrogen vehicles (HY). The letters do not show where the vehicle was registered.
black on white
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DiplomaticCurrent
CD 12345
Official cars of embassies and consulates. CD, then two digits for the mission and a serial number.
yellow on blue
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Dealer and testCurrent
AB 12
Dealer plates for test drives and transfers, moved freely between vehicles. Two letters and two digits; since mid-2015 a central series of three letters and two digits (AAA 10). Trailer dealer plates end in T.
white on red
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PersonalisedSince 2017· broad pattern
NORGE1
Since 2017 any combination of two to seven letters and digits can be bought for 9,000 kroner, except offensive words and registered trademarks. The right to the number runs for ten years and covers white and green plates.
black on white

Counties (15)

Area codes (391)

Each code opens a page with the region it stands for.

Older formats

No longer issued, but some may still be on the road.

Historic1913–1971
E-6813
One letter for the county (fylke), then up to six digits; Oslo also had a six-digit series without a letter from 1958. Vehicles built before 1971 may still carry such a plate, with a letter and number chosen by the owner within the old county letters.
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History

1900
Plates from 1 April: digits and the name of the county or town, white on black.
1913
One letter per county followed by digits (1 April).
1971
Two letters and four or five digits (1 April), the letters naming the place of first registration.
2002
A new typeface with characters of equal width; it was hard to read (A and R looked alike).
2006
Another typeface, and a blue strip with the Norwegian flag and N on the left (1 November).
2009
Plates made of plastic; aluminium came back in 2012 because plastic plates broke in the cold.
2017
Personalised plates.