Greek car number plates
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greek car number 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 and reach 9999. The same plates but with digits beginning from 1 and ending with 999 are issued to motorbikes that exceed 50 cc.
Except Athens and Thessaloniki (Salonica), all other districts are represented by the first 2 letters while the third changes 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 have the same meaning as in the English alphabet.
The combinations used for overseas residents are L-DDDD (where L = letter and D = digit) and are limitedly used. Some vehicles (e.g. sport utility vehicles) and tractors are not part of this system; they are given DDDDD. Until 2003, taxis used L-DDDD; the plate was aligned with the prefecture and the letters were colored red.
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[edit] History
When license 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 the 1983, when they changed to LLL-DDDD and now use this present system.
[edit] Car designations
[edit] In Greek alphabetical order
The first 2 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):
- AZ Achaia prefecture - Patras {motorcycles (run out)}
- AH Xanthi prefecture - Xanthi (AHH is omitted)
- AI Aitoloakarnania prefecture - Agrinio area (AII is omitted)
- AK Laconia prefecture - Sparti
- AM Phokida prefecture - Amfissa
- AM [O, P, T, Y, X] (red letters) {tax free cars} (run out)
- AN Lasithi prefecture - Agios Nikolaos
- AO Achaia prefecture - Patras {motorcycles}
- AP Argolis (Argolida) prefecture - Argos
- AT Arta prefecture - Arta
- AX Achaia prefecture - Patras
- BB Magnesia prefecture - Volos {motorcycles}
- BE Attica - Piraeus area {motorcycles}
- BI Viotia prefecture - Livadeia
- BO Magnesia prefecture - Volos
- EB Evros prefecture - Alexandroupoli (EBB is omitted) (last seen: EBH)
- EE Pella prefecture - Edessa (EEE is omitted)
- EH Euboea (Evia) prefecture - Chalkida {motorcycles}
- EZ Cyclades prefecture - Ermoupoli {motorcycles}
- EM Cyclades prefecture - Ermoupoli
- EP Serres prefecture - Serres
- ET Corfu (Kerkyra) prefecture - Kerkyra {motorcycles}
- EY Lefkada prefecture - Lefkada (EYA plates are also issued in Rodos Island due to lack of PON plates at this time)
- EY [Y] (red letters?) {tax free cars - offshore companies}
- ZA Zante (Zakynthos) prefecture - Zakynthos
- ZB not in circulation yet
- ZE not in circulation yet
- ZZ Attica - Athens area (run out)
- ZH Attica - Athens area (run out)
- ZI not in circulation yet
- ZK Attica - Athens area (run out)
- ZM Attica - Athens area (run out)
- ZN Attica - Piraeus area {motorcycles (run out)}
- ZO not in circulation yet
- ZP Attica - Piraeus area {motorcycles (run out)}
- ZT West Attica {motorcycles}
- ZY East Attica
- ZX East Attica
- HA Ilia prefecture - Pyrgos (HAA is omitted)
- HZ Heraklio prefecture - Heraklio {motorcycles}
- HK Heraklio prefecture - Heraklio (HKH and HKZ plates were also issued in nearby Chania Prefecture due to lack of XNM plates at that time)
- 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 Attica - Athens area
- IE Attica - Athens area
- IZ Attica - Athens area
- IH Attica - Athens area {motorcycles (run out)}
- II used in lefkada on pre 1982 cars ie: II dddd and numbers 4 above a 3 in right hand panel
- IK Attica - Athens area {motorcycles (run out)}
- IM Attica - Athens area {motorcycles (run out)}
- IN Ioannina prefecture - Ioannina
- IO Attica - Athens area {motorcycles (run out)}
- IP Attica - Athens area {motorcycles (run out)}
- IT Attica - Athens area {motorcycles (run out)}
- IY Attica - Athens area {motorcycles}
- IX not in circulation yet
- KA Karditsa prefecture - Karditsa (KAA is omitted)
- KB Kavala prefecture - Kavala (KBB is omitted)
- KE Kefallinia (Kefalonia) prefecture - Argostoli
- KZ Kozani prefecture - Kozani (KZZ is omitted)
- KH Evrytania prefecture - Karpenisi
- KH [I, O, Y] (orange colored) {state cars}
- KI Kilkis prefecture - Kilkis
- KK (?) {motorcycles}
- KM Messinia prefecture - Kalamata
- KN Pieria prefecture - Katerini (KNZ is omitted)
- KO Rhodope (Rodhopi) prefecture - Komotini {EXCEPTION: KOH and KOK Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki (Salonica)} {EXCEPTION: KOP Heraklio prefecture - Heraklio {motorcycles}}
- KP Corinthia prefecture - Corinth (Korinthos)
- KT Kastoria prefecture - Kastoria
- KY Corfu (Kerkyra) prefecture - Kerkyra
- KX Dodecanese prefecture - Kos island (KXA plates were also issued for cars in Rodos Island due to lack of POZ plates at that time)
- KX [Y] (red letters) {tax free cars}
- ME Aitoloakarnania prefecture - Messolongi
- MH Lesvos prefecture - Limnos island
- MI Phthiotis (Fthiotida) prefecture - Lamia (MII is omitted)
- MO Samos prefecture - Samos (MOK,MOM and MOP plates for motorcycles were also issued in Rodos Island due to lack of PKM plates at that time)
- MO [I, O, Y] (red letters) {tax free cars} (run out)
- MY Lesvos prefecture - Mytilini (MYZ plates were also issued for cars in Rodos Island due to lack of POM plates at that time)
- NA Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki (Salonica)
- NB Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki (Salonica)
- NE Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki (Salonica)
- NZ Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki (Salonica)
- NH Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki (Salonica)
- NI Thessaloniki prefecture - Thessaloniki (Salonica) {motorcycles}
- NK Thessaloniki (future use)
- NM Thessaloniki (future use)
- NN Thessaloniki (future use)
- NO Thessaloniki (future use)
- NP Thessaloniki (future use)
- NT Thessaloniki (future use)
- NY Thessaloniki (future use)
- NX Thessaloniki (future use) (?)
- NX [A, Y] (yellow colored) {trucks for transport of goods}
- PA Florina prefecture - Florina (PAA is omitted)
- PA [I, O, Y] (red letters) {tax free cars} (run out)
- PE Rethymno prefecture - Rethymno (PEE is omitted)
- PZ Preveza prefecture - Preveza (PZB is omitted)
- PI Larissa prefecture - Larissa
- PK Dodecanese prefecture - Rodos (Rhodes) {motorcycles}
- PM Drama prefecture - Drama (PMZ is omitted)
- PN Grevena prefecture - Grevena
- PN [I, M, N, O, P] (red letters) {trucks}
- PO Dodecanese prefecture - Rodos (Rhodes)
- TA
- TA [A, B, E, Z, H] {taxis} New plates for taxis; marked in yellow
- TK Trikala prefecture - Trikala
- TP Arcadia prefecture - Tripolis
- YA Attica - Athens area (run out)
- YB Attica - Athens area (run out)
- YE Attica - Athens area (run out)
- YZ Attica - Athens area (run out)
- YH Attica - Athens area (run out)
- YI Attica - Piraeus area (run out)
- YK Attica - Piraeus area (run out)
- YM Attica - Piraeus area (run out)
- YN Attica - Piraeus area
- YO West Attica (run out)
- YP West Attica
- YT West Attica {motorcycles (run out)}
- YY East Attica (run out)
- YX East Attica (run out)
- XA Euboea (Evia) prefecture - Chalkida (XAA is omitted)
- XB Chania prefecture - Chania {motorcycles}
- XE Attica - Athens area {motorcycles}
- XZ Attica - Athens area {motorcycles}
- XI Chios prefecture - Chios
- XK Chalkidiki prefecture - Polygyros (XKZ is omitted)
- XN Chania prefecture - Chania (XNN and XNO were skipped for cars, but were used for motorcycles)
[edit] Special plates
Vehicles that belong to public services and armed forces use special license plates with the following letter combinations followed by numbers:
- ΠΣ (Πυροσβεστικό Σώμα) - Fire Guard
- Ε.Α. (Ελληνική Αστυνομία) - Police
- ΛΣ (Λιμενικό Σώμα) - Coast Guard
- ΠΝ (Πολεμικό Ναυτικό) - Hellenic Navy
- ΠΑ (Πολεμική Αεροπορία) - Hellenic Air Force
- ΔΣ (Διπλωματικό Σώμα) - Diplomat or foreign delegation (e.g. ΔΣ 48 CD, ΔΣ 48-1 CD)
- ΞΑ (Ξένες Αποστολές) - Foreign missions
- ΔΟΚ (Δοκιμαστικές) - Test plates
- ΑΝ.Π. (Ανάπηροι Πολέμου) - Disabled in war (blue coloured)
- ΑΜ (Αγροτικά Μηχανήματα) - Agricultural vehicles
- ΜΕ (Μηχανήματα Έργων) - Public works vehicles (yellow coloured)
- ΚΥ (Κρατική Υπηρεσία) - State
