In Canada, licence plate numbers are usually assigned in ascending order, beginning with a starting point such as AAA-001.
As such, someone familiar with the sequence can determine roughly when the licence plate was issued. After Ontario's transition to an ABCD-123 format in 1997, plates were issued in ascending order starting with AAAA-000. It took close to 10 years to exhaust the supply of plate numbers with A as the first digit. In late 2006, plates with B as the first digit were assigned, and have continued from there sequentially. Plates with C as the first digit started appearing in 2016. The first plates beginning with D were issued in 2023.
The gradual increase in the use of letters in the serials of licence plates has given rise to an increased possibility of unintentional profane or inappropriate words or messages arising from the use of sequential alphanumeric combinations. Thus, numbering sequences generally exclude certain combinations of letters or numbers that would be potentially offensive. Jurisdictions' attention to excluding offensive combinations varies widely, however. In 1986, Waldale, a Canadian licence plate manufacturer, due to a production error, produced an entire batch of New Brunswick plates that began with the letters ASS. The plates were issued, and were unofficially scrapped, but many found their way into the collectors' black market.
From 1971 to 1975, Manitoba's licence plate bore the slogan "Sunny Manitoba: 100,000 lakes,"Manitoba License Plays, 1969-Present but was changed to "Friendly Manitoba," possibly due to conflict with Minnesota's "10,000 lakes" slogan.
Current designs and serial formats
The most recent design or serial format being issued.
Passenger plates Province/TerritoryFirst issuedDescriptionSloganSerial formatImageAlberta2021Red on reflective white"Wild Rose Country"ABC-1234British Columbia2014Blue on reflective white with screened stylized provincial flag in centre"Beautiful British Columbia"A12 3BCManitoba2012Embossed dark blue serial on reflective white plate with river scene featuring green trees on either side and yellow wheat at the bottom; black bison graphic screened at top right; "Manitoba" screened in blue at top, offset to right, with red maple leaf over the 'i'"Friendly Manitoba"ABC 123New Brunswick2011Embossed red serial on reflective white plate with curved gold and sky blue bands at the top; screened provincial wordmark (red galley graphic with small blue waves and "New" to the left, "Nouveau" to the right and "Brunswick" and "CANADA" below, all in green) on bands, centred above serial ABC 123Newfoundland and Labrador2007–21 2023–presentEmbossed blue serial on white plate; screened provincial wordmark centred at bottom, consisting of a pitcher plant with "Newfoundland" and "Labrador" in blue below ABC 123Northwest Territories2010screened nature scene, shaped like a polar bear"Spectacular Northwest Territories"123456Nova Scotia2011Embossed blue serial on reflective white plate; light blue graphic of the Bluenose screened in the centre; "NOVA SCOTIA" screened in blue centred at top"Canada's Ocean Playground"ABC 123Nunavut2012Screened black serial on rectangular plate with night scene featuring polar bear, inuksuk, three sets of northern lights and 25 stars; "Nunavut" screened in black letters and in Inuktitut syllabics (ᓄᓇᕗᑦ) centred at bottom 123 456 Ontario1997–2020 2020–presentBlue on reflective white with screened crown separator; "ONTARIO" screened in blue centred at top"Yours to Discover"ABCD-123 ""Green on reflective white with screened graphic of white trillium; for hydrogen and plug-in electric vehicles"Green Vehicle"GVAB 123""VEAB 123Prince Edward Island2022Green letters on white baseplate; 'PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND' screened at top & 'CANADA' along bottom. PEI crest in center and small Canadian flag in bottom left.none123 ABCQuebec2023Embossed dark blue serial on reflective white plate with border line; "Québec" centred at top"" ABC 12D2011green on reflective white with electric vehicle pictogram on the lower left side (for electric vehicles)Began as B12 VEA, followed by C12 VABSaskatchewan2009Green on reflective white with screened wheat graphic in centre; serif "Saskatchewan" screened in green centred at top"Land of Living Skies"123 ABCYukon1990Black on reflective white with border line; screened prospector at left; screened red "Yukon" centred on sky blue band at bottom"The Klondike"ABC12Department of National Defence - All provinces and territoriesdark green on reflective white with "Canada" on top flanked by two red maple leaves12345 Note: For Ontario and Quebec electric vehicle plates, letters in bold denotes that they are specifically set to identify them, apart from the regular issuance.
Commercial plates Most provinces issue separate commercial plates for trucks, usually for commercial purposes or over a certain vehicle weight.
Province/TerritoryFirst issuedDescriptionSloganSerial formatImageAlbertanoneBritish Columbia2008Blue on reflective white with screened stylized provincial flag used as separator"Beautiful British Columbia"AB 1234Manitoba2012Embossed dark blue serial on reflective white plate with river scene featuring green trees on either side and yellow wheat at the bottom; black bison graphic screened at top right; "Manitoba" screened in blue at top, offset to right, with red maple leaf over the 'i'"Friendly Manitoba"CAB 123New Brunswick2011Embossed red serial on reflective white plate with curved gold and sky blue bands at the top; screened provincial wordmark (red galley graphic with small blue waves and "New" to the left, "Nouveau" to the right and "Brunswick" and "CANADA" below, all in green) on bands, centred above serialCAB 123Newfoundland and Labrador2007Embossed blue serial on white plate; screened provincial wordmark centred at bottom, consisting of a pitcher plant with "Newfoundland" and "Labrador" in blue belowCA1 234Northwest Territories2010screened nature scene, shaped like a polar bear"Spectacular Northwest Territories"C12345Nova Scotia2012Embossed black serial on yellow plate; "NOVA SCOTIA" and "COMMERCIAL" centred at top and bottom respectively12-345-ANunavut2012Screened black serial on rectangular plate with night scene featuring polar bear, inuksuk, three sets of northern lights and 25 stars; "Nunavut" screened in black letters and in Inuktitut syllabics (ᓄᓇᕗᑦ) centred at bottomC12 345Ontario2011Black on reflective white with screened crown separator"YOURS TO DISCOVER"AB 12345"TANT À DÉCOUVRIR"Prince Edward Island2013Embossed light brown numbers on reflective white with photo of Province House on the left"Birthplace of Confederation"C1 234Quebec2001Embossed dark blue serial on reflective white plate with border line; "Québec" centred at top"Je me souviens"FAB1234SaskatchewannoneYukon1990Light Commercial - Black on reflective white with border line; screened prospector at left; screened red "Yukon" centred on sky blue band at bottomC123A2009Heavy Commercial - Black on reflective white with border line; screened prospector at left; screened red "Yukon" centred on sky blue band at bottomCA123
Former designs and serial formats still valid
Designs or serial formats that are no longer issued, yet are still valid for use.