Vehicle registration plates ( or simply ) are the compulsory alphanumeric plates used to display the registration mark of motor vehicles registered in Italy. They have existed in the country since 1897.
By law, Italian plates can only be made by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, assigned by the territorial offices of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, and must be permanently attached to a single vehicle from its first registration to its disposal.
The current alphanumeric serial code was introduced on 28 February 1994 and consists of seven black characters on a rectangular, or squared, white background with a defined format (2 letters, 3 numbers, and then 2 letters) which is issued nationwide, regardless of the local registration office. Starting from 7 February 1999, this format was slightly redesigned, adding a blue strip on the left containing the EU flag above the country code I in order to comply with the common EU format, removing the previous space between the last number and the third letter, and adding another blue strip on the right for optional stickers of the first registration year and of the provincial code.
Table of current plates Rectangular plates Plate Date of release Notes AA 000 AA January 1994 BA 000 AA December 1998 BB 000HH January 1999 New European format plate with blue band CA 000AA March 2002 DA 000AA May 2006 YA 000AA May 2010 New police plate EA 000AA May 2010 EE 000AA 2011 Not introduced EF 000AA 2011 XA 000AA February 2013 New trailer plate FA 000AA June 2015 GA 000AA October 2019 HA 000AA May 2025 The plates with formats between EE 000AA and EE 999ZZ have not been released to avoid confusion with Escursionisti Esteri plates.
Squared plates Plate Date of release Notes ZA 000 AA January 1994 ZA 400 LV January 1999 New European format plate with blue band ZB 000 AA 2006
History
1897–1901 In 1897, with the Royal Decree of 16 December 1897, n. 540 the first Italian plates were provided for velocipedes and issued by the municipality of residence.
In 1898 the municipality of Milan promulgated the Regulation for the circulation of motor vehicles (article 17) by analogy, according to which a plate showing the owner's name and the municipal license number had to be displayed on the left side of any motor vehicle.
1901–1905
With the Royal Decree of 28 August 1901, n. 416 the first Regulation for the circulation of cars on ordinary roads (article 91) was promulgated. This new law included the obligation to equip all vehicles with a specific fixed license plate that had to be created by the owner out of metal, showing the name of the province, followed by a license number issued by the local prefecture in full and with clearly visible characters.
Schematic representation GENOVA 83
1905–1927
The standard color scheme for plates between 1905 and 1927 was black characters on a white background. The registration number was a numeric code (in red) that differed for each province, and a progressive number unique to that province (in black) on a single line. The standard shape for automobiles was rectangular, while motorcycles had square plates. A front plate was optional.
As in the previous version, the number was assigned by the local prefecture and the plate had to be made by the owner.
Schematic representation – 2993
1927–1976
In 1927, during the Fascist regime, the Kingdom of Italy changed the number plates to a black metallic background with white digits and introduced a new two-letter provincial code for all provinces (except for Rome, which has since then been allowed to keep the full name on registration plates and the unofficial code RM in documents for practical purposes). Between 1927 and 1932, the progressive numeric code was placed before the provincial code, on a single line, for both front and rear plates.The use of alphabetical codes for number plates started in Italy on 28 February 1927, as prescribed by the Communication n. 3361 from Minister of Public Works (from R.D.I. n.314 13.3.1927 and the law n.2730 29.12.1927) which inaugurated a new highway code.
From 1932 to 1951, the front plate remained unchanged, but the rear plate became a 320 x 200 mm square with a slightly altered Garamond font, and the provincial code was moved to the top left corner. Through 1928 to 1944, the Fasces emblem was placed next to the provincial code. After the fall of the Fascist regime, from 1944 to 1948, the registration plates were printed by the National Association of the Amputees and War Invalids, the symbol of which replaced the Fasces emblem. In 1948 the Constitution of the Italian Republic was approved and the Italian Republic emblem appeared for the first time on both rear and front registration plates, but the format and font continued to be the same.
From 1951 to 1976, the rear square plate was reduced to 275 × 200 mm, and a single line rear registration plate (similar to the ones used by other European countries) was not still available. The front plate was reduced to 262 × 57 mm and was redesigned with more linear characters and a smaller Italian Republic emblem. Starting from 1963, the material of the plates switched from metal to plastic. The scheme was the same introduced in 1927, a universal two-letter provincial code and a progressive numeric code up to 6 characters long unique to that province. On the rear plate, the Italian Republic emblem was placed between the provincial code and the first two digits.
The code for the first 999,999 vehicles of any province was just a progressive number, not filled with initial zeroes; in the rear plate the last four digits were placed in the second row and the first ones, if present, in the first row. From 1,000,000 onwards, it was A00000–A99999, then B00000–B99999, and so on. Possible letters were, in this order, A B D E F G H K L M N P R S T U V Z X Y W. After that, it was 00000A–99999A, 00000D–99999D, and so on. Possible letters were, in this order, A D E F G H L M N P R S T V W X Y Z. Then, the letter was moved to the second position, and then to the third (same range as in the second position).
Schematic representation Rear plate LI 16 0116 Front plate 160116 LI 1927–1932 rear plate 10122 ROMA
1976–1985
The front plate was kept intact as in the 1927-1976 period, but the rear plate instead began to be manufactured in two pieces. One, sized 10.7 × 33 cm, had black background with white digits and contained the progressive number and, in a small font above the progressive number, the repetition of the provincial code, as well as the Republic emblem. The other had black background with orange letters and contained the official provincial code and had two variants: one measuring 10.7 × 33 cm and another measuring 10.7 × 20 cm. Only one of the latter two was used depending on the type of plate holder that the plate was intended for: for a rectangular plate holder, the small provincial code piece was installed left of the progressive code, put together with rivets in specially designed holes in the progressive code. For cars that were designed with the previous number plate holder (Square), or that were too small for a rectangular plate, the long provincial code piece was installed above the progressive code. This change resolved the plate positioning problem on cars of foreign production.
Schematic representations Front plate X74306 ROMA
Rear plate (rectangular) ROMA RM X74306}
Rear plate (squared) ROMA RM X74306}
1985–1994
In 1985, plates began to use black digits on a reflective white background. Rear plates remained identical to those used between 1976 and 1985. Front plates became larger () but remained slightly smaller than rear plates. The progressive number was moved after the provincial code, as it was already for rear plates.
The reflective background had an official code that appears on the background in small letters, PGS B1 or PGS A1, PGS referring to the , A or B to the city of manufacture, and 1 or 2 referring to the color of the background, white and yellow respectively.
This new system required progressive numbers with less than six digits to use initial zeroes.
The highest combination reached with the 1927 system was MI 01D000 for the province of Milan on 28 February 1994, the same day plates using the new system began to be issued.
Rear plate (rectangular) VR A58322
Front plate VR A58322
Rear plate (squared)
MI 1K4457
1994–present
From 28 February 1994, an entirely new numeration system was introduced which omitted any explicit reference to the place of origin. Instead, an alphanumeric serial code was used, taking the form of AA 999 AA. Here 'A' can be any letter of the Latin alphabet except I, O, Q, and U and is treated as a base-22 digit; 9 can be any decimal digit. e.g. AK 514 RH, AX 848 LK, BA 924 NS. The three-digit number changes first, then the letters from right to left, such that consecutively issued plates would have codes of AA 000 AA...AA 999 AA, then AA 000 AB...AA 999 AZ, then AA 000 BA...AA 999 ZZ and so on. Provinces that were established in 1992 (namely Lecco, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Vibo Valentia, and Lodi) were given the option to issue either the old 1927 system plates or the 1994 standard until 1999.
Rear plates were redesigned to be a single piece, and a square plate was introduced for vehicles with a squared plate holder. Squared rear plates used exclusively serial codes with an initial Z.
In 1999, the plates were redesigned, starting from the serial code BB 000HH. The font thickness of the digits was increased, and the space between the rightmost number and the following letter was removed. The standard European blue band was added on the left side, with the European flag motif (12 yellow stars) and the country code I. Another blue band was added on the right side, bearing a yellow circle and optionally the final two digits of the year of registration.
The two-letter provincial code is optionally present on the right band in capital letters. For the capital city of Rome, the word Roma replaces the two-digit provincial code. Provincial codes are in capital letters except for the provincial codes of the autonomous provinces of Bolzano (Bz) and Trento (Tn) and the autonomous region Aosta Valley (Ao), for which the second letter is expressed in small capital letters and surmounted by the local coat of arms.
The reintroduction of the provincial code (although no longer as a compulsory element of the plate) was implemented because the 1994 suppression of the two-letter provincial codes proved extremely unpopular. Unlike before, the provincial code is not part of the registration number, which is the same for the whole nation. Despite an initial period of popularity, the right band remains empty in most cases.
Since 2003, the PGS B1 or PGS A1 code has been replaced by the code MEF B1 or MEF A1, MEF now referring to the Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze. +Schematic representations AE·170 HJ 1994–1999 plate CZ·898NF BzCurrent registration plate from Bolzano HE·900YD Current 2026 registration plate ZA MI904·SZSquare registration plate from Milan
1994–1998 squared rear number plate ZA 563 DE
Special plates
Motorcycle plates
1994 standard
Motorcycles from 1999 have plates with two letters and five digits, starting from AA 00000. For these vehicles, the province codes are not used to avoid confusion (e.g. the plate after AF 99999 is AH 00000, because AG is the old provincial code for Agrigento). Plate size is .
Like cars, motorcycles have two blue lateral bands on either side of the plate. On the left is Italy's band under the standard EU format, while on the right, the blue band has a yellow circle with the final two digits of the year of registration and underneath, the optional provincial code.