Number Plate Confusion after Brexit
Number plate changes for European travel which you need to know.
Whilst we were members of the European Union we adopted the EU standard for number plates, which included having the country identifier along with the circle of stars on a blue background. Our country identifier was GB, standing for Great Britain (as if we didn’t know that!)
After Brexit it was originally decided we should do away with the Euro Flag logo and instead use our own identifiers…
- Union flag (also known as the Union Jack)
- Cross of St George
- Cross of St Andrew – also known as the Saltire
- Red Dragon of Wales
The letters, or national identifiers, decided on were
- UNITED KINGDOM, United Kingdom or UK
- GREAT BRITAIN, Great Britain or GB
- CYMRU, Cymru, CYM or Cym
- ENGLAND, England, ENG, Eng
- SCOTLAND, Scotland, SCO or Sco
- WALES or Wales
History Repeated
For extra clarity drivers from Great Britain were originally advised to display a GB sticker on the rear of their vehicle, reminiscent of the classic black and chrome badges, which were first used over 100 years ago.
Nowadays the GB badge or sticker is still oval, but with black lettering on a white background. You may have seen plates from other countries, such as D for Germany, F for France or PL for Poland.
These signs were introduced in Europe following the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1968 Vienna Convention on road traffic. They are designed to allow other road users, as well as the authorities, to recognise a foreign vehicle easily and identify its country of origin.
All Change
Only a matter of months later, in September 2021, the UK government opted for UK instead of GB, a move that was meant to be more inclusive of Northern Ireland, plus it also shows a sign of solidarity in the face of post-Brexit trade tensions. Sticker suppliers were left with huge stocks of GB stickers which were rendered completely worthless. The AA had around 50,000 GB stickers in stock at the time of the change!
British motorists driving outside the UK must now remove old-style GB stickers or cover them up.
“It might only be a matter of replacing two letters, but this is a significant change for drivers who in normal times take their cars outside the UK,” said RAC spokesman Rod Dennis.
Instead, now we should display a UK sticker or have the UK identifier on our number plates.
“Drivers also need to remember that number plates featuring the blue band and letters ‘GB’ next to the European golden stars are also no longer valid,” Mr Dennis warned.
Penalties for not complying with the new rules are likely to vary. Halfords warned that drivers who failed to display their UK badges could be refused entry to some countries.
How to Comply
The new rules state that any driver with a GB sticker on their car now needs to replace it with a new UK one if they are taking their vehicle abroad.
Also according to government guidelines anyone planning to drive outside the UK now needs “to display a UK sticker clearly on the rear of their vehicle if their number plate has any of the following:
• a Euro symbol
• a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales
• a GB identifier with the Union flag
• numbers and letters only – no flag or identifier
The guidelines also add: “If you’re in Spain, Cyprus or Malta, you must display a UK sticker no matter what is on your number plate.
“You do not need a UK sticker or number plate to drive in Ireland.” Though you might actually need a number plate!
If you have a GB sticker, cover or remove it before driving outside the UK.
And finally, there’s this…
It took me far too long to twig that number plates with these green bands signified an Electric Vehicle! I much prefer a rip roaring chevvy V8, but then….
If you’re keen on extending your boundaries (& stress levels) and you plan on taking your EV abroad, you can have whatever identifier you like on your green machine’s number plate.
The same rules apply. A plain band, SCO, CYM, ENG or GB and you will need to display a UK sticker on the rear of your vehicle.
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