Spanish Number Plates
Learn more about Spanish Registration Plates how they are allocated.
Change Your Vehicle Onto Spanish Number Plates
Changing your UK car, motorbike, quad bike, motorhome or trailer onto Spanish number plates may cost far less than you think. At Car Registrations Spain, we are happy to provide a free, no obligation quotation and guide you through the process from start to finish.
Many of our customers tell us that one of the biggest advantages of importing their vehicle is the possibility of finding more competitive insurance once the vehicle is on Spanish plates. There are also many other benefits, from legal compliance to simpler administration and long-term peace of mind.
The Current Spanish Plate Format
Spain’s current registration system has been in place since September 2000. Modern Spanish registrations use a national format of four numbers followed by three letters, for example 1234 BCD.
Unlike the previous system, modern Spanish number plates do not show the province where the vehicle was registered.
Letters Used
The current system uses the following letters:
B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y and Z
Vowels and certain letters such as Q are excluded, helping avoid confusion and allowing millions of possible combinations.
How It Works
The first four digits run sequentially from 0000 to 9999. Once that range is exhausted, the three-letter sequence moves forward to the next available combination.
The sequence began at BBB when the current system was introduced and continues in order through the permitted letter combinations. Because registrations are issued nationally and sequentially, a Spanish number plate can sometimes give a rough indication of age, but it does not tell you the exact registration date.
The Previous Format
Before the current national system was introduced, Spanish registration numbers were linked to the province where the vehicle was first registered.
The older format generally followed this structure:
Province code – four numbers – one or two letters
This made it much easier to identify where a vehicle had originally been registered.
Examples of Provincial Prefixes
- A – Alicante
- AL – Almería
- B – Barcelona
- GR – Granada
- M – Madrid
- MA – Málaga
- MU – Murcia
- V – Valencia
Private Number Plates in Spain
Unlike the United Kingdom, Spain has not traditionally issued private number plates for general road vehicles. Aside from specialist formats such as diplomatic, temporary or state registrations, standard vehicles follow the official national registration system.
We Handle Spanish Vehicle Registrations Every Day
Whether you are importing a car, motorbike, quad bike, motorhome or trailer, we can help you understand the requirements, likely costs and next steps.