SPANISH PLATE GUIDE

Spanish Registration Plate Guide

Spanish vehicle registration numbers have used the current national format since 2000. The format consists of four numbers followed by three letters, for example 1234 ABC.

This guide helps you estimate when a Spanish registration number was issued by checking the final three letters of the number plate.

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How Spanish Registration Numbers Work

The first four numbers are a counter which runs from 0000 to 9999. The three letters then move forward in sequence.

The current system started with 0000 BBB and will continue until the final possible sequence is reached.

Which Letters Are Used?

Spanish registration plates use the letters B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y and Z.

Vowels are excluded, along with the letter Q, giving around 80 million possible combinations.

Using This Guide

You can use the table below to estimate the month and year a Spanish registration number was issued. Look at the final three letters of the plate and compare them with the letter ranges shown for each month.

1

Find the Last Three Letters

For example, with registration number 1234 MDD, the important part for this guide is MDD.

2

Check the Table

Find the matching or closest sequence in the table. For example, registrations ending between MDD and MDS were issued around January 2023.

Please note: this is an approximate guide. There is no exact way to determine the precise date a Spanish vehicle was registered from the number plate alone.

Spanish Registration Plate Letter Codes by Month

The table below shows the approximate registration letter sequence by month since the current Spanish number plate format was introduced.

Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2023MDDMDSMFGMFXMGNMHGMHYMJRMKDMKPMLH
2022LVVLWDLWRLXDLXSLYJLYZLZPLZZMBNMBZMCR
2021LMCLMLLMXLNNLPDLPWLRPLSFLSPLTDLTPLVD
2020LDRLFHLFYLGGLGHLGPLHGLJDLJRLKFLKVLLJ
2019KSSKTJKVBKVXKWTKXRKYNKZKKZYLBNLCGLCY
2018KGNKHGKHYKJVKKRKLNKMMKNKKPDKPSKRJKRZ
2017JVZJWNJXFJYBJYTJZPKBMKCHKCTKDHKFCKFW
2016JKZJLNJMFJMYJNRJPKJRGJRZJSKJTBJTNJVH
2015JBYJCKJCYJDRJFGJFXJGRJHJJHTJJHJJWJKK
2014HVFHVNHVZHWMHXBHXNHYDHYTHZBHZLHZZJBL
2013HNKHNTHPCHPNHPYHRKHRXHSKHSSHSZHTKHTV
2012HHTHJCHJMHKBHKLHKXHLKHLWHMDHMLHMTHNC
2011HBGHBPHCBHCRHDCHDRHFFHFTHGCHGMHGXHHH
2010GSRGTCGTSGVMGWCGWVGXPGYDGYMGYXGZJGZT
2009GKHGKSGLCGLPGMCGMNGNFGNYGPJGPWGRMGSC
2008FYYFZRGBNGCKGDHGFCGFYGGVGHGGHTGJJGJV
2007FKCFKYFLVFNBFNZFRCFSJFTPFVJFWCFXBFXY
2006DVBDVWDWTDXZDYYFBCFCJFDPFFKFGFFHDFJD
2005DFFDFZDGXDHZDKBDLDDMJDNPDPKDRGDSCDTB
2004CRCCRVCSSCTTCVRCWRCXTCYYCZPDBJDCHDDG
2003CDCCDVCFMCGJCHFCJCCKBCLDCLVCMMCNKCPF
2002BRTBSLBTFBTZBVWBWTBXPBYPBZFBZVCBPCCH
2001BDRBFJBGFBHGBJCBKBBLCBMFBMWBNLBPGBRB
2000BBBBCDBCY

Why Did Spain Change the System?

Before the current system was introduced, Spanish number plates used regional letter codes. The newer format removed the regional identifier and created a single national registration sequence.

This means that modern Spanish plates do not show where in Spain the vehicle was first registered.

Can the Plate Tell You the Vehicle’s Age?

It can give a useful indication of when the vehicle was registered in Spain, but it does not necessarily tell you the vehicle’s true year of manufacture.

This is particularly important with imported vehicles, which may have been manufactured years before they were registered onto Spanish plates.

Importing a Vehicle onto Spanish Plates?

If you have a UK or foreign registered vehicle in Spain, we can help with the full process of changing it onto Spanish number plates.

Vehicle import registration
ITV import test support
Registration tax and DGT paperwork
Spanish number plates and insurance
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