Vehicle registration plates in Luxembourg bear a maximum of six characters. The standard series in use today uses a format of two letters followed by four digits. Marks consisting of four or five digits and no letters are also issued. The numbers are issued at a national level and give no indication of regional origin. Plates have black characters on a yellow background, with the standard blue EU stripe on the left. The current usage and format of plates was enacted by parliament in June 2003.
Standard plates
The two-letter/four-digit format follows a rather unusual scheme, detailed below. The apparently random order of issue makes it difficult for the uninitiated to determine a car's age from its number plate. Leading zeros are used on car number plates but small vehicles such as mopeds have miniature number plates showing only two letters and two digits.
Custom plates
conform either to the standard format or consist of four or five digits. The scarcity of four-digit numbers means that there is a waiting list for them. Obtaining a custom plate costs €50. A custom plate can be issued only for new cars or upon a change of ownership. There is no market for trading numbers privately.
History
Plates originally comprised digits only. More recently, combinations of one letter and four digits, then two letters and three digits, were introduced, but these are no longer issued and are therefore gradually disappearing. The rear number plate latterly featured a large EU flag without a country code. A new registration number is allocated each time a car with a number in the old format changes ownership. Plates used to have white numbers on a black background, but these have all but disappeared with the exception of classic cars, for which there is a special exemption.
Military plates is white on black and four digits. In the left side is coat of arms.
Dealer plates is in digits only and issued in white on red plate.
Sequence
The order followed by the standard series letters and digits is rather unusual - numbers below 4000 are reserved for custom plates: those from 4000 to 9999 are assigned in blocks of 1000 with a changing sequence of letters. The series set out by the legislation was BA4000-BA4999, CA5000-5999, DA6000-DA6999, etc. However, it would appear that the issuers of the numbers took a while to adopt this, as the CA series used 4000-4999 before DA followed with 5000 to 5999. The prescribed sequence of issue follows a pattern of ascending and descendingalphabetical order of the two letters, as can be seen in the following list. When the first block of 1000 AZ numbers has been issued, we will presumably see the issue of BA5000. Note that certain letters and combinations are excluded. The list should be read from top to bottom, left to right:
BA JJ TS XZ NR DH FA RJ YS PZ DR GH QB ZK QS CA GJ RS YZ PR EH EB QK ZS QZ ER FH PB YK RT DA FJ QT ZY QR FG DB PK ZT RY FQ EG NB XK ST EA EK PT YY RQ GG CB NK YT SY GQ DG MB WK TT FB DK NT XY SQ HG BB MK XT TY HQ CG LB VL UT GB CK MT WY TQ JG AB LK WT UY JQ BG KC UL VT HB BK LT VX UQ KG AC KL VU VY KQ AG JC TL WU JB AK KU UX VQ LF BC JL UU WX LP AF HC SL XU KB AL JU TX WP MF CC HL TU XX MP BF GC RL YU LC BL HU SX XP NF DC GL SU YX NP CF FC QM ZU MC CL GU RX YP PF EC FL RU ZX PP DF ED PM ZV NC DL FU QW ZP QF FD EM QV ZW QP EF DD NM YV PC EL EV PW ZN RE GD DM PV YW RN FE BD MM XV QC FM DV NW YN SE HD CM NVXW SN GE AD LM WV RD GM CV MW XN TE JD BM MV WW TN HE AE KN VW SD HM BV LW WN UE KD AM LV VV UN JE BE JN UW TD JM AV KV VM VE LE AN KW UV VN KE CE HN TW UD KM AW JV UM WD ME BN JW TV WM LD DE GN SW VD LN BW HV TM XD NE CN HW SV XM MD EE FN RW WE MN CW GV SM YD PE DN GW RV YM ND FF EP QX XE NN DW FV RM ZD QE EN FW QU ZM QD GF DP PX YE PN EW EU QL ZC RF FP EX PU ZL RC HF CP NX ZE QN FX DU PL YC SF GP DX NU YL SC JF BP MX ZF RP GX CU NL XC TF HP CX MU XL TC KF AP LX YF SP HX BU ML VB UF JP BX LU WL UC LG AQ KY XF TP JX AU LL UB VF KP AX KT VK VC MG BQ JY WF UP KX AT JK TB WG LQ AY JT UK WB NG CQ HY VG VP LY BT HK SB XG MQ BY HT TK XB PG DQ GY UG WQ MY CT GK RB YG NQ CY GT SK YB QG EQ FY TG XQ NY DT FK QA ZG PQ DY FT RK ZB RH FR EZ SG YQ PY ET EJ PA ZH QQ EY ES QJ ZA SH GR DZ RG ZQ QY FS DJ NA YH RR FZ DS PJ YA TH HR CZ QH ZR RZ GS CJ MA XH SR GZ CS NJ XA UH JR BZ PH YR SZ HS BJ LA WH TR HZ BS MJ WA VH KR AZ NH XR TZ JS AJ KA VJ UR JZ AS LJ VA WJ LS MH WR UZ KS AH JA UJ VR LZ AR KH UA XJ MS LH VS VZ LR BH HA TJ WS MZ BR JH TA YJ NS KJ US WZ MR CH GA SJ XS NZ CR HH RA ZJ PS
