Vehicle registration plates of Russia


Vehicle registration plates are the mandatory number plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle, and have existed in Russia for many decades. Most motor vehicles which are used on public roads are required by law to display them. Having them covered by snow or mud constitutes an administrative offense, that leads to a fine. So does covering them with a piece of paper, or any other tool that makes any of the digits and letters illegible.

History

Current plate format

The current format uses a letter followed by 3 digits and two more letters. To improve legibility of the numbers for Russian cars abroad, only a small subset of Cyrillic characters that look like Latin characters are used. Finally, the region number and the international code RUS are included, as well as the national flag. There is a different format for trailers. Motorcycles, mopeds and scooters plates are made of square reflective plates and its format is 4 digits at the top and two letters at the bottom. These plates lack national flag.
The standard size for the license plate is 520 mm by 112 mm.
Vehicles used by certain organisations or categories of persons carry special plates:
Image 5x5=25Description
Police forces have special numbers on blue colored plates and the format is one letter and four digits. The letter signifies the branch of the police force, and its meaning may change from city to city; for example, in Moscow, A #### 99 rus stands for traffic police, У #### 99 rus for patrol cars, O #### 99 rus for police guard dog service etc.
Diplomatic cars have white characters on a red background. The first three digits on the plate are a code identifying the embassy to which they belong, assigned in order based on the date at which that country established diplomatic relations with Russia or the Soviet Union. For example, the United Kingdom is 001, the United States is 004, and South Sudan is 168. Numbers 500 and above identify international organizations, such as 505 for IMF. On ambassadors' cars this code is followed by CD and a digit, while cars assigned to rank-and-file diplomats have this code followed by D and three digits. The lacking diplomatic status administrative and technical staff of embassies, consulates or international organizations have license plate format.
The military license plates have white characters on a black background and the format is NNNN LL for vehicles and LL NNNN for trailers. In this case the two digits on the right are not a regional code but a code for the military district, armed forces branch or service, or federal executive body where military service is required by law. For example, NNNN LL 14 rus is a vehicle belonging to the Railway Troops, NNNN LL 18 rus denotes the Ministry of Emergency Situations, NNNN LL 23 rus is for the Strategic Missile Troops, NNNN LL 21 rus for the Southern Military District etc. Unlike all other categories, the military number plates are not light reflective.
Public transport vehicles have black characters on a yellow background and the format is LL NNN. Since such vehicles are relatively few, the region code does not change often; in Moscow, for example, yellow "public transport" plates are still issued with the code 77 in December 2009.
Trailer plates have colors very similar into normal passenger vehicles, but have format LL NNNN. Until July 2008, these plates had to be duplicated on the rear surface of the trailer, in a large print.
Temporary and transit licence plates. Made from glossy laminated paper with holographic sticker in the upper left corner.
Temporary and transit licence plates for exported vehicles with Т digit in left part of plate.

Special plates in the above categories never carry the Russian flag, except for trailers.
There are special series reserved for government officials. The license plates for federal government officials originally had a larger flag instead of the regional code but this type has now been withdrawn as well.
Rich businessmen, prominent politicians and crime lords often use para-legally acquired special licence plates to get preferential treatment from the transport police and as a status symbol. Often, this is used in conjunction with a flashing siren. The Society of Blue Buckets is a protest movement that opposes this trend.
As of 2014, there are new codes for Russian plates; number 82 for the Republic of Crimea and 92 for Sevastopol. The Russian Federation annexed Crimea from Ukraine and now administers it as two federal subjects: the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol. Ukraine, backed by most of the international community, refuses to accept the annexation and continues to assert its right over the peninsula. Vehicles with such plates may have difficulty entering countries which recognize Crimea as Ukrainian territory and thus deem documents issued by the Russian Federation in Crimea to be invalid.

Runout problem

As per GOST provision, only 1,726,272 combinations may be issued within one administration unit. In certain regions, the number of vehicles exceeds that number, and the combination may not be reused after a vehicle was taken off the registration. All this creates an issue of running out of numbers.
A short-term solution was introducing more codes for those regions. Thus, some regions have two or three codes issued to them, the city of St. Petersburg has four, Moscow Oblast has six, and the federal city of Moscow has nine codes. But this does not fully solve the problem, as the authorities may eventually run out of three-numeral regional codes, and a fourth digit will not fit without changing the standardised layout of the plate. Since October 2013, when a vehicle is registered to a new owner, the registration plate could remain on the vehicle and a new registration number is not required, even if the vehicle is registered in another region.
The problem was resolved by re-registering plates that are no longer in use. Also, since 2013, the owner can keep the license plate for himself personally, or leave it on the car when selling it to another person.

Regional codes

The license plate regional codes from 01 to 89 originally matched the numerical order of the federal subjects of Russia as listed in the Article 65 of the Constitution of Russia at the moment of the creation of the standard. In the following years some codes were reassigned or discontinued. As the populous regions started running out of license plate combinations, new codes past code 89 were assigned to them as well. Additional triple-digit codes were created by adding a "1" or a "7" to the existing regional code. The most recent new number to be issued was code 761 for Rostov Oblast after code 161 ran out of all possible combinations on January 19, 2019. Those regions with an asterisk beside them were involved in mergers with other regions and have their codes listed with an asterisk with the region they are now a part of.
In June 2014, code 82 was put back into registration for the Republic of Crimea, while Sevastopol adopted the new code 92. The reason for the decision to use code 82 was because, between the beginning of this plate format and the merging of the district, Koryak AO only registered 1,548 civilian car license plates and far less of other types.
In 2018, the strict binding to the region code was repealed, but these codes are still favored.
CodeThe region of Russian Federation
01Republic of Adygea
02, 102, 702Republic of Bashkortostan
03Republic of Buryatia
04Altai Republic
05Republic of Dagestan
06Republic of Ingushetia
07Kabardino-Balkar Republic
08Republic of Kalmykia
09Karachay-Cherkess Republic
10Republic of Karelia
11Komi Republic
12Mari El Republic
13, 113Republic of Mordovia
14Sakha Republic
15Republic of North Ossetia–Alania
16, 116, 716Republic of Tatarstan
17Tuva Republic
18Udmurt Republic
19Republic of Khakassia
, 95Chechen Republic
21, 121Chuvash Republic
22, 122Altai Krai
23, 93, 123, 193Krasnodar Krai
24, 84*, 88*, 124Krasnoyarsk Krai
25, 125Primorsky Krai
26, 126Stavropol Krai
27Khabarovsk Krai
28Amur Oblast
29Arkhangelsk Oblast
30Astrakhan Oblast
31Belgorod Oblast
32Bryansk Oblast
33Vladimir Oblast
34, 134Volgograd Oblast
35Vologda Oblast
36, 136Voronezh Oblast
37Ivanovo Oblast
38, 85*, 138Irkutsk Oblast
39, 91Kaliningrad Oblast
40Kaluga Oblast
41, 82*Kamchatka Krai
42, 142Kemerovo Oblast
43Kirov Oblast
44Kostroma Oblast
45Kurgan Oblast
46Kursk Oblast
47, 147Leningrad Oblast
48Lipetsk Oblast
49Magadan Oblast
50, 90, 150, 190, 750, 790Moscow Oblast
51Murmansk Oblast
52, 152Nizhny Novgorod Oblast
53Novgorod Oblast
54, 154Novosibirsk Oblast
55Omsk Oblast
56, 156Orenburg Oblast
57Oryol Oblast
58Penza Oblast
59, 81*, 159Perm Krai
60Pskov Oblast
61, 161, 761Rostov Oblast
62Ryazan Oblast
63, 163, 763Samara Oblast
64, 164Saratov Oblast
65Sakhalin Oblast
66, 96, 196Sverdlovsk Oblast
67Smolensk Oblast
68Tambov Oblast
69Tver Oblast
70Tomsk Oblast
71Tula Oblast
72Tyumen Oblast
73, 173Ulyanovsk Oblast
74, 174, 774Chelyabinsk Oblast
75, 80*Zabaykalsky Krai
76Yaroslavl Oblast
77, 97, 99, 177, 197, 199, 777, 797, 799Moscow
78, 98, 178, 198St. Petersburg
79Jewish Autonomous Oblast
80*Agin-Buryat Okrug / "Former Buryat Autonomous District of Aginskoye"
81*Komi-Permyak Okrug / "Former Komi-Permyak Autonomous District"
82Republic of Crimea / "Former Koryak Autonomous District"
83Nenets Autonomous Okrug
84*Taymyr Autonomous Okrug / "Former Taymyr Autonomous District"
85*Ust-Orda Buryat Okrug / "Former Buryat Autonomous District of Ust-Ordynskoy"
86, 186Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
87Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
88*Evenk Autonomous Okrug / "Former Evenk Autonomous District"
89Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
92Sevastopol
94Territories outside of the Russian Federation, served by the bodies of internal affairs of the Russian Federation, such as Baikonur

Codes of diplomatic representative offices and international organizations

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs Order 282 from March 28, 2002.
CodeCountry or organization
001
002
003
004
005
006
007
008
009
010
011
012
013
014
015
016
017
018
019
020
021
022
023
024
025
026
027
028
029
030
031
032
033
034
035
036
037
038
039
040
041
042
043
044
045
047
048
049
050
051
052
053
054
055
056
057
058
059N/A
060
061
062
063
064
065
066
067
068
069
070
071
072
073
074
075
076
077
078
079
080
081
082
083
084N/A
085N/A
086
087
088
089
090
091
092N/A
093
094
095
096
097
098
099
100
101
102
103
104
105
106N/A
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114N/A
115
116
117
118
119N/A
120
121
122N/A
123N/A
124
125
126
127
128
129
130N/A
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139N/A
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165'
166'
167
168
169
499 European Commission
500European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
501N/A
502N/A
503
504International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
505International Monetary Fund
506International Organization for Migration
507 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
508 International Committee of the Red Cross
509International Finance Corporation
510 United Nations Industrial Development Organization
511
512 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ; code 126 used earlier.
514International Bank for Economic Complementation
515International Investment Bank
516Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications
517International Centre of Scientific and Technical Information
518International Scientific and Technical Centre
520International Labour Organization
521Interelectrode International Organization for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation in Electrical Industry
522Coordination Centre of the Intergovernmental Commission for Cooperation in Computing Machinery
523 Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States
524European Space Agency
525Eurasian Patent Organization
526earlier Taipei-Moscow Coordination Commission for Economic and Cultural Cooperation
527 The Headquarters for Coordination of Military Cooperation of the state-participants of the Commonwealth of Independent States
528Interstate Bank
529Eurasian Economic Community
530International Research Institute of Management Problems
531Collective Security Treaty Organization
532 Intergovernmental Statistical Committee of the CIS
533 Secretary of Council of Interparliamentary Assembly of state-participants of the Commonwealth of Independent States
534Eurasian Development Bank
535 Intergovernmental Foundation for Educational Cooperation of the CIS
555Eurasian Economic Commission
556Program Office of the Council of Europe in Russia
557 Antiterrorist Centre of CIS member states
900Honorary consuls and offices headed by them