Chile requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates called patentes.
The current vehicle registration plates also are officially known as PPU (Placa Patente Única in Spanish). This designation was introduced in 1985 when vehicle registration was unified at the national level, ensuring that each vehicle would have a unique plate across the country.
Formats Old format (before December 31, 1984)
In the first registration system, vehicles were registered in each municipality, and this assigned a record independently, whose combinations were governed by a certain geographical distribution.
These license plates featured combinations of letters and numbers. They also varied in color depending on the type of vehicle, its use, or the year of issuance. The layout of the information (such as the municipality, combination, year, etc.) on the plate's lines (top or bottom) also varied according to each municipality's regulations.
The amounts of letters and numbers depend on the era:
Grades: The vertical line / indicates the separation between the upper and lower line. The separation indicated between the year and the symbol of the Mint is marked in such a way that the first written data is above the second. For example, if it is found as " · " it indicates that the symbol is placed over the year.
until 1940: Numbers only. Example: 39 718 / 38 VALPARAISO PR 1940s and 1950s for Santiago: Two letters and two numbers separated by a star, includes the year and type of vehicle. Example: BC 98 / 58 SANTIAGO P (Individual) for the rest of the country: Two letters and three numbers separated by a star (upper line), includes the year and type of vehicle (lower line). Examples: TC 104 / 59 PUNTA ARENAS P (Individual) YH 477 / 58 QUILICURA SW (Station wagon)
1960s for Santiago: Two letters and two numbers separated by the symbol of the Casa de Moneda de Chile (S̊) and the year (bottom line). Example SANTIAGO WAGONS / CZ · 85 (Station wagon) for the rest of the country: Two letters and three numbers separated by the symbol of the House of Mint of Chile and the year (bottom line). Example: FREIRE P / UL · 274 (Individual)
1970s for Santiago: Two letters and two numbers separated by the year and the symbol of the Chilean Mint (top line). Example: BG · 51 / SANTIAGO P (Individual) for the rest of the country: Two letters and three numbers or three letters and two numbers (without leading zeros), separated by the year and the symbol of the Chilean Mint. examples BOD · 37 / PUEBLO HUNDIDO C (Commercial) QUILACO P / ULA · 19 (Individual) QUIRIHUE A / RBJ · 4 (Taxi) RL · 409 / PROVIDENCIA C (Commercial)
1980s for the whole country: Three letters and three numbers separated by the symbol of the House of Mint of Chile. The colors determine the type of vehicle, although they also depend on the year. Example: HDU 376 / SANTIAGO 81 XIC 791 / TEMUCO 81 GRAL. LAKES 82 / AAA 452 TJE 813 / TALCA 83 GVC 629 / RENCA 84
The initial letters between 1981 and 1984 were distributed as follows:
Arica and Parinacota, and Tarapacá Regions: A. Antofagasta Region: B. Atacama and Coquimbo Regions: C. Valparaiso Region: D, E, F. Santiago Metropolitan Region: G, H, I, J, K, L, N, O, P, R. Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region: S. Maule Region: T. Ñuble and Bio Bio Regions: U, V. Araucanía Region: X. Los Ríos and Los Lagos Regions: Y. Aysén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo and Magallanes Regions: Z.
2 Letters and 4 Numbers Series (1985-2007)
The format consists of two letters and four numbers (AA·10-00); the letters are separated from the numbers by a simplified figure of the National Coat of Arms, while the numbers are grouped in two pairs of digits separated by a small circle. In addition to the numbers visible on the license plate, the registration additionally incorporates a verifier digit, the one that appears in the vehicle documentation.
The first letter can be one of the following 23 (with specific sequences following): A, B, C, E, F, G, H, D, K, L, N, P, R, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z, W, and M. The letters I, Ñ, and Q were not used due to their resemblance to other letters, except in specific cases. Diplomatic vehicles may start with O. The letter J is now used for national trailer registration, replacing the old municipal system. The M series starts from MZ to MX in reverse order, allowing for 5,289,999 vehicles.
The first letter of the square allows to identify the year of the vehicle, although without exact precision and only from the letter D onwards. It is possible to observe vehicles whose plates begin with a letter that does not correspond to their year of registration, which may be because the vehicle was re-registered, or it was registered in an office where so few vehicles are registered that the combinations are delayed.
The second letter can be one of the following 23: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, N, P, R, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z and W. M and W were left out for being too wide, Ñ for its resemblance to N, O for its resemblance to zero, and Q for its resemblance to O and zero. The I was only used in the combination DI.
In plates beginning with letters A, B, C, E, F, G and H, the sequential order is expressed in the second letter, for example, the sequential order of the first series was AA - BA - CA - EA, and so on; the next series was AB - CB - EB - FB, and so on. Initially, the letter D was not used at the beginning of the combination, due to its resemblance to zero, and the combinations BB, AD, AK, AY, GG and HZ were not used either, but until much later.
Also in the beginning there was a certain unintentional geographical distribution, some series assigned according to the table, for example:
Region Assigned CombinationArica-ParinacotaAA and BATarapacáAB and CBAntofagastaEB, FA, FB, GA and HAAtacamaGB and HBCoquimboAC, FD, GD and HDValparaísoAH, CH, CX, EH, EX, FX and GYFH (Los Andes)GH (San Felipe)O'HigginsAX (San Fernando)CJ (Codegua)EA, FV and GV (Rancagua)MauleBC, ER, ET, FE, FT, GE, and HSÑuble & Bío-BíoEU, FF and HFEC and GF (Chillán)AF and GT (Talcahuano)BF, BU, EF, HE and HT (Concepción)AraucaníaFU, GC, GU and HULos Ríos & Los LagosAV, BG, BV, CV, EG, EV and HCAysénBD (partial)MagallanesAE, BE, CE and CF (partial)MetropolitanaRest of original series (between AG and HY)CT (San Bernardo)EL (Santiago)GX (Paine)HH (Maipú)HR (Las Condes)
The combinations that begin with the letters A, B, C, E, F, G and H, were not issued following a correlative order, unlike what was done from 1990 (D) and until the end of the system. In 1990 plates began to be issued following a correlative order marked on the second letter, beginning with D: DA - DB - DD ( DC was not used), and so on. E, F, G, and H had already been used in the previous system and J had been discarded because it resembled I, so K was continued: KA - KB - KC - KD, etc. This order allows to identify, with moderate precision, the year of registration of the vehicle, for example, the letter S began to be issued from the end of 1997, the letter X corresponds to the middle of 2003, etc.
When the combinations reached ZZ in 2006, the system's lifespan was extended by incorporating the letters W and M, which were initially excluded due to their width. The sequence began with WA and progressed to WZ. Then, the second letter was used, starting from ZW and moving backward to KW. The M series was also introduced, with plates issued in reverse order from MZ to part of MX, which was the last combination issued under that system.
There is no certainty that (almost) all the combinations have been used.
The numbers start from 1000 (AA·10-00) and go up consecutively until they reach 9999 (AA·'99-99).
All license plates in Chile display the word CHILE at the bottom, except for Transantiago buses, which say TRANSANTIAGO, with a special symbol separating the letters from the numbers. Additionally, on the left side, the phrase REGISTRO CIVIL E IDENTIFICACION (CIVIL REGISTRY AND IDENTIFICATION) is inscribed in an oval, while on the right side, CASA DE MONEDA DE CHILE appears in a circle with its emblem. These inscriptions are embossed on the metal plate without paint, making them only visible up close.
The font used throughout this system is Helvetica Medium Condensed.
4 Letters and 2 Numbers Series (2007-present)
In September 2007 the new format began to be used, which is made up of 4 letters and 2 numbers ('BB-BB·10). This system uses 18 letters, which are: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, P, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z. The letters M, N, Ñ, Q (for its resemblance to the O and the number 0), and the vowels (to avoid combinations that form words and thus bother vehicle drivers)) are not used. Although new vehicle plates use the BB·BB-10 format, the previous plates were not superseded, so the two formats currently coexist. The combination allows for a vehicle park of 9,447,840 (excluding Police, Armed Forces and Firefighters vehicles).
The numbers start at 10 for each series of letters, up to 99. The letters continue to be separated from the numbers by a simplification of the National emblem, and the 4 letters in 2 groups of 2 letters by a black circle. The design (frame and font) are the same as in the previous format.
Considering the pace of vehicle registrations before the current format began, it was expected that the numbering system would last around 38 to 40 years. However, due to the surge in vehicle sales, the first four initial letters (B to F) were exhausted in just 6 years, and half of the series (B to L) in only 12 years. As a result, it's unlikely that the combinations will last 25 to 30 years unless more letters are added to the sequence (for example, increasing from 18 to 20 letters would boost the number of combinations by 52%).
As in the old format, the license plates have the word CHILE included at the bottom, except for the Transantiago bus plates, which have the word TRANSANTIAGO and its corresponding isotype. Also, like the previous format, they include the signs of the Civil Registry and the Mint, with the difference that they are now printed on the plate.
Since 2014, all license plates were updated with the FE-Schrift font (Car-Go typeface) to prevent counterfeiting. A new feature was added: an indicator on the left side of the plate specifying whether it belongs on the front or rear of the vehicle.
Trailer license plates - National Registry of Ground Freight Transport According to Law 19,872, which entered into force on December 20, 2003, trailers and semi-trailers (in addition to trucks and tractor-trailers) whose gross vehicle weight is equal to or greater than 3,860 kg. they must be registered in the National Land Freight Transport Registry, replacing the Municipal Car and Trailer Registries. Trailer and semi-trailer license plates use the same design as motor vehicle license plates, following the old format (AA·10–00) and using the full series of the letter J, notwithstanding what is established when you start using the license plate. new format (BB-BB 10) once the series is over. Only the series between JA and JP were used, being replaced by the current four-letter format identifying a hologram stamped on R (trailer) and SR (semi-trailer).
Trailers and semi-trailers with a lower gross vehicle weight continue to be registered in the municipal registries. The license plates for trailers of said registries are white, have three letters and three numbers (ABC·123) written in red, and on them indicate the commune in which they were registered. The series used are distributed geographically by commune, which could be explained by the fact that they derive from the old municipal registers of motor vehicles (until 1985).