Venezuela requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates.
Current plates are North American standard 6 × 12 inches (152 × 300 mm).
The car registration plates of Venezuela (also called placas) are distinctive used for the identification of all vehicles automotiveis that travel through the national communication channels. The coding system in force since 2008 establishes a serialization consisting of four letters and three numbers. Fees vary according to the type of transport and its specific use.
Format Venezuelan license plates have a serialization of four letters and three numbers, for a total of seven characters (AB123CD). The plates have a rectangular shape of 300 mm x 150 mm,In the case of motorcycles, 200mm x 150 mm. These measures are also valid alternatively for test vehicles, chassis, the Armed Forces and the Technical Corps of Surveillance of Traffic and Land Transportation. In the case of blood-drawn vehicles, they will be 180 mm x 90 mm. framed with black borders and a white background on which an impression of the national flag has been superimposed. The alphanumeric serial is located in the center of the plate, whose sequence of digits will correspond to the type of vehicle. The legend Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is inscribed in the upper part in blue, while the lower part will indicate the federal entity in which it is domiciled the owner of the vehicle. The last letter of the particular serial will indicate that same locality by code.Official Gazette of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela N° 38.944, June 3, 2008.
Identification According to the federal entity The current legal provision establishes that the last letter of the plate indicates the federal entity (estado) in which the vehicle was registered. It means that in the example plate AA000AB, the last letter "B" would identify the region. In previous resolutions, this was located in the first letter.
Code StateA /Capital DistrictB C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y
During the 1990s, the use of the letters W, X and Y began to designate the former federal territories that were elevated to the category of state: Delta Amacuro in 1991, Amazonas in 1992 and Vargas in 1998. For its part, the letter Z is used for signalization, but does not designate any entity in particular.
Depending on the type of vehicle The license plates between ordinary (private) vehicles and special ones present differences in the ordering of their characters, as well as in their measurements, designs and security devices depending on the use or the organization to which they are assigned.
Ordinary GuyFormatDescriptionPhoto Private cars xx123xA For use by private vehicles. The (x) indicate the variable alphabetic characters. The A at the end designates the federal entity in which the owner of the vehicle is domiciled.
Specials GuyFormatDescription Blood Traction x1xx2A The (x) indicate the variable alphabetic characters. The A at the end designates the federal entity. It is the only license plate that has only six characters. Motorcycles xx1x23A The (x) indicate the variable alphabetic characters. Cars, minibuses, passenger vans and mobile homes xx123xA Idem. Freight vehicles x12xx3A Idem. Cranes x12x34A Idem. Vehicles for the disabled (Symbol)x12x3A Idem. School transportation x123x4A Idem. Private transportation x1234xA Idem. Tourist transport Rustic: x1xx23AMinibuses: x12x3xxBuses: x1x2x3x Idem. Urban public transport 01xx2xA Idem. The numbers at the beginning of the serials are fixed. Suburban public transport Cars: 12x3x4AMinibuses: 21x34xABuses: 31xx24 A Intercity public transport Cars: 412x3xAMinibuses: 512xx3ABuses: 6123x4 A Taxis 7x1x2xA Public transport in peripheral area Rustic: 8x1x23AMinibuses: 9x123xA Test vehicles, chassis and provisional 123456A Idem. Below the serial must be the inscription Temporal. The plate shall have a lime yellow background and black characters. Vehicles entered the country under the Special Free Port Regime Motorcycles: xx1234ONon-profit vehicles: xx12x3O Cargo: x1x234OPublic transport: 1xx234O Idem. The O at the end of the serial, symbolizing the state Nueva Esparta, is fixed. Below the serial must be the inscription Puerto Libre. The plate must have a faded gray state map in the background in the center. On the left side, a faded red vertical stripe, and on the right side a design of the national flag.
Officials GuyFormatDescriptionPhoto Executive Branch President: 01Vice President: 02Ministers: 03Attorney General: 04 Exclusive of the charges mentioned. The plaque bears a raised and colored design of the national coat of arms followed by the assigned numbers, on a gold background and with black alphanumeric characters. Below the serial, the position it represents. Legislative Power President of the AN: PL-01Vice presidents of the AN: PL-02 and PL-03 Ibid. Below the serial, the position it represents, printed or labeled in abbreviated form. Judiciary President of the TSJ: PJ-01Principal Magistrate: PJ-02 Ibid. Citizen Power Comptroller General: PC-01Ombudsman: PC-02 Attorney General: PC-03 Ibid. Electoral Power President of the CNE: PE-01Principal Rector of the CNE: PE-02 Ibid. Diplomatic Corps (Serial assigned by the MPPRE) The plates have a red background with white alphanumeric characters. Below the serial, the inscription Diplomatic Corps or Consular Corps stamped in relief. State Public Power 01-A Exclusive to state governors. Design and background identical to the plates of the National Public Power. The letter at the end identifies the state of the regional president. Municipal Public Power 23-A Exclusive to the mayors of municipalities. Identical design and background. The letter at the end identifies the state to which the mayor's municipality belongs. National Armed Force Army: 0000001Aviation: 0000002 Army: 0000003National Guard: 0000004 Only assigned to vehicles for official use. The fixed numbers identify the component, while the rest of the correlative characters vary. Optionally, a printed shield can be used, at the discretion of each military component. The plates will have a blue background and the characters will be white. Below the serial, the word that identifies the component. Technical Corps of Surveillance of Traffic and Land Transportation TT-12345 Variable numbers. Optionally, a shield or the logo of the MPPTOP may be incorporated. The plate will have an orange background and blue alphanumeric characters. Police, ambulances, fire departments and forensic medicine 1–01-A The first number identifies the body, followed by assigned correlative numbers and a letter that identifies the federal entity. Plates with the words or shield of the component. Green background design and white alphanumeric characters.
Controversies The new Venezuelan license plates in force since 2008 have been strongly criticized by citizens and by security forces because it is difficult to identify a vehicle at the time of any type of accident (theft, homicide, robbery, collision without responsibility, etc.) what makes the old system (1982 -1997) endearing, where the plates had three letters and three numbers, the type of use was identified with colors at the bottom of the plate and at the bottom of the letters, the special plates also they were visibly notable (schoolchildren, taxi, by post and public authorities). It has been determined worldwide that the more numbers and letters the license plate of a vehicle has, the more difficult and tedious the identification system is.
Notes
References
External links Instituto Nacional de Transporte Terrestre — portal web oficial. Datos y fotos de matrículas de Venezuela (en español) Norma COVENIN 160:2000