Libya requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates. Current plates are European standard 520 mm × 110 mm. ImageFirst issuedDesign Design (Alternative)SloganSerial formatSerials issuedNotes 1960s White on Black 1997 2004–2013 Black on White1997-2004 Black on Green الجماهيرية (Al-Jamahiriya) 2013 Black on White ليبيا (Libya) Region code, 1-7 digits. 1-7 digits.
Current Series Libya's current series of license plates entered circulation in 2013, after Libyan Revolution and the overthrow of Gaddafi. Numbers on license plates are in Latin Alphabet, and all plates carry the Arabic text ليبيا meaning Libya, in Naskh Script, either on the right hand side or the right top corner.
Private Vehicles Private vehicle license plates are black on white and follow the format [# - 1 to 999999]. The First number (#), a 1 or 2 digit number consists of a code corresponding to Municipality in Libya. This number is separated by a dash from the registration code, which can be 1 to 6 digits. In the city of Tripoli, due to its larger population, 7-digit registration codes are also issued. 520 mm × 110 mm 270 mm x 150 mm
Foreigner-owned Private Vehicles Foreigner-owned Private vehicle license plates are black on white and follow the format [NN /# - 1 to 9999]. The plate consists of a 2 or 3 digit code in a blue square (NN), indicating the country of the owner of the vehicle. It also includes the municipality code, separated by dash from the registration code that is 1 to 4 digits long.
520 mm × 110 mm 270 mm x 150 mm
Diplomatic and Consular Vehicles Diplomatic and consular license plates are black on red, and follow the format [1 to 99 - NN هيئة سياسية]. This type of plate does not have "ليبيا" (Libya) written on it, but instead, "هيئة سياسية", in Ruqʿah script. This means "Political Corps". The format of this license plate consists of a 1 or 2 digit number, separated by a dash from a 2 or 3 digit code indicating the country of the owner of the vehicle (NN). This code is identical to that used for Foreigner-owned private vehicles. 520 mm × 110 mm 270 mm x 150 mm
Agricultural Vehicles Agricultural vehicle license plates are black on yellow and follow the format [# - 1 to 999999]. The plate starts with the Arabic letter (Z), followed by number (#) on the left hand side, a 1 or 2 digit number consists of a code corresponding to Municipality in Libya. This number is separated by a dash from the registration code, which can be 1 to 6 digits. On a two-line plate, the positioning of the Arabic letter-code is bottom left of the license plate.
520 mm × 110 mm 270 mm x 150 mm
Commercial Vehicles Commercial vehicle license plates are black on yellow and follow the format [# - 1 to 999999]. Commercial vehicles consist of trucks, buses, vans, but not taxis, and not semi-trucks. The plate starts with the Arabic letter (N), followed by number (#), a 1 or 2 digit number consists of a code corresponding to Municipality in Libya. This number is separated by a dash from the registration code, which can be 1 to 6 digits. On a two-line plate, the positioning of the Arabic letter-code is bottom left of the license plate.
520 mm × 110 mm 270 mm x 150 mm
Taxis Taxi license plates are black on yellow and follow the format [# - 1 to 999999]. The plate starts with the Arabic letter (R), followed by number (#), a 1 or 2 digit number consists of a code corresponding to Municipality in Libya. This number is separated by a dash from the registration code, which can be 1 to 6 digits. On a two-line plate, the positioning of the Arabic letter-code is bottom left of the license plate.
520 mm × 110 mm 270 mm x 150 mm
Semi-trucks Semi-truck (Trucks that carry Semi-trailers, collectively referred to as 18-wheeler) license plates are black on yellow and follow the format [# - 1 to 999999]. Semi-trucks are allocated their own unique code from other trucks and commercial vehicles in Libya. The plate starts with the Arabic letter (J), followed by number (#), a 1 or 2 digit number consists of a code corresponding to Municipality in Libya. This number is separated by a dash from the registration code, which can be 1 to 6 digits. On a two-line plate, the positioning of the Arabic letter-code is bottom left of the license plate.
520 mm × 110 mm 270 mm x 150 mm
Trailers Trailers or Semi-trailers(Trailers carried by Semi-trucks, collectively referred to as 18-wheeler) license plates are black on yellow and follow the format [# - 1 to 999999]. The plate starts with the Arabic letter (M), followed by number (#), a 1 or 2 digit number consists of a code corresponding to Municipality in Libya. This number is separated by a dash from the registration code, which can be 1 to 6 digits. On a two-line plate, the positioning of the Arabic letter-code is bottom left of the license plate.
520 mm × 110 mm 270 mm x 150 mm
1998 to 2012 Series
License plates in this era had an identical colour composition as the current series, black on white for private vehicles, black on red for diplomatic vehicles, and black on yellow for other types of vehicles. Instead of ليبيا (Libya), these license plates carried the term الجماهيرية (Al-Jamahiriya) either on the right hand side or the right top corner in Ruqʿah script. Jamahiriyais an Arabic term generally translated roughly to "peopledom" or "state of the masses". This term was used, as Libya's official name under Gaddafi was Libyan Arab Jamahiriya .
The license plates had a format [XX - # - 1 to 99999] or [XX - ## - 1 to 99999]. The plate consisted of a 1 or 2 digit code corresponding to Municipality in Libya, similar to the current series. However, this number was preceded by another 1 or two digit code XX, which corresponded to the subdivisions within each municipality. For example, in Tripoli (Code 5) 7 - 5 corresponded to Ben Ashour in Tripoli 28 - 5 corresponded to Hay Al Andalus in Tripoli 45 - 5 corresponded to Center of City in Tripoli
These codes have since been abolished. This was followed by a 1 to 5 digit registration code.
Below table demonstrates an example of private vehicle license plates. As stated previously, registration plates of other vehicles have the same letter code and colour configuration as the current series, but with the difference of including the sub-municipality code, as well as including the word الجماهيرية Al-Jamahiriya instead of ليبيا Libya.
520 mm × 110 mm 270 mm x 150 mm
Municipality Codes Below is the list of Municipality Vehicle registration codes in Libya.https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2283492881934077&id=1893434144273288&locale2=ja_JP Code Municipality District Historic Region Code Municipality District Historic Region Code Municipality District Historic Region 1 Sabha Sabha Fezzan 22 Yafran Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 48 Kabaw Nalut Tripolitania 2 Bayda Jabal al Akhdar Cyrenaica 24 Ubari Wadi al Hayaa Fezzan 49 Al Qubbah Derna Cyrenaica 3 Misrata Misrata Tripolitania 25 Aziziya Jafara Tripolitania 50 Al Asbi'a Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 4 Zawiya Zawiya Tripolitania 26 Sabratha Zawiya Tripolitania 51 Ras Lanuf Sirte Tripolitania 5 Tripoli Tripoli Tripolitania 27 Tarhuna Murqub Tripolitania 52 Tocra Marj Cyrenaica 6 Al Khums Murqub Tripolitania 28 Bani Walid Misrata Tripolitania 53 Kikla Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 7 Sirte Sirte Tripolitania 30 Al Abyar Marj Cyrenaica 54 Al Rhibat Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 8 Benghazi Benghazi Cyrenaica 32 Ghat Ghat Fezzan 55 Al Shatii al Gharbi Wadi al Shatii Fezzan 9 Zuwarah Nuqat al Khams Tripolitania 33 Qasr bin Ghashir Tripoli Tripolitania 56 Al Rijban Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 10 Derna Derna Cyrenaica 35 Shahhat (Cyrene) Jabal al Akhdar Cyrenaica 57 Harraba Nalut Tripolitania 11 Al Shatii al Sharqi Wadi al Shatii Fezzan 36 Zliten Murqub Tripolitania 58 Southern Marj Marj Cyrenaica 12 Ajdabiya Al Wahat Cyrenaica 37 Baten Al Jabal Nalut Tripolitania 59 Al Shagiga Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 13 Hun Jufra Fezzan 38 Mizda Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 60 Ras al-Helal Derna Cyrenaica 14 Tobruk Butnan Cyrenaica 40 Jumayl Nuqat al Khams Tripolitania 61 Zaltan Nuqat al Khams Tripolitania 15 Murzuq Murzuq Fezzan 41 Al Ajaylat Nuqat al Khams Tripolitania 62 Qatrun Murzuq Fezzan 16 Jalu Al Wahat Cyrenaica 42 Zintan Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 63 Janzur Tripoli Tripolitania 17 Ghadames Nalut Tripolitania 43 Jadu Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 64 Al Shwayrif Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 18 Marj Marj Cyrenaica 44 Msallata Murqub Tripolitania 65 Al Riyayna Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 19 Nalut Nalut Tripolitania 45 Sahel El-Jebel Jabal al Akhdar Cyrenaica 66 SuluqQaminis Benghazi Cyrenaica 20 Kufra Kufra Cyrenaica 46 Castelverde Tripoli Tripolitania 67 AwjilaJikharra Al Wahat Cyrenaica 21 Gharyan Jabal al Gharbi Tripolitania 47 Sorman Zawiya Tripolitania
Foreign Countries Codes
Code Country 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 30 31 32 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 Conackry 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 99 106 108 111 119 120 125 130 157 180 190
Italian Africa (1913-1941)
The very first Italian registration plates, from 1913 to the end of the 1920s, were rectangular, with a white background and with the name or initials of the colony in red followed by the registration number, on a single line, but the documentation on this is fragmentary. For the Italian colonial troops, however, special military service plates were used with the initials SOM (Somalia) or T (Tripolitania) in front. Subsequently, until 1935, the Italian colonies used white plates on black with a colonial code on the first line, and up to 5 numbers on the second line. The numbers, in relief, were assigned serially and the plates were made of metal, with the fasces as a seal. The colonial codes were:
ERITREA, later ER for Eritrea SOMALIA, later SOM for Somalia TRIPOLI for Tripolitania CNA for Cyrenaica
References