Have you ever wondered if the rest of the world has the same fascination with personalized number plates and show plates that we do? Personalized number plates are very popular in the UK, and you may be surprised to know that the rest of the world is just as crazy about them. They differ slightly from our personalized plates, the general purpose and reasons for getting personalized plates remain the same everywhere. Here are some of our favorites;
1. Australia
If you want to buy personalized number plates from down under, you have to get them from the motoring authority where you live. Drivers pay a few hundred dollars to get their chosen number and then have to pay a yearly stipend to keep it. The system further differs from the UK version in that you can’t sell your Australian personalized number plates to another person. But they do have something they call “Prestige Plates” that are relatively shorter and more expensive, kind of like the dateless/cherished plates in the UK.
Img source: ft.com
2. Austria
In Austria personalized number plates come in a very different format to normal plates. This is deliberately done to keep both types of number plates distinguishable. For €254 you can purchase a personalized number plate in Austria which is a bargain compared to the cost in the UK.
3. Belgium
Belgium operates on a system that is very different from the system in the UK. The number plate is registered to the individual rather than to the car. This means that when you buy a new car, you can simply place the number plate you already have on it. Due to the popularity of personalized number plates in Belgium, the government has introduced a new format with a much higher price tag of €1000. This new format allow s the driver to have up to 9 characters on their plate. But offensive number plates and those that reference political parties are restricted.
4. Canada
In Canada personalized plates are known as “Vanity Plates” or “Prestige Plates.” They are issued and organized by the province which decides the cost of the plates and what is allowed on the plates. The most popular plates in Canada are known as “Specialty Plates” and they often have different backgrounds and designs to suit you personally. This means that you can have a team logo as the background of your registration plate.
Img source: flickr.com
5. Hong Kong
Hong Kong uses the PVRM (Personalized Vehicle Registration Mark) scheme which works very different. You don’t purchase your personalized plates; instead you request a registration from the government who will enter the registration into auction where it can be bought by anyone. Number plates in Hong Kong are also considerably longer- you get 8 characters and they cannot be similar to already issued vehicle registration and it cannot have more than four of the same character in a row.
6. Poland
There aren’t very many options for customizing a number plate in Poland. All number plates must have a character that denotes the region the vehicle was registered in, followed by a single digit. You can then use up to an additional 5 characters and numbers are letters must be kept separate.
