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Code list for
Norwegian license plates

Since April 1st 1971 Norwegian license plates have a two letter prefix code denoting the traffic office where the vehicle was first registered. The registration stays with the vehicle, so if a vehicle is sold to another district or the owner moves the registration remains unchanged. When registering a new vehicle owners may choose any of the letter combinations currently in use throughout the country.

Reflective plates were introduced April 1st 1982, earlier plates were plain "metal" coloured, commonly referred to as silver. New style plates were first seen in December 2001 (although officially introduced from January 1st 2002). Trade plates became reflective in this style of plate. Nov 1st 2006 plates with a blue band with the Norwegian flag and identification letter N were officially introduced, but the first were seen Oct 25th. Jan 1st 2009 flat plastic plates in an otherwise unchanged format were introduced. Jan 1st 2012 they changed back to aluminium.

Since 2013 provisional plates are no longer geographically coded. Since 2015 trade plates are in a new, centrally issued series. Since 2017 four numeral plates are no longer geographically coded.

Black on
reflective white
Cars, buses, coaches, lorries, trucks, trailers, mopeds, motorcycles, agricultural tractors, "motorized equipment", some snow scooters.
Black on
reflective green
Light commercial vehicles (e.g. vans and pickup trucks).
Yellow on reflective blue Diplomatic vehicles.
White on reflective red Dealer/ trade plates.
Black on red Provisional plates.
Yellow on black Vehicles not allowed on public roads (tax-free) (e.g. airport vehicles, some snow scooters)
White on black Rally plates.
Black on amber Military (no prefix letters).
Red on amber Military test plates. Used only by FMU = Forsvarsmuseet (Museum of Defence) and T-U = Test og utvikling (Test and Development).

Numerals:

5 - Cars and commercial vehicles.
4 - Trailers, mopeds, motorcycles, agricultural tractors, "motorized equipment", snow scooters.
3 - Provisional plates
2 - Dealer/ trade plates (since 2015 three letters and two numerals)

This is the code list. Note that the letters I, M, O, Q, Æ, Ø and Å are not used. Alphabetically sorted list here.

CENTRALLY ISSUED  
Diplomatic vehicles CD
Electrically powered vehicles EL EK EV EB EC ED EE EF EH
Military FE (all-numerical military plates displayed until sold to private owners)
Gas powered vehicles GA
Hydrogen powered vehicles HY
   
ØSTFOLD  
Halden AA AB AC
Hafslund (Fredrikstad/ Sarpsborg) (1) AD AE AF AH AR AS AT AU AV AW DW(4-digit plates) AG(trade plates) FL(4-digit plates) DG(trade plates) ES(4-digit plates)
Mysen AJ AK AL AN AP FN(4-digit plates) BW
Moss AX AY AZ BA BB(trade plates) FN(trade plates)
   
AKERSHUS  
Follo (Drøbak) BC BD BE BF BH BJ BK BG(trade plates)
Asker og Bærum
(Billingstad)
BL BN BP BR BS BT BU BV BX BY BZ CA CB
Lillestrøm (Romerike) CC CE CF CH CJ CK CL CN CP CR CS CT CU(trade plates) EV(trade plates) CG(trade plates) FF(trade plates)
Jessheim CV CX CY CZ CW(trade plates) CU(4-digit plates)
   
OSLO  
  DA DB DC DD DE DF DH DJ DK DL DN DP DR DS DT DU DV DX DY DZ EA EB(trade plates) EC(trade plates) ED(trade plates) EE(trade plates) EF(trade plates) EH(trade plates) EJ EK(trade plates) EN EP ER ES(trade plates) EU (2)
   
INNLANDET  
Hamar FS FT FU FV FX FY FZ(trade and 4-digit plates) HA(trade plates) FW ET
Elverum HB HC HD HE HA(4-digit plates) FZ(5-digit plates by mistake in 2015)
Tynset HF HH
Kongsvinger HJ HK HL HN HP HR
Lillehammer HS HT HU HV HX FB(4-digit plates (5-digit plates by mistake in 2015))
Otta HZ JA JB
Gjøvik JC JD JE JF JH JJ JK JL JN JP
Fagernes JR JS JT
   
BUSKERUD  
Hønefoss (Ringerike) JU JV JX JY JZ KA
Hallingdal (Gol) KB KC KD
Drammen KE KF KH KJ KK KL KN KP KR KS KW(trade plates) EZ(trade plates) EW(trade plates)
Kongsberg KT KU KV KX KY
   
VESTFOLD  
Horten KZ LA LB LC LD(trade plates) LE(trade plates) LF(trade plates) (3)
Tønsberg LH LJ LK LL LN LP LR LD(4-digit plates)
Larvik LS LT LU LV LX NA(trade plates) NB NC
Sandefjord (4) LY LZ NA(4-digit plates)
   
TELEMARK  
Skien (5) ND NE NF NH NJ NK NL NN NP NR (6)NT NU NG(trade plates)
Notodden NV NX NY NZ NW(trade plates)
Rjukan PA PB
   
AGDER  
Arendal PC PD PE PF PH PJ PK PG(trade plates)
Setesdal (7) PL LF(4-digit plates)
Kristiansand PN PP PR PS PT PU PV PW
Mandal PX PY PZ RC RD
Flekkefjord RA RB
   
ROGALAND  
Stavanger RE RF RH RJ RK RL RN RP RR RS RT RU RV RX RY RW FB(trade plates) DW(trade plates) RG(trade plates) JG(trade plates)
Egersund RZ SA SB
Haugesund SC SD SE SF SH SJ SK SL
   
VESTLAND  
Bergen SN SP SR SS(8) ST SU SV SX SY SZ TA TB TC TD TE HW(4-digit plates)
Voss TF TH TJ TK
Stord TL TN TP TR
Odda TS TT TU
Førde TV TX TY TZ TG(trade plates)
Nordfjordeid UA UB FA(trade plates)
Sogndal UC UD FJ(trade plates)
   
MØRE OG ROMSDAL
Ålesund UE UF UH UJ UK UL UG(trade plates) UW(trade plates)
Ørsta UN UP BB(4-digit plates (5-digit plates by mistake in 2015))
Molde UR US UT UU UV
Kristiansund UX UY UZ VA
Sunndalsøra VB VC
   
TRØNDELAG
Trondheim (9) VD VE VF VH VJ VK VL VN VP VR FP VS(trade and 4-digit plates) VU (4-digit plates) VV NW(4-digit plates)
Støren (10) VT VS(a few plates, code taken over by Trondheim) VU(trade plates)
Orkdal VX VY VZ
Brekstad XA XB XC
Steinkjer XD XE XF XH XJ XW(4-digit plates)
Levanger (11) XL XK XW(trade plates) VW(4-digit plates)
Stjørdal XN XP YW(4-digit plates)
Namsos XR XS XT XU XG(trade plates)
   
NORDLAND  
Mosjøen XV XX XY XZ FA(4-digit plates (5-digit plates by mistake in 2015))
Mo i Rana YA YB YC YD
Bodø (12) YE YF YH YJ FD EZ(4-digit plates (5-digit plates by mistake in 2015))
Fauske YK YL
Narvik YN YP YR YS
Svolvær YT YY FG(trade plates)
Sortland YU YV YX
   
TROMS  
Storslett FK SW(4-digit plates)
Harstad YZ ZA ZB TW(4-digit plates)
Finnsnes (13) ZF ZJ ZD EX(4-digit plates (5-digit plates by mistake in 2015))
Tromsø (14) (including Svalbard) ZE ZH ZK ZL ZN(15)ZC FL(trade plates) FC(trade and 4-digit plates (5-digit plates by mistake in 2015)) FH(4-digit plates (Svalbard))
   
FINNMARK  
Vadsø (16) ZP ZR FR(trade and 4-digit plates (5-digit plates by mistake in 2015)) LE(4-digit plates)
Kirkenes ZS EY(4-digit plates (5-digit plates by mistake in 2015))
Alta ZT ZU ZV ZY ZW UW(4-digit plates)
Hammerfest ZX FF(4-digit plates)
Lakselv ZZ CW(4-digit plates)

My notes:

  1. AD AE AF AH listed as Fredrikstad. These used to be for Sarpsborg, but the office there was closed and the letters were transferred to Fredrikstad. A new office for both Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg has now opened in Hafslund. 5 digit AE plates are still issued for Sarpsborg, and AS for Fredrikstad. 4 digit plates use a single series.
  2. The following were originally allocated to Oslo, but are now used by a different office: EV Lillestrøm, EW Drammen, EX Finnsnes, EY Kirkenes, EZ Bodø (4-digit plates), EZ Drammen (trade plates), FA Mosjøen (4-digit plates), FA Nordfjordeid (trade plates), FB Lillehammer (4- digit plates), FB Stavanger (trade plates), FC Tromsø, FD Bodø, FE Military, FF Hammerfest, FJ Sogndal, FK Storslett, FL Tromsø, FN Mysen (4-digit plates), FN Moss (trade plates), FP Trondheim, FR Vadsø.
  3. LE and LF were allocated to Vadsø and Setesdal respectively in 2003 and LD to Tønsberg in 2015. However, LD, LE and LF trade plates have been issued by Horten.
  4. LY LZ NA NB NC used to be Sandefjord. Now Sandefjord is only listed with LY. The rest are transferred to Larvik. However, trade plates and 4 digit plates had already reached LZ and 4 digit plates are currently using NA.
  5. NN NP NR NT NU used to be Porsgrunn. The office there is closed and the letters transferred to Skien. Skien has now exhausted 4 digit NN plates and moved on to NP and NR.
  6. NS was the Norwegian Nazi party during the war. The letters are not going to be used.
  7. LF was allocated to Setesdal in 2003. 4 digit plates now use LF after most of PL was skipped. LF trade plates were issued by Horten.
  8. SS was used for 2, 3 and 4 digit plates, but not for 5 digit plates, because the public objected to its use, even 50 years after the war.
  9. VU was allocated to Trondheim in 2005 and VV in 2009. FP was used before VU (since 1997), issues commenced from VD. Around 90 5 digit VP plates were issued because of a mistake by the plate manufacturer the autumn of 2001.
  10. Støren commenced issues from VT. Some VS plates were issued in 2006. Since 2013 VS is issued by Trondheim for trade plates and 4 digit plates.
  11. Levanger commenced issues from XL. 5 digit XL plates reached just above 36000, at which time XK was issued from 10000.
  12. FD was allocated to Bodø in 2004.
  13. ZD was allocated to Finnsnes in 1992, issues commenced from ZF. A handful of 5 digit ZD plates were issued in November 2001, probably by mistake.
  14. ZC (1992) and FL (1997) have been allocated to Tromsø, issues commenced from ZE. FL will only be used for trade plates. FC allocated to Tromsø in 2009.
  15. ZN officially listed as Tromsø (including Svalbard). In practice ZN is for Svalbard only, except for trade plates.
  16. FR was allocated to Vadsø in 1989, issues commenced from ZP. LE was allocated to Vadsø in 2003, although Horten had already issued trade plates with LE.

Export/ tourist series
These plates are issued by the Police. The first numeral denotes the town. The vast majority are issued in Oslo.

  1. Oslo
  2. Larvik
  3. Kristiansand
  4. Stavanger
  5. Bergen
  6. Trondheim
  7. Tromsø

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