Trying to understand the Irish number plates that are legally allowed to be used on UK cars can be a little confusing, especially since both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have their own unique number plate systems that are very different. As Northern Ireland is part of the UK, registration numbers issued there may also be displayed on cars in England, Scotland and Wales. While the Republic of Ireland (sometimes referred as Southern Ireland can only be used within that Country.
The Northern Irish number plates do not contain obvious year codes in the same way as registrations from England, Scotland and Wales do. This means that an Irish number plate is effectively dateless and will give no clue as to the age of your car, making the Northern Irish plates a popular choice for car owners who prefer to keep their vehicle’s age private.
Northern Ireland Dateless Number Plates
Northern Irish number plates consist of a group of letters followed by a number from 1 to 9999. There is no year identifier, so these Irish numbers are considered dateless. They are very popular, and a cost-effective way to hide the age of a car, as they can be assigned to a vehicle of any age. All Northern Irish number plates will always contain the letter I or the letter Z as these are local code letters. Northern Irish registrations are among the lowest priced number plates, which means they’re also the most cost-effective solution for keeping the age of a car unknown.
It used to be possible to export car registrations from the Republic of Ireland to the UK and then to register them on UK vehicles, but in 1987 the rules changed, and no more numbers could move from ROI to UK. However, ROI numbers that were exported to the UK before 1987 may still be transferred between UK cars.
While it is permitted to hide the age of a car with an Irish registration plate, it is not permitted to make an old car look younger by displaying a number plate with a misleading date code. On the other hand, if you want to make your car look older by assigning a plate with an older date code, well, that’s up to you. Buyers of number plates should always ensure the registrations they’re purchasing are appropriate for the vehicle they’re assigning to them. For this very reason, Irish plates are often considered a popular option, as they sidestep the age issue and any risk of breaking the law.
There are several possible reasons why people may wish to hide the age of a car. For example, some car buyers are keen to keep the age of their vehicle less public for the sake of personal privacy. A Northern Irish number plate that disguises the date on which a car was first registered can be an appropriate choice for such drivers.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has merged with its Northern Irish counterpart the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Northern Ireland (DVLANI) and subsequently Northern Irish plates are now also issued from the DVLA in Swansea, Wales.
The key differences of Republic of Ireland (‘Southern Irish’) and Northern Irish number plates
Registrations in the Republic of Ireland only use black and white plates as opposed to the ones we see on UK roads that feature a yellow plate at the rear to give drivers at-a-glance knowledge of whether they’re looking at the front or back of a car. While the alphanumeric characters used on these registrations are always black on a white reflective field, unlike in Northern Ireland, they don’t have to use a standardised font such as the Charles Wright employed on UK plates. This means that across the Republic of Ireland, you’ll see a wide variety of styles when it comes to number plate characters and again all Northern Irish number plates will always contain the mandatory letter I or Z characters, as these are local code letters.
For the most part, it’s common to see the letters IRL and the European Union flag of 12 gold stars, arranged in a circle on a background with a blue reflective finish, located to the side of Republic of Ireland number plates. This symbol must always be placed on the left-hand side of the alphanumeric characters. The name of the county, when represented above the registration characters on a number plate, must always be written in Irish – for example, the city of Dublin must be shown as ‘Baile Atha Cliath’.
Unlike Northern Irish registrations, you can work out how old a Republic of Ireland car is using the current number plate format. From January 2013 onwards, the Republic of Ireland has used two registration terms each year. Number plates feature a different three-number year identifier for the first and second six months of a year. For example, a car number plate issued in the first six months of 2019 will begin with the digits 191, and if issued in the second six-month period, they will be 192.
The next characters, often separated from the first three by a dash, feature one or two letters that represent the council or city where the car was registered. The final sequence of one to six digits is issued sequentially from the county council, beginning with the first vehicle registered for the period.
What does a Northern Irish number plate look like?
Reading Irish plates isn’t difficult once you understand the different formats but unlike current number plates issued in the UK, you won’t be able to work out a car’s age from it.
The format of the characters and letters that can be used on Irish plates are different, while a current UK number plate consists typically of two letters, followed by two numbers, followed by three letters, an Irish registration sequence will display one to three letters followed by between one and four numbers, on Irish number plates, the letters I or Z are always included to identify them as Irish plates.
The numerals from one through to 999 are for the most part referred to as “cherished registrations” issued only through special requests for an additional fee, and the same is true of numerals with four identical digits like 1111 or 9999. Any other sequence of numbers that exists between the numbers 1000 and 9998 are just allotted on a first come first served basis.
While there is no change due to the look of Irish plates in the future, others have indicated that the supply of available registrations in this format is depleting. One alternative offered has been that the number plates will reverse their format and put the numbers first, followed by letters.
Buying an Irish Number Plate as a gift
One advantage of Northern Irish number plates is that they have no age indicator, which means you don’t have to consider the car they’ll be assigned to in the future, they are also among the most affordable private plate options within the current UK market. This can be a great help if you’re purchasing a private plate for a friend or family member as a gift as It gives you a lot more scope when buying a private registration for someone else, when you’re not yet sure what the recipients future model or year of registration will be, but you can be sure that whichever car they opt for, your number plate gift will be a fit.
Only recently has Z become a letter used on number plates here in the UK, and the letter I is still not utilised. It was commonly believed that these characters could be mistaken for the numerals two and one respectively, and to avoid false identification of number plates by the authorities, they were omitted from registrations issued.
On Irish number plates, the letters I or Z are always included to identify them as Irish plates. For car owners with these letters in their name seeking a private plate to show off vehicle ownership, Irish plates can open previously impossible options.
While private plates are notoriously more expensive than regular plates to purchase, Irish plates are often far less costly, allowing those in the market for a personalised plate a more affordable range of choices to consider.
Are Irish number plates legal in UK?
Plates from Northern Ireland, commonly known as “Irish number plates”, can be assigned to vehicles registered in Scotland, England, Wales and of course Northern Ireland itself. While plates from the Republic of Ireland are illegal in the UK. It’s quite easy to quickly distinguish between the two types of registrations immediately. Like other plates in the UK, the Northern Irish registrations currently issued begin with letters rather than numerals, whereas in the Republic of Ireland they always start with numbers.
We hope this now helps you have a clearer understanding of the differences between registration plates from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and the rest of the UK. Whether you’re looking to purchase or sell a plate, knowing the distinctions can help ensure you make the right choice.
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