The Personalised Vehicle Registration Marks Scheme was adopted since 2006 to allow creation of numbers with up to 8 characters (including letters and/or numbers). The letters "I", "O" and "Q" are banned from use in the new scheme, with the former two letters officially recognised as numbers "1" and "0" respectively. Since "I" and "O" look identical to "1" and "0" under the standard font type used on Hong Kong licence plates, phrases like "SIU SIU" and "I LOVE U" can be printed on the plates, although they are officially recognised as "S1U S1U" and "1 L0VE U".
The numbers under this scheme are auctioned for a minimum of HK$5000. Although drivers are usually granted their choice of plate, obtaining a unique or easily-recognised plate can be very competitive. For example, the licence place I LOVE U was sold at a charity auction for HK$1.4 million. The first PVRMS auction was held on 16 September 2006.
Read more about this topic: Vehicle Registration Plates Of Hong Kong
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