Vehicle Registration Plates of The United States - Diplomatic License Plates

Diplomatic License Plates

• Sample U.S. diplomatic license plate of the style issued until 2007.

• U.S. diplomatic license plate with surface-printed serial. The first D shows it is issued to a diplomat; the second and third letters (DL) show it is issued to a diplomat from India.

• Of the style issued since 2007.

Diplomatic license plates are issued by the United States Department of State to accredited diplomats. This is an exception to the general rule in the U.S. that license plates are issued by states, and not the federal government. However, prior to the 1980s, plates were issued by states, with New York (home of the United Nations) issuing the most, followed by the District of Columbia, the capital.

Until 2007, plates issued to cars based in the District of Columbia follow the pattern of a letter identifying the status of the owner, followed by the two-letter country code, followed by a three-digit number (S LL NNN). For member countries of the Organization of American States (OAS), a subset of that numbering pattern is allotted to vehicles based at those countries' missions to the OAS. Plates issued to cars based at the United Nations in New York City are reversed, with the four-digit number first, followed by the two-letter country code, followed by the status code (NNN LL S). This is because representatives of certain countries are limited to travel to certain radii from their base, and the system allows the city of assignment to be identified easily. More recent plates carry four-digit numbers.

The status codes used until 2007 were "C" for Foreign Consul; "D" for Diplomat; "S" for Non-Diplomatic Staff; and "A" for a UN Secretariat employee. The rights of the driver and car under diplomatic immunity are defined by this status code.

The country codes are unique to each particular country, but do not correlate to ISO Country Codes or other standard formats. For example, in the old system used until 2007, France is "DJ" not "F" and Australia is "XZ" not "AUS". This is to prevent the general public from targeting diplomats from particular countries.

Certain U.S. states issue Honorary Consul plates to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who have been appointed by foreign governments to that office (they are authorized to perform certain consular duties and have limited immunity for official acts only). These plates do not confer diplomatic immunity and are not a part of the U.S. State Department system.