How the number plate system works in Ukraine and what their codes mean
Why do number plates look the way they do?
The vehicle registration number system in Ukraine is structured in accordance with international standards to ensure that vehicles can be correctly identified abroad. This is why a limited set of letters is used, all of which have equivalents in the Latin alphabet.
The current format for car number plates was introduced in 2004 and partially amended in 2015. In particular, the section featuring the colours of the national flag on the left-hand side was replaced with a blue background featuring a small blue and yellow flag.
The number consists of a four-digit numerical code and two letter codes before and after it. The first pair of letters indicates the region where the vehicle is registered, whilst the second pair forms the serial number.
Letters in Latin order
The system uses only 12 letters of the Ukrainian alphabet that have Latin equivalents: A, B, E, I, K, M, N, O, P, S, T, X. This is done to ensure that vehicles can travel abroad without hindrance.
Number series are formed in Latin order. For passenger cars, combinations such as AA, AB, AC and others are used. For trailers, the reverse order is applied, so variants such as XX, XT, XB are encountered.
| 2004 code | 2013 code | Region |
| AA | KA | Kyiv |
| AK | KK | AR Crimea |
| AB | KB | Vinnytsia region |
| AC | KS | Volyn Oblast |
| AE | KE | Dnipropetrovsk Oblast |
| AH | KH | Donetsk Oblast |
| AI | KI | Kyiv Oblast |
| AM | KM | Zhytomyr Oblast |
| AO | KO | Transcarpathian region |
| AP | KP | Zaporizhzhia Oblast |
| AT | KT | Ivano-Frankivsk region |
| AX | KX | Kharkiv Oblast |
| BA | HA | Kirovohrad Oblast |
| BB | HB | Luhansk Oblast |
| BC | HC | Lviv Oblast |
| BE | HE | Mykolaiv Oblast |
| BH | HH | Odesa Region |
| BI | HI | Poltava Region |
| BK | HK | Rivne Region |
| BM | HM | Sumy Region |
| BO | HO | Ternopil Region |
| BT | HT | Kherson region |
| BX | HX | Khmelnytskyi Oblast |
| CA | IA | Cherkasy region |
| CB | IB | Chernihiv Oblast |
| CE | IE | Chernivtsi Oblast |
The letter codes for regions are not directly linked to the names of the regions, so they must be memorised or checked against tables. At the end of 2013, some of the codes were changed when the first letters began to be replaced, although the previous system also remained in use.
Licence plates for law enforcement agencies
Specific number formats are used for law enforcement vehicles. Ukrainian Armed Forces vehicles have a black background with white characters. Volunteer vehicles are marked with green numbers and white characters. Police vehicles have blue numbers with an eight-pointed star.
For other agencies, variations of the civilian format with additional symbols are used. In particular, border guards use a green Cossack cross and the letter B, State Emergency Service rescuers use a yellow cross and the letter E, and the National Guard uses an emblem with a trident and the letter G.
Number plates for electric vehicles
Since 2020, electric vehicles have been issued with specific number plates. These are distinguished by green characters and special letter series. Until May 2022, the letter Z was used, which was subsequently replaced by Y.
Plates registered via Diya and the Cabinet
In 2023, changes to the requirements for number plates came into force. These introduce new letter series for vehicles registered via electronic services. The combinations ED and DC are assigned to vehicles registered via the Driver’s Electronic Cabinet, whilst DI and PD are used for cars registered via the Diya portal.
In such cases, these letter combinations are used instead of the registration region code. Other number series remain unchanged.
The letter U is not used in number plates, as the system is limited to characters that are identical to their Latin counterparts.
In Ukraine, it is permitted to produce duplicate number plates without significant restrictions. Vehicle owners may order additional sets for various purposes, including for trailers or mountings.
All current number plates in Ukraine
| Region | Since 2021 | Since 2004 | 1995–2004 | 1992–1994 |
| Autonomous Republic of Crimea | TC, MC | AR, CC | 01/ KR, KO, RK | MY, KR |
| Vinnytsia Oblast | IM, PI, MM, OK | AV, KV | 02/VI, VT, VH | VI, VH |
| Volyn Oblast | SM, TS | AS, KS | 03/VO, VK, VM | VN, VYA |
| Dnipropetrovsk Oblast | RR, MI | AE, KE | 04/AA, AB, AE, AN, AK, AI, SM | YA, AE, DN, AA |
| Donetsk Oblast | TN, MN | AN, KN | 05/EA, EB, EC, EN, EO, ES, EE | YAN |
| Zhytomyr Oblast | TM, MV | AM, KM | 06/VA, VB, VE, OI | IO |
| Zakarpattia Oblast | MT, MO | AO, KO | 07/RE, RT, RR | IK |
| Zaporizhzhia Oblast | TR, MR | AR, KR | 08/NA, NE, NS, NO, NR, NV | YAT |
| Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast | TO, HS | AT, KT | 09/IV, IS, IE | IV |
| Kyiv Oblast | TI, ME, EE | AI, KI | 10/KK, KM, KH | KH, MI |
| City of Kyiv | TT, TA, KK | AA, KA | 11/KA, KV, KE, KI, KN, KT, II, OO | KI, KY |
| Kirovohrad Oblast | HA, EA | VA, NA | 12/ON, OM, OS | EI |
| Luhansk Oblast | EE, EV, ER | BB, NB | 13/AM, AR, AO, AT, AX, AS, IA | AI |
| Lviv Oblast | SS, ES | VS, NS | 14/TA, TB, TS, TN, TT, TO | IN |
| Mykolaiv Oblast | HE, HN | VE, NE | 15/NI, NK, NT | NI |
| Odesa region | OO, EN | VE, NN | 16/OA, OB, OE, OK, OT | OI, OYA |
| Poltava Region | XI, EI | VI, NI | 17/SK, SN, SS | IX |
| Rivne Region | HK, EK | VK, NK | 18/RA, RB, RO | RB |
| Sumy Region | HM, EM | VM, NM | 19/SA, SV, SE | SI |
| Ternopil Region | HO, EO | VO, NO | 20/TI, TE, TK | TI, TE |
| Kharkiv Oblast | XX, EX | AH, KH | 21/HA, HK, HV, HR | HA, HI, HK |
| Kherson Oblast | HT, ET | VT, NT | 22/HO, HN | HO |
| Khmelnytskyi Oblast | OH, RH | VH, NH | 23/HM, HI | HM, TY |
| Cherkasy region | OA, RA | SA, IA | 24/MA, MV, ME, MT | RK, RS |
| Chernihiv Oblast | OV, RV | SV, IV | 25/MM, MN, MK | RM |
| Chernivtsi Region | OE, RE | SE, IE | 26/MO, MR, MS | IS |
| the city of Sevastopol | ON, RN | OE, RE, SN, IN | 27/KS | |
| National series | II | 28/NN, XX, II | ||
| Online registration | ED, DC, DI, PD |
