# Germany license plate: Diplomatic

> The Germany diplomatic license plate: format 0-999999, for example 0-980302, 1956 to today, car, van, and motorcycle.

Page: https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/germany/diplomatic · Markdown version of the HTML page, which is canonical. Site map: https://vehiclesdb.com/llms.txt · Terms of use: https://vehiclesdb.com/legal/terms

Part of [Germany license plates](https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/germany) (13 registration series).

![Germany license plate, Diplomatic (1956 to today)](https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/de/de-diplomatic/germany-license-plate-diplomatic.svg)

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Format | `0-999999` (9 any digit) |
| Years | 1956 → today |
| Class | diplomatic |
| Issued for | car, van, motorcycle |
| Plate size | 520 × 110 mm |
| Colours | background #FFFFFF; characters #000000; band #003399 on the left |
| Checking a registration | The format above follows the issuing rules: a registration that fits it is one this series could have issued. |
| Series id | `de-diplomatic` (https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plates/germany/diplomatic) |

A leading 0 has meant the diplomatic corps since 1956. The first number group encodes the mission, the last one rank — the 1 traditionally rides on the ambassador's own car. Embassy support staff get B or BN plates instead: Berlin or Bonn.

| Code | Stands for | English |
|---|---|---|
| `0` | Diplomatisches Corps | diplomatic corps |
| `B` | Berlin | staff vehicle registered in Berlin |
| `BN` | Bonn | staff vehicle registered in Bonn |

Sources:

- [Anlage 2 Nr. 3: '0, B oder BN — Diplomatische Vertretungen oder internationale Organisationen und in Abhängigkeit vom Status der bevorrechtigten Person', registered at Berlin or Bonn](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fzv_2023/anlage_2.html)
- [§ 9 Abs. 1 Satz 6-7](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/fzv_2023/__9.html)
- [V. vom 14.3.1956, BGBl. I S. 199 — Anlage IV 'C. Diplomatisches Corps: 0 Fahrzeuge des Diplomatischen Corps', with the § 23 Abs. 2 digits-only rule (max five digits then). In force 1.7.1956. PERIOD START.](https://media.offenegesetze.de/bgbl1/1956/bgbl1_1956_15.pdf)

## About this plate

GERMAN DIPLOMATIC SERIES, the zero prefix is 1956-original: Anlage IV C of the 14.3.1956 instrument reads, in its entirety, "0 Fahrzeuge des Diplomatischen Corps" (source line), making 0 the founding member of today's 0/B/BN trio. The 1956 digit cap was five; today six (§ 9 Abs. 1 Satz 7). Unlike Spain, where CD/OI/CC/TA each get their own background colour, Germany keeps the ordinary black-on-white design and signals status only through the prefix, so a German diplomatic plate is visually a normal plate.

## How numbers are issued

Anlage 2 Nr. 3 states only that the prefix depends on the body and the status of the privileged person; the mission-number allocation inside the Erkennungsnummer is NOT in the FZV, see notes

## Use it

- Plate image (SVG): https://vehiclesdb.com/plates/de/de-diplomatic.svg
- Make it with your own text: https://vehiclesdb.com/license-plate-generator/germany?series=de-diplomatic
- API: `GET https://vehiclesdb.com/api/v1/plates/de` returns this series as the entry with `"id": "de-diplomatic"` (https://vehiclesdb.com/api)

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Open data, CC BY 4.0: reuse it with a visible credit to VehiclesDB and a link (https://vehiclesdb.com/legal/attribution). Plate images show sample serials and are not open data (https://vehiclesdb.com/legal/image-license). Dataset commit db0ec0a: https://github.com/vehiclesdb/vehiclesdb