Spain license plate: Provincial numeric

Format, years and the law

Format

LL-999999, for example PL-539448 (L is any letter, 9 any digit)

The letters name the issuing province (M for Madrid, B for Barcelona); the digits simply count registrations in that province, from 1 upwards.

The format above is broad: a registration that fits it has the right shape, which does not show that this series issued it.

Years issued

1900 to 1971. No longer issued.

Vehicle class

Standard: the default series issued to private road vehicles. Issued for car, van, truck, bus, and motorcycle.

Colours

Characters #000000 Background #FFFFFF

About this plate

PERIOD HONESTY, stated at point of use: 1900 dates the REGISTRATION regime (RD 17-09-1900); the earliest plates displayed province + number NON-UNIFORMLY, as the 1907 preamble itself testifies; the prescribed FORMAT begins with RO 24-05-1907. The era closes on 07-10-1971 (Decreto 2046/1971 in force), with old plates valid indefinitely (DT 1.ª), so numeric plates remained ON THE ROAD for decades past 1971, exactly as provincial suffix plates remain today. The 1900 start also honours the lint's period rail (first national plates 1893; Spain 1900).

Region code notes

This era's lists differ per instrument (1907, 1918, 1926, 1934 art. 232, 1971 art. 233): three-letter codes until at latest 1926, no Gran Canaria/Tenerife split in 1907, Sahara SH in the 1971 list.

How numbers are issued

Strictly sequential per province: the number is "el número de orden del permiso de circulación" (1918 art. 13.d, 1926 art. 15.d, 1934 art. 232, the 1907 text says "de la licencia").

About the format

The contraseña ran ONE TO THREE letters: the 1907 list includes three-letter codes (Albacete ALB, Cáceres CAC, Castellón CAS, Segovia SEG, Teruel TER), trimmed in later lists. The number is the province's permit order number with NO fixed width, it grew with the province's registrations, from 1 digit to 6 (art. 233 of the 1934 Código contemplates "cinco o más cifras" and Madrid exceeded 600000 before 1971).

Separators

The guión is statutory throughout: 1907 concl. 3.ª "separado por un guión", and every subsequent dimensions table (1918, 1926, 1934) carries a "Longitud del guión" row.

Legal basis and sources

1. RD 17-09-1900 (Gaceta de Madrid 263, 20-09-1900, pp. 1141-1142), 'Reglamento para el servicio de coches automóviles por las carreteras': per-province authorization + 'En el Gobierno civil de cada provincia habrá un... https://www.boe.es/datos/pdfs/BOE/1900/263/A01141-01142.pdf
2. RO 24-05-1907 (Gaceta 160, 09-06-1907): THE FIRST PLATE FORMAT, concl. 3.ª two plates, 'la contraseña de la provincia, y á continuación y separado por un guión el número de orden de la licencia', black on white;... https://www.boe.es/gazeta/dias/1907/06/09/pdfs/GMD-1907-160.pdf
3. RD 23-07-1918 (Gaceta 205, 24-07-1918), Reglamento art. 13.d)-f): same composition, revised code list, black on white. https://www.boe.es/datos/pdfs/BOE/1918/205/A00231-00237.pdf
4. RD 15-06-1926 (Gaceta 170, 19-06-1926), Reglamento art. 15.a)-g): two plates, contraseña + guión + permit number, black on white, revised list incl. Ceuta and Melilla. https://www.boe.es/datos/pdfs/BOE/1926/170/A01642-01654.pdf
5. Código de la Circulación (Decreto 25-09-1934, Gaceta 269, 26-09-1934), arts. https://www.boe.es/datos/pdfs/BOE/1934/269/A02634-02677.pdf
6. Orden circular (Gaceta 294, 21-10-1934): the Código's entry into force is 1 November 1934. https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-1934-9025
7. Decreto 2046/1971: ENDS the era at its own entry into force, 07-10-1971; DT 1.ª, verbatim: 'Los automóviles, remolques y semirremolques, matriculados en la fecha de entrada en vigor de este Decreto, conservarán la... https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-1971-1149

Before and after

Replaced by Provincial 1971 to 2000