Vehicle registration plates of Italy

Current Italian plate. On the right blue strip, optionally, the year of registration (12 = 2012) and the provincial code (FI =Florence)
CountryItaly
Country codeI
Current series
Size(front) 360 x 110 mm
(rear) 520 x 110 mm
MaterialMetal (Aluminium)
Serial formatAA·111AA
Colour (front)Black on white
Colour (rear)Black on white
Introduced28 February 1994
Availability
Issued byMinistry of Infrastructure and Transport (Italy)
Manufactured byIstituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato
History
First issued1897

The Italian vehicle registration plates (Italian: targhe d'immatricolazione or, simply, targhe) are the compulsory alphanumeric plates used to display the registration mark of motor vehicles registered in Italy. They have existed in the country since 1897.[1]

By law, Italian plates can only be made by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato,[2] assigned by the territorial offices of the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport[3] and permanently attached to a single vehicle from its first registration to its disposal.

The current alphanumeric serial code AA·111AA was introduced on 28 February 1994 and consists of seven black characters on a rectangular, or squared, white background with a defined format (2 letters, 3 numbers, and then 2 letters) which is issued nationwide, regardless of the local registration office. Starting from 7 February 1999, this format was slightly redesigned adding a blue strip on the left containing the EU flag above the country code I in order to comply with the common EU format,[4] removing the previous space between the last number and the third letter, and adding a further blue strip on the right for optional stickers of the first registration year and of the provincial code.

  1. ^ "REGIO DECRETO 16 dicembre 1897, n. 540 - Normattiva". www.normattiva.it. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  2. ^ "Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato - Portale".
  3. ^ "Il portale dell'Automobilista - Rilascio Targhe e Carta di Circolazione". www.ilportaledellautomobilista.it. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  4. ^ Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98 of 3 November 1998 on the recognition in intra-Community traffic of the distinguishing sign of the Member State in which motor vehicles and their trailers are registered, 1998-11-03, retrieved 2024-01-12