Can drivers have a personalised car number plate in France?
France changed its number plate system in 2009
Certain letters are banned from French number plates as they can be easily mistaken for others
Hadrian / Shutterstock
Reader Question: My vehicle in the US has a personalised plate with my name on it. I have not seen any similar number plates in France, is it possible to do such a thing?
France strictly monitors the look of number plates on vehicles, which all must follow a similar format.
Vehicles first registered since 2009 must follow the Système d’Immatriculation des Véhicules (SIV) format.
Number plates for these vehicles must follow the following format: AA - 123 - AA.
Vehicles first registered before 2009 have a different system following the Fichier National des Immatriculations (FNI) system.
In both cases, however, the information contained on a number plate cannot be changed from its original version (displayed on the vehicle’s registration, certificat d’immatriculation).
This includes changing the number to a vanity plate (which does not follow the system), and a number plate that follows the AA - 123 - AA format but with different characters from those on the registration.
Further rules for number plates following both the SIV and FNI systems can be found below.
Read more: Are there rules to follow when changing a numberplate in France?
Certain letters are not found on SIV-registered vehicles – the letters I, O, and U, as they can easily be mistaken for other characters (the numbers 1, 0, and the letter V).
Number plates can also not have ‘SS’ on them due to the negative associations of the letters.
Some things on the number plate can be changed
However, you can change the regional logo and department number displayed on the right-hand side of the number plate.
The region and department shown on the original number plate are based on where the vehicle was first registered but do not need to remain the same (nor be changed if you move to a new department).
Read more: Do drivers have to change number plates if they move to new French department?
Some people change the information shown here because they have an affinity for a certain area of France (for example, they live in Paris but want to show where their family comes from).
Some drivers also reportedly change the logo and department shown to pretend they are from an area where drivers are known for being aggressive, to minimise the threat of being cut off or involved in an altercation on the road.
To do this, however, you need to change the whole plates and cannot, for example just place sticker over the regional logo and department number.
The two must also correspond, ie. if you pick the Brittany logo you cannot also have the number 06 for Alpes-Maritimes.
It is also possible to add a small ‘bavette’ (bib) to the bottom of the number plate, containing additional information. This often shows the dealership the car was purchased from but it is possible to personalise it with wording meaningful to you.
