Vehicle registration plates in Iceland are issued by the Icelandic Transport Authority and are made in the state penitentiary. The plates are made of aluminum with reflective base and embossed characters.
Contents
The current registration system uses three letters and two digits or two letters and three digits in Helvetica Neue. The plates are issued randomly, they are not issued sequentially and they do not have any geographic coding. There are no special letters or number series for special vehicle types (this may vary depending on type of plates, see chart below.)
The registration system was introduced on 1 January 1989. All vehicles changed to it (an exception was made for antique cars that keep the district system) and keep the same registration number for life. If a vehicle is, e.g., changed to commercial vehicle it gets commercial plates but they have the same registration number. All plates, in the new system, have validation sticker, in the middle, that indicates the year the vehicle is due for safety inspection.
Vanity plates are allowed that do not conflict with the new system. Some use it for their old district plate number but must use the new design, except for antique vehicles.
The plates are available in 4 sizes:
Cars have 3 sizes: European standard 520 mm × 110 mm (20.5 in × 4.3 in), US standard 305 mm × 155 mm (12.0 in × 6.1 in) and European square 280 mm × 200 mm (11.0 in × 7.9 in).
Motorcycle plates are 240 mm × 130 mm (9.4 in × 5.1 in).
History
An older decentralized district plate system was used 1938 until 31 December 1988 (see below).
From 1989 to 2007 the system consisted of two letters and three digits. In 2007 the system ran out of combinations and the first digit was changed to a letter on newer vehicles.
Early 2004 a country identifier (IS) and the Icelandic flag was added on the left side of all standard plates. The country identifier is mandatory and all plates issued between 1989 and 2004 are required to get a national identifier sticker so they look like the new plates, although this law is not widely enforced.
Safety inspection
All vehicles registered in Iceland are required to have safety inspection. The law requires owners to keep their motor vehicle in safe operating condition. Safety inspections alert any items that need to be addressed; if a vehicle fails a safety inspection, the owner gets about 30 days to have the problem repaired and present the vehicle to any inspection station for a retest.
The frequency of inspection depends on the age of the car. A new car is due for its first safety inspection after 4 years, then again after 2 years.. (4-2-2-1). When it gets 8 years old it has to go every year. A sticker to indicate the year goes, usually in the middle after the two letters. Antique cars (over 25 years old) go every second year.
The last digit on the plate indicates the month for inspection (e.g., 1 for January through 0 for October). This is a rather inaccurate system because the plates are issued randomly causing some cars go for their first inspection after 4 years and 10 months and other cars to go after 3 years and 1 month. It is also causing no cars to be requested for inspection in November and December.
Type of plates
The colour of the license plate varies depending on the purpose of the vehicle (see chart below.)
Old district plates
This system was used from 1938 until 31 December 1988 and consisted of a black plate with silver letters. The 1st letter denominated the district (except for military related) where the plate was issued as follows: