Norway license plate (N) in 2026 ✅
Norwegian car number plates since 2002 use the standard European size, with black characters on a white background. On the left side of the Norwegian number plate there is a blue stripe with the flag and the international code N. The configuration of Norwegian number plates is two letters identifying the region followed by five numbers. This system has remained in use with minor changes since 1971.
Language: Norwegian
International code: N
In Norway they drive on the right
First plate was registered on: 1899.
There are 5 8 4 cars per 1000 inhabitants.
Continent: Europe
Table of contents of Norway license plates
Current Norway Car License Plate
The current Norway car license plate system, introduced in 1971, consists of two letters followed by five digits. On the far left of Norwegian car license plates there is a blue band similar to the European band, but featuring the Norwegian flag. The first two letters on Norwegian car and motorcycle registration plates indicate the region where the vehicle is registered. The complete list of regional codes can be found further down this page. Since 2009, Norwegian vehicle registration plates have been manufactured from flat plastic. In 2002, Norwegian license plates changed their typeface, replacing the thin font with a thicker one. This new typeface created some visual issues with letters such as "A" and "R". Personalized license plates are also permitted, allowing up to 7 characters, including the Norwegian letters Å, Ø, and Æ.
Although the transition began in 2002, it was not until 2006 that the new design became fully established. The update introduced a blue band on the left, similar to the European band, displaying the letter N and the Norwegian national flag. The old typeface was also replaced with the new Myriad font, while the regional codes remained unchanged.
You can view all regional codes below or click here.
Current Standard License Plates with Four Digits
There are several cases where a current standard Norway registration plate has only four digits instead of five. This is most common for motorcycles, trailers, and semi-trailers, as well as agricultural vehicles and quad bikes.
Other Current Special License Plates
Norway Racing Car License Plates
Registration plates for competition vehicles are similar to standard ones but are usually smaller in size. They begin with the regional code followed by five digits. These plates feature white characters on a black background and do not include the blue band found on regular Norwegian license plates. Motorcycle competition plates use four digits instead of five. These registration plates have been in use since 1999.
License Plates for Vehicles Used on Private Roads
Vehicles intended for private roads or certain trailers use black registration plates with yellow characters. These are generally assigned to vehicles that are not permitted to drive on public roads, such as large trailers (also eligible for tax exemptions), snow vehicles, airport vehicles, and similar equipment. In Svalbard, all vehicles use these registration plates because the entire territory is considered private.
Norway Export License Plate
Norwegian export registration plates feature two red bands, one on each side, indicating the plate's expiry date. They consist of up to five digits, with the first digit identifying the region of issue.
Norway Export License Plate Codes
The first digit from the left identifies the region where the export plate was issued. The current codes range from 1 to 7, as shown in the table below.
| Export registration plate codes | |
|---|---|
| 1-Oslo | 2-Larvik |
| 3-Larvik | 4-Stavanger |
| 5-Bergen | 6-Trondheim |
| 7-Tromsø | |
License Plates for Electric, Gas and Hydrogen Vehicles
Registration plates beginning with EL are assigned to electric cars. Over the years, other letter combinations such as EV have also been used. Electric motorcycles usually have one fewer digit than cars. Plates beginning with GA identify gas-powered vehicles, while those beginning with HY are assigned to hydrogen-powered vehicles.
License Plates for Light Commercial Vehicles
Green license plates are issued for light commercial vehicles. These vehicles cannot be used to transport passengers and are restricted to carrying goods, with a maximum of two workers allowed on board.
Norway Dealer License Plate
Dealer license plates are easily recognized by their white characters on a red background. Their registration format consists of three letters followed by a series of numbers.
Norway Royal Family License Plate
As is common in many European (and worldwide) royal families, Norway uses a special registration system for royal vehicles. These license plates consist of the letter A followed by a series of numbers. The blue band on the left side may or may not be displayed.
Norway Diplomatic License Plates
Norwegian diplomatic license plates feature a blue background with a yellow border. Their registration format consists of the letters CD followed by a series of digits. The first two digits identify the country represented by the diplomatic mission.
Previous Norway License Plate System
The previous Norway vehicle registration system, used until 1971, began with one letter (or sometimes two) identifying the registration region, followed by four digits in most cases. The regional codes are listed in the table below. Some of these historic license plates remain valid and continue to coexist with the current registration system.
| Historic regional codes | ||
|---|---|---|
| A-Oslo | B-Østfold | C-Akershus |
| D-Hedmark | E-Oppland | F-Buskerud |
| G-Vestfold | H-Telemark | I-Aust-Agder |
| K-Vest-Agder | L-Rogaland | O-Bergen |
| R-Hordaland | S-Sogn og Fjordane | T-Møre og Romsdal |
| U-Sør-Trøndelag | V-Nord-Trøndelag | W-Nordland |
| X-Troms | Y-Finnmark | |
When a vehicle loses a license plate from this historic system or it is stolen, it must be re-registered under the current Norway license plate system.
Other License Plate Types Within the Current System
| Type | Current version (2002–present) | Previous version (before 2002) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trailer |  |
 |
DS-Oslo AH-Fredrikstad |
| Export |  |
1 = Oslo. Expires in December (12) of the year 2011 (11) |
|
| Electric vehicle |  |
||
| Gas-powered vehicle |  |
||
| Light commercial vehicle |  |
CF-Lillestrøm | |
| Competition vehicle |  |
||
| Private road vehicle |  |
Yellow characters on a black background. | |
| Temporary license plate |  |
Black characters on a red background. | |
| Diplomatic Corps |  |
Regional codes
| City or region | Code or codes | Example image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halden | AA AB AC | ||
| Sarpsborg | AD AE |  |
|
| Fredrikstad | AF AH AR AS AT AU AV AW | |
|
| Mysen | AJ AK AL AN AP | ||
| Moss | AX AY AZ BA BB FN | ||
| Drøbak | BC BD BE BF BH BJ BK |  |
|
| Asker y Bærum | BL BN BP BR BS BT BU BV BX BY BZ CA CB |  |
|
| Romerike | CC CE CF CH CJ CK CL CN CP CR CS CT CU |  |
|
| Oslo | DA DB DC DD DE DF DH DJ DK DL DN DP DR DS DT DU DV DX DY DZ EA EB EC ED EE EF EH EJ EK EN EP ER ES ET EU EV EX EY EZ FA FB FC FD FE | |
|
| Oslo |  |
||
| Oslo |  |
||
| Storslett | FK | ||
| Hamar | FS FT FU FV FX FY FZ HA | ||
| Elverum | HB HC HD HE | ||
| Tynset | HF HH | ||
| Kongsvinger | HJ HK HL HN HP HR |  |
|
| Lillehammer | HS HT HU HV HX | ||
| Otta | HZ JA JB | ||
| Gjøvik | JC JD JE JF JH JJ JK JL JN JP |  |
|
| Fagernes | JR JS JT | ||
| Ringerike | JU JV JX JY JZ KA |  |
|
| Hallingdal | KB KC KD |  |
|
| Drammen | KE KF KH KJ KK KL KN KP KR KS |  |
|
| Kongsberg | KT KU KV KX KY |  |
|
| Horten | KZ LA LB LC LD LE |  |
|
| Tønsberg | LH LJ LK LL LN LP LR |  |
|
| Larvik | LS LT LU LV LX LZ NA NB NC | ||
| Sandefjord | LY | ||
| Skien | ND NE NF NH NJ NK NL NN NP NR NT NU | ||
| Notodden | NV NX NY NZ |  |
|
| Rjukan | PA PB |  |
|
| Arendal | PC PD PE PF PH PJ PK | ||
| Setesdal | PL LF |  |
|
| Kristiansand | PN PP PR PS PT PU PV | ||
| Mandal | PX PY PZ RC RD |  |
|
| Flekkefjord | RA RB | ||
| Stavanger | RE RF RH RJ RK RL RN RP RR RS RT RU RV RX RY |  |
|
| Egersund | RZ SA SB | ||
| Haugesund | SC SD SE SF SH SJ SK SL | ||
| Bergen | SN SP SR ST SU SV SX SY SZ TA TB TC TD TE |  |
|
| Bergen |  |
||
| Voss | TF TH TJ TK |  |
|
| Stord | TL TN TP TR | ||
| Odda | TS TT TU | ||
| Førde | TV TX TY TZ | ||
| Nordfjordeid | UA UB |  |
|
| Sogndal | UC UD | ||
| Ålesund | UE UF UH UJ UK UL |  |
|
| Ørsta | UN UP | ||
| Molde | UR US UT UU UV | ||
| Kristiansund | UX UY UZ VA | ||
| Sunndalsøra | VB VC | ||
| Trondheim | FP VD VE VF VH VJ VK VL VN VP VR |  |
|
| Støren | VS VT VU VV | ||
| Orkdal | VX VY VZ |  |
|
| Brekstad | XA XB XC | ||
| Steinkjer | XD XE XF XH XJ | ||
| Levanger | XK XL | ||
| Stjørdal | XN XP | ||
| Namsos | XR XS XT XU | ||
| Mosjøen | XV XX XY XZ | ||
| Mo i Rana | YA YB YC YD | ||
| Bodø | YE YF YH YJ | ||
| Fauske | YK YL | ||
| Narvik | YN YP YR YS | ||
| Svolvær | YT YY | ||
| Sortland | YU YV YX | ||
| Harstad | YZ ZA ZB | ||
| Tromsø, including Svalbard |
ZC ZE ZH ZK ZL ZN |  |
|
| Finnsnes | ZD ZF ZJ | ||
| Vadsø | FR ZP ZR | ||
| Kirkenes | ZS | ||
| Alta | ZT ZU ZV ZY | ||
| Hammerfest | ZX | ||
| Lakselv | ZZ |  |
☛ Which code identifies cars from Norway?
The code N identifies Norway. The license plates of Norway may be used with the international registration code N next to it on the back part of the car.
Example of a car with the international recognition code of Norway
Below you can find a car with the oval code and international recognition of Norway which is N.
Questions and answers about car license plates in Norway 🥇
Where is the code N in a license plate from?
The international code N identifies Norway, in Europe.
Which country uses the code N on its license plate?
The country that uses the code N on its car license plate system is Norway.. The letter or letters N always identify Norway. The international code N must always be displayed on the rear of the vehicle inNorwaySpain in an oval in black characters on a white background when travelling abroad, except in very rare cases.
When did Norway have its first ordinary car license plate?
The date of the first car license plate registration officially issued in Norway was in 1899.
Which side of the road do people drive on in Norway?
In Norway, you drive on the right side of the road.
On which continent is Norway located?
Norway is located in the continent . You can check how are the license plates of Europe following the link to the general section within matriculasdelmundo. Car license plates in Europe
What are license plates from Norway called in other English-speaking couuntries?
In English, license plate of Norway is commonly called a license plate of Norway in the United States and Canada. In the UK and Australia, it’s often known as a number plate of Norway. Another term, registration plate of Norway, is understood globally and is slightly more formal. All these terms refer to the same vehicle identification plate of Norway, with usage varying by country. Car plate of Norway can be used in more technical situations.
Is it the same a license plate of Norway and a registration plate of Norway?
Yes, both license plate of Norway and registration plate of Norway can be used to refer the same vehicle registration unique number of Norway.
Cite this section about the license plates of Norway
Matriculasdelmundo. License plates of Norway. Reviewed and updated information. Matriculasdelmundo.com. Retrieved on 20/08/2026 from https://
License plates from other states and territories that you may be interested in:
Map of the Norway license plates
Copyright 2026 www.matriculasdelmundo.com
Official Sources on License Plates of Norway
All the information about the license plates of cars and motorcycles in Norway and vehicle plates shown here has been extracted from official state archives (such as the BOE and the DGT in Spain), from personal sightings, by contacting automobile clubs from other countries, or through media or files referenced in the text. This information on car and motorcycle plates in Norway has been collected since 2009, so we hope you find the information you're looking for about Norway license plates.
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