Ethiopian License Plates
Taxis
In Ethiopia, public transportation includes various types of taxis: Minibuses, Woyeyets, contract taxis for individual hire, and Bajajs serving rural areas. All taxis share a red license plate marked with the number "1" on the left side, issued to all vehicles engaged in taxi transport services.
Private Vehicles
Privately owned vehicles have license plates with a white background and blue alphanumeric characters, featuring the number "2" on the left side. This plate is issued to private motor cars used for personal and family purposes.
Commercial Vehicles
Commercial vehicles have license plates with a white background and green alphanumeric characters, featuring the number "3" on the left side. This plate is issued to vehicles, registered for commercial road transport use and car hire operating licence.
Government Vehicles
Government vehicles have license plates with a white background and black alphanumeric characters, featuring the number "4" on the left side. This plate is issued to vehicles owned by the Federal or Regional Government Agencies engaged in commerce.
Religious & Civic Societies Vehicles
Religious & Civic Societies vehicles have license plates with a white background and orange alphanumeric characters, featuring the number "5" on the left side. This plate is issued to motor vehicles owned by Red cross, religious societies, non business associations and similar other institutions.
Specialized Licence Plates
United Nations (UN) vehicles have light blue plates marked in Amharic "የተመ" and in English "UN". Similarly, African Union (AU) vehicles have light green plates marked in Amharic "አሕ" and in English "AU." Temporary plates are light blue and marked in Amharic "ተላላፊ." Additionally, every country's embassy has its own unique number on its license plates.
Police Vehicles
Police vehicles have license plates with yellow background and black alphanumeric characters, featuring the word "ፖሊስ" on the left side. This plate is issued to vehicles owned by the police.
General Vehicle Licence Plate Types in Ethiopia
| CODE | TYPE | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taxi |
|
| 2 | Private |
|
| 3 | Commercial / Business |
|
| 4 | Government |
|
| 5 | Red Cross |
|
| UN / የተመ | United Nations |
|
| AU / አሕ | African Union |
|
| ተላላፊ | Temporary |
|
| ፖሊስ | Police |
|
Regional license plate Codes
| REGION CODE | REGION | EXAMPLE WITH PRIVATE PLATES |
|---|---|---|
| ኢት / ET | Ethiopia |
|
| አአ / AA | Addis Ababa |
|
| አፋ / AF | Afar |
|
| አማ / AM | Amhara |
|
| ቤጉ / BG | Benishangul Gumuz |
|
| ድሬ / DR | Dire Dawa |
|
| ጋም / GM | Gambela |
|
| ሐረ / HR | Harar |
|
| ኦሮ / OR | Oromia |
|
| ሶማ / SM | Somali |
|
Diplomatic Licence Plate Codes in Ethiopia
| DIPLOMATIC CODE | COUNTRY | EXAMPLE |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Italy |
|
| 02 | France |
|
| 03 | United Kingdom |
|
| 04 | United States of America |
|
| 05 | Belgium |
|
| 06 | Turkey |
|
| 07 | Egypt |
|
| 08 | Greece |
|
| 09 | Czech Republic |
|
| 10 | Russia |
|
| 11 | Sweden |
|
| 12 | India |
|
| 13 | Yugoslavia |
|
| 14 | Germany |
|
| 15 | Netherlands |
|
| 16 | Yemen |
|
| 17 | Mexico |
|
| 18 | Saudi Arabia |
|
| 19 | Switzerland |
|
| 20 | Sudan |
|
| 21 | Vatican |
|
| 22 | Bulgaria |
|
| 23 | Japan |
|
| 24 | Liberia |
|
| 25 | Ghana |
|
| 26 | Spain |
|
| 27 | Poland |
|
| 28 | Somalia |
|
| 29 | Iran |
|
| 30 | Nigeria |
|
| 31 | Malawi |
|
| 32 | Senegal |
|
| 33 | Zaire |
|
| 34 | Tanzania |
|
| 35 | Indonesia |
|
| 36 | Austria |
|
| 37 | South Korea |
|
| 38 | Malaysia |
|
| 39 | Burundi |
|
| 40 | Zambia |
|
| 41 | - |
|
| 42 | Morocco |
|
| 43 | Finland |
|
| 44 | Thailand |
|
| 45 | Hungary |
|
| 46 | Canada |
|
| 47 | Ivory Coast |
|
| 48 | Cameroon |
|
| 49 | Kenya |
|
| 50 | Equatorial Guinea |
|
| 51 | Venezuela |
|
| 52 | Sierra Leone |
|
| 53 | Rwanda |
|
| 54 | Guinea |
|
| 55 | Jamaica |
|
| 56 | China |
|
| 57 | Mali |
|
| 58 | Uganda |
|
| 59 | Argentina |
|
| 60 | - |
|
| 61 | Pakistan |
|
| 62 | Gabon |
|
| 63 | Libya |
|
| 64 | Romania |
|
| 65 | - |
|
| 66 | Cuba |
|
| 67 | Niger |
|
| 68 | North Korea |
|
| 69 | Algeria |
|
| 70 | Vietnam |
|
| 71 | Djibouti |
|
| 72 | Zimbabwe |
|
| 73 | Congo |
|
| 74 | Chad |
|
| 75 | Mozambique |
|
| 76 | Australia |
|
| 77 | Tunisia |
|
| 78 | Afghanistan |
|
| 79 | Nicaragua |
|
| 80 | - |
|
| 81 | Palestine |
|
| 82 | Angola |
|
| 83 | Iraq |
|
| 84 | Israel |
|
| 85 | Madagascar |
|
| 86 | Norway |
|
| 87 | Namibia |
|
| 88 | Mali |
|
| 89 | - |
|
| 90 | Eritrea |
|
| 91 | Ireland |
|
| 92 | South Africa |
|
| 93 | Lesotho |
|
| 94 | Mauritius |
|
| 95 | Kuwait |
|
| 96 | Burkina Faso |
|
| 97 | Botswana |
|
| 98 | Cape Verde |
|
| 99 | Togo |
|
| 100 | Portugal |
|
| 101 | Gambia |
|
| 102 | Benin |
|
| 103 | Mauritania |
|
| 104 | Ukraine |
|
| 105 | Denmark |
|
| 106 | - |
|
| 107 | Brazil |
|
| 108 | Slovakia |
|
| 109 | United Arab Emirates |
|
| 110 | League of Arab States |
|
| 111 | South Sudan |
|
| 112 | Luxembourg |
|
| 113 | Comoros |
|
| 114 | Georgia |
|
| 115 | Seychelles |
|
| 116 | Qatar |
|
| 132 | Armenia |
|
DISCLAIMER: Materials presented on this Web site cannot be guaranteed as to accuracy. Licence plate samples are similar but may not be identical to the original ones. Contents generated on this website are strictly for educational purposes only and should not be used in any other way.