You may have seen various coloured number plates for different kinds of vehicles. But, ever wondered what these colours mean? Well, let us tell you that various types of number plates bear distinctive meanings depending on the type of vehicle. Therefore, go ahead and read about different types of number plates before you move on to buy your first motor vehicle.
Before agreeing on the current, fourth number plate in 2011, Nigeria as a country had previously utilized three distinct types of license plates.
Today, we will go over the 11 different types of license plates that may be found in Nigeria. The numerous categories each have their own unique colour, writing, and other design elements.
1. Private:
Background – White
Lettering – Blue
2. Special/Fancy:
Background – White
Lettering – Blue
3. Commercial:
Background – White
Lettering – Red
4. Mass Transit:
Background – White
Lettering – Red
5. School Bus:
Background – White
Lettering – Red
6. Government:
Background – White
Lettering – Green
7. Armed Forces/Para-military:
Background – White
Lettering – Black
8. Diplomatic:
- Corps Diplomat:
Background – Neon Purple
Lettering – White
- Corps Consulate:
Background – Brown
Lettering – White
- Corps Technique
Background – Navy blue
Lettering – White
9. Temporary:
Background – Black
Lettering – White
Different types of number plate and their meaning
White number plate – White number plates with black lettering are the most common types of vehicle registration plate. Cars with these number plates are solely used for private purposes. In other words, these vehicles cannot be used for commercial purposes such as transporting goods and ferrying passengers.
Yellow number plate – Yellow number plates come with a black text pattern. These vehicle registration plates can only be used for commercial purposes. Please note, the driver must have a commercial driving permit to drive such vehicles.
Green number plate – If you see a green coloured number plate on roads, be sure that these number plates belong to electric cars. These are applicable for use on road-legal electric buses as well as commercial electric vehicles.
Black number plate – These number plates are very popular as luxury hotel transport. Moreover, these cars can be used as commercial vehicles that can run on roads without the necessity of drivers having a commercial driving permit.
Red number plate – The red number plate symbolises that the brand-new car has a temporary vehicle registration plate and is yet to get a permanent one (issued by the RTO). Temporary vehicle registration comes with a 1-month validity. The rules regarding temporary vehicle registration plates differ from one state to another. In fact, some states in Nigeria do not allow vehicles with temporary number plates to drive on roads.
Blue number plate- A blue-coloured number plate with white letters is issued by the respective authority to a vehicle reserved for foreign diplomats. These number plates bear alphabets such as DC (Diplomatic Corps), CC (Consular Corps), UN (United Nations), etc. These license plates do not bear a state code; instead, they come with the country code of the diplomat.
The National Road Traffic Regulations (NRTR) 2012 also provide as follows: Section 36(NRTR) 2012 makes it mandatory for all private and commercial vehicles to have number plates which shall be fixed on them in a manner as not to be easily detachable. Section 36 states that All private and commercial vehicles shall as from the commencement of these Regulations have on them Vehicle Identification Number Plates which shall -Be carried by the motor vehicle on two plates which shall conform to the requirements of these regulations; and the number plate shall be fixed in such a manner that each is not easily detachable; and in an upright position or within 15 degrees of such position. Section 39(a): states that “All vehicles private and commercial shall have on them vehicle identification number plates and shall be an offence for any vehicle not to have the said number plates”.
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