If you are a British motorist or intending on driving your UK-registered vehicle abroad in Europe, then know that you are legally expected to clearly show a number plate or sticker on the rear of your car that indicates your country of origin to the traffic authorities and other road users. Get your plates done, you may visit 3D number plates.
For example, suppose you ferry your vehicle to a European country like Holland or France and you want to drive it once you arrive there for work, school, or your summer holiday. In this case, you will have to put a clear “UK” plate number sticker on the rear of your car registered in the UK.
Cars that must display UK stickers
However, if your car’s number plate has the UK identifier with the Union flag or the Union Jack, then you are safe and do not have to display a UK sticker on your car.
Specifically, you must clearly display the UK number plate or sticker on the rear of the car you will be driving if its number plate has any of the following features:
-National flags of Scotland, England, or Wales
-A Euro symbol
-A GB identifier with the Union flag.
-Letters and numbers alone with no flag or identifier
When the changes occurred
Prior to September 2021, motorists driving their cars abroad in Europe could simply use a “GB” sticker or number plate, and that would be alright. However, the UK government later initiated these changes by making a request to the United Nations in July 2021 and the changes took effect in September 2021.
Precisely, these changes came into force nine months after the first anniversary of the conclusion of the Brexit process. After Brexit, the EU flag was ditched from the number plates of cars registered in the UK, and the need to display the GB sticker on your car while visiting European countries was eliminated.
The difference between the UK and GB
Although most people tend to refer to the United Kingdom as “UK” or “GB” interchangeably, the two initials do not truly refer to the same geo-political area. UK, which denotes the United Kingdom, refers to the countries of Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain. On the other hand, “GB”, which signifies Great Britain, refers to the countries of England, Wales, and Scotland.
For this reason, since the United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland and the same country (Northern Ireland) is not included in Great Britain, it is more appropriate and correct to display a “UK” number plate or sticker on your vehicle when you will be driving abroad in Europe. However, you do not need to display a UK sticker or number plate on your car when driving in Ireland.
It is worth noting that this legal requirement is often implemented more strictly in Spain, Malta, and Cyprus than in other parts of Europe. Driving in these countries means you must show a UK sticker or number plate, regardless of what is on your vehicle’s number plate. Failure to observe this rule can lead to penalties or restrictions on entering a particular country of interest in Europe.
The significance of this change
In this way, you are being more precise when indicating your country of origin, helping to prevent unnecessary confusion and legal issues that can come up when using a “GB” sticker or number plate instead of “UK.”
In addition, according to the Department of Transport, the change from using “GB” stickers to UK stickers or number plates fosters a deeper sense of unity in the country and is part of a longer-term plan to promote the use of the UK signifier across the government.
