Driving Abroad? You May Need A GB Sticker
If you plan to use your car outside the UK, you need to make sure it has the correct country code markings on it.
This is pretty simple – here are the rules:
- Within EU – GB sticker
or EU-style registration plates with GB on blue background required
- Outside EU – GB sticker
If required, your GB sticker should always be displayed clearly on the rear of your car. Nothing is needed at the front.
Remember that Switzerland and Andorra are technically outside the EU – so to be safe, a GB sticker is required.
Note: Registration plates with ENG and a St George’s cross or similar Scottish and Welsh plates aren’t sufficient when driving abroad. You must have a standard issue EU-style plate with GB below a ring of stars on a blue background – like this:
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hi guys . on a gb plate . the backgroung colour is black . is that acceptable in spain or does it have to be blue . the front plate is blue but the citroen dealer supplied it with a black background . cheers for your patience .
Rob,
I’m not certain, but I suspect the rules specify that it must be blue. If you are worried, just stick a GB sticker on the back of your car as well and you will be covered – you only need a GB sticker OR an EU-style registration plate, not both.
Regards, Roland
cheers roland . i have been thinking about it too . 5 quid and i have a proper and legal nmbr plate .
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Do you need europlates front and back? I have a rear europlate but standard plate on the front.
Good question. I can’t see anything in the licence plate rules on gov.uk to make this clear.
If using a GB sticker, you only put one on the rear of a vehicle, so perhaps a rear europlate is enough. I suspect you’d have no problems as you are, but I don’t know for sure.
Anyone else have any ideas?
Can I have a white rear plate in Spain with the gb on blue. It’s not legal in the UK, but in Spain all rear plates are white. Then you wouldn’t stand out like sore thumb….
I assume you’re joking… I don’t know for sure but I’d be very surprised if you could fit a plate to a UK car that wouldn’t be remotely legal in the UK. It doesn’t seem logical to me.
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Are ‘UK’ stickers allowed abroad?
Re. ‘UK’ stickers. I don’t think these would be officially recognised – the country code for the UK is GB.
As to whether a UK sticker could cause you problems with foreign police, etc, I’m afraid I don’t know. As long as you’re displaying a GB sticker or reg plate, then I suspect they’d overlook anything else as ‘decoration’.