This page shows the geographical place (local identifiers) of registration plates for UK cars since 2001.
Vehicle Registration Plates UK

The image above shows the letters that make up the Local Memory tag, and thereby its geographical origins. The first letter of the memory tag denotes the DVLA area in which the plate was produced, with the second letter indicating the local office within that region.
1st Letter | District Covered | Local Area / Office | 2nd Letter Codes |
---|---|---|---|
A | Anglia | Peterborough | AA - AN |
Norwich | AO - AU | ||
Ipswich | AV - AY | ||
B | Birmingham | Birmingham | BA - BY |
C | Cymru (Wales) | Cardiff | CA - CO |
Swansea | CP - CV | ||
Bangor | CW - CY | ||
D | Deeside to Shrewsbury | Chester | DA - DK |
Shrewsbury | DL - DY | ||
E | Essex | Chelmsford | EA - EY |
F | Forest and Fens (East Midlands) | Nottingham | FA - FP |
Lincoln | FR - FY | ||
G | Garden of England (Kent and Sussex) | Maidstone | GA - GO |
Brighton | GP - GY | ||
H | Hampshire and Dorset (Inc Isle of Wight) | Bournemouth | HA - HJ |
Portsmouth | HK - HY | ||
K | No official mnemonic | Luton | KA - KL |
Northampton | KM - KY | ||
L | London | Wimbledon | LA - LJ |
Stanmore | LK - LT | ||
Sidcup | LU - LY | ||
M | Manchester and Merseyside | Manchester | MA - MY |
N | North | Newcastle | NA - NO |
Stockton | NP - NY | ||
O | Oxford | Oxford | OA - OY |
P | Preston | Preston | PA - PT |
Carlisle | PU - PY | ||
R | Reading | Reading | RA - RY |
S | Scotland | Glasgow | SA - SJ |
Edinburgh | SK - SO | ||
Dundee | SP - ST | ||
Aberdeen | SU - SW | ||
Inverness | SX, SY | ||
V | Severn Valley | Worcester | VA - VY |
W | West of England | Exeter | WA - WJ |
Truro | WK, WL | ||
Bristol | WM - WY | ||
X | Personal Export | Various | XA - XF |
Y | Yorkshire | Leeds | YA - YK |
Sheffield | YL - YU | ||
Beverley | YV - YY |