Is this UK number plate legal in the EU?

[Scarletpimpofnel]

I know nowadays you have to display UK not GB but....

1 - Is the number plate below legal in the EU, or do you have to display the larger oval UK sticker?
2 - Do you need to display UK on both front and back or just the back?

Many thanks.

[gt40steve]

Oval 'UK' badge on the back only.

Halfords do a handy magnetic one, if you have a steel tailgate that is.

[M11rph]

The Oval UK is only required in Spain, Cyprus & Malta.

Otherwise just the plate with the UK identifier obviates the need for the big UK oval.


https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-the-eu#uk-s...

[Jaguar99]

Those plates are fine in most of the EU without the need for a UK oval sticker

From Gov.uk:
“You must display the UK identifier when driving a UK-registered vehicle abroad.

If your number plate includes the UK identifier with the Union flag (also known as the Union Jack), you do not need a UK sticker.

However, you will need to display a UK sticker clearly on the rear of your vehicle if your number plate has any of the following:

a GB identifier with the Union flag
a Euro symbol
a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales
numbers and letters only – no flag or identifier
If you’re in Spain, Cyprus or Malta, you must display a UK sticker no matter what is on your number plate”

[Scarletpimpofnel]

Excellent help given above... many thanks all.

[fatboy b]

gt40steve said:

Oval 'UK' badge on the back only.

Halfords do a handy magnetic one, if you have a steel tailgate that is.

Why would you even use one that’s magnetic? Scratchy scratchy. Just get a window sticky one.

[MustangGT]

fatboy b said:

Why would you even use one that’s magnetic? Scratchy scratchy. Just get a window sticky one.

They do have a soft finish over the magnet,

[fourthpedal]

In case you're wondering why this nonsense for Spain and co (at least I was): it's because they never bothered with the Vienna Convention. Most of the rest of Europe is part of it and accepts country code as part of the number plate. And Spain has no choice but to accept the number plate for EU countries. Bureaucracy gone mad, but are there really going to be many police officers in Spain trying to catch out British drivers over this kind of technicality? To be fair, I know the Germans and Austrians sometimes do it to the Swiss, but the Swiss numberplates actually don't have the country included so you need the sticker to go anywhere.

[Dog Star]

I just have the “old” GB and euro stars on the plate; I doubt anyone is going to pull me up for it.

Those UK plates look ste.

[croyde]

So will just the sticker be fine all over Europe?

[573]

Dog Star said:

I just have the “old” GB and euro stars on the plate; I doubt anyone is going to pull me up for it.

Those UK plates look ste.

All plates with any band with GB, Euro or anything at all look absolutely ste.

[Gareth79]

Jaguar99 said:

Those plates are fine in most of the EU without the need for a UK oval sticker

From Gov.uk:
“You must display the UK identifier when driving a UK-registered vehicle abroad.

If your number plate includes the UK identifier with the Union flag (also known as the Union Jack), you do not need a UK sticker.

However, you will need to display a UK sticker clearly on the rear of your vehicle if your number plate has any of the following:

a GB identifier with the Union flag
a Euro symbol
a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales
numbers and letters only – no flag or identifier
If you’re in Spain, Cyprus or Malta, you must display a UK sticker no matter what is on your number plate”

The guidance is slightly contradictory though. From my reading of the UK law and Vienna Convention, you don't need a UK flag emblem to use the vehicle abroad, just the UK letters are fine, and just the letters are legal within the UK of course.
.

[Mont Blanc]

573 said:

Dog Star said:

I just have the “old” GB and euro stars on the plate; I doubt anyone is going to pull me up for it.

Those UK plates look ste.

All plates with any band with GB, Euro or anything at all look absolutely ste.

Is the correct answer.

Less is always more. Plates that are completely plain always look best.

[Scarletpimpofnel]

Mont Blanc said:

573 said:

Dog Star said:

I just have the “old” GB and euro stars on the plate; I doubt anyone is going to pull me up for it.

Those UK plates look ste.

All plates with any band with GB, Euro or anything at all look absolutely ste.

Is the correct answer.

Less is always more. Plates that are completely plain always look best.

Fo what it's worth I prefer it on th eplate to a separate sticker that looks rank after a few winters. I need to replace my plates so thought I'd get them with the UK on them now ready for when I go abroad in prefernce to the oval sticker.

[573]

You put the sticker on only when necessary; peel it off when you come back.

Leaving unnecessary stickers on your car also looks st. Stick it on the back window if the car allows it so that there's less chance of any paint damage or if the car has a steel boot-lid, put a small magnetic one on, only for trips abroad.

[fourthpedal]

Gareth79 said:

The guidance is slightly contradictory though. From my reading of the UK law and Vienna Convention, you don't need a UK flag emblem to use the vehicle abroad, just the UK letters are fine, and just the letters are legal within the UK of course.
.

Maybe what they're trying to say is that UK combined with any other flag or emblem (other than UK flag) is not valid under Vienna Convention.

But to be pedantic - their wording is correct: if you have UK + Union Flag you're good to go (they just don't explicitly say that if you have UK and no further stuff you're also good to go).

573 said:

You put the sticker on only when necessary; peel it off when you come back.

Leaving unnecessary stickers on your car also looks st. Stick it on the back window if the car allows it so that there's less chance of any paint damage or if the car has a steel boot-lid, put a small magnetic one on, only for trips abroad.

Careful: don't make it too small. The country sticker does need to be a specific size, and people do get fined for chancing it with smaller stickers.

[Mont Blanc]

Scarletpimpofnel said:

Fo what it's worth I prefer it on th eplate to a separate sticker that looks rank after a few winters. I need to replace my plates so thought I'd get them with the UK on them now ready for when I go abroad in prefernce to the oval sticker.

I only put stickers on when I need to, and peel them off again as soon as not required. I just don't like the look of anything additional stuck on a car or number plate.

As the chap above said, just stick the 'UK' decal on the back window when you go, and it's 2 seconds to peel off again when you get back. UK stickers are £1.89 for a pack of 2.

Just personal preference of course I peel off any dealer stickers and all that sort of thing.

[Muddle238]

573 said:

You put the sticker on only when necessary; peel it off when you come back.

Leaving unnecessary stickers on your car also looks st. Stick it on the back window if the car allows it so that there's less chance of any paint damage or if the car has a steel boot-lid, put a small magnetic one on, only for trips abroad.

This. We put an oval GB on back in the day, as soon as we were back it was removed. Peeled right off, no issues.

[Redline88]

Halfords to window cling badges for £2. They can be peeled off and reused so you don’t have to leave them on the car when not needed.

I’ve driven though France, Germany, Belgium and NL without one (and plain plates) but have recently stuck one on the back window just to avoid any potential hassle.