Belgian Licence Plate Letter Codes

Belgian Licence Plate Letter Codes (What the first letters mean)

A quick guide to the special prefixes you’ll see on licence plates in Belgium.

How Belgian plates work

In Belgium, licence plates are tied to the person, not the car. When a driver changes cars, they usually keep their plate. Since 2010, the standard plates have a blue EU band on the left and red characters on a white background. The common format looks like 1-ABC-234 (newer issues can start with 2). The normal letters don't show where a car is from, but some plates start with special letters that tell you the vehicle’s type or role.

What the first letters stand for

The table below lists the main letter prefixes and what they mean. These codes appear at the beginning of the plate’s letter sequence.

Prefix Meaning Notes / Examples
CD Diplomatic “Corps Diplomatique.” Red/green “CD” followed by characters.
G Agricultural vehicles Farm tractors and similar vehicles.
M or W Motorcycles Both letters are used for motorbikes.
O Oldtimer (vintage) vehicles For cars over a certain age; usage rules apply.
S Scooters Small motorized two-wheelers.
T or TX Taxis T as the initial; TX appears when a number comes before the letters.
U or Q Trailer plates Earlier series started with U; newer series use Q.
Z Dealer plates For car dealers.
ZZ Test drive vehicle Used for test drives.
A, P, E Officials One letter + 1–3 digits: A = Ministers/Ministers of State; P = Members of Parliament; E = Regional governments.

Quick facts

  • Regular plates don’t show the car’s location. The letters are not regional codes.
  • Since 2010, the modern seven-character series uses the format like 1-ABC-234.
  • Trailer plates are issued in a separate series and use the letter Q today.
  • Special plates (diplomatic, oldtimer, dealer, etc.) start with the codes in the table above.