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Middle and narrow lettering on the license plate - the information!

Reading time 5 Min.

Middle and narrow lettering on the license plate - the information!

are in Germany short license plates with medium writing generally allowed. And the license plates can even be shortened if no more than 6 digits have to be applied. This avoids unsightly open spaces that a 520 mm long license plate would entail. However, there is one exception: short number plates with close typefaces are not permitted under the Vehicle Registration Ordinance and require prior written approval from the responsible registration office. So if it is absolutely necessary to have a short number plate with narrow lettering, then in any case inquire beforehand whether sealing/approval is even possible.

short indicator / middle & narrow writing

Middle and narrow lettering on the license plate - the information!
Short hallmark in narrow letters

In principle, only short number plates with middle lettering are sealed. The only way to get a shorter license plate is to use engschrift. The letters in this font are slightly narrower than those in the medium font. However, the Motor Vehicle Registration Ordinance prohibits the use of short license plates in combination with narrow lettering and usually does not seal them. It is imperative that you contact the registration office BEFORE you buy it and have them confirm in writing that the short license plate is also sealed in combination with narrow lettering if it is only to be this version because of the vehicle or for visual reasons. In practice, however, the chances of getting the seal for the short number plate with narrow lettering from the road traffic department tend to be ZERO.

Center Lettering: What is this?

Middle and narrow lettering on the license plate - the information!
Standard license plate 520 mm

The FZV standard stipulates middle lettering for license plates with up to seven letters. This is the typical car license plate font as we all know it. Even short signs must be printed in the medium font to be legal. For short license plates, however, a maximum of 6 letters in middle type is the limit. More is not possible! According to the Vehicle Registration Ordinance, printing in narrow letters is not permitted.

Engschrift: What is this?

The difference between Engschrift is that it is narrower than Mittelschrift. It is only used in special cases, such as when the number plate contains eight digits, since these would not fit on the plate in medium writing. The Vehicle Licensing Ordinance generally prohibits short number plates with narrow lettering. You must therefore BEFORE contact the registration office if you want the short number plate to contain the narrow writing. In summary it can be said:

  • short number plates with up to 6 digits in medium type are allowed
  • Narrow lettering on the short license plate is prohibited
  • there are exceptions (special permission) if, for example, the construction of the car makes it absolutely necessary

NOTICE: If a short aluminum license plate is already sealed in combination with narrow lettering, for example because of different regulations a few years ago or because of a vehicle type that was special at the time, then there is no guarantee that a new short license plate, for example made of plastic, will be sealed in the same way. Here, too, you should definitely inquire at the registration office BEFORE and the situation "friendly" explain.

Number plate without the euro symbol?

Vehicles, for example with H-registration - without the blue EU embossing - can be seen from time to time. But the mark is dying out more and more. The new registration of a vehicle (normal, H license plate etc.) is generally only possible with the regular EU plates. An old sign is generally no longer stamped, with one exception. A vehicle that was already registered with the old license plate before the sole validity of the EU license plates, was then deregistered/temporarily shut down, and is now to be registered again by the same owner, will have the old license plate sealed again.

What are the actual dimensions?

The length of the license plate depends on the number of letters. German car numbers have the minimum size of 3 letters (1 x letter for the city, 1 x individually selectable letter, 1 x number). This type of license plate must be 300mm long and in medium type. Here, too, the Engschrift is almost impossible to preserve and is usually not sealed. If it is possible to keep narrow writing, then you can even shorten it to 280 mm. According to the Vehicle Registration Ordinance, the following lengths are permitted in middle type:

three digits

four digits five digits six digits
AB-1 every 300mm AB-12 each 350mm AB-123 each 410mm AB-1234 460mm each
A-BC-1 each 360mm A-BC-12 each 410mm A-BC-123 each 460 mm
AA-B-1 each 360mm AA-B-12 each 410mm AA-B-123 each 460 mm
AA-BC-1 each 410mm AA-BC-12 each 463 mm
AAA-B-1 410mm each AAA-B-12 463mm each
AAA-BC-1 466mm each

Of course, that wasn't the end of it.

tuningblog.eu has a lot of other articles on the subject of auto & tuning in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. But also planned changes in the law, violations in road traffic, current regulations in the field of STVO or on the subject inspection we would like to inform you regularly. Everything you can find in the category "Test sites, laws, offenses, information". Click on one of the following posts!

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Middle and narrow lettering on the license plate - the information!

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About Thomas Wachsmuth

Thomas Wachsmuth - He has been an integral part of tuningblog.eu since 2013. His passion for cars is so intense that he invests every available penny in them. While he dreams of a BMW E31 850CSI and a Hennessey 6x6 Ford F-150, he currently drives a rather inconspicuous BMW 540i (G31/LCI). His collection of books, magazines and brochures on the subject of car tuning has now reached such proportions that he himself has become a walking reference work for the tuning scene.  More about Thomas

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