British Columbia License Plates

First appeared in August 2025, low A18 4AA Adriaan Bergink 10/06/25.

This format issued from 2014-25, low AA0 10A 2016-01-14 Adriaan Bergink, no prefixes with "BJ" or "BS." Sticker boxes disappeared during mid-2022; high boxes SC9 03S, low no boxes SJ8 29C.

MJG-MXX series regular white plates followed the MAA-MJF-suffix Olympic plates.

Low: 001 MJG 2014-06-13 E. Morgan

LLL - LXX, NLL - NXX, PLL - PXX, etc., through XLL - XXX.

LLA - LXK, NLA - NXK, PLA - PXK, etc., through XLA - XXK.

LAL - LKX, MAL - MKX (early M series plates were used for Olympic), NAL - NKX, etc., through XAL - XKX.

BC passenger plates began using 3M reflective sheeting with a security/date code hologram in January 2011.

Non-Hologram high: 066 TAN

Hologram low: 095 TAN

LAA - LKK, NAA - NKK, PAA - PKK, etc., through XAA - XKK.

999 XKK was the last possible plate in this 13th series.

From E. Morgan: XKK with November 2012 natural expiry with no sheeting hologram spotted on a newer rental car. This should have been a mid to late 2011 natural if it was issued in sequence. There were numerous high XKJ and low LJL plates but this was the first and only XKK observation, suggesting the series was held back for some reason.

ALL - AXX, BLL - BXX, CLL - CXX, etc., through KLL - KXX.

ALA - AXK, BLA - BXK, CLA - CXK, etc., through KLA - KXK.

999 KXK was the last possible plate in this 11th series.

AAL - AKX, BAL - BKX, CAL - CKX, etc., through KAL - KKX.

999 KKX was the last possible plate in this 10th series.

Suffixes: AAA - AKK, BAA - BKK, CAA - CKK, etc., through KAA - KKJ.

KKJ was the last possible combination in the 9th series since KKK was not used.

Low: 006 AAA 2014-09-25 Milan Kenjalo

ALA - AXK, BLA - BXK, CLA - CXK, etc., through KLA - KXK.

KXK 999 was the very last three-letter three-number plate.

ALL - AXX, BLL - BXX, CLL - CXX, etc., through KLL - KXX.

The current high is the last possible 7th series plate.

AAL - AKX, BAL - BKX, CAL - CKX, etc., through KAL - KKX.

AAA - AKK, BAA - BKK, CAA - CKK, etc., through KAA - KKJ.

LAL - LKX, MAL - MKX, NAL - NKX, etc., through XAL - XKX.

LLL - LXX, MLL - MXX, NLL - NXX , etc., through XXL - XXX.

LLA - LXK, MLA - MXK, NLA - NXK, etc., through XLA - XXK.

Prefixes: LAA - LKK, MAA - MKK, NAA - NKK, etc., through XAA - XKK.

David Allyn Brown spotted the fourth plate issued, LAA-003, in April 2010.

Career Consular Officer is one of five series of white on red foreign representative plates introduced in 2008.

Diplomatic Representative Level: DL 000A (low DL 001A observed by Milan Kenjalo)

Career Consular Officer: see History tab for observation details

Honorary Consular Officer: tracked separately on this website

Consular Staff: CS 216A 2025-07-20 Mike Gallop

Special Representative: SR 012A

Introduced in 1990, BC Collector car plates started at B00 001 using Astrographics dies. Waldale production took over in 2003 at B54 but number blocks were not sequential. Numbering format changed to 0M0 000 in 2018.

Multi-Vehicle Collector B6 plates tracked separately on this site.

See bcpl8s.ca for complete details.

Introduced in 1990 with Astrographics dies, changed to Waldale at mid-B8 range in 2007. Numbering format changed to 0P 1234 in 2018. All plates measure 5 x 8".

Floater version numbered in B75 series with small screened "MULTI-VEHICLE" below top caption, very rare, believed to still be using Astrographics dies.

See bcpl8s.ca for complete details.

Debuted in 1990, all plates feature small screened "MULTI-VEHICLE" below top caption and start with prefix B6. These plates allow owners of multiple collector vehicles to use ONE number plate/pair for all, floating to whichever vehicle they drive at any particular moment.

Since mid-1990s features five numbers and suffix letter progression V, W, B, C, D, U*, J, K and L to present.

*only the remainder of the U series not used by earlier Olympic Commercial Trailer plates.

Formerly renewed with date stickers but switched to single blue/white permanent "NON-EXP" sticker in August 2006, followed by no stickers at all since 2022. Plate embossing changed to a dual sticker well by 3441 4D which disappeared for good between 1813 8K and 6304 4K.

Morgan Pitcher reports a low of D0 1281

Small 5" x 8" plate, for test-driving motorcycles and trailers.

Series started in 1985 at F6-6000 and ran to F7-0999 in 1989. F6-6373 reported as a low.

G0-0000 series exhausted in 2025, succeeded by format 00-000A.

E. Morgan observed G5-4568 with "BON1" sheeting hologram while G5-2779 had no hologram.

No longer issued, replaced with the white on red plates in 2008. All should be off the road.

Honorary Consular Officer is one of five series of white on red foreign representative plates introduced in 2008.

Diplomatic Representative Level: DL 000A (low DL 001A observed by Milan Kenjalo)

Career Consular Officer: tracked separately on this website

Honorary Consular Officer: HC 000A format, see History tab for observation details

Consular Staff: CS 099A 2014-08-26 Paul Breland

Special Representative: SR 012A

Used on vehicles for construction, such as Bobcats, backhoes, and steamrollers. Sheeting on newer plates includes holograms.

In 1989, the current series (no longer quarterly) commenced at T0-0000 and has been issued sequentially.

EXTREMELY rare - the current high is only the 1128th plate of this type issued in BC since 1985.

BC motorcycle licence plates measure 5 x 8" and were redesigned to the current style in 2011 somewhere between S5 6609 and S59021. Updated design features the sunset graphic, larger dies, dual sticker boxes and no space between digits.

Single-letter prefixes used in the 21st century were E, K, L, S, U, W, Y, Z and J. The letter was moved to 5th position in 2023 starting with A.

This type was created in 2015 to regulate ORVs operated on crown land and private property and NOT on public roads or parking lots. There are two versions of this ORV registration; this tracking bucket is for the illustrated 5 x 8" metal plate while the other is a similarly designed sticker intended for a vehicle that is not set up for displaying a plate.

Sticker high: 0C3617 2015-10-27 Nicholas Pescod

This small 4 x 7" plate for buses, taxis etc, replaced former Motor Carrier permit in 2005.

Passenger Carrier regulations were later expanded to cover more limos and party buses.

This Apportioned plate series for inter-provincial buses and trucks has been issued in pairs since 1989 starting at P0 0001. After 21 years with the P prefix, the letter was moved to suffix with the 0000 0P format in 2010.

Sticker box was originally the single long traditional BC style until 2011 when it randomly moved between a double well (one for day sticker, the other for month/year sticker) and then back to single well. We gave up documenting the change points because no meaningful pattern ever emerged. BC no longer uses licence plate stickers after May 2022 and the well (s) disappeared for good at some point between 7124 9P and 7629 6P.

BC is one of just four remaining provinces (along with Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick) still issuing IRP plates in pairs.

Used to road test unlicensed vehicles brought in to a repair garage for servicing.

Introduced in 1998 for ATVs, golf carts and snowmobiles that are only driven on or across a public road or parking lot. Original plate series used AT prefix, succeeded by 00000 X format in 2010. All measure 5 x 8".

Also changed from Astrographics to Waldale dies in 2010:

Astrographics high - 01 874X 2010-09-05 E. Morgan

Waldale low - 03602 X 2010-09-21 E. Morgan

See also 2015+ Off Road Vehicle tracking bucket elsewhere on this page.

This temporary paper permit should be affixed to rear window. It was originally valid 1 to 14 days, updated to maximum of 20 days in 2009 somewhere before 5G7A6E. Letters I, O and Z are omitted.

Numbering until 2025 progressed sequentially (1A, 1B, 1C, etc), as opposed to other BC plates where numbers always change before letters regardless of placement.

Handwritten Temp high: 0M8J5E 2016-07-17 Paul Breland

Prefixes used TF, TG, TH and LF.

While most plates use Waldale dies, LF 0964 observed with Astrographics dies on 7/18/2008.

Prefix changed from TR to TS in 2021.

This Astrographics-made BC truck series began in 1985 at 0000 MA and went through 9999 YY then to 0000 AA and up in the 1990s. Waldale-made plates appeared in 2002 around 7000 GF and that series ended somewhere between suffixes LM and LS, moving to AL 0000 in 2007. See History tab for newer formats.

Prefixes AT, BC, BJ, BS, DM, EY plus FK through GZ all believed to have been omitted.

Artwork updated with "TRAILER" along top starting at WAA in 2015; prior issues said only "Beautiful British Columbia". Plates measure 5 x 8".

Waldale dies started in 2003 between UCT and UCW along with UCK-series outlier. Prior Astrographics dies confirmed as high as UCR.

Progression: The end letter advances before the number, so the series began at UAA-00A, and worked up through UAA-00B, UAA-00C, and so on.

Thanks to "bcpl8s" website for sharing some of these data.

Introduced in 1966.

Introduced in 1966 for motorcycles at least 30 years of age or older. All plates measure 5 x 8" and have BC prefix with three-digits, very rare type. Changed from Astrographics to Waldale dies by 2013 between BC 566 and 630.

This Kermode Bear plate is 1 of 3 BC Parks designs that went on sale January 29, 2017 at an initial cost of $50 and $40 on renewal. They are available only to vehicles that would otherwise get passenger plates, no motorcycle version is available.

This Porteau Cove plate is 1 of 3 BC Parks designs that went on sale January 29, 2017 at an inital cost of $50 and $40 on renewal. Available only to vehicles that would otherwise get passenger plates, no motorcycle version is available.

The BC Parks Purcell Mountains plates went on sale January 29, 2017 at an initial cost of $50, and $40 on renewal. They are available only to vehicles that would otherwise get passenger plates, no motorcycle version is available.

Numbering moved to RP000A+ in 2023 after the original PK000A to PV999X range was exhausted.

Special plates celebrating the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver went on sale April 16, 2007. The mountain design depicts Garabaldi Park, between Vancouver and Whistler, and slogan "The Best Place on Earth" appears along the top. Passenger series started at 000 MAA, Farm Truck (G9-0000), Motorcycle (V2-0000), Utility Trailer (UYM-00A), and Commercial Trailer (0000-0U). The initial fee was $35 with annual renewal price of $25. Olympic plates could not be personalized and were discontinued after Dec. 31, 2010.

Low: 009 MAA 2014-08-29 Milan Kenjalo

Official Olympics vehicles used the 100 MFA to MFF series for cars and AD 3100 to AD 35xx for trucks and vans. These plates were to be off the roads after the Paralympics.

This plate available from 2007-10 and measured 6 x 12".

This plate available from 2007-10 and started at G9-0000.

This plate available from 2007-10 and measured 5 x 8".

This plate available from 2007-10 and measured 5 x 8".

This plate available from 2007-10, low AA 0006 Jeff Banerd.

Type added in November 2016, uses same narrow Waldale dies as found on Manitoba specialty plates.

Passenger car licence plates reserved for qualified BC Veterans were introduced in June 2004 starting at 000 VAA. The Veteran plate program expanded on 9/1/12 to include motorists who are currently serving in the military, not just those who have completed their service.

Started in 2004 at V00000, low V00005. All plates measure 5 x 8".

Out of sequence V02263 observed by Adriaan Bergink in 2007.

According to David Allyn Brown, this series was created in response to complaints about the original Veteran series being limited to passenger cars. Veteran truck plates started at LV in 2005 which was followed by LT. Additional plates will be available in the LW and LX suffixes, according to a B.C. Plates web site.