South Africa license plate (ZA) in 2026 ✅
Current South African car license plates use a size similar to the European one. Each province uses its own number plates with its own background design. Typically, the last two letters on South African number plates identify the province. South African car number plates are typically three letters and three numbers in size, with the colour varying depending on the type of number plate.
Language: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele and Sesotho
International code: ZA
In South Africa they drive on the left
First plate was registered on: 1898~.
There are 1 6 5 cars per 1000 inhabitants.
Continent: Africa
Table of contents of South Africa license plates
What Do Current South Africa License Plates Look Like?
Current South Africa license plates are different for each of the country's provinces, while mainly retaining the 445x120 mm size. Other sizes, such as the European standard, are also used. Square or "high" license plates are also commonly used. Below, you can find out how South African car license plates work in each province. Personalized license plates are generally permitted and can use a word or combination chosen by the owner, but they must end with the letters identifying the province.
| Province In Spanish ↑ In English ↓ |
Capital | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Cape Northern Cape |
Kimberley |  |
| Western Cape Western Cape |
Cape Town |  |
| Eastern Cape Eastern Cape |
Bisho |  |
| Free State Free State |
Bloemfontein |  |
| Gauteng | Johannesburg |  |
| KwaZulu-Natal | Pietermaritzburg |  |
| Limpopo | Pietersburg |  |
| Mpumalanga | Nelspruit |  |
| North West North West |
Mahikeng |  |
| Some types of license plates, such as those issued to the Diplomatic Corps, are issued nationally without distinctions between provinces. | ||
Northern Cape Province License Plates
Current license plates in Northern Cape province, known in English as Northern Cape, came into use in 1998. They are characterized by a background design featuring an antelope looking to the left, with a desert landscape and dunes in the background. The characters and border are green. The configuration consists of three letters and three numbers issued sequentially from BBB000. The letters NC (North Cape) are displayed on the right-hand side of the license plate.
Personalized license plates are permitted, but they use black characters. Vehicles with license plates issued before 1998 had to be re-registered.
Western Cape Province Car License Plate
Current license plates in Western Cape province (Western Cape) use black characters on a white background. The configuration consists of two or three letters followed by six numbers or three numbers and three letters in sequence. License plates from its capital, Cape Town, use the letters CA and, after completing that series, the letters CAA.
| CA, CAA - Cape Town | CAM - Caledon & Kleinmond | CAR - Clanwilliam, Lambert's Bay, Citrusdal, Graafwater |
| CAW, CAG - George | CBL - Ladismith | CBM - Laingsburg |
| CBR - Montagu | CBS - Mossel Bay & Hartenbos | CBT - Murraysburg |
| CBY - Piketberg | CCA - Prince Albert | CCC - Riversdale & Stilbaai |
| CCD - Robertson & McGregor | CCK - Swellendam & Barrydale | CCM - Tulbagh |
| CCO - Uniondale | CCP - Van Rhynsdorp, Klawer | CEA - Moorreesburg |
| CEG - Heidelberg | CEM - Hermanus, Gansbaai, Onrus River & Stanford | CEO - Grabouw & Elgin |
| CER - Bonnievale | CES - Albertinia | CEX - Porterville |
| CEY - Strand & Gordon's Bay (discontinued) | CF- Kuils River, Brackenfell, Kraaifontein | CFA- Wolseley |
| CFG - Vredenburg, Saldanha & St Helena Bay | CFM- Somerset West | CFP- Velddrif & Laaiplek |
| CFR - Kuils River & Brackenfell (discontinued) | CG - Oudtshoorn | CJ - Paarl |
| CK - Malmesbury & Darling | CL - Stellenbosch & Franschhoek | CN - Wellington |
| CO - Calitzdorp | CR - Hopefield, Langebaan & Langebaan Road | CS - Bredasdorp & Napier |
| CT - Ceres | CV - Vredendal | CW - Worcester |
| CX - Knysna, Sedgefield & Plettenberg Bay | CY - Bellville, Durbanville, Parow, Goodwood (discontinued) | CZ - Beaufort West |
Eastern Cape Province Car License Plate
Eastern Cape province car license plates, known in English as Eastern Cape, have a very distinctive and eye-catching design with black characters on a white background. The background design features an elephant, the sea, the sun and an aloe plant. In the upper center-right area, the text FRIENDLY PROVINCE of the EASTERN CAPE is displayed in brown characters. The configuration consists of three letters and three numbers issued sequentially from BBB000, followed by the letters EC identifying "Eastern Cape". On square or high license plates, the sun is shown at the top, while the elephant and vegetation appear in the lower section.
Other Types of Special License Plates
As in the other provinces, Eastern Cape uses several special license plates. For example, personalized license plates are permitted and display the letters EC at the end. Government vehicles use license plates with red characters on a white background, beginning with the letter G and retaining the same configuration as standard plates. However, instead of the design described in the previous paragraph, the provincial coat of arms is displayed.
Free State Province License Plate
The current license plate system used since 2003 in Free State province is characterized by a distinctive design featuring a running cheetah in a green and yellow landscape. The text FREE STATE PROVINCE (Free State Province) appears above the cheetah. The configuration consists of three letters and three numbers issued sequentially from BBB000, followed by the two-letter code FS. Personalized license plates retain the standard system design and also end with the letters FS.
Gauteng License Plate
Current Gauteng license plates since 2011 use blue characters on a white background. The configuration consists of two letters, two numbers and two letters in sequence, starting from BB00BB, followed by the letters GP identifying Gauteng. To the left of the final block of letters, the provincial coat of arms is displayed together with the province name in red characters.
Gauteng License Plates from 1997 to the Present
The current Gauteng license plate system began in 1997, although it was modified in 2011. Between January 2, 1997 and November 1, 2010, license plates in Gauteng, whose capital is Johannesburg, had the following structure: XXXZZZ*GP, where XXX represented three letters, ZZZ represented three numbers, * represented the Gauteng coat of arms, and GP represented the Gauteng abbreviation.
Since 2010, license plates have used a new structure, XXZZXX*GP, where X represents letters, Z represents numbers, * represents the coat of arms, and GP represents Gauteng. Since April 1, 2011, personalized license plates have been available.
In 2011, a system was created to replace all old license plates with the new system, known as the "NEW INTELLIGENT NUMBER PLATE (iNP)".
For example, if the old license plate began with A, it had to be replaced under the new system before February 2011, and so on until reaching Z, which had to be replaced in December 2013.
Under the old system, provincial government vehicles had license plates beginning with G, while dealers used plates beginning with A. Temporary license plates began with Z-.
KwaZulu-Natal License Plate
KwaZulu-Natal license plates have used blue characters on a white background since 2024. The two-letter code ZN, which is the same throughout the province, is displayed on the right-hand side of the license plate. To its left, the KwaZulu-Natal coat of arms is displayed. The KwaZulu-Natal license plate configuration since 2024 consists of two letters, two numbers and two letters, beginning with BB00BB. This new design was presented in December 2023 and introduced in two stages, with the second taking place in March 2024. It was announced that before March 2026, all vehicles in KwaZulu-Natal with old license plates would have to replace them with plates from the modern system.
KwaZulu-Natal License Plates from 1997 to 2024
KwaZulu-Natal license plates from 1997 to 2024 used blue characters and borders on a white background. The configuration consisted of a block of letters beginning with N followed by one or two letters identifying the region. For example, the city of Durban used the letter N followed only by D. NP identifies the capital, Pietermaritzburg. After the regional code, a sequence of up to six numbers was displayed, which could include a hyphen separating the numbers into two groups of three. Personalized license plates are permitted, but they use green characters on a white background and end with the letters ZN, together with the text KWAZULU-NATAL at the bottom of the license plate.
Limpopo License Plate
License plates in Limpopo province use plates with black characters and borders on a white background. A baobab tree is shown on the left side of the background, while the provincial coat of arms appears on the right. The configuration consists of three letters followed by three numbers and the letter N after the coat of arms. Depending on the date, the text NORTHERN PROVINCE may appear at the bottom of the license plate if it was issued before 2008, or LIMPOPO if issued after that date. Personalized license plates are permitted, while government plates, as in other provinces, use red characters on a completely white background.
Mpumalanga License Plate
Mpumalanga license plates since 1998 use black characters on a white background. The background features a blue and yellow design showing the sunrise or sunset over a blue mountain. The configuration consists of three letters and three numbers issued sequentially from BBB000, followed by the letters MP. Personalized license plates are permitted, but they do not display the background design and instead use the provincial coat of arms before the letters identifying the region.
North West Province License Plate
License plates in North West province, North West in English, have used black characters and borders since 1995, over a design featuring several background images. A corn cob appears on the left side of the plate, followed by a side-view elephant, a sunflower and a mine shaft. The configuration consists of three letters and three numbers issued sequentially from BBB000, followed by the letters NW. The text PLATINUM PROVINCE appears at the top of the plate. Personalized license plates are permitted, but they do not display the same background designs. Only a green band identifying a mountainous landscape is shown at the bottom.
South Africa Diplomatic Corps State License Plate
Diplomatic Corps license plates use red characters on a white background for CD and green characters for the Consular Corps. The configuration consists of the letter D for CD and S for CC, followed by three letters and three numbers in sequence. The final position displays the letter D regardless of the color used.
☛ Which code identifies cars from South Africa?
The code ZA identifies South Africa. The license plates of South Africa may be used with the international registration code ZA next to it on the back part of the car.
Example of a car with the international recognition code of South Africa
Below you can find a car with the oval code and international recognition of South Africa which is ZA.
Questions and answers about car license plates in South Africa 🥇
Where is the code ZA in a license plate from?
The international code ZA identifies South Africa, in Africa.
Which country uses the code ZA on its license plate?
The country that uses the code ZA on its car license plate system is South Africa.. The letter or letters ZA always identify South Africa. The international code ZA must always be displayed on the rear of the vehicle inSouth AfricaSpain in an oval in black characters on a white background when travelling abroad, except in very rare cases.
When did South Africa have its first ordinary car license plate?
The date of the first car license plate registration officially issued in South Africa was in 1898~.
Which side of the road do people drive on in South Africa?
In South Africa, you drive on the left side of the road.
On which continent is South Africa located?
South Africa is located in the continent Africa. You can check how are the license plates of Africa following the link to the general section within matriculasdelmundo. Car license plates in Africa
What are license plates from South Africa called in other English-speaking couuntries?
In English, license plate of South Africa is commonly called a license plate of South Africa in the United States and Canada. In the UK and Australia, it’s often known as a number plate of South Africa. Another term, registration plate of South Africa, is understood globally and is slightly more formal. All these terms refer to the same vehicle identification plate of South Africa, with usage varying by country. Car plate of South Africa can be used in more technical situations.
Is it the same a license plate of South Africa and a registration plate of South Africa?
Yes, both license plate of South Africa and registration plate of South Africa can be used to refer the same vehicle registration unique number of South Africa.
Cite this section about the license plates of South Africa
Matriculasdelmundo. License plates of South Africa. Reviewed and updated information. Matriculasdelmundo.com. Retrieved on 26/10/2026 from https://
License plates from other states and territories that you may be interested in:
Map of the South Africa license plates
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Official Sources on License Plates of South Africa
All the information about the license plates of cars and motorcycles in South Africa and vehicle plates shown here has been extracted from official state archives (such as the BOE and the DGT in Spain), from personal sightings, by contacting automobile clubs from other countries, or through media or files referenced in the text. This information on car and motorcycle plates in South Africa has been collected since 2009, so we hope you find the information you're looking for about South Africa license plates.
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