UK Plates For Europe

[bad company]

The last time Mrs BC and I ventured across the channel we were fine with our GB plates. Apparently we now need UK plates. I thought I could just get them from Halfords but they don’t seem to do them. I can buy something the picture below online but does that comply with the EU laws now please?

[LaserTam]

If your existing plates have the GB Euro strip on the left end, them I'm told you can just buy stickers that go over the top. Saves getting new plates.

[Tabs]

I bought a magnetic one from Amazon for about £3.00
Just make sure the rear of the car is not plastic or alloy.

[Freddie Fitch]

OP. Those plates are not compliant. Need to have UK instead of United Kingdom. Whatever any one says, the flag is optional. The letters UK are sufficient.
And you don't need a blue background either. That was introduced as part of the EU flag.

Edited by Freddie Fitch on Monday 22 August 15:48

[TVR_Steve]

Suggest the easiest way is to buy some stickers to go over your existing plate:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ABCDEFG-Adhesive-Stickers...

You do not need the UK oval.

[//j17]

The legal requirement is to show the international country code on your car. In the past that was "GB" and they were generally printed on registration plates meaning you had them by default and didn't need to do anything. We, randomly, decided to change our letters from "GB" to "UK" - but all that means is you need to display a "UK" sticker on your car. Now that CAN be as part of the registration plate - but can also be a plate-sized sticker off eBay that you stick over the current "GB" one, or just a stand-alone sticky or magnetic "UK" symbol.

[silverthorn2151]

TVR_Steve said:

Suggest the easiest way is to buy some stickers to go over your existing plate:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ABCDEFG-Adhesive-Stickers...

You do not need the UK oval.

Thats what I did.

[bad company]

TVR_Steve said:

Suggest the easiest way is to buy some stickers to go over your existing plate:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/ABCDEFG-Adhesive-Stickers...

You do not need the UK oval.

That’ll do, thank you.

[elise2000]

bad company said:

The last time Mrs BC and I ventured across the channel we were fine with our GB plates. Apparently we now need UK plates. I thought I could just get them from Halfords but they don’t seem to do them. I can buy something the picture below online but does that comply with the EU laws now please?

Halfords will supply them, but you have to order them in store and they have to order them in- takes a couple of weeks

[bad company]

elise2000 said:

bad company said:

The last time Mrs BC and I ventured across the channel we were fine with our GB plates. Apparently we now need UK plates. I thought I could just get them from Halfords but they don’t seem to do them. I can buy something the picture below online but does that comply with the EU laws now please?

Halfords will supply them, but you have to order them in store and they have to order them in- takes a couple of weeks

Thanks. I tried Halfords online but no facility to include UK on the plate and the site wouldn’t recognise my 3 digit private registration plate.

[lllnorrislll]

Just bought some off eBay for my car, as the old rear dealer plate was starting to delaminate and with a trip to France booked, they appeared to fit the bill.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185091698325

Recieved in 48 hours and appear to be OK

Don't worry about sending off docs

[pingu393]

My understanding is that you can leave the GB number plates as they are, just fit a UK sticker to the back of the car.

I did this on the latest Le Mans trip and had no problems.

[bolidemichael]

There's quite a cool offering from Danz Benz that offers the UK's only compliant pressed metal plates complete with a badge if you prefer. I just bought stickers from amazon and it's impressively tough to find a preferential aesthetic of a vertical Union flag as depicted in your post.

[Dg504]

If I’d known/been bothered enough before we left I would have just got some stickers to cover our blue GB badges, but we didn’t and have been in France & Swiss since June - haven’t heard a sausage from any police or the various border stops we’ve been through etc

This will obviously mean I now get fined before getting home, but it seems this is barely on their list of interests.

[silverthorn2151]

Does anyone ever check them anyway? Been driving over the other side for decades and never heard of it.

[silverthorn2151]

Does anyone ever check them anyway? Been driving over the other side for decades and never heard of it.

[toon10]

My mate bought the number plate stickers on Amazon for a few quid when he took his motorbike to France. Next day delivery.

[silverthorn2151]

Exactly. I got some coloured caps to go with them. Easy to overthink these things.

[Griffith4ever]

silverthorn2151 said:

Does anyone ever check them anyway? Been driving over the other side for decades and never heard of it.

In the last GB plate thread I asked if anyone has actually ever got in any actual trouble for incorrect plate markings in the EU and am still waiting for a real example.

I'm amazed at the little things people get worried about (cue "but it's only a few quid for stickers, so why wouldn't you?" stock responses).