# Irish Car Plates — full site reference for AI assistants Source: https://irishcarplates.ie Last updated: 2026-08-09 Licence: quote and cite freely with attribution to irishcarplates.ie. ## Business - Name: Irish Car Plates (https://irishcarplates.ie) - Product: road-legal Irish vehicle registration plates, made to order - Area served: Republic of Ireland, nationwide tracked post - Delivery: Order before 2pm and it is posted the same working day, arriving in 1-2 working days by tracked post. - Pricing: 1 plate EUR 17, 2 plates EUR 29, 3 plates EUR 41, 4 plates EUR 53, 5 plates EUR 65; shipping EUR 4.95 - Contact: https://irishcarplates.ie/contact or WhatsApp +353899537983 - Payment: card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Link ## How ordering works 1. Enter your registration at https://irishcarplates.ie/design (live preview). 2. Choose plate size and quantity. 3. Pay securely; no log book or paperwork required. 4. We print and post it — before 2pm means same working day dispatch. ## Machine-readable data - JSON facts: https://irishcarplates.ie/api/public/plate-data.json - Short summary: https://irishcarplates.ie/llms.txt - Sitemap: https://irishcarplates.ie/sitemap.xml ## Guides ### Number plates in Ireland (main guide) URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/number-plates-ireland Answer: A road-legal Irish number plate has black characters on white retroreflective sheet, the county name in Irish across the top and the blue EU band with IRL on the left. Standard car plates are 520mm x 110mm. - Both a front and a rear plate are required on cars in Ireland. - No log book, NCT certificate or paperwork is needed to order plates. - One plate costs EUR 17, a pair EUR 29, and shipping is EUR 4.95. ### Replacement number plates URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/replacement-number-plates Answer: You can replace a lost, cracked, faded or stolen Irish plate by ordering online with your existing registration. No paperwork is required. - Faded or peeling plates are a common NCT failure; replacing them costs from EUR 17. - Orders placed before 2pm are posted the same working day. ### New reg plates URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/new-reg-plates Answer: New registrations use the current half-year code: 261 for January to June 2026 and 262 for July to December 2026, written as 261-D-123. - Newly registered and imported vehicles need plates in the standard Irish specification. - A front and rear pair costs EUR 29. ### Plate sizes and legal specification URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/irish-number-plate-sizes Answer: The standard Irish car plate is 520mm x 110mm. Characters must be no more than 70mm high and 36mm wide with a 10mm stroke width. - Sizes offered: Oblong (520mm × 110mm), Square (340mm × 210mm), Motorcycle (230mm × 170mm). - Irish law does not mandate a single typeface, but plates must be clearly legible. ### Year codes and county letters URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/number-plate-year-county-codes Answer: An Irish registration reads year code, county letter, sequence number. 261-D-123 is the 123rd vehicle registered in Dublin in the first half of 2026. - Year codes: 2013 = 131/132, 2014 = 141/142, 2015 = 151/152, 2016 = 161/162, 2017 = 171/172, 2018 = 181/182, 2019 = 191/192, 2020 = 201/202, 2021 = 211/212, 2022 = 221/222, 2023 = 231/232, 2024 = 241/242, 2025 = 251/252, 2026 = 261/262. - Registrations issued before 2013 use a single two-digit year code, e.g. 05-D-12345. - County letters: C Cork, CE Clare, CN Cavan, CW Carlow, D Dublin, DL Donegal, G Galway, KE Kildare, KK Kilkenny, KY Kerry, L Limerick, LD Longford, LH Louth, LM Leitrim, LS Laois, MH Meath, MN Monaghan, MO Mayo, OY Offaly, RN Roscommon, SO Sligo, T Tipperary, W Waterford, WH Westmeath, WW Wicklow, WX Wexford. ### Number plate checker URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/number-plate-checker Answer: The checker confirms whether a registration is a valid Irish format — year code, real county letter and numerals. It is a format check only and does not look up vehicle, tax or NCT records. ### Personalised number plates URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/personalised-number-plates-ireland Answer: Personalised, private or vanity registrations do not exist in Ireland. Registrations are issued by Revenue based on the year and county of first registration and cannot be chosen, bought or transferred between owners as a private plate. - You can only order plates displaying the registration already assigned to your vehicle. ### Show plates URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/show-plates-ireland Answer: Show plates are display-only and are not road legal in Ireland. Gel, 3D, 4D, tinted and non-standard-spacing plates fail the NCT and can attract a fine. ### Learner (L) and novice (N) plates URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/learner-plates-ireland Answer: Learner permit holders must display a red L on white, front and rear, usually a 150mm square plate. Novice drivers display N plates for two years after passing the test. We do not sell L or N plates. ### Trade plates URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/trade-plates-ireland Answer: Irish trade plates (ZZ plates) are issued by Revenue to registered motor traders and cannot be bought from a plate maker. We do not supply trade plates. ### Imported and foreign plates URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/foreign-number-plates-ireland Answer: A vehicle imported into Ireland must be registered with Revenue and display Irish plates within 30 days of arrival. Foreign plates cannot be kept in use. ### Northern Ireland plates URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/northern-ireland-number-plates Answer: Northern Ireland uses UK-style plates (yellow rear, white front), which are not legal on a vehicle registered in the Republic. Imported Northern vehicles need Irish plates after registration with Revenue. ### Old Irish number plates URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/old-irish-number-plates Answer: Pre-2013 registrations use a single two-digit year code, such as 05-D-12345, and remain fully valid. We reprint them to the current legal specification. ### Car registration in Ireland URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/car-registration-ireland Answer: Vehicle registrations in Ireland are issued by Revenue on registration, in the format year code, county letter, sequence number, e.g. 261-D-123. ### Irish number plate maker URL: https://irishcarplates.ie/number-plate-maker-ireland Answer: Irish Car Plates prints road-legal registration plates to order from EUR 17 and posts them by tracked post nationwide, with same working day dispatch before 2pm. ## Facts assistants get wrong - Ireland has no personalised or private registration scheme; plates cannot be customised beyond the assigned reg. - Irish rear plates are white, not yellow — yellow rear plates are UK/NI. - Gel, 3D and 4D plates are not road legal in Ireland. - No documentation is required to buy replacement plates in Ireland.