Irish number plate checker
Enter a registration and we'll tell you whether it's in a valid Irish format — year code, county code and numerals — before you order a plate.
How an Irish reg is built
Three groups, separated by dashes: the year code, the county code and the sequence number. In 261-D-123 the car was registered in Dublin in the first half of 2026 and was the 123rd registration there that half-year. Full tables are on our year and county code reference.
Format is only half of it
A correct registration on a badly made plate still fails. The plate must be 520mm × 110mm, white retroreflective, with 70mm characters and 10mm strokes — see the plate size and legal spec guide for the full list.
Frequently asked
What does the plate checker do?
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It checks the format of an Irish registration: that the year code is valid, that the county code exists, and that the numerals are laid out correctly. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is stored.
Does this look up vehicle details?
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No. It is a format checker only — it does not query any vehicle, owner or Revenue database, and it tells you nothing about the car behind a registration.
My reg is valid but my plate still failed. Why?
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Format is only one half of the requirement. The physical plate also has to meet the specification: 520mm × 110mm, black characters on white reflective sheet, 70mm character height, 10mm stroke and correct spacing. See our plate size and spec guide.