Irish reg year codes and county letters
Every Irish registration reads the same way: year code, county code, sequence number. Here's what each part means, with the full year code table and every county letter.
Reading 261-D-123
- 261
- Year code — registered in the first half of 2026.
- D
- County code — first registered in Dublin.
- 123
- Sequence number — the 123rd vehicle registered there that half-year.
Year codes, 2013 to 2026
Two codes per year: one for January to June, one for July to December.
| Year | January – June | July – December |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Vehicles registered before 2013 use a single two-digit year code — 05-D-12345 for 2005, 12-C-4321 for 2012.
County codes
The letter or letters in the middle of the registration show where the vehicle was first registered.
| Code | County | Example |
|---|---|---|
| C | Cork | 261-C-123 |
| CE | Clare | 261-CE-123 |
| CN | Cavan | 261-CN-123 |
| CW | Carlow | 261-CW-123 |
| D | Dublin | 261-D-123 |
| DL | Donegal | 261-DL-123 |
| G | Galway | 261-G-123 |
| KE | Kildare | 261-KE-123 |
| KK | Kilkenny | 261-KK-123 |
| KY | Kerry | 261-KY-123 |
| L | Limerick | 261-L-123 |
| LD | Longford | 261-LD-123 |
| LH | Louth | 261-LH-123 |
| LM | Leitrim | 261-LM-123 |
| LS | Laois | 261-LS-123 |
| MH | Meath | 261-MH-123 |
| MN | Monaghan | 261-MN-123 |
| MO | Mayo | 261-MO-123 |
| OY | Offaly | 261-OY-123 |
| RN | Roscommon | 261-RN-123 |
| SO | Sligo | 261-SO-123 |
| T | Tipperary | 261-T-123 |
| W | Waterford | 261-W-123 |
| WH | Westmeath | 261-WH-123 |
| WW | Wicklow | 261-WW-123 |
| WX | Wexford | 261-WX-123 |
Check your own registration
Not sure your plate is laid out correctly? Paste it into our free plate format checker and it'll confirm the year code, the county and the correct spacing — or tell you what's wrong. The plate size and spec guide covers the physical measurements.
Frequently asked
What does 261 mean on an Irish plate?
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261 means the vehicle was registered in the first half of 2026. Since 2013 the year code is the last two digits of the year followed by 1 for January–June or 2 for July–December.
What do the letters on an Irish number plate mean?
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They are the county or city of first registration — D for Dublin, C for Cork, G for Galway, L for Limerick, W for Waterford, KE for Kildare, and so on for all 26 counties.
What are the numbers at the end of an Irish reg?
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They are the sequence number: the position of the vehicle in that county's registrations for that half-year. 261-D-123 is the 123rd vehicle registered in Dublin in the first half of 2026.
Why do older plates only have two digits for the year?
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Vehicles registered before 2013 use a single two-digit year code — 05-D-12345 for 2005, 12-C-4321 for 2012.