Old Irish number plates
Irish registrations have changed shape more than once. Here's how the older letter-based marks worked, what happened in 1987 and 2013, and what you can legally put on a classic today.
Quick answer
Registrations issued before 2013 use a single two-digit year code, such as 05-D-12345 or 12-C-4321, and are still fully valid today. We reprint pre-2013 Irish registrations to the current legal specification from €17 so an older car keeps its original reg.
Last updated · Irish Car Plates, Ireland
- Pre-1987: letter index marks issued by county or city
- No year information in a pre-1987 mark
- 1987: year-county-serial format introduced
- 2013: half-year codes added (131, 132)
- ZV series used for vintage and veteran imports
- We print current-specification plates only
Why order from us
Posted nationwide
Arrives in 1-2 working days by tracked post.
Road-legal
Reflective sheet, official Irish specification.
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Order before 2pm, posted the same working day.
The pre-1987 letter index marks
For most of the twentieth century Irish vehicles carried an index mark of one to three letters allocated to a county or city authority, followed by a serial number. Because the mark identified where a vehicle was registered rather than when, two cars decades apart could carry very similar-looking registrations. Enthusiasts still trade lists of which letters belonged to which authority, and the marks remain a recognisable part of Irish classic-car culture.
What changed in 1987
The year-county-serial format arrived in 1987: a two-digit year, the county code, then a serial number, as in 89-D-1234. For the first time the plate itself told you the year of first registration, which is why used-car pricing in Ireland became so closely tied to the reg.
What changed in 2013
From 2013 the year element gained a third digit to separate the two registration periods within a year — 131 for January–June 2013 and 132 for July–December. That pattern continues today with 261 and 262. Everything else about the plate stayed the same.
Vintage and imported classics
Vintage and veteran vehicles brought into the Irish register are issued marks from the ZV series, so a genuinely old car on Irish roads may well carry a ZV plate rather than a period one. Whatever mark is currently assigned to the vehicle is the mark that has to be displayed.
What we can and can't print
We print the current Irish specification: black characters on white reflective sheet, correct character height, stroke and spacing, Irish-language county name and the EU/IRL band. We do not produce black-and-silver, pressed-metal or period-style plates. If your classic holds a modern-format registration, including two-digit years such as 89 or 99, we can print it.
Frequently asked
What did Irish number plates look like before 1987?
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Before the current system, Irish registrations used letter index marks issued by county and city authorities followed by a serial number — marks such as ZO, IK or RN with numbers after them. The year the vehicle was registered was not part of the mark, so you cannot read an age from a pre-1987 plate.
When did Ireland change to the year-county format?
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The year-county-serial format used today, such as 89-D-1234, was introduced in 1987. In 2013 the year element gained a third digit to mark the half of the year, giving 131 and 132 and, today, 261 and 262.
What is a ZV registration?
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ZV is the series used for vintage and veteran vehicles brought into the Irish register, so you will see it on older imported classics rather than on cars first registered here in period.
Can I still display my original old plate?
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A vehicle must display the registration mark that is currently assigned to it, in a legible, reflective form that meets the official specification. If your classic still holds an old-format mark, that is the mark that goes on the plate.
Do you print old-style black and silver plates?
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No. We print current-specification Irish plates only — black characters on white reflective sheet. We do not make black-and-silver, pressed-metal or period-style plates.
Can you print a plate for my classic car?
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If your classic carries a modern-format Irish registration (year-county-serial, including two-digit years such as 89 or 99), yes — enter it in the designer and we will print it to the legal specification.