Vehicle registration plates of Aruba
Encyclopedia
Aruba
requires its residents to register their motor vehicle
s and display vehicle registration plate
s. The island is one of the last jurisdictions in the world to continue issuing new plates each year rather than showing revalidation through sticker
s or other documentation.
These plates change each year but since 1983 have displayed the slogan "ONE HAPPY ISLAND". Since 2011 the island name "ARUBA" has been changed to "ARUBA.COM". The plate itself is valid for the first half of the year, and then a metal tab is added to indicate validity during the second half of the year. This tab is painted in the reverse color scheme as the plate and displays the same serial as does the plate.
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
requires its residents to register their motor vehicle
Motor vehicle
A motor vehicle or road vehicle is a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not operate on rails, such as trains or trolleys. The vehicle propulsion is provided by an engine or motor, usually by an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor, or some combination of the two, such as hybrid...
s and display vehicle registration plate
Vehicle registration plate
A vehicle registration plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. The registration identifier is a numeric or alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies the vehicle within the issuing region's database...
s. The island is one of the last jurisdictions in the world to continue issuing new plates each year rather than showing revalidation through sticker
Sticker
A sticker is a type of a piece of paper or plastic, adhesive, sticky on one side, and usually with a design on the other. They can be used for decoration, depending on the situation. They can come in many different shapes, sizes and colours and are put on things such as lunchboxes, in children's...
s or other documentation.
These plates change each year but since 1983 have displayed the slogan "ONE HAPPY ISLAND". Since 2011 the island name "ARUBA" has been changed to "ARUBA.COM". The plate itself is valid for the first half of the year, and then a metal tab is added to indicate validity during the second half of the year. This tab is painted in the reverse color scheme as the plate and displays the same serial as does the plate.
Plates 1980 to present
| Image | Year | Plate colors | Slogan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | white on brown | ISLA DI CARNAVAL | |
| 1981 | black on yellow | ||
| 1982 | red on white | ||
| 1983 | yellow on light blue | ONE HAPPY ISLAND | |
| 1984 | black on yellow | ||
| 1985 | black on white | ||
| 1986 | red on yellow | ||
| 1987 | white on blue | ||
| 1988 | black on white | ||
| 1989 | white on red | ||
| 1990 | white on blue | ||
| 1991 | white on black | ||
| 1992 | black on white | ||
| 1993 | white on brown | ||
 |
1994 | white on blue | |
| 1995 | black on red | ||
| 1996 | blue on white | ||
| 1997 | white on teal | ||
| 1998 | black on white | ||
| 1999 | white on orange | ||
| 2000 | brown on white | ||
| 2001 | black on yellow | ||
| 2002 | white on black | ||
| 2003 | black on orange | ||
| 2004 | yellow on black | ||
| 2005 | white on blue | ||
| 2006 | white on red | ||
| 2007 | black on white | ||
| 2008 | white on green | ||
| 2009 | black on yellow | ||
| 2010 | white on blue | ||
| 2011 | white on red |
Type codes
| Prefix | Type |
|---|---|
| A | Private automobile |
| DT | Truck Truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile... |
| O | Bus Bus A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are... |
| T | Taxi bus and bus |
| TX | Taxi Taxicab A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice... |
| V | Rental car Car rental A car rental or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time for a fee... |