Vehicle registration plates of Tanzania
Encyclopedia
Number plates of Tanzania
date back to at least 1933 in Tanganyika
and to the 1950s in Zanzibar
. They are the same size as their British counterparts and used the same font until the late 1980s. Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar use slightly different formats.
) and was followed by four numbers.
of German plates. The preceding 'T' was replaced by other letters and the number of digits reduced to three.
Later they added the flag of Tanzania in front of the 'T'.
111 denotes the country code.
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
date back to at least 1933 in Tanganyika
Tanganyika
Tanganyika , later formally the Republic of Tanganyika, was a sovereign state in East Africa from 1961 to 1964. It was situated between the Indian Ocean and the African Great Lakes of Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika...
and to the 1950s in Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
. They are the same size as their British counterparts and used the same font until the late 1980s. Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar use slightly different formats.
1933
In 1933, Tanganyika used white-on-black plates. Letters denoted the city (DS for Dar es SalaamDar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
) and was followed by four numbers.
| XX 9999 | XX 9999 |
1980s
British standard plates were still being used in the 1980s. Tanzania used yellow plates (front and back) for private cars, while white plates were used on busses, taxis and hire cars. All plates began with a 'T', followed by two letters and four numbers.| TXX 9999 | TXX 9999 |
| TXX 9999 | TXX 9999 |
1990s
In the 1990s, the font was changed to one resembling the FE-SchriftFE-Schrift
' or ' has been the only typeface used on new vehicle registration plates of Germany since November 2000, except for plates issued to military-registered vehicles, which still use the former DIN 1451 typeface...
of German plates. The preceding 'T' was replaced by other letters and the number of digits reduced to three.
| XXX 9999 | XXX 9999 |
| XXX 9999 | XXX 9999 |
2000s
In the 21st Century, the letters and numbers were swapped and the preceding 'T' was returned.| T 999 XXX | T 999 XXX |
| T 999 XXX | T 999 XXX |
Later they added the flag of Tanzania in front of the 'T'.
Diplomatic plates
Diplomatic plates are yellow-on-green. 'T' is followed by a three-digit number denoting the country or organization, 'CD' and a two-digit number then follow| T 111 CD 99 | T 111 CD 99 |
Military plates
Military plates are white-on-black.| 9999 XX 99 | 9999 XX 99 |
Zanzibar
Zanzibar uses a different number plate system from the rest of Tanzania. By the 1970s plates had changed from the white-on-black style to the black-on-white and black-on-yellow system as used in Britain. Unlike the rest of Tanzania, white plates in Zanzibar were also used on personal vehicles. The 1980s numbering system in Zanzibar was similar to that in the rest of Tanzania, except the preceding 'T' was replaced with a 'Z'.| ZXX 9999 | ZXX 9999 |