Uruguay

Uruguay

Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...

 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.

Departmental coding

Plates issued in each department

Departments of Uruguay

||Uruguay consists of 19 departments :# Artigas . Formed in 1884 from part of Salto Department. The only department to border both Argentina in the west and Brazil in the north and east.# Canelones . One of the original 6 departments created in 1816...

 begin with a one-letter code. These codes, used on the unique local issues of the past, have carried over to the current national series as part of the standard nationwide format.

Department or entity	Code
Artigas Department Artigas Department The Department of Artigas , with an area of and 78,019 inhabitants, it is the northernmost department of Uruguay. Its capital is Artigas.It is named after José Artigas , leader of the orientales during the wars of Independence.-Geography and climate:Neighbouring departments are Salto to the...	G
Canelones Department Canelones Department The Canelones Department , with an area of and 485,240 inhabitants, is located to the south of Uruguay. Its capital is Canelones.-Geography and climate:...	A
Cerro Largo Department Cerro Largo Department Cerro Largo Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Melo.-History:During the 19th and early 20th centuries, when intermittent periods of civil war occurred in Uruguay, the department was a stronghold of the Blanco party...	E
Colonia Department Colonia Department Colonia is a departamento in southwestern Uruguay. Its capital is Colonia del Sacramento, the country's second oldest city.-Economy:The region is the main producer of dairy products in Uruguay...	L
Durazno Department Durazno Department Durazno is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Durazno. Its name means "peach" in Spanish, referring to the department's peaches and its status as an agricultural breadbasket.-Economy and Geography:...	Q
Flores Department Flores Department -History and cultural heritage:The department, created by President Máximo Santos, is named after the former Colorado Party leader, Venancio Flores, who was born in Trinidad in the nineteenth century.The department has many sites of prehistoric rock art...	N
Florida Department Florida Department Florida is a department of Uruguay. Its capital of is Florida.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 68,181 people and 21,938 households in the department. The average household size was 3.1...	O
Lavalleja Department Lavalleja Department The Department of Lavalleja is a department of Uruguay. The capital is Minas. It is located in the southeast of the country, bordered to the north by the department of Treinta y Tres to the east with Rocha, to the south with Canelones and Maldonado, and to the west to Florida.The department is...	P
Maldonado Department Maldonado Department The Maldonado Department , with an area of and 140,192 inhabitants, is located to the southeast of Uruguay. Its capital is Maldonado.-Geography and climate:...	B
Montevideo Department Montevideo Department Montevideo is a department of Uruguay.It is by far the smallest one in area, and the most populated as well. It contains the city of Montevideo, capital of Uruguay. While most of the department is covered by the capital city, there are still smaller towns within its limits, e.g...	S
Paysandú Department Paysandú Department Paysandú Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Paysandú. Its name origin is debated but is likely to be of charrua origin.The fertile soils of Paysandú have encouraged much agricultural development. Livestock raising is one of the principal agricultural activities, with cattle...	I
Río Negro Department Río Negro Department The Río Negro Department is an administrative division of Uruguay located in the west of the country. It has 53,989 inhabitants and an area of 9,282 km² . Its capital is Fray Bentos.-Geography and climate:...	J
Rivera Department Rivera Department Rivera is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Rivera.- History :The Battle of Masoller, a noteworthy event in Uruguayan history, was fought on September 1, 1904; Masoller is situated on the boundary between the departments of Artigas and Salto, close to the Brazilian border.-Population and...	F
Rocha Department Rocha Department Rocha is a department in the east of Uruguay. It has natural beauties like Cabo Polonio, Valizas, Santa Teresa. Rocha is well known for its beach towns which swell during the summer holidays...	C
Salto Department Salto Department Salto Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Salto.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 123,120 people and 34,441 households in the department. The average household size was 3.5...	H
San José Department San José Department San José Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is San José de Mayo.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 103,104 people and 33,063 households in the department. The average household size was 3.0...	M
Soriano Department Soriano Department Soriano is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Mercedes.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 84,563 people and 26,105 households in the department. The average household size was 3.2...	K
Tacuarembó Department Tacuarembó Department Tacuarembó is the largest department of Uruguay. Its capital is Tacuarembó.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 90,489 people and 28,054 households in the department. The average household size was 3.2...	R
Treinta y Tres Department Treinta y Tres Department Treinta y Tres is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Treinta y Tres.-History of name:'Treinta y Tres' is Spanish for 'Thirty-Three'. The department is named after 33 19th century patriots honoured by Uruguayans.-Population and Demographics:...	D

Current series

Prior to the introduction of this series, plates issued in each department had a unique design, in many instances displaying only the name of the municipality, rather than that of the department or the country. The change echoes that made in Argentina in 1994 with the change to a national plate series displaying the nation's name rather than a more local designation.

Under the current plate series, a single serial number

Serial number

A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...

 format of ABC 1234 (and ABC 123 for motorcycle

Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...

s) has been introduced for the entire country, with either the country name, the vehicle type, or both displayed on the plate. Now absent are department or municipality designations, except for the small official logos displayed on many plates, one between the letters and numbers indicating the department of registration and another in the lower right corner indicating the municipality of registration. Plates in the current series employ FE-Schrift

FE-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...

 for their serials.

Some older plates are still in use, but evidently they are being replaced with plates of the current series, as even many antique car

Antique car

In the United States, an antique car is generally defined as a car over 45 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. The antique car era includes the veteran...

s have plates from the current series.

Italicized letters indicate a departmental code; bold letters indicate a fixed type code that appears on all plates of a particular type:

Image	Type		Legend	Serial format	Design
	English	Spanish
	Ambulance Ambulance An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...	Ambulancia	URUGUAY	AAM 1234	green on white; embossed cross in lower left corner
	Departmental Assembly	Edil Junta Departamental	EDIL JUNTA DEPARTAMENTAL	AED 1234	white on light blue; screened type designation
	President of Departmental Assembly	Presidente de la Junta Departamental	PRESIDENTE J. DEPARTAMENTAL	APE 1
	Diplomat Diplomat A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and... ic	Diplomático	URUGUAY	SCD 1234	black on white
	Diplomatic—Motorcycle Motorcycle A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...	Diplomático—Motocicleta	URUGUAY	SCD 123	black on white
	Diplomatic—Consular Corps Consular corps Consular corps is a concept analogous to diplomatic corps, but concerning the staff, estates and work of a consulate....	Diplomático—Cuerpo Consular	URUGUAY	SCC 1234	black on white
	Diplomatic—Consular Corps—Motorcycle	Diplomático—Cuerpo Consular—Motocicleta	URUGUAY	SCC 123	black on white
	Doctor Physician A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...	Médico	URUGUAY	AME 1234	green on white; embossed cross in lower left corner
	Government	Gobierno	URUGUAY	SAB 1234	black on white
	Government—unknown type	?	URUGUAY	SAB 1234	white on orange
	International organization International organization An intergovernmental organization, sometimes rendered as an international governmental organization and both abbreviated as IGO, is an organization composed primarily of sovereign states , or of other intergovernmental organizations...	Organización internacional	URUGUAY	SOI 1234	black on white
	Non-governmental organization Non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...	Organización no gubernamental	URUGUAY	SNG 1234	black on white
	Livery Livery A livery is a uniform, insignia or symbol adorning, in a non-military context, a person, an object or a vehicle that denotes a relationship between the wearer of the livery and an individual or corporate body. Often, elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or corporate body feature in...	Remise	REMISE	ARE 1234	black on yellow
	Motorcycle	Motocicleta	URUGUAY	ABC 123	black on white
	Official Official An official is someone who holds an office in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority .A government official or functionary is an official who is involved in public...	Oficial	OFICIAL—URUGUAY	SOF 1234	blue on white
	Passenger Automobile An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...	Particular	URUGUAY	ABC 1234	black on white
	Public transportation	Transporte colectivo	URUGUAY	ATC 1234	black on yellow
	Rental motorcycle	Motocicleta—Alquiler	URUGUAY	AAL 123	black on yellow
	Rental vehicle	Alquiler	ALQUILER—URUGUAY	AAL 1234	black on white
	School School A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...	Escolar	ESCOLAR	AES 1234	black on yellow
	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...		TAXI	ATX 1234	black on yellow
	Tourist van	Turismo	TURISMO—URUGUAY	AMT 1234	black on yellow
	Tourist bus	Turismo	TURISMO—URUGUAY	ATU 1234	white on blue

Previous series

While also issued by department with the same codes, these plates employ varying designs, with unique plate sizes and shapes, dies, and color schemes and may identify the municipality of registration rather than the department itself. Many plates featured a white and blue color scheme.

Italicized letters indicate a departmental code; bold letters indicate a fixed type code that appears on all plates of a particular type:

Image	Location and/or type	Serial format	Design	Legend(s)
	Diplomatic	CC 123?	white on blue	?
	National Navy National Navy of Uruguay The National Navy of Uruguay is a branch of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the direction of the Ministry of National Defense and the commander in chief of the Navy Admiral Juan H...	123	black on white; embossed anchor at center	“ARMADA"
	Public safety/government	MI 12-345 MI 123456	black on white or blue on white; variety of manufacturing stypes	none
	Artigas Department Artigas Department The Department of Artigas , with an area of and 78,019 inhabitants, it is the northernmost department of Uruguay. Its capital is Artigas.It is named after José Artigas , leader of the orientales during the wars of Independence.-Geography and climate:Neighbouring departments are Salto to the...	GA-1234	blue on white	“ARTIGAS”; “ROU” debossed in embossed box at left
	Canelones Department Canelones Department The Canelones Department , with an area of and 485,240 inhabitants, is located to the south of Uruguay. Its capital is Canelones.-Geography and climate:...	ABC 123
	Caneloles Department—Official	A 1234	white on blue	“OFICIAL URUGUAY”
	Cerro Largo Department Cerro Largo Department Cerro Largo Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Melo.-History:During the 19th and early 20th centuries, when intermittent periods of civil war occurred in Uruguay, the department was a stronghold of the Blanco party... —Melo city	EM-12345	black on white	"CERRO LARGO" embossed at top; “ROU” embossed vertically at left; "MELO" embossed vertically at right; the small M below the hyphen also indicates the city
	Colonia Department Colonia Department Colonia is a departamento in southwestern Uruguay. Its capital is Colonia del Sacramento, the country's second oldest city.-Economy:The region is the main producer of dairy products in Uruguay...	LA-1234	blue on white	“COLONIA” debossed within embossed square that contains the “L”; “URUGUAY” at top. Some plates have a full-color seal, while others do not.
	Maldonado Department Maldonado Department The Maldonado Department , with an area of and 140,192 inhabitants, is located to the southeast of Uruguay. Its capital is Maldonado.-Geography and climate:... —Punta del Este city	B 51-234 B 512-345	black on white	“PUNTA DEL ESTE” at bottom; first number signifies city
	Maldonado Department—San Carlos city San Carlos, Uruguay San Carlos is a city in the Maldonado Department of southern Uruguay. It is located on Route 39, south of its intersection with Route 9 and about north of the center of the department capital city of Maldonado. Its status was elevated to "City" category on 18 December 1929 by decree Ley No. 8.559...	B 212-345	black on white	“SAN CARLOS” at bottom; first number signifies city
	Río Negro Department Río Negro Department The Río Negro Department is an administrative division of Uruguay located in the west of the country. It has 53,989 inhabitants and an area of 9,282 km² . Its capital is Fray Bentos.-Geography and climate:... —Fray Bentos city Fray Bentos Fray Bentos, the capital of the Río Negro Department of western Uruguay, is a port on the Uruguay River. It is close to the border with Argentina and about due north of Buenos Aires.-History:...	JAB 123	black on white	“FRAY BENTOS” at top, “RIO NEGRO” in orange band at bottom
	Salto Department Salto Department Salto Department is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Salto.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 123,120 people and 34,441 households in the department. The average household size was 3.5...	HA 123	black on white; at left	“SALTO” at bottom
	Soriano Department Soriano Department Soriano is a department of Uruguay. Its capital is Mercedes.-Population and Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 84,563 people and 26,105 households in the department. The average household size was 3.2...	K 12-3456	blue on white	“SORIANO URUGUAY” at bottom