Vehicle registration plates of Chile


Chile requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates called patentes.
The current vehicle registration plates also are officially known as PPU. This designation was introduced in 1985 when vehicle registration was unified at the national level, ensuring that each vehicle would have a unique plate across the country.

Formats

Old format (before December 31, 1984)

In the first registration system, vehicles were registered in each municipality, and this assigned a record independently, whose combinations were governed by a certain geographical distribution.
These license plates featured combinations of letters and numbers. They also varied in color depending on the type of vehicle, its use, or the year of issuance. The layout of the information on the plate's lines also varied according to each municipality's regulations.
The amounts of letters and numbers depend on the era:
Grades:
  • until 1940: Numbers only. Example:
  • * 39 718 / 38 VALPARAISO PR
  • 1940s and 1950s
  • * for Santiago: Two letters and two numbers separated by a star, includes the year and type of vehicle. Example:
  • ** BC 98 / 58 SANTIAGO P
  • * for the rest of the country: Two letters and three numbers separated by a star, includes the year and type of vehicle. Examples:
  • ** TC 104 / 59 PUNTA ARENAS P
  • ** YH 477 / 58 QUILICURA SW
  • 1960s
  • * for Santiago: Two letters and two numbers separated by the symbol of the Casa de Moneda de Chile and the year. Example
  • ** SANTIAGO WAGONS / CZ · '85
  • * for the rest of the country: Two letters and three numbers separated by the symbol of the House of Mint of Chile and the year. Example:
  • ** FREIRE P / UL · 274
  • 1970s
  • * for Santiago: Two letters and two numbers separated by the year and the symbol of the Chilean Mint. Example:
  • ** BG · 51 / SANTIAGO P
  • * for the rest of the country: Two letters and three numbers or three letters and two numbers, separated by the year and the symbol of the Chilean Mint. examples
  • ** BOD · 37 / PUEBLO HUNDIDO C
  • ** QUILACO P / ULA · 19
  • ** QUIRIHUE A / RBJ · 4'
  • ** RL · 409 / PROVIDENCIA C
  • 1980s
  • * for the whole country: Three letters and three numbers separated by the symbol of the House of Mint of Chile. The colors determine the type of vehicle, although they also depend on the year. Example:
  • ** HDU 376 / SANTIAGO 81
  • ** XIC 791 / TEMUCO 81
  • ** GRAL. LAKES 82 / AAA 452
  • ** TJE 813 / TALCA 83
  • ** GVC 629 / RENCA 84
The initial letters between 1981 and 1984 were distributed as follows:
The format consists of two letters and four numbers ; the letters are separated from the numbers by a simplified figure of the National Coat of Arms, while the numbers are grouped in two pairs of digits separated by a small circle. In addition to the numbers visible on the license plate, the registration additionally incorporates a verifier digit, the one that appears in the vehicle documentation.
The first letter can be one of the following 23 : A, B, C, E, F, G, H, D, K, L, N, P, R, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z, W, and M. The letters I, Ñ, and Q were not used due to their resemblance to other letters, except in specific cases. Diplomatic vehicles may start with O. The letter J is now used for national trailer registration, replacing the old municipal system. The M series starts from MZ to MX in reverse order, allowing for 5,289,999 vehicles.
The first letter of the square allows to identify the year of the vehicle, although without exact precision and only from the letter D onwards. These years are:
  • Before 1990: A, B, C, E, F, G and H
  • 1990: DA - DE
  • 1991: DE - DR
  • 1992: DR - DZ, KA - KF
  • 1993: KF - KV
  • 1994: KV - LN
  • 1995: NL - NL
  • 1996: NN - PJ
  • 1997: P - R - S
  • 1998: RN - SN
  • 1999: S - T
  • 2000: T - U
  • 2001: U
  • 2002: U - V
  • 2003: V - X
  • 2004: X - Y
  • 2005: Y - Z
  • 2006: Z - W
  • 2007: W, ZW to KW, MZ to MX.
It is possible to observe vehicles whose plates begin with a letter that does not correspond to their year of registration, which may be because the vehicle was re-registered, or it was registered in an office where so few vehicles are registered that the combinations are delayed.
The second letter can be one of the following 23: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, N, P, R, S, T, U, V, X, Y, Z and W. M and W were left out for being too wide, Ñ for its resemblance to N, O for its resemblance to zero, and Q for its resemblance to O and zero. The I was only used in the combination DI.
In plates beginning with letters A, B, C, E, F, G and H, the sequential order is expressed in the second letter, for example, the sequential order of the first series was AA - BA - CA - EA, and so on; the next series was AB - CB - EB - FB, and so on. Initially, the letter D was not used at the beginning of the combination, due to its resemblance to zero, and the combinations BB, AD, AK, AY, GG and HZ were not used either, but until much later.
Also in the beginning there was a certain unintentional geographical distribution, some series assigned according to the table, for example:
RegionAssigned Combination
Arica-ParinacotaAA and BA
TarapacáAB and CB
AntofagastaEB, FA, FB, GA and HA
AtacamaGB and HB
CoquimboAC, FD, GD and HD
ValparaísoAH, CH, CX, EH, EX, FX and GY
FH
GH
O'HigginsAX
CJ
EA, FV and GV
MauleBC, ER, ET, FE, FT, GE, and HS
Ñuble & Bío-BíoEU, FF and HF
EC and GF
AF and GT
BF, BU, EF, HE and HT
AraucaníaFU, GC, GU and HU
Los Ríos & Los LagosAV, BG, BV, CV, EG, EV and HC
AysénBD
MagallanesAE, BE, CE and CF
MetropolitanaRest of original series
CT
EL
GX
HH
HR

The combinations that begin with the letters A, B, C, E, F, G and H, were not issued following a correlative order, unlike what was done from 1990 and until the end of the system. In 1990 plates began to be issued following a correlative order marked on the second letter, beginning with D: DA - DB - DD, and so on. E, F, G, and H had already been used in the previous system and J had been discarded because it resembled I, so K was continued: KA - KB - KC - KD, etc. This order allows to identify, with moderate precision, the year of registration of the vehicle, for example, the letter S began to be issued from the end of 1997, the letter X corresponds to the middle of 2003, etc.
When the combinations reached ZZ in 2006, the system's lifespan was extended by incorporating the letters W and M, which were initially excluded due to their width. The sequence began with WA and progressed to WZ. Then, the second letter was used, starting from ZW and moving backward to KW. The M series was also introduced, with plates issued in reverse order from MZ to part of MX, which was the last combination issued under that system.
There is no certainty that all the combinations have been used.
The numbers start from 1000 and go up consecutively until they reach 9999.
All license plates in Chile display the word CHILE at the bottom, except for Transantiago buses, which say TRANSANTIAGO, with a special symbol separating the letters from the numbers. Additionally, on the left side, the phrase REGISTRO CIVIL E IDENTIFICACION is inscribed in an oval, while on the right side, CASA DE MONEDA DE CHILE appears in a circle with its emblem. These inscriptions are embossed on the metal plate without paint, making them only visible up close.
The font used throughout this system is Helvetica Medium Condensed.

4 Letters and 2 Numbers Series (2007-present)

In September 2007 the new format began to be used, which is made up of 4 letters and 2 numbers. This system uses 18 letters, which are: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, P, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, Z. The letters M, N, Ñ, Q, and the vowels ) are not used. Although new vehicle plates use the BB·BB-10 format, the previous plates were not superseded, so the two formats currently coexist. The combination allows for a vehicle park of 9,447,840.
The numbers start at 10 for each series of letters, up to 99. The letters continue to be separated from the numbers by a simplification of the National emblem, and the 4 letters in 2 groups of 2 letters by a black circle. The design are the same as in the previous format.
Considering the pace of vehicle registrations before the current format began, it was expected that the numbering system would last around 38 to 40 years. However, due to the surge in vehicle sales, the first four initial letters were exhausted in just 6 years, and half of the series in only 12 years. As a result, it's unlikely that the combinations will last 25 to 30 years unless more letters are added to the sequence.
As in the old format, the license plates have the word CHILE included at the bottom, except for the Transantiago bus plates, which have the word TRANSANTIAGO and its corresponding isotype. Also, like the previous format, they include the signs of the Civil Registry and the Mint, with the difference that they are now printed on the plate.
Since 2014, all license plates were updated with the FE-Schrift font to prevent counterfeiting. A new feature was added: an indicator on the left side of the plate specifying whether it belongs on the front or rear of the vehicle.