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Spain

ANPR for Spain

Spanish License Plate Format

Spanish vehicle registration plates use black characters on white background with blue EU stripe (euroband) on left displaying 12 EU stars and country identifier E (for España). Standard size 520×110mm. Current nationwide system introduced September 18, 2000, replacing province-based systems. Format consists of 4-digit sequence number (0000-9999) followed by 3-letter counter using 20 consonants (B,C,D,F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,P,R,S,T,V,W,X,Y,Z) for 80 million possible combinations. System provides no indication of registration location. Plates usually rectangular and wide, with square-like versions for motorcycles and narrow insets for some vehicles. Administered by Directorate General of Traffic. Letter Q excluded to avoid resemblance to O and 0. System reached end of M-series in 2025, began N-series starting NBB. At current rate of approximately five series per decade, system will be exhausted around 2040.

Plate Formats

1234 ABC (4-digit sequence 0000-9999 + 3-letter counter)

Script

Latin alphabet and Arabic numerals

Regional Codes

Not applicable – nationwide system without geographic coding

Special Plate Types in Spain

Temporary

White on red background, format S 1746 BCD (prefix S + 4 digits + 3 letters).

Special/Agricultural

Red on white background, format: prefix E. For agricultural vehicles, heavy machinery and specialized equipment

Trailers

Black on red background, format R 7286 BBW (prefix R for remolque + 4 digits + 3 letters). Same 3-letter counter system as standard plates. Blue EU stripe with E.

Historical

Black on white, format H 7010 BBD (prefix H + 4 digits + 4 letters, making 9-character plate). Can be difficult to fit on some historic vehicles. Blue EU stripe with E.

Mopeds/Microcars

Black on yellow background, format: prefix C. For vehicles with cylinders under 50cc. Previously not required to have national plate, received yellow plates from municipal authorities.

Taxicabs

White on blue background rear plate. Must display white plate with letters “SP” (servicio publico) in black near rear numberplate. Vehicles without SP marking not legal for hire. Keep old provincial system format.

Provisional

White on green background, format P 7878 BCZ (prefix P + 4 digits + 3 letters). Issued to vehicles for export or until registration process completed, sometimes seen on manufacturer prototypes. Allows foreigners to use vehicle bought in Spain before registering in their country.

Diplomatic

White text on colored backgrounds: CD (red, diplomatic), CC (green, consular), TA (yellow, ancillary staff), OI (blue, international organizations). Format: 2–3 letter prefix + 6-digit number with a dash (country/embassy code + vehicle number), assigned alphabetically.

State/Government Vehicles

Various special codes: CME (Mossos d’Esquadra), DGP/CNP (Spanish National Police), E (Ertzaintza, Basque font), EA (Air Force), ET (Army), PGC (Guardia Civil), MF (Public Works), MMA (Environment), PME (state-owned vehicles). Black text on white background, standard size.

Key features of the ANPR for Spain

Accuracy

97% – 99%

Supported plates

European, South American, Asian and South African, Middle East

Lpr + Container

It can run with Container Recognition support

SDK support

C++ / C# / Java / Python

Image & Stream Based Recognition

Windows x64, Ubuntu, Arm

Analytics

Our LPR application performs vehicle Make, Color, and Type classification.

Android

Supports Android phones and tablets.

Adr Plate

Performs additional ADR plate recognition alongside standard license plate recognition.

License Plate Country Classification.

Germany / Poland / Türkiye… etc.

CPU & GPU

Supports both CPU and GPU processing.

Multiple Plate Recognition

Supports detection and recognition of multiple license plates in a single image or frame

Interested in Spanish License Plate Recognition?

Let us know and discover how our ANPR solution can transform your operations!

Global Coverage

Our ANPR system supports license plate recognition across multiple countries and regions. Each implementation is optimized for local plate formats, scripts, and regulatory requirements to ensure accurate detection in diverse environments.