Turkish Vehicle Registration Codes – Numbers Indicate Origin
- Written by Portal Editor
Vehicle Registration Codes – Travelers may initially find the license plates on motorhomes and camper vans unfamiliar; the numbers they begin with which we encounter on the road and increasingly in Western Europe reflect Turkey's province codes.
Camping and international travel tourism is steadily growing in Turkey, so it is no surprise to encounter Turkish travellers on the road. Much like in France, the system does not use city or municipal codes as the prominent initial characters; instead, it uses province codes arranged in alphabetical order. Numbering begins with 01 for the province of Adana, located on the Mediterranean coast; this "01" appears at the start of all license plates registered in Adana. Following the alphabetical sequence of provinces, Izmir is assigned number 35; thus, a license plate starting with 35 indicates registration in Izmir.
Vehicle Registration Codes – Alphabetical Order Based on Original Provinces
The alphabetical order of the country's current 81 provinces was interrupted only by occasional name changes; for instance, Urfa (63) was renamed Şanlıurfa in 1984. Consequently, province codes 01 through 67 correspond almost entirely to the alphabetical sequence. Maintaining this alphabetical order became impossible only with the addition of new provinces later on.
Similar to the practice in some European countries, more recently issued license plates feature a small blue section on the left side displaying the country code "TR." In addition, there are various special license plates, some of which are particularly noticeable in major tourist areas. Foreigners residing in Turkey who hold a right of residence or, more accurately, a residence permit (*ikamet*) and register a vehicle receive a plate corresponding to their province (e.g., "07" for Antalya). The registration process may require official, certified translations of important documents. The second position on the plate features a code ranging from MA 1–999 and MB 1–999 up to MZ 1–999. This makes it immediately apparent, even from a distance, that the vehicle is registered to a foreigner.
Original vehicle registration can be retained
Unlike in some European countries, a vehicle can retain its original license plate even when the owner moves to a different province. For instance, a buyer in Ankara where almost all vehicles are significantly cheaper than on the coast (an important point for prospective buyers) an keep the "06" plate when registering the car in Antalya ("07"); the plate itself remains "06." If you are planning such a purchase, you should simply check with your insurance provider whether the premium for a vehicle with "07" registration differs from the cost of maintaining the "06" registration. As in Europe, taxes in metropolitan areas tend to be slightly higher.
German TÜV inspections in Turkey
For several years now though initially met with considerable reluctance by the local population a subsidiary of the German TÜV has been operating in Turkey. Road safety has noticeably improved as a result, although there are still many unroadworthy vehicles on the road. However, the inspection sticker is usually located on the front license plate, leading to significant wear and tear on the decal due to insects sticking to it not exactly a smart solution.
As in other countries, vehicle owners often feel a strong sense of attachment to their province's code. Turkish footballers, for instance, frequently use their province's number as their jersey number. A little anecdote has it that the Karşıyaka district of İzmir once applied for the vehicle code "34 1/2" because they did not want to use "35" like the rest of İzmir but the request was denied!
Vehicle registration codes – List of province numbers
Adana 01 Giresun 28 Samsun 55
Adıyaman 02 Gümüşhane 29 Siirt 56
Afyonkarahisar 03 Hakkari 30 Sinop 57
Ağrı 04 Hatay 31 Sivas 58
Amasya 05 Isparta 32 Tekirdağ 59
Ankara 06 Mersin 33 Tokat 60
Antalya 07 İstanbul 34 Trabzon 61
Artvin 08 İzmir 35 Tunceli 62
Aydın 09 Kars 36 Şanlıurfa 63
Balıkesir 10 Kastamonu 37 Uşak 64
Bilecik 11 Kayseri 38 Van 65
Bingöl 12 Kırklareli 39 Yozgat 66
Bitlis 13 Kırşehir 40 Zonguldak 67
Bolu 14 Kocaeli 41 Aksaray 68
Burdur 15 Konya 42 Bayburt 69
Bursa 16 Kütahya 43 Karaman 70
Çanakkale 17 Malatya 44 Kırıkkale 71
Çankırı 18 Manisa 45 Batman 72
Çorum 19 Kahramanmaraş 46 Şırnak 73
Denizli 20 Mardin 47 Bartın 74
Diyarbakır 21 Muğla 48 Ardahan 75
Edirne 22 Muş 49 Iğdır 76
Elazığ 23 Nevşehir 50 Yalova 77
Erzincan 24 Niğde 51 Karabük 78
Erzurum 25 Ordu 52 Kilis 79
Eskişehir 26 Rize 53 Osmaniye 80
Gaziantep 27 Sakarya 54 Düzce 81
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