Vehicle registration plates, commonly referred to as number plates, are the mandatory numeric or alphanumeric plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle. The Crown dependency of

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

is outside the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

, and its islands have registration marks that are different from those used in the UK. The international vehicle registration code for Guernsey is GBG.

Guernsey

Guernsey plates have been compulsory since 1908. New vehicles cannot be used until they have been registered, though motor traders can get trade plates to drive new vehicles for business purposes. If a resident imports a vehicle, they must register it within 48 hours (for existing residents) or within 14 days (for new residents).

plates consist of up to five digits, with no letters. An oval containing the letters GBG (Great Britain and Northern Ireland – Guernsey), the island's

international vehicle registration code The country in which a motor vehicle's vehicle registration plate was issued may be indicated by an international licence plate country code, formerly known as an International Registration Letter or International Circulation Mark. It is ref ...

, is sometimes included. Guernsey plates may be white/silver figures on a black services or black figures on a white background (for the front) and black figures on yellow background (for the back).

Special plates

Registration number 1 is reserved for, and displayed on the

Bailiff of Guernsey The title Bailiff of Guernsey has been used since at least the 13th century and indicated the leading citizen of Guernsey. The 90th and current Bailiff is Richard McMahon. History A ''Bailli'', the early Norman name for Bailiff was the perso ...

's car. The official car of the

Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey The Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey is the representative of the British monarch in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a Crown dependency of the British Crown. The role of the Lieutenant Governor is to act as the ''de facto'' head of state in Guernsey ...

has no number plate. His private cars have G1 and G2 as registration numbers. Guernsey hire cars sport a black 'H' on a yellow background on a separate square plate.

Most expensive plates

From 2012 some number plates beginning with 0 and 00 were released to generate revenue for the island. Registration 007 is a highly desirable plate especially for fans of

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

or "007" - the plate achieved £240,000 at an auction in September 2015. File:GBG Number Plate Band.png, The Guernsey (GBG) identifier File:Old licenseplate of Guernsey (GBG).jpg, A Guernsey plate displaying the GBG country code File:GBG white front plate.jpg, Guernsey front number plate without an identifier band File:Guernsey license plate rear yellow.jpg, Guernsey rear number plate without an identifier band

Other islands

Registration plates of Alderney are issued with the prefix 'AY' followed by a space and then one, two, three or four digits (as seen in the photo on the side). Residents or owners of property can register a vehicle which is primarily for circulation in Alderney can register their vehicle and receive a registration mark. Alderney is identified as a jurisdiction in its own right in the 1926 Convention on Motor Traffic. Before the Second World War registration were issued at the Island Hall by the Island's Government, the States of Alderney; following the 1948 Agreement driver and vehicle licensing was delegated by the States of Alderney to the Guernsey Government as one of the "transferred services"; thus motor vehicle registrations are now issued by the Guernsey Government upon application to the General Office of the States of Alderney at the Island Hall in Alderney. The international vehicle registration code for Alderney is GBA.

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of l ...

and Herm ban motor vehicles other than tractors from their roads.

References

{{Guernsey topics

Transport in Guernsey Guernsey-related lists