Front plates
Rear plates
| Trailer license plates | License plates 1946 - 1959 | Related Links |
Last modified Jan-20, 2008 |
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Front plates
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Rear plates
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| In 1959 new type of license plates was introduced in USSR. New license plates had four digits and three letters: white writing on black background. Most of European license plates at that time had same colors combination. First two letters in the new standard signified an area where vehicle was registered. Most of republics in Soviet Union had territorial divisions called “oblast” (province). Some republics, with relatively small population and no "oblast" subdivisions, had one license plate series for entire territory. In most of provinces third letter specified type of ownership: private or government. In USSR all businesses were owned by government. All trucks, buses, taxi cabs and special vehicles belonged to the government. Only sedans and small 4x4 vehicles could be privately owned. |
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"ААН" - Azerbaijan, series for vehicles traveling outside of USSR |
"АБ" - Altay territory (Russia), last series after "АЛ" |
"АВЕ" - Leningrad province, series for vehicles traveling outside of USSR |
"АВО" - Moscow province (without city), series for vehicles traveling outside of USSR |
"АГ" - Azerbaijan, second series after "АЗ" and before "АЖ" |
 "АД" - Armenia republic, last series after "АР" |
"АЕВ" - Gorkiy province, series for vehicles traveling outside of USSR |
"АЖ" - Azerbaijan, last series after "АГ" |
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"АЗ" - Azerbaijan, first series before "АГ" |
"АК" - Tselinograd (before 1961 - Akmolinsk) province (Kazakhstan) |
"АЛ" - Altay territory (Russia), first series before "АБ" |
"АМ" - Amur province (Russia) |
"АП" - Alma-Ata province, without city (Kazakhstan) |
"АР" - Armenia republic, first series before "АД" |
"АТ" - Alma-Ata city (Kazakhstan) |
"АХ" - Arkhangelsk province (Russia) |
"АШ" - Ashkhabad province (Turkmenistan) |
"АЮ" - Aktyubinsk province (Kazakhstan) |
"БА" - Bashkir autonomous republic (Russia), first series before "БШ" |
"БЕ" - Belgorod province (Russia) |
"БН" - Brest province (Belarus) |
"БР" - Bryansk province (Russia) |
"БУ" - Buryat autonomous republic (Russia) |
"БХ" - Bukhara province (Uzbekistan) |
"БШ" - Bashkir autonomous republic (Russia) , last series after "БА" |
"ВВ" - Voronezh province (Russia), first series before "ВЖ" |
"ВГ" - Voroshilovgrad province ( until 1970 and after currently Lugansk province, Ukraine), last series after "ЛУ" |
"ВЕК" - Ukraine, series for vehicles traveling outside of USSR |
"ВЖ" - Voronezh province (Russia), last series after "ВВ" |
"ВИ" - Vinnitsa province (Ukraine) |
"ВК" - East-Kazakhstan province (Kazakhstan) |
"ВЛ" - Vladimir province (Russia) |
"ВН" - Volyn province (Ukraine) |
"ВМР" - Cheliabinsk province (Russia), series for vehicles traveling outside of USSR |
"ВО" - Vologda province (Russia) |
"ВРН" - Latvia, series for vehicles traveling outside of USSR |
"ВТ" - Vitebsk province (Belarus) |
"ГА" - Georgia republic |
"ГВ" - Gorkiy province (Russia), second series after "ГО" |
"ГГ" - Georgia republic |
"ГК" - Grodno province (Belarus) |
"ГО" - Gorkiy province (Russia), first series before "ГВ" |
"ГР" - Georgia republic |
"ГС" - Gomel province (Belarus) |
"ДД" - Dzhizak province (Uzbekistan) |
"ДЖ" - Dzhambul province (Kazakhstan) |
"ДК" - Dzhezkazgan province (Kazakhstan) |
"ДН" - Dnepropetrovsk province (Ukraine), first series before "ДП" |
"ДО" - Donetsk province (Ukraine), second series after "СЛ" and before "ДЦ" |
"ДП" - Dnepropetrovsk province (Ukraine), last series after "ДН" |
"ДР" - Lvov province (Ukraine), second series. At the early 80-s was issued in parallel with "ЛВ". |
"ДЦ" - Donetsk province (Ukraine), last series after "ДО" |
"ЕА" - Estonia, last series after "ЭС", starting from early 70-s |
"ЖИ" - Zhitomir province (Ukraine) |
"ЗА" - Zakarpatye province (Ukraine) |
"ЗП" - Zaporozye province (Ukraine), first series before "ЗР" |
"ЗР" - Zaporozye province (Ukraine), last series after "ЗП" |
"ИВ" - Ivanovo province (Russia) |
"ИР" - Irkutsk province (Russia), first series before "ИС" |
"ИС" - Irkutsk province (Russia), last series after "ИР" |
"ИФ" - Ivano-Frankovsk province (Stanislav until 1961, Ukraine), second series after "СЯ" |
"КА" - Kalinin province (currently Tver, Russia) |
"КБ" - Kabardino-Balkar autonomous republic (Russia) |
"КВ" - Kirov province (Russia) |
"КГ"- Karaganda province (Kazakhstan) |
"КД" - Kirovograd province (Ukraine) |
"КЕ" - Kemerovo province, first series before "ЦХ" (Russia) |
"КЖ" - Kaluga province (Russia) |
"КЗ" - Kzyl-Orda province (Kazakhstan) |
"КИ" - Kiev city (Ukraine), first series before "ХТ" |
"КК" - Krasnodar territory (Russia), first series before "ЦП" |
"КЛ" - Kaliningrad province (Russia) |
"КМ" - Komi autonomous republic (Russia) |
"КН" - Kugran province (Russia) |
"КМ" - Komi autonomous republic (Russia) |
"КН" - Kugran province (Russia) |
"КС" - Karelia autonomous republic (Russia) |
"КТ" - Kokchetav province (Kazakhstan) |
"КУ" - Kursk province (Russia) |
"КХ" - Kiev province, without city |
"КЦ" - Kalmikiya autonomous republic (Russia) |
"КЧ" - Kamchatka province (Russia) |
"КШ" - Kuibishev province (now Samara, Russia), first series before "УК" |
"КЭ" - Krasnoyarsk territory (Russia), second series after "КЯ" |
"КЮ" - Kulyab province (Tajikistan) |
"КЯ" - Krasnoyarsk territory (Russia), first series before "КЭ" |
"ЛА" - Latvia, first series before "ЛТ" |
"ЛВ" - Lvov province (Ukraine), first series. At the early 80-s was issued in parallel with "ДР" |
"ЛД" - Leningrad city, second series after "ЛЕ" |
"ЛЕ" - Leningrad city , first series before "ЛД" |
"ЛИ" - Lithuania, first serieas before "ЛЛ" |
"ЛК" - Lithuania, third series after "ЛЛ" |
"ЛЛ" - Lithuania, second series after "ЛИ" before "ЛК" |
"ЛО" - Leningrad city and Leningrad province |
"ЛП" - Lipetsk province (Russia) |
"ЛТ" - Latvia republic, second series, after "ЛА" |
"ЛУ" - Lugansk province (between 1970 and 1990 - Voroshilovgrad province, Ukraine), first series before "ВГ" |
"МА" - Magadan province (Russia) |
"МБ" - Minsk province, without city (Belarus) |
"МВ" - Moldavia republic, last series after "МД" |
"МГ" - Mogilev province (Belarus) |
"МД" - Moldavia republic, first series before "МВ" |
"МЕ" - Moscow province (without Moscow city) |
"МИ" - Minsk city (Belarus) |
"МК" - Moscow city (second series) |
"ММ" - Moscow city (third series) |
"МН" - Moscow city (fourth series) |
"МО" - Moscow city (first series) |
"МР" - Mordovia autonomous republic (Russia) |
"МС" - Mariy autonomous republic (Russia) |
"МТ" - Moscow city (fifth series) |
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There
was no such thing like personalized license plates in USSR. However in most of provinces local authorities and communist leaders had cars with special series
or special subsets of certain series. Such license plates guarantied more
favorable treatment by soviet policemen. 1959 standard license plates had the following dimensions: car front plate - 467х112 mm or 18.4x4.4 inch, car/trailer rear plate - 293х174, mm or 11.5x6.8 inch, motorcycle plate (rear only) - 210х140 mm or 8.3x5.5 inch. |
In USSR vehicles traveling to foreign countries have had to replace original license plates with special ones for the period of travel. Those license plates had same standard, but letters were only ones that have Latin transcription. Usually each province had special series for vehicles traveling abroad, but not always. For example, in Ukraine there was series common for entire republic. Not many soviet people had an opportunity to travel abroad, especially with their own cars. Therefore most of "foreign" license plates might be seen on trucks of the only Soviet international road freight transport company "Sovtransavto".
Lifecycle
of a license plates was usually not longer then lifecycle of a vehicle. If vehicle’s
operation was terminated license plates were returned to the local DMV (“ГАИ”)
office. In case of change of ownership license plates were replaced.
License plates of 1959 standard came after license plates of 1946 standard, which had two letters and four digits: black writing on yellow background. This standard at the end of fifties run out of combinations. 1959 standard license plates were issued until early 80-s. In many areas of former Soviet Union you still can see cars with black license plates. Those plates not only identify vehicle registration but also symbolize entire epoch that gone forever...
| License plates of different regions: Kiev, Lvov, Leningrad, Moscow ("МО"), Moscow ("МК"), Moscow ("ММ"), Odessa, Omsk, Perm, Rayzan, Stavropol. |
| Many thanks to members of www.rcforum.ru and gaz21.ru Forum for unique and priceless information and photographs. |
| Personal gratitude to K. Losevsky, Jim Gordon, Valery Smichkov, Artiom Konovalov, Alexander Barakin, Dmitry, Anton Ternovsky, Boris K., Andrey Mikhailov, Igor Denisovets, Yuri Petrov, Sergei Iones, Dmitry Osipchuk, Yevgen Karpenko for rare license plates pictures and valuable information. |
| Some pictures from www.migalki.com are published on this site. |
