If you are driving to the EU this summer you may need a new sticker for your car, even if your vehicle's number plate says 'GB' on it.
Motorists bringing their cars from the UK to mainland Europe via ports like Newcastle and Dover must display a 'UK' identifier on their car. Previously, cars driven abroad had to display a number plate, sticker or sign with the letters 'GB', for Great Britain, but the rules changed in September 2021, at the request of the UK Government.
“Changing the national identifier from GB to the UK symbolises our unity as a nation and is part of a wider move towards using the UK signifier across government. We notified the UN of our intention to make these changes in July and have been working with the sector to implement the change,” a spokesman for the Department of Transport said last year.
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Do I need GB or UK sticker or numberplate to drive my car in abroad?
Since September 2021, "you must display the UK identifier when driving a UK-registered vehicle abroad," states the Department for Transport.
That means if there is a GB identifier on your number plate (usually in a blue box to the left), or you have a GB sticker, you will need to display a UK sticker "clearly on the rear of your vehicle".
You also have to add a UK sticker if your number plate has a Euro symbol and or a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales, or has no identifier at all.
Essentially, if your number plate does not have 'UK' on it as an identifier, you will need a UK sticker or magnetic sign, if you drive abroad - other than to the Republic of Ireland, where it is not required. The rules are slightly tougher for driving your own car in Spain, Malta and Cyprus, compared to the rest of the EU.
If you break the rules you can be fined, the RAC warns holidaymakers.
UK car sticker rules are even stricter in Spain
If you are driving in Spain, Malta or Cyprus, you will need a 'UK' sticker on your vehicle, regardless of what is on your number plate. So if your number plate has a UK identifier, you will still need a UK car sticker on the rear of your UK-registered vehicle if driving it in Spain, Malta or Cyprus
Why did number plates and car stickers for travel change from GB to UK?
As the RAC notes, the UK Government made the request to the United Nations (UN), to change its vehicle identifier from GB to UK. The Department for Transport has said that is part of a wider move across Government. One reason is GB - Great Britain - only formally includes England, Wales and Scotland, whereas the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) is inclusive of Northern Ireland as well as England, Scotland and Wales.
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