Why do some cars have red number plates in France?
Red plates are one of several rare coloured plates you might see on French roads
Red number plates are given to drivers under special circumstances
Alphacit Newim Reporter/Shutterstock
Eagle-eyed drivers in France may spot rare red number plates on the road during trips around the country.
These plates, which have a bright red background and a whitish-silver numbering/lettering, are one of the rare examples of a non-standard number plate on a vehicle driving in France.
Due to their uncommon nature however, you may not be aware of the reasons why they exist.
Differ from pink number plates
Since 2009, all French vehicles being registered for the first time, or old vehicles being registered with a new owner, have received a number plate using the SIV (Système d'Immatriculation des Véhicules) format.
The SIV applies a standard XX-000-XX format for all vehicles registered in France. Information is written in black on a white background, flanked by two blue banners.
The plate also signifies the vehicle is registered in France via the letter ‘F’ surrounded by EU stars on its left-hand side.
Unlike in other countries such as the UK and US, number plates cannot be personalised and must adhere to this system.
The only part of the plate that can be customised is the departmental tag on the right-hand side.
Vehicles driven in France under special circumstances must use different plates however, to be more recognisable to authorities.
Earlier this year, authorities introduced pink backgrounds for temporary ‘WW’ plates used by drivers upon first importing a vehicle to France, to make it easier for authorities to recognise them and run anti-fraud checks.
Owners of a WW-plate vehicle have moved to France permanently.
What red plates mean
In turn, red plates are used for vehicles in temporary transit, or a vehicle that is eligible to drive on French roads only for a certain period of time.
Unlike pink plates, which must eventually be replaced by a standard SIV plate once French registration formalities are complete, vehicles with a red number plate should no longer be in France by the time they expire.
This expiry date is denoted through the numbers on the plate’s right-hand side (showing the month and year).
In rare cases of ‘free zones’ (zones franches) such as the Pays de Gex near the Swiss border, the department symbol remains. Drivers in these zones can purchase vehicles made outside of the EU duty-free zone, as long as they use a red number plate.
A common example of a red plate driver is an American moving to France for six months as part of a work project, who chooses to import their car.
As they are only here temporarily, they cannot register the vehicle with French number plates, but must use the red number plates instead. These are taken off when the car is returned to the US.
Note that visitors to France (including those visiting second homes) do not need to register for a red number plate, as they are not transferring their residence to the country.
Drivers may also see green number plates on vehicles across France. These are used on diplomatic vehicles.
