GB stickers ditched for UK marker under new number plate law

Switch to UK sticker comes nine months after drivers told GB plates were the new standard
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Drivers heading to Europe from this week will need to make sure their car carries the right number plate and country sticker after a change in the law.

From Tuesday, 28 September the traditional GB sticker is being replaced by a UK one, with implications for drivers with new GB number plates as well as those with older EU-style plates.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The change is the second alteration to number plate rules this year and is believed to be an effort to show “solidarity” with Northern Ireland in the wake of Brexit.

For the last 111 years, the GB sticker has been valid for cars from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. However, the GB stands for Great Britain, which includes England, Scotland and Wales but not Northern Ireland, while the United Kingdom is made up of all four nations.

Drivers heading to the continent will need to ensure they display the right number plate and sticker combination Drivers heading to the continent will need to ensure they display the right number plate and sticker combination
Drivers heading to the continent will need to ensure they display the right number plate and sticker combination

The swap comes just nine months after the rules on which cars needed to display a GB sticker or magnet changed in the wake of Brexit.

In January, the Government changed the rules so that any vehicle with a number plate featuring the GB identifier and Union Flag did not need to display a separate GB sticker, while cars featuring a Scottish, Welsh or EU identifier did.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

At the time, the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps tweeted: “Brits will be able to drive on the Continent without GB stickers thanks to new reg plate with Union Flag and GB.”

Now, however, motorists with those GB plates will have to display a UK sticker as well or replace their plates with new UK ones. Drivers with EU, Scotland or Wales identifiers will also need to replace any GB sticker or magnet with a UK one before heading abroad.

While it promoted January’s change heavily, the Government has been less keen to advertise the latest changes.

The move was only revealed by the United Nations which said it had received “a notification stating that the United Kingdom is changing the distinguishing sign that it had previously selected for display in international traffic on vehicles registered in the United Kingdom, from ‘GB’ to ‘UK’”.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We want to hear from you: let us know what you think about this story and be part of the debate in our comments section below

A message from the editor:

Thank you for reading. NationalWorld is a new national news brand, produced by a team of journalists, editors, video producers and designers who live and work across the UK. Find out more about who’s who in the team, and our editorial values. We want to start a community among our readers, so please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and keep the conversation going. You can also sign up to our email newsletters and get a curated selection of our best reads to your inbox every day.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.