How to distinguish between Tianjin regional license plates and regular license plates?
2 Answers
The difference between Tianjin regional license plates and regular license plates lies in their division standards: As a municipality directly under the central government, Tianjin does not divide license plate numbers by districts or counties; in general regions, license plates are divided by provincial vehicle management offices based on the conditions of each prefecture-level city. The Tianjin license plate codes are as follows: private cars, commercial vehicles, or company vehicles use Jin A, B, C, D, F, G, with Jin A also representing buses and police vehicles; F and G are relatively new license plates, applied for by new vehicles; Jin E is for taxi license plates; Jin O is for public security bureau license plates. Each province and city is different, with divisions based on comprehensive administrative area, total population, economic strength, etc. The subsequent letters are not in any particular order, and when arranging cities or other prefecture-level administrative regions, I and O are skipped, with O often used for police or government unit license plates.
I've lived in Tianjin for ten years, commuting by car daily, so distinguishing between regional license plates and regular ones is no challenge. The key is in the prefix of the plate number: regular plates usually start with 'Jin A' or 'Jin B' and are blue, allowing unrestricted access throughout the city at any time, including congested downtown areas. Regional plates, on the other hand, such as those starting with 'Jin N', 'Jin Q', or 'Jin R', can only enter areas inside the Outer Ring Road during specified hours, like before 7 AM or after 8 PM, and must stay outside the Outer Ring at other times. Why the distinction? The Tianjin government aims to manage traffic pressure and reduce congestion in the core areas. When buying my car, I specifically chose a regular plate to avoid worrying about accidentally entering restricted zones during rush hours and getting fined. I've also seen neighbors with regional plates often taking detours, which is quite inconvenient. In short, the starting letter of the license plate is the simplest identifier, making the difference obvious at a glance.
