What does it mean to have two license plates stacked vertically?
2 Answers
It refers to dual license plates, meaning a vehicle displays two license plate numbers from different regions. For instance, vehicles that frequently cross borders between Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China are required to display two plates, resulting in the appearance of vertically stacked license plates. Additional Information: 1. License Plate Differentiation: Yue Z plates are categorized into private vehicle plates and cross-border passenger/freight vehicle (trucks, factory vehicles, buses) plates. For Hong Kong inbound vehicles, private plates consist of either four digits or a letter followed by three digits, while cross-border passenger/freight vehicle plates have letters in the second position or the first two positions. For Macau inbound vehicles, private plates are four digits, whereas cross-border plates start with a letter. 2. Eligibility for Plate Issuance: Private vehicle plates are allocated based on the owner's investment amount in Guangdong. In the Pearl River Delta region, an investment of $10 million USD grants one plate, while $5 million USD is required in other regions—more investment yields more plates. Cross-border passenger/freight vehicles only need to provide the transport company's cross-border transport qualification documents to obtain plates.
I understand many people are curious about the meanings of the two parts on a license plate. Simply put, based on my driving experience, a license plate is usually a single piece but designed with two lines. The upper part is the regional code—for example, in China, characters like 'Jing' represent Beijing, which is an abbreviation of the issuing location. The lower part is a combination of letters and numbers, serving as the vehicle's unique identifier, much like an ID number. The advantage of this design is that it allows for quick identification of a vehicle's origin, making it easier for traffic police to investigate cases or for surveillance systems to recognize vehicles. In other regions, such as EU countries, the top of the license plate often features a blue strip with a national flag, serving a similar purpose as a regional identifier. This layout enhances vehicle management efficiency and reduces the possibility of confusion. Overall, it's a globally recognized smart design.
