What does optional license plate prefix mean?
3 Answers
Optional license plate prefix means that motor vehicle owners can choose their own license plate numbers. There are two ways to self-select license plate numbers: one is online selection, and the other is selection at the vehicle management office. Online selection is further divided into random selection and self-composed selection. For online selection, only combinations of numbers plus letters plus numbers are available. Owners can choose random selection or self-composed selection. The number segments available for self-composed selection are those that have been released for more than 7 days. Each self-composed attempt can include up to five numbers, with a total of 20 attempts allowed. Once a self-composed license plate number is selected, it cannot be changed. It is important to note that after selecting a number online, the owner must complete the registration process at the local vehicle management office within three days. If this period is exceeded, the selected number will automatically become invalid. After purchasing a car, the owner must register the license plate within 15-30 days, with a maximum of 30 days allowed. In special cases where the car is not registered within 30 days, the owner must obtain a temporary license plate from the vehicle management office, and temporary license plates can be applied for a maximum of three times.
The term 'optional license plate prefix' is quite interesting—it actually refers to the first Chinese character on the plate, which indicates the region, like '京' for Beijing or '沪' for Shanghai. When selecting a plate number, this character is usually fixed because vehicles must be registered locally. However, some regions allow choosing different city codes within the province, such as Guangdong's '粤A' to '粤Z,' meaning you can pick a preferred prefecture-level city code. But be aware: the prefix determines where your car undergoes annual inspections and handles traffic violations, so it's best to check local policies before choosing—don’t just pick based on which letter looks nice. I still remember agonizing over whether to select a prefix from a neighboring city, but in the end, I chose a local one for easier annual inspections.
The first Chinese character on a license plate indicates the vehicle's registration location. In our province, all plates start with the character 'Zhe'. The so-called optional license plate prefixes actually have limited choices. For example, some provinces support online custom numbering, allowing selection from different city codes within the province. But it mainly depends on where your vehicle is registered—you can't choose across provinces. I suggest clarifying two points before selecting: First, the prefix determines traffic restriction policies, as out-of-town plates may face limitations; Second, it affects insurance claims and annual inspection locations. Last time when helping my cousin choose a plate, I found that smaller cities offer more prefix combinations, while big cities make it harder to get good numbers—a practical tip worth noting.
