Turkey provincial plate codes are assigned to provinces in alphabetical order as they were declared. The provincial plate codes for Turkey are listed as follows:
| City Name | Telephone Code | Traffic Code |
| Adana | 322 | 1 |
| Adıyaman | 416 | 2 |
| Afyon | 272 | 3 |
| Ağrı | 472 | 4 |
| Aksaray | 382 | 68 |
| Amasya | 358 | 5 |
| Ankara | 312 | 6 |
| Antalya | 242 | 7 |
| Ardahan | 478 | 75 |
| Artvin | 466 | 8 |
| Aydın | 256 | 9 |
| Balıkesir | 266 | 10 |
| Bartın | 378 | 74 |
| Batman | 488 | 72 |
| Bayburt | 458 | 69 |
| Bilecik | 228 | 11 |
| Bingöl | 426 | 12 |
| Bitlis | 434 | 13 |
| Bolu | 374 | 14 |
| Burdur | 248 | 15 |
| Bursa | 224 | 16 |
| Çanakkale | 286 | 17 |
| Çankırı | 376 | 18 |
| Çorum | 364 | 19 |
| Denizli | 258 | 20 |
| Diyarbakır | 412 | 21 |
| Düzce | 380 | 81 |
| Edirne | 284 | 22 |
| Elazığ | 424 | 23 |
| Erzincan | 446 | 24 |
| Erzurum | 442 | 25 |
| Eskişehir | 222 | 26 |
| Gaziantep | 342 | 27 |
| Giresun | 454 | 28 |
| Gümüşhane | 456 | 29 |
| Hakkari | 438 | 30 |
| Hatay | 326 | 31 |
| Iğdır | 476 | 76 |
| Isparta | 246 | 32 |
| İçel (Mersin) | 324 | 33 |
| Istanbul (European) | 212 | 34 |
| Istanbul (Asian) | 216 | 34 |
| İzmir | 232 | 35 |
| Kahramanmaraş | 344 | 46 |
| Karabük | 370 | 78 |
| Karaman | 338 | 70 |
| Kars | 474 | 36 |
| Kastamonu | 366 | 37 |
| Kayseri | 352 | 38 |
| Kırklareli | 288 | 39 |
| Kırıkkale | 318 | 71 |
| Kırşehir | 386 | 40 |
| Kilis | 342 | 79 |
| Kocaeli (İzmit) | 262 | 41 |
| Konya | 332 | 42 |
| Kütahya | 274 | 43 |
| Malatya | 422 | 44 |
| Manisa | 236 | 45 |
| Mardin | 482 | 47 |
| Muğla | 252 | 48 |
| Muş | 436 | 49 |
| Nevşehir | 384 | 50 |
| Niğde | 388 | 51 |
| Ordu | 452 | 52 |
| Osmaniye | 328 | 80 |
| Rize | 464 | 53 |
| Sakarya (Adapazarı) | 264 | 54 |
| Samsun | 362 | 55 |
| Siirt | 484 | 56 |
| Sinop | 368 | 57 |
| Sivas | 346 | 58 |
| Şanlıurfa | 414 | 63 |
| Şırnak | 486 | 73 |
| Tekirdağ | 282 | 59 |
| Tokat | 356 | 60 |
| Trabzon | 462 | 61 |
| Tunceli | 428 | 62 |
| Uşak | 276 | 64 |
| Van | 432 | 65 |
| Yalova | 226 | 77 |
| Yozgat | 354 | 66 |
| Zonguldak | 372 | 67 |
If a new province is created, its plate code can be assigned sequentially after 82 regardless of alphabetical order.
How Were Plate Numbers Assigned?
When the initial list of provincial plate codes was created, codes were assigned according to alphabetical order. That original sequence ended with 67 for Yozgat. In later years, when administrative changes occurred, new provinces received the next available code in sequence.
The most recently declared province was Düzce, which received the last assigned code at the time, 81. It is possible to assign further numbers up to 99 if needed.
Why Are License Plates Necessary?
License plates are required to track vehicles within the country and to manage inspections and controls by province. Plates are also essential for official processes such as insurance and for handling incidents like accidents, where the plate serves as an identifier.
Another reason for issuing plates is to prevent smuggling and other illegal activities using vehicles. Driving without a plate can result in heavy penalties.
When Did Plate Numbering Begin?
Vehicle plate numbering in Turkey began in 1962. Before that time, vehicles did not carry standardized plates, which caused numerous problems for traffic management.
Originally, the first two digits of a plate indicate the province code; the letters that follow are used to identify districts within the province. By looking at a plate, one can determine the vehicle’s province and often its district.
How Are Special Plates Obtained?
Special plates are personalized plates requested by individuals. To obtain such plates, certain conditions must be met.
Typical conditions include:
- The plate code must match the province of residence when required.
- Fees or taxes for personalized plates typically range from a minimum to a maximum set amount and must be paid.
- The requested plate must be available and not already in use.
In some cases donors or special contributions are requested for personalized plates. There is no fixed amount for such donations, so the sums requested can vary widely.
What Are the Characteristics of Official Plates?
The characteristics of official plates are based on Turkey provincial plate codes. Additional features that identify an official plate include:
- Usually a white background with black characters.
- Standard dimensions are specified for width and height by regulation.
- The right side of the plate often includes a blue column with the country code TR.
How Are Letters on Plates Determined?
The letters that follow the province code on a plate generally correspond to districts. Each province uses a set of letters allocated to its districts. Often the letters reflect the first letter of the district name, but when multiple districts start with the same letter, additional letter combinations are used.
What Is a Temporary Plate?
Temporary plates are non-permanent plates issued for vehicles for a limited time. They may be used when vehicles from abroad are temporarily in the country and are sometimes produced with a yellow background. Temporary plates have restricted validity but are required for recognition and legal circulation during their valid period.
Who Uses Official Plates?
Official plates are assigned to state institutions and do not depend on individuals. Examples of official plates include:
- The Presidency uses a distinctive insignia on its vehicles rather than a numeric code on the plate.
- The Speaker of the Grand National Assembly is assigned the code 001 and uses red-colored plates.
- Members of parliament use red plates with codes such as 0002.
- Military vehicles have specific plates, typically white background with numeric designations.
Red plates are also used by ministries and other official bodies.
What Are the Plate Categories?
In the country, plates are categorized into several groups, including:
- Private/personal plates available to ordinary citizens.
- Plates assigned to mayors or governors.
- Plates for university rectors.
- Police vehicle plates.
- Plates issued for certain foreign residents.
- Consular plates.
- Commercial taxi plates.
- Official/state plates.
How to Check a Plate Number?
Plate inquiry services are used to determine vehicle registration details or to check for recorded damage in case of accidents. One common method is the national e-government portal, where you can search for vehicle information by using the vehicle inquiry tools.
Some queries require additional vehicle registration details besides the plate number, so it is useful to have the vehicle registration document available when performing a search.
How to Check Plate Information via SMS?
It is possible to check for recorded damage on a vehicle by sending the plate number via SMS to designated shortcodes. This SMS service is available through mobile operators and returns basic information about damage records linked to the plate.
How to Check Plates via the Police (EGM)?
The National Police (EGM) provides online services to check for traffic fines and related records. Through the EGM official website, you can search vehicles registered under a given plate to find outstanding fines and other traffic-related information.