User:40bus/License plates/Belgium 2
In Belgium, vehicle registration plates are issued by the Belgium Transport Authority and are made in the state penitentiary. The plates are made of aluminium with reflective base and embossed characters.
The current registration system uses three letters and three digits or three digits and three letters in Helvetica Neue. The plates are issued randomly, they are not issued sequentially and they do not have any geographic coding. There are no special letters or number series for special vehicle types (this may vary depending on type of plates, see chart below.)
The registration system was introduced on 1 January 1989. All vehicles changed to it (an exception was made for antique cars that keep the district system) and keep the same registration number for life. If a vehicle is, e.g., changed to commercial vehicle it gets commercial plates but they have the same registration number. All plates in the new system have validation stickers in the middle that indicate the year the vehicle is due for safety inspection.
Vanity plates are allowed that do not conflict with the new system. Some use it for their old district plate number but must use the new design, except for antique vehicles.
The plates are available in 4 sizes:
Cars have 3 sizes: European standard 520 mm × 110 mm (20.5 in × 4.3 in), North American standard 305 mm × 155 mm (12.0 in × 6.1 in) and European square 280 mm × 200 mm (11.0 in × 7.9 in).
Motorcycle plates are 240 mm × 130 mm (9.4 in × 5.1 in).