UK sticker for your car abroad: when you need one and where it goes

Yes, unless your number plate shows the UK identifier with the Union flag. A plate with only letters and numbers, a GB identifier, a Euro symbol or a flag of England, Scotland or Wales needs a white oval UK sticker on the rear of the car. Spain, Cyprus and Malta ask for one whatever the plate says.

GOV.UK’s guidance on driving in the EU puts the principle in one sentence: you must display the UK identifier when driving a UK-registered vehicle abroad. The identifier can sit on the number plate itself or on a separate sticker, and the only question is which of the two your car already has. That depends on how your plate was made, not on the age of the car, which is why two neighbours with similar cars can be told different things.

Three checks settle it for most drivers. First, read the left-hand edge of your plate. Second, look at the country you are driving to, because three countries override the plate. Third, make sure the papers in the glove box match the car. The sections below follow that order, and the tables say where each rule was read and when.

A plate that shows the UK identifier together with the Union flag needs no sticker. Every other design in the table below does, according to the GOV.UK page on flags, identifiers and stickers. The identifier is the small block of letters at the left-hand end of the plate, usually under a flag.

The same GOV.UK page lists what a plate may legally show on its left-hand side. You can choose one of four flags: the Union flag, the Cross of St George, the Cross of St Andrew (the Saltire) or the Red Dragon of Wales. The identifier beneath it can read UNITED KINGDOM or UK, GREAT BRITAIN or GB, CYMRU, CYM, ENGLAND, ENG, SCOTLAND, SCO or WALES. The flag must be above the identifier, neither may sit on the margin of the plate, and neither may be more than 50 millimetres wide.

So the check takes a few seconds. Walk round to the back of the car, read the left edge of the plate and compare it with the table. A plate with letters and numbers only, and no flag or identifier at all, gets the same answer as a GB identifier: a sticker is needed. GOV.UK’s page on number plates remains the reference if your plate does not match any row.

Spain, Cyprus and Malta. GOV.UK says that in these three countries you must display a UK sticker whatever your number plate shows, including a plate with the UK identifier and the Union flag. The Republic of Ireland is the opposite case: no sticker or identifier is needed there, whatever is on the plate.

The three countries are the ones to remember when you buy a new car or have your plates replaced. A driver who chose a plate with the UK identifier to avoid the sticker will still need one on the way to Alicante, Paphos or Valletta. Driving from Northern Ireland across the border is covered by the Irish exception, and the same goes for a Great Britain car taking the ferry to Dublin.

Our guide to ferry crossings to France covers the other end of a typical drive, and the Crit’Air sticker is a different, French certificate that has nothing to do with the UK identifier.

One more point on the rule for Spain, Cyprus and Malta: it applies to a UK-registered vehicle in those countries, not to every road in the EU. Everywhere else, GOV.UK says the answer depends on your plate and your destination, as the table above shows. If your plate does not carry the UK identifier with the Union flag, the sticker goes on before the ferry, not at the first service station.

The UK sticker goes on the rear of the vehicle, never on the number plate. GOV.UK says in terms: do not put the sticker on your number plate. It is a white oval sticker, and it has replaced the old white oval GB sticker.

If you still have an old GB sticker on the car, GOV.UK tells you to cover or remove it before driving outside the UK. A car that has crossed the Channel for years with the same GB sticker on the boot needs it replaced, not left in place.

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  Rear of the car, clear of the plate: The sticker is displayed on the rear of the vehicle. GOV.UK says not to put it on the number plate.
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  UK on the sticker, not GB: The white oval UK sticker replaced the GB sticker. An old one is covered or removed before you drive outside the UK.
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  A legal plate first: On the plate itself, the flag must be above the identifier and neither may sit on the margin or be more than 50 millimetres wide.

The UK sticker replaced the GB sticker from 28 September 2021, according to the update history of GOV.UK’s driving in the EU guidance. Before that date a plate with the GB identifier and the Union flag was enough in most EU countries, which is why many drivers still believe it is.

The first change came earlier. GOV.UK announced on 31 January 2021 that the EU flag had been removed from UK driving licences and number plate designs, with new designs issued from 1 January 2021 and existing plates remaining valid. That is why plates with a European Union flag appear in the table above: they stay legal in the UK, but they need a sticker abroad. The 2021 page said drivers would not need a GB sticker in most EU countries if their plate had GB, and that advice no longer holds.

The UK sticker rule is written for UK-registered vehicles. Vehicles registered in Gibraltar, Guernsey and Jersey use their own distinguishing signs, which are GBZ, GBG and GBJ. We found no official source for the Isle of Man sign, so we do not print one.

The three codes come from the United Nations. In a notification of 26 February 2019, the UN depositary of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic records that Gibraltar selected GBZ, Guernsey GBG and Jersey GBJ as the distinguishing sign for vehicles registered by each of them. On 24 September 2021, the Government of Jersey confirmed that Jersey-registered vehicles keep the GBJ sign when travelling abroad, because the change from GB to UK applies only to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

If your car is registered in one of these places, ask the vehicle registry of Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man which sign to display, since GOV.UK’s number-plate page does not cover them.

Your driving licence, and for your own car the V5C log book. GOV.UK says you need to take your Great Britain or Northern Ireland driving licence with you, and for a vehicle you take to the EU for less than 12 months you carry the V5C. GOV.UK’s list of documents adds one sentence about the vehicle: if you are taking your own vehicle, you also need to take your log book (V5C) and your insurance certificate.

For a hired or leased vehicle the V5C is not yours to carry. GOV.UK says you need a VE103 certificate showing that you are allowed to use it abroad. Your hire company may also ask for your licence details, which you can share with a check code from the view driving licence service, valid for up to 21 days before the trip.

GOV.UK tells holders of a paper licence to update it to a photocard licence or get an IDP. If you hold a paper licence, or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man, you might need an international driving permit (IDP) in some EU countries and in Norway. An IDP costs £5.50 and you apply in person at certain PayPoint shops. Which type you need depends on the country, and our guide to the international driving permit explains the three conventions.

Look at your plate, then the destination, then the papers. The list below keeps the order of this page.

1. Read the left edge of your number plate and compare it with the table of plate designs.
2. Check whether you are driving to Spain, Cyprus or Malta, where a UK sticker is displayed whatever the plate says.
3. Buy a white oval UK sticker if the plate needs one, and put it on the rear of the car, never on the plate.
4. Cover or remove any old GB sticker before you drive outside the UK.
5. Pack your licence, the V5C or the VE103, and check whether you need an IDP for the countries on your route.
6. Check the emission sticker for the cities you will cross: GOV.UK warns that some need buying weeks before you travel.

If your route runs through France, the Crit’Air sticker for UK drivers is the one to order first. GOV.UK’s driving abroad guidance also lists a reflective jacket and a warning triangle among the equipment many countries ask for, with the UK sticker on the same list, and our driving in Europe from the UK hub links the country guides.

Most mistakes come from rules that used to be true. A sticker bought in 2019 can be the wrong one today. The list below shows the four that matter.

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  Relying on a GB identifier: A GB identifier with the Union flag was enough before 28 September 2021. It now needs a UK sticker.
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  Assuming a UK plate is enough in Spain: In Spain, Cyprus and Malta a UK sticker is displayed whatever the plate shows.
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  Sticking it on the plate: GOV.UK says not to put the sticker on your number plate.
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  Buying one for Ireland: No sticker or identifier is needed in the Republic of Ireland, whatever the plate shows.

• Do I need a UK sticker if my plate has the Union flag?

  Not if the plate shows the UK identifier with the Union flag, except in Spain, Cyprus and Malta, where GOV.UK says a UK sticker is displayed whatever the plate shows. A plate with a GB identifier and the Union flag does need one.

• Is a GB sticker still valid?

  No. The UK sticker replaced the GB sticker from 28 September 2021, and GOV.UK says to cover or remove an old GB sticker before driving outside the UK.

• Do I need a UK sticker to drive in Ireland?

  No. GOV.UK says vehicles registered in Great Britain or Northern Ireland do not need a sticker or identifier in the Republic of Ireland, whatever is on the plate.

• Where do I put the UK sticker on my car?

  On the rear of the vehicle, never on the number plate. It is a white oval sticker.

• Do I need a UK sticker for France?

  Yes if your plate has only letters and numbers, a GB identifier, a Euro symbol or a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales. A plate with the UK identifier and the Union flag needs none in France.

• What sign does a Jersey, Guernsey or Gibraltar car display?

  Their own signs: GBJ for Jersey, GBG for Guernsey and GBZ for Gibraltar, according to the UN depositary notification of 26 February 2019. Jersey confirmed on 24 September 2021 that GBJ stays.

• What does the Isle of Man display?

  We found no official source for the Isle of Man sign, so we do not state one. Ask the Isle of Man vehicle registry.

• Which documents do I carry in my own car abroad?

  Your driving licence and the V5C log book, plus the other papers GOV.UK lists for a vehicle you take abroad. For a hired or leased vehicle you carry a VE103 instead of the V5C.

• Do I need an international driving permit as well?

  Not always. GOV.UK says you do not need one in the EU, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Ireland with a UK licence, but you might with a paper licence. The permit costs £5.50.