Diplomatic vehicle registration plate

Most countries issue diplomatic license plates to accredited diplomats. Per the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, these are special vehicle registration plates which typically have distinctive features to allow diplomatic vehicles to be distinguished from other vehicles by police and other bodies,[1] allowing them to give diplomatic vehicles special treatment and warning them that the operators and passengers of those vehicles may have diplomatic immunity.[2]

Swiss diplomatic plate
Macedonian diplomatic plate
Italian diplomatic plate, XG is the code of Vatican City
Indian vehicle registration plate of a car belonging to the diplomatic mission of The Netherlands (code 52)
Current-style U.S. diplomatic plate from the late 2000s

History

It is unknown when the first diplomatic licence plate was issued.[3]

Conventions

Conventions on the format of diplomatic license plates vary from country to country. They often feature the letters "CD" (for "corps diplomatique"), “CC” (for “corps consulaire”), "D" (for "diplomat") or prefix of international organisations with diplomatic privileges, such as "EU" (for "European Union") and "OSCE" (for Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe").[3]

Critics

Critics of these plates say that operators of these vehicles abuse these privileges, often parking in illegal spaces and breaking vehicular law without fear of repercussion.[2]

In 2019, in Japan, 2,600 parking violations involved diplomatic cars, out of which only 25% paid the fine. There are around 1900 cars with diplomatic licence plates in Japan.[4] In Washington DC, from 2002 to 2019, cars with diplomatic plates have accumulated $745,280 in unpaid traffic and parking tickets.[5]

References
  1. "Office of Foreign Missions Diplomatic License Plates". dcplates.com.
  2. Hogan, Bernadette (December 5, 2019). "Diplomats, out-of-staters owe NYC millions in parking tickets". New York Post.
  3. Luxner, Larry (June 11, 2021). "A license to collect: Unraveling the obscure history of diplomatic plates". Washington Diplomat.
  4. "Only 25% of parking violations by diplomatic cars in Japan paid last year". Mainichi Daily News. 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  5. Wallace •, Jacob. "Diplomatic Plate Holders Owe DC $745K in Unpaid Traffic Tickets". NBC4 Washington. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
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