The Greek car license plates are composed of three letters and four digits per plate (f.e:AAA-1000). The letters represent the district that issues the plates while the numbers begin from 1000 and reach 9999.The same plates but with digits beginning from 1 and finishing in 999 are issued to motorbikes that exceed 50 c.c. Except Athens and Thessaloniki (Salonica) all other districts are represented by the first 2 letters while the third changes after 8.999 issued plates. For example Patras district plates are AXA-1000, where AX represents the Achaia district in which Patras is the capital.When AXA-9999 is reached the plates turn to AXB-1000 and this continues until AXX is finished. Note that the letters used are only from the intersection between the Latin and Greek alphabets, namely A,B,E,Z,H,I,K,M,N,O,P,T,Y,X (in Greek alphabetical order).

The ones used for overseas residents is L-DDDD and are limited use. Ones that are used for sport utility vehicles (some) and tractors are not part of this system, it uses DDDDD. Until 2003, taxis used L-DDDD and was aligned with the prefecture and was colored red.

History

When license plates were introduced to Greece, they were numbered and in the 1960s, the system was DDD-DDD, they became lettered and the system was LL-DDDD while trucks used L-DDDD until the 1980s, when they changed to LLL-DDDD and uses this present system.

The almost full list of plates in Greece is below (next to the prefecture/district is its capital or an area within the prefecture that the plates are issued;some pefectures have more than one combinations):

• AH Xanthi prefecture-Xanthi (AHH is omitted)
• AI Aitoloakarnania prefecture-Agrinio area (AIH is omitted)
• AK Laconia prefecture-Sparti
• AM Phokida prefecture-Amfissa
• AN Lasithi prefecture-Ag. Nikolaos
• AO Achaia prefecture - Patras
• AP Argolis prefecture-Argos
• AT Arta prefecture-Arta
• AX Achaia prefecture-Patras
• AZ not yet in circulation
• BI Viotia prefecture-Livadeia
• BO Magnesia prefecture-Volos
• EB Evros---last seen:EBE... (EBB not used)
• EE Pella prefecture-Edessa
• EK trucks, other vehicles* (introduced in 2003/2004?), colored in pink, and vehicles used for interprefectural and interaerial uses.
• EM Cyclades prefecture-Ermoupoli
• EP Serres prefecture-Serres
• EY Lefkada
• ZA Zante
• ZB-ZY Attica, ZA is excluded
• HA Ilia prefecture-Pyrgos (HAA is omitted)
• HK Heraklio prefecture-Heraklio
• HM Imathia prefecture-Veria
• HN Thesprotia prefecture-Igoumenitsa
• HP Heraklio prefecture-Heraklio
• IN Ioannina prefecture-Ioannina
• KA Karditsa prefecture-Karditsa (KAA is omitted)
• KB Kavala prefecture-Kavala (KBB is omitted)
• KE Kefallinia/Kefalonia prefecture-Kefalonia
• KZ Kozani prefecture-Kozani (KZZ is omitted)
• KH Marked in red;state cars plates, A-K? are for Eurytania
• KI Kilkis prefecture-Kilkis
• KM Messenia prefecture-Kalamata
• KN Pieria prefecture-Katerini (KNZ is omitted)
• KO Rodhopi prefecture
• KP Corinthia prefecture-Korinthos
• KT Kastoria prefecture-Kastoria
• KY Kerkyra (Corfu) prefecture-Kerkyra
• KX Dodecanese prefecture- Kos
• ME Aitoloakarnania prefecture-Messolongi
• MH Lesvos prefecture- Limnos
• MI Fthiotis prefecture-Lamia
• MO Samos prefecture-Samos
• MY Lesvos prefecture-Mytilini
• N Thessaloniki (Salonica) (as of April 2005, 'N' plates seem to be exhausted and cars from Thessaloniki are licensed in other prefectures)
• OP Evros prefecture-Orestiada area
• PA Florina prefecture-Florina (PAH is omitted)
• PE Rethymno prefecture-Rethymno (PEE is omitted)
• PZ Preveza prefecture-Preveza (PZB is omitted)
• PI Larissa prefecture-Larisa
• PM Drama prefecture-Drama (PMZ is omitted)
• PN Grevena prefecture-Grevena
• PO Dodecanese prefecture-Rodos(Rhodes)
• TA New plates for taxis; marked in yellow
• TK Trikala prefecture-Trikala
• TP Arcadia prefecture-Tripolis
• YA-YH Athens (exhausted)
• YI-YN Piraeus (exhausted)
• YZ, YO Attica (exhausted)
• XA Euboea prefecture-Chalkida (XAA is omitted)
• XI Chios prefecture-Chios
• XK Chalkidiki prefecture-Polygyros (XKZ is omitted)
• XN Chania prefecture-Chania
• YN Attica-Again in circulation? A new Polo has been seen with new European style license plates YNA

Special plates

Vehicles that belong to public services and armed forces use special license plates with the following letter compinations followed by numbers:

• ΠΣ - Fire Service
• ΕΑ - Police
• ΕΣ - Army
• ΠΝ - Navy
• ΠΑ - Air Force
• ΚΥΒ - Public services and local authorities