Vehicle registration plates of East Timor
Vehicle registration plates of East Timor are Australian standard 372 mm × 134 mm, and use Australian stamping dies. East Timor requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates.[1] Vehicle registration numbers consist of five digits, and display the letters TL or TLS, short for Timor Lorosae, the name for East Timor in Tetum (or Timor-Leste, the name of the country in Portuguese). The current format started in 2002.
Regular legal standard number plate from East Timor. | |
| Country | East Timor |
|---|---|
| Country code | None |
| Current series | |
| Size | 372 mm × 134 mm 14.6 in × 5.3 in |
| Serial format | Not standard |
| Colour (front) | Black on white |
| Colour (rear) | Black on white |
Vehicle types
| Vehicle types[2] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Example | Meaning | ||
| Private | ||||
| Official |
|
|||
Government vehicles have a similar format, but with four digits and the letter 'G'.
Portuguese Timor
When the country was a Portuguese colony, known as Portuguese Timor, vehicle registrations followed the same format to those used in Portugal, and other colonies, using the prefix T (for Timor) or alternatively TP for Timor Português or Portuguese Timor in Portuguese in white letters on a black background.
Indonesian occupation
Following its invasion and occupation by Indonesia in 1975, East Timor (known as Timor Timur in Indonesian) was declared the country's 27th province. As a result, the letters DF were used for registrations in East Timor. This format was used until 1999, following the disintegration of East Timor from Indonesia.