Personalised number plates rake in nearly €1 million for the state

Since March 31, the rules governing personalised number plates have been relaxed. The vehicle registration service, DIV, has already received 986 requests for a personalised number plate since the new rules came in. In the past, personalised number plates had to start with the number 9, but the Mobility Minister Melchior Wathelet stated he wished to free up car owners from such restrictions. Now the only rule governing personalised number plates is that the combination of letters and numbers that a person uses on their number plate cannot be found to be in any way “offensive, racist, xenophobic or insulting”.

A new personalised number plate costs €1000 meaning that the move has already ensured the transfer of nearly a million euros into the State coffers. First names like Vincent and Julie as well as regional specifications like BXL1 are apparently proving popular.