Ethiopia to Replace, Modernize Car Plate Numbers

Addis Ababa, October 8, 2025 (ENA) -- The Ministry of Transport and Logistics announced that it will replace and modernize car plate numbers and improve the vehicle identification system.

This morning, Transport and Logistics Minister Alemu Sime briefed the press on the draft Directive No. 1050/2025 for the Types of Vehicles Identification Number Plate and Symbols Determination and Service Delivery, which is slated for implementation in the current Ethiopian Fiscal Year.

The new system aims to replace the current system, which has been operational for over two decades, with a secure, technologically advanced, and nationally uniform standard.

According to Alemu, "It has become necessary to conform with international agreements... and to have uniform and consecutive identification number plates for vehicles that will be registered". 

 

The new system is designed to unify the identification standard that will serve to enhance a sense of shared national identity and control in the transport sector.

The new plate numbers will therefore simplify the visual design to only three different colors and, most importantly, incorporate advanced security features, he added.

The core of the change lies in a technologically-driven overhaul and each new plate will include security features such as holograms, watermarks, and micro-text to prevent fraud.

Furthermore, the plates will feature RFID chips and QR codes for easy, secure digital record-keeping and tracking by authorized bodies, making the plates digitally readable by enforcement systems, the Minister elaborated.

Moreover, the new design will also incorporate the internationally recognized code "ETH", aligning the country with the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.

The new directive radically simplifies this patchwork system while meeting global standards, he said.

Ethiopia has over 1.6 million registered vehicles under the existing, outdated system. The identification features approximately 16 different types of plates with varying colors and numbers across the regional states, leading to complexity and confusion.

Transport and Logistics State Minister, Gebru Hassen, said the existing plate number has been in operation for over 23 years.

It has resulted in a significant wastage of wealth, he stated, adding that the primary goal of the new directive is to save public funds by utilizing high-quality materials efficiently and by implementing a proper system to track and discard returned plates, which the current legal framework lacks.