A licence plate with a personal pseudonym? In Luxembourg this is possible
Gary Sandoz, Unsplash
Luxembourg is preparing for a historic step: car owners will soon be free to choose the text for their registration plates. This initiative has already been widely discussed and was part of a coalition agreement between CSV and DP. According to RTL colleagues, the bill is almost finalised and, according to Transport Minister Yuriko Backes, it will soon be put before the Council of Government.
Details are not yet known, but the concept is reminiscent of the successful Belgian experience. In Belgium, a fully customised number, such as "hahaha" or "bond007", costs €1,000. In 2023, 13,000 such numbers were ordered in the country, generating 13 million euros for the state budget. Interestingly, 1.3 per cent of applications were rejected due to moral or ethical considerations.
Luxembourg already offers a basic form of personalisation: registration plates with four digits. This service is in demand and the process is simplified: waiting lists are abolished and the numbers are assigned to owners, not cars.
The introduction of fully personalised plates could become a new source of revenue for the Luxembourg budget. If the prices are similar to Belgian prices, it will attract car owners who want to stand out and also create an additional flow of funds to the treasury.
However, important questions remain unresolved: what restrictions will be placed on texts? The Belgian experience has shown that creative freedom often intersects with the need to filter inappropriate or offensive submissions.
