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U.S. diplomatic license plates follow a specific format set by the Office of Foreign Missions (OFM). Each plate encodes three pieces of information:

The first letter indicates the vehicle type. The two-letter code identifies the country or organization. The numbers identify the specific vehicle.

The New York reverse format

For diplomats permanently assigned to the United Nations in New York rather than embassies in Washington, the OFM flips the plate format entirely:

DiploCheck recognizes both formats automatically.

The Ambassador's car

When the vehicle number is 0001, it belongs to the Ambassador — the highest-ranking diplomat from that country. Spotting one is rare.

Washington, D.C. is home to the largest concentration of diplomatic vehicles in the United States. Across the country:

These vehicles carry special legal protections under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including immunity from traffic enforcement in many cases.

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