U.S. Department of State
Office of Foreign Missions
Diplomatic License Plates

	Office of Foreign Missions License Plates. Top Embossed (left) and flat 1984 baseplates. No data to suggest to which embassies YA- and CM-series numbers were assigned on this base, issued from 1984 through 2007, is known. Left PL-series numbers are thought to be assigned to the Chilean embassy, but definitive information as to which two-letter codes are assigned to various embassies is classified.

Diplomatic license plates issued by the federal government are addressed on this site because they are so much in evidence in the District of Columbia and because their history has not been addressed elsewhere. They are issued by the Office of Foreign Missions (OFM) in Washington and through its several field offices throughout the United States.

Since the dawn of the twentieth century when motor vehicles were first used and registered, and in contrast to many other countries, the federal government in the United States has always left the registration and regulation of privately-owned motor vehicles to local jurisdictions, most notably state and territorial governments. By the mid-1980s, many U.S. jurisdictions were issuing specially-marked license plates for foreign representatives. Some, like California, New York, and Washington, D.C, issued them by the thousands during multiple decades. Others, such as New Hampshire, issued only a few over a short period of time. It all came to an when the federal government announced in mid-1984 that the registration of vehicles operated by most official representatives of foreign countries (all except honorary consuls) would soon be concentrated in a new agency within the U.S. Department of State.

The Office of Foreign Missions

The OFM provides the legal foundation to facilitate secure and efficient operations of U.S. missions abroad as well as foreign missions and international organizations in the United States. It commenced operations in late 1982 following its creation under the 1982 Foreign Missions Act, and is a directorate of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security. The OFM presently lists these four missions:

• Ensure equitable treatment for United States diplomatic and consular missions abroad and their personnel through reciprocity
• Regulate the activities of foreign missions in the United States in a manner that will protect the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States
• Ensure compliance of diplomatic privileges and immunities for foreign diplomats and officials residing in the United States, enhancing U.S. security
• Provide the appropriate privileges, benefits, and services in a reciprocal basis to the foreign mission community in the U.S.

Establishing and maintaining reciprocal agreements between national governments is central to OFM operations. On its Web site, the agency indicates that it emphasizes reciprocity in order to facilitate “fair treatment of U.S. personnel abroad while assuring foreign diplomats based in the United States receive the same treatment that each respective government provides in return.” In addition to fostering mutual respect among nations through their diplomatic corps, the PFM also handles such tasks as the issuance of drivers licenses and vehicle titles, registrations, license plates; processing of tax exemption and duty-free customs requests, and assisting in the purchase of U.S. property by foreign governments.

We don't know whether assuming responsibility from the states (and D.C.) for driver licensing and vehicle registration was part of the plan was the OFM was created. The first public references to OFM plates that we've found are in a series of mid-1984 news reports in which reciprocity issues and the new plates are addressed. In an Associated Press story published in late June are details of retaliatory measures taken by the State Dept., presumably through the OFM, in response to U.S. diplomats being harassed in countries in which they were serving. “For example,” reports the AP article, “two apartments used by U.S. embassy staff members in Prague, Czechoslovakia, ‘languished' for two years without telephones. In retaliation, the United States last March cut off telephone service to an apartment rented by the Czech government in the United States and unplugged a second Czech telephone [in Washington] in September. Discussions then began between the two governments, and both the U.S. embassy apartments now have telephone service.”

OFM Issues License Plates

The existence of diplomatic immunity, and the various forms in which it was invoked as it relates to personal liability for motor vehicle infractions committed by U.S.-based representatives of foreign nations, in the 1970s and 1980s led to the enactment of new laws designed to protect U.S. citizens. In a high-profile 1974 case, Dr. Halla Brown, a medical faculty member at George Washington University, was paralyzed from the neck down in a vehicle crash caused by a Panamanian cultural attaché. Diplomatic immunity meant that despite her large medical bills she had no legal recourse against the Panamanian government. Four years later, at about the same time that Dr. Brown received a $100,000 payment from the government of Panama, Congress passed the 1978 Diplomatic Relations Act, requiring that diplomats carry liability insurance.

Late in 1983 Congress passed the Foreign Missions Amendment Act, which compelled the then-new OFM to set and enforce vehicle liability insurance standards for diplomats. In order to fulfill the enforcement provision of this mandate, State Dept. officials announced in late May 1984 that the OFM would soon begin the transition from state-issue diplomatic plates of various types and designs to a series of uniform red, white blue plates that it would issue and control. At the time, the lowest-numbered Washington, D.C. diplomatic plates were assigned based upon tenure within the diplomatic corps. Soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin had registration DPL 1 when OFM plates were introduced.

In 1984 the OFM created the Diplomatic Motor Vehicle (DMV) Office to handle its driver- and vehicle-related work. According to its Web site, this office “regulates the acquisition, registration, and disposition of all motor vehicles belonging to foreign missions and their members. The DMV ensures that mission members and their families are issued U.S. Department of State driver's licenses, and monitors driving records to ensure unsafe drivers are removed from the road. The program is also designed to achieve favorable treatment of U.S. Missions and personnel abroad in motor vehicle-related matters by applying reciprocal treatment to foreign missions and their personnel.”

Details of the actual timeline of relevant events are not presently known, but in a May 1984 Washington Post article it is states that vehicle registration-related efforts were soon to begin. “Federal titling will take place in midsummer and a system to enforce liability requirements by year's end, according to Ralph Chiocco, a State Department operations officer.” Elmer Brown, a former DMV director in California, assisted the OFM as it got into the vehicle registration business. “This is one of the few federal programs…that the states will look at with a good bit of pleasure,” said Brown, indicating that licensing diplomats and registering their vehicles had long been an arduous task.

Although the design of plates soon to be issued had apparently not yet been determined, the three primary formats and numbering configurations had. Estimates published during May and June indicate that between 20,000 and 25,000 vehicles then in use nationwide would qualify for OFM plates. As for the registration fee, for each country it would be set at whatever amount, if any, was charged to U.S. diplomats and staff stationed in that country. As for insurance, according to a June 1984 Associated Press report “all diplomatic vehicles will be required to carry a minimum $1 million in liability insurance to protect Americans involved in accidents with vehicles driven by envoys shielded by diplomatic immunity.”

1984 OFM Baseplate

The introduction date of OFM plates is uncertain, although a June 23, 2984, Washington Post article indicates that “Beginning next month, the Office of Foreign Missions will issue 2,000 plates a month until all 24,000 automobiles registered to foreign missions have the plates.” The earliest plates (presumably all of the 24,000 or so distributed during 1984 and 1985 to replace special plates reportedly issued by 28 states as well as the District of Columbia) feature embossed characters on a reflective white background, portions of which are painted red and blue. Note that these plates are not made with graphic reflective sheeting, as are later issues, but rather plain white sheeting with the blue and red features silk-screen printed. There is no security mark in the sheeting of these first plates, which were made at Lorton Correctional Complex in suburban Fairfax County, Virginia. Also noteworthy on the earliest plates is the legend “Issued By The UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE,” whereas on later plates this legend was made more bold and modified to read “Issued By And Property Of The UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE.” When changes were made to various characteristics of the embossed variety of the 1984 baseplate is unknown. Since their introduction, all full-size OFM plates (i.e. aside from the few motorcycle plates issued) have been issued in pairs.

By late October 1984, when only about 25% of the new plates had been distributed, their being stolen was apparently already a problem. Mention of this in the December 1984 issue of the ALPCA Newsletter indicates that Special Agent Lawrence Whitaker, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, designed the first OFM plates, although this information has not been confirmed.

The absence of these plates in collections today, and their having been removed from service by the end of 2008, now make it almost impossible to draw conclusions about their physical characteristics based upon observation. Personal observations and photographs show that a later style of the 1984 design features flat, not embossed characters, and these plates were made with DLP (Digital License Plate) technology, as discussed on our page about Washington, D.C. 2000 baseplates.

When OFM plates began to be validated with stickers is unknown, although we do know that not all plates were validated, at least initially. The earliest stickers seen on these plates closely resemble month and year stickers issued to validate Washington, D.C. registrations, although for some years the colors are different and the serial number on the year designation sticker is prefixed by the letters “US.” Specifically, photographs show red-on-white dated “95” and “00” D.C-style stickers in use, as well as a black-on-yellow dated “01” sticker of the same design. Examples of a separate, distinctive style of sticker made especially for OFM plates have been photographed for all years from 2003 through 2010 except 2005. The design features the letters USDOS printed vertically down the left side, the expiration month and year designation in the center, and a serial number across the bottom. Colors of these stickers are: expires 2003, black (or dark blue) on white; 2004, black on yellow; 2005, unknown; 2006, white on blue; 2007, blue on white; 2008, black on yellow; 2009, white on red; 2010, white on black.

Aside from the standard types described separately below, examples of two special OFM plate types have been observed, both of which were made with embossed characters. One, a motorcycle plate, has the S designation (for Staff) printed in the sheeting followed by the embossed number DK810. Also, a plate for a physically disabled driver was made and issued, also with the Staff prefix. The number is 053, which follows the embossed HP and international symbol of access wheelchair symbol used to make D.C. plates of that type in the 1980s and 1990s. Note that this plate does not have an indicator of the country that the driver represented.

All plates of the 1984 design, embossed and flat, were to have been removed from service on or before December 31, 2008, in conjunction with their replacement with plates of a new design that were introduced in 2007.

1984 Baseplate Types and Numbering Formats

All plate types made on the 1984 base are described below except that special motorcycle and disabled motorist plates, issued in very limited quantities, are discussed above. OFM plates are divided into three categories, with up to three types within each category. By definition, embassy officials represent their country to the United States whereas mission officials represent their country to the United Nations.

1. Representatives of Foreign Embassies

This is the most common category of OFM plate seen outside of New York City. There are three types: Diplomat (D), Consul (C), and Staff (S), with the type designator letter positioned on the left side of the plate. The use of Diplomat plates is confined largely to Washington, D.C., whereas Consul and Staff plates are seen everywhere that OFM plates are issued.

Diplomat. Because almost all embassies are located in Washington, their use is concentrated here. Plates of this type are “issued for vehicles owned by foreign [embassies] or official representatives to the U.S. having diplomatic status.” They feature the word DIPLOMAT across the top and a large, printed letter D type designator followed by a registration number comprised of two letters, which designate the country that the registrant represents, and three or four numbers. Registration numbers below 100 have leading zeros (e.g. AB 001). Earlier plates numbered below 1000 have a space rather than a fourth leading zero (e.g. AB 123), whereas later plates have a leading zero in the fourth (i.e. first) numeric position (e.g. AB0123).

Consul plates are “issued for vehicles owned by foreign [embassies] and official representatives having consular status.” They feature the word CONSUL across the top and a large, printed letter C type designator followed by a registration number comprised of two letters, which designate the country that the registrant represents, and three or four numbers. Registration numbers below 100 have leading zeros (e.g. AB 001). Earlier plates numbered below 1000 have a space rather than a fourth leading zero (e.g. AB 123), whereas later plates have a leading zero in the fourth (i.e. first) numeric position (e.g. AB0123).

Staff plates are “issued for vehicles owned by foreign [embassies] and official representatives not entitled to Diplomat or Consul plates.” The type name does not appear across the top. Numbering is in a format consistent with Diplomat and Consul plates.

2. Representatives of Foreign Missions

This is the most common category of OFM plate seen in New York City, although examples are seldom seen elsewhere. There are three types: Diplomat (D), U.N. Secretariat (A), and Staff (S), with the type designator letter positioned on the right side of the plate. All plates in this category have UNITED NATIONS printed in small letters on two lines in the upper right corner.

Diplomat plates are “issued for vehicles owned by United Nations missions or officials of member states maintaining permanent missions at the United Nations headquarters.” They feature the word DIPLOMAT across the top and a large, printed letter D type designator following the registration number, which itself is comprised of three (or perhaps four) numbers followed by two letters that designate the country that the registrant represents.

U.N. Secretariat plates are “issued for vehicles owned by the Secretariat or officials of the Secretariat of the United Nations as defined in Section 19 of the Convention in Privileges and Immunities of the U.N.” They feature the word DIPLOMAT across the top and a large, printed letter A type designator following the registration number, which itself is comprised of five numbers.

Staff plates are “issued for vehicles owned by foreign missions, official representatives assigned to the United Nations, and family members.” The type name does not appear across the top. Numbering is thought to be in a format consistent with Diplomat plates.

3. Representatives to the Organization of American States

This plate type, “issued for official representatives to the Organization of American States,” is similar to the Diplomat plate type of the Representatives of Foreign Embassies category except that the three-digit registration number is in the 900-999 series.

1984 Baseplate Two-Letter Country Codes

An official list of the two-letter country codes used on OFM plates has not been published in many years. However, various sources have provided either what is thought to be a complete list, or references to codes assigned to various individual countries, and from these sources we have compiled the information presented on a separate page that may be reached by clicking here.

2007 OFM Baseplate

A new OFM baseplate was announced to the public on August 28, 2007, and began to be issued for new registrations on September 4. A general reissuance of 1984 baseplates began in November, presumably lasting through October 2008, and the final day of 2008 was the last day that 1984 baseplates could have legally been used. During the changeover, all 1984 plates had to be returned to the OFM in order for the new plates to be issued. According to an Oct. 1, 2007, OFM memorandum, “In exchange for the return of the old design plates, the mission will be given the newly designed plates with new registration card and decal. The expired license plates must be returned in order to obtain he newly designed license plates.” The new plates were distributed in Washington as well as the OFM's regional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami (Coral Gables), New York, San Francisco, and Houston. At the time there were 11,619 OFM-registered vehicles nationwide: 6,277 in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, 2,596 in New York City, 769 in Los Angeles, and the remaining 1,977 registered elsewhere in the United States.

The change to a new baseplate was made, according to the OFM, “in line with the standard practice in motor vehicle departments to change plate design periodically, and to distinguish the State Department's plates from other jurisdiction's plates.” A public affairs officer for the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security told a reporter in October 2007 that the change was not prompted by a specific security threat. Rather, said Kendall Smith, “there's been a proliferation of vanity plates that look exactly like ours, for instance the new Ohio plates. This change has been some time in coming. We've been talking about it for a year and a half.” The new design, which includes a distinctive light blue background, features the State Department seal in the upper left corner and the OFM's logo in the upper right. As is evident by dies used to emboss the registration number, the new plates are made by the state of Virginia. The OFM has a five-year plate procurement contract with the Virginia Dept. of Corrections that is reportedly worth about $300,000.

	This page last updated on December 31, 2009
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