Vehicle registration plates of Monsilva

Monsilva

Monsilvan standard number plate
Country	Monsilva
Country code	MON
Current series
Size	520 mm × 110 mm 20.5 in × 4.3 in
Serial format	Standard 8 characters, occasionally 7
Colour (front)	Black on white
Colour (rear)	Black on white

1-letter area code A for Amking City

2-letter area code CZ for Changzhi, Luhai

3-letter area code CHG for Chenggong, Donguan

Vehicle registration plates in Monsilva (Monsilvan: 山国车辆牌照; pinyin: Shānguó chēliàng páizhào), colloquially known as chēpái hào (车牌号), are mandatory alphanumeric plates in a standardized format issued by local county or regional authorities to motorized vehicles in Monsilva. The original legal requirements for these license plates were laid down by the Motorized Vehicle Act 1918 during the Kingdom of Monsilva, however this act has been amended multiple time since its initial introduction, the latest amendment being in 2004.

In Monsilva, all motorized vehicles participating in road traffic on public space, whether they are moving or stationary, must bear the plates that are designated to the vehicle and must be displayed appropriately at the front and rear of the vehicle. Motorcylces and trailers only need to carry a rear plate. License plates rules vary depending on the type of vehicle and whether it is publicly or privately owned. A significant feature of Monsilvan number plates is the first one to three digits, which is an area code, and is used to tell the region the plate was registered. This characteristic has developed into a widespread habit in Monsilva, even a children's game when travelling, to guess "where that vehicle is from". The game is particularly popular amongst parents and teachers as it is considered a fun way to teach Iberic characters to children who are not necessarily familiar with the script.

Format and material

Modern Monsilvan plates use a typeface called Qianzhi ("mandatory"). The typeface can be read by optical character recognition software for automatic number plate recognition. The typeface has been used since 2004. On every plate is the Monsilvan Republic flag with Monsilva's country code (MON for Monsilva) written beneath it in black text.

Monsilvan license plates are often made of aluminium sheet, with embossed characters rising above background level. However, more recently, other materials have begun to be used such as plastic which is said to be less sensitive to mechanical damage and causes less CO₂ emission in their production, however they are more expensive. The number plates are retroflective, but they must not be mirroring, concealed or soiled, nor are they permitted to be covered by glass, foil or similar layers. People who wish to cover their cars in sheets to prevent weather damage can purchase specially designed sheets with holes in the front and back which allow the number plate to be showed even with the sheet over the vehicle.

Due to the frequency of drivers placing badges of their favourite football clubs on their number plates, the regulation for number plates was slightly altered in 2012 to allow badges on number plates as long as they are placed completely within a blank space and do not touch any of the black text.

Constituent elements

Map of Monsilva's license plate districts, derived from Monsilva's counties.

The white on blue license plate reserved for the federal police and government agencies.

The black on yellow license plate reserved for large vehicles.

The green gradient license plate reserved for electric vehicles.

Area Code

The first part of the license plates consist of one, two or three letters representing the license plate district where the car was registered, such as S for Shangrao or LAN for Langya. These letters often coincide with Monsilvan counties, however many area codes correspond to multiple counties. All letters are assigned unambiguously, with each region having its own code. The length of the area code also determines the length of the serial digits and letters which are at the end of the license plate, with one or two letter area codes having five digit/letter long serial codes, while three letter area codes have four digit/letter long serial codes. Originally, Monsilvan license plates were suggested to use Monsilvan characters in the serial or area codes, however this was discarded as using Iberic characters allows compatibility with neighbouring countries.

State character

Registration plates must also have the state character after the area code. Although not part of a license plate's official serial, the character must still remain visible on a vehicle. The character represents the state of origin of the vehicle and is important due to differing insurance and legal requirements in each of Monsilva's states. There are 17 state characters, the first fifteen for each of Monsilva's states and the final two being specifically designated for the Federal Police, government agencies, embassy vehicles and foreign escort vehicles. Below is a list of all 17 characters and what they correspond to:

Character	State (or agency)
京	Amking
巴	Bazhong
東	Donguan
花	Huachang
萊	Leibo
綠	Luhai
馬	Maguan
梅	Meixian
南	Nanyan
哨	Shaoyu
偉	Weishi
吳	Wuzhong
梟	Xiaogu
溪	Xishanjia
再	Zaixian
府	Government agencies / embassy vehicles
警	Federal Police Force

Serial letters and digits

The final identifier of the license plate consists of four or five letters or digits in any order. Thus, basically any combination from 0000 to ZZZZZ is possible. All 26 letters of the WG Pinyin alphabet, which happens to be identical to the Jackian alphabet. The final identifier only has five letters/digits if the area code is fewer than three letters, otherwise the identifier can only be four letters/digits. Previously, the letter O and 0 were restricted from appearing in the license plate, however this was reversed as the typeface showed a clear enough distinction between the two characters. However, the restriction on I and 1 both being in the final identifier remains in place, and is the only restriction on license plate combinations in Monsilva.

Personalised plates

For an extra charge of ¥60, vehicle owners can register a personalised identifier, keeping to the above rules. Due to the almost no restrictions on license plates in Monsilva, vanity plates can be made up of all sorts of prefixes and numbers. The only limitation is combinations including I and 1 in the final four or five digits of the license plate cannot be done, the maximum number of characters (excluding the state character which is mandatory even on vanity plates) is 7 characters, and the few prohibited combinations.

Prohibited combinations

Combinations that are regarded as a Wéibèi dàodé, which means "offence to morality", are disallowed or otherwise avoided. This refers almost entirely to swear words and generally rude Monsilvan phrases. For example, the custom combination of CAO as a fake area code and NIMA as the serial code is restricted, as it closely resembles the pinyin of "肏你妈" (Cào nǐ mā). Some other combinations, such as BIA + NTAI (变态; biàntài, meaning 'pervert'), have been banned as possible vanity plates by some of Monsilva states.

Reserved combinations

The Monsilvan government, along with some foreign nations and embassies have reserved certain combinations for their vehicles. An example of a reserved combination by the Monsilvan government is ZONGTONG, which is reserved for the President of Monsilva, with the word representing the pinyin of "总统", meaning "President". It is the only official license plate in Monsilva that has eight characters and no state character. Another reserved license plate is HAN + XI00 (from 汉西; Hànxī, meaning "Baltanla"), which is reserved for the Ambassador of Baltanla.

Special codes, colours and formats

Smaller plate used for motorcycles and vehicles with restrictive space for longer plates.

Certain types of vehicle bear special colours and codes. The government and federal police are most well known for their custom codes, often stating the department or agency the vehicle is operating under. However, there are also different colours that are used for different types of vehicle:

• Federal police and government vehicles have white text on a blue background plate. They also have unique state characters which correspond to whether the vehicle is police or a government vehicle.
• Car dealers′ plates are in red print on a white background. Red text plates may also be attached to cars which are changing hands, such as the test of unregistered cars.
• Large vehicles (vehicles over 6 meters long or certified to carry over 20 passengers) have black text on a yellow background plate. These plates are also often given to agricultural vehicles that don't necessarily meet the basic requirements to be a 'large vehicle'.
• Electric vehicles are given plates very similar to standard plates with black text, however the white background includes a green gradient. Although these plates were originally optional, they have become mandatory for electric vehicles since 2014, as certain tax exemptions are granted to electric vehicles in certain states and counties.

As well as differing colours, some plates also have slightly different shapes. Motorcycles use smaller plates that have a shorter length but longer width, however some larger vehicles with limited space for a longer number plate are also allowed to get these smaller plates. The smaller plates are available in the standard colour, as well as with the special codes and in the special colours and formats.