International vehicle registration code registration plate. When the distinguishing sign is incorporated in the registration plate, it must also appear on the front registration plate of the vehicle. The requirement to display a separate distinguishing sign is not necessary within the European Economic Area, for vehicles with license plates in the common EU format which satisfy the requirements of the Vienna Convention, and so are also valid in non-EU countries signatory to the convention. Separate signs are also not needed for Canada, Mexico and the United States, where the province, state or district of registration is usually embossed or surface-printed on the vehicle registration
Vehicle registration plates of France is geographical. Until 2009, car plates had to be changed whenever the owner moved to another département or bought a car from a person living in a different département. The 1950 format uses a N X NN format, composed of a series of one to four numbers, one to three letters and a two-digit code corresponding to the département where the car is registered. The international code for French plates is "F" (France). Called "" ("vehicle registration system"), shortened in "SIV", the current scheme was adopted in France in 2009 (15 April for new vehicles; 15 October for second-hand ones).