1. The 8-character limit for special plates
A German Euro license plate may carry a maximum of 8 characters in total. Since an E-Kennzeichen (plate for electric vehicles), H-Kennzeichen (plate for classic cars) or Saisonkennzeichen (seasonal plate) occupies an additional position at the right-hand edge, a maximum of 7 regular characters remain for the district code, letters and digits.
- With a 3-character district code (e.g. MUC, SÜW, HRO): a maximum of 4 further characters + E / H / season
- With a 2-character district code (e.g. KI, HH, DD): a maximum of 5 further characters + E / H / season
- With a 1-character district code (e.g. B, M, K, F, S): a maximum of 5 further characters + E / H / season
2. Combining an E or H plate with a season period
Since the revision of the Fahrzeug-Zulassungsverordnung (FZV, the German vehicle registration ordinance), both E plates and H classic-car plates can be combined with a season period. In this case, the "E" or "H" and the season field occupy two positions at the right-hand edge of the plate, leaving a maximum of 6 characters for the actual combination.