From Scramble - The Aviation Magazine
An aircrafts registration is typically displayed towards the back of the fuselage, so it is often popularly referred to as the tail number. The registration number is used to identify civilian aircraft and is comparable to a military tail code or even an automobile license plate number. All types of civilian aircraft are required to have a registration number, including commercial airliners, business jets, personal aircraft, helicopters, former military planes in private ownership, gliders, ultralights, seaplanes, airships, blimps, and balloons. Even the new breed of privately-owned spacecraft like SpaceShipOne is required to have a registration number.
The rules governing aircraft registration are decided upon by a multinational body called the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This group dictates the first portion of a registration code that is known as the prefix or international prefix. This prefix is typically two or three characters in length but can be as few as one or as many as four. The prefix is specific to a particular nation or region and is usually followed by a dash and then a suffix made up of one to five characters. The structure of the suffix is typically determined by that country's aviation regulatory agency, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States.
Most nations have relatively simple rules for determining the suffix. This portion of the registration is most often made up of three or four letters. Some countries instead prefer four or five numbers while a few use a mixture of letters and numbers.
A
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Afghanistan
| YA-
|
| Albania
| ZA-
|
| Algeria
| 7T-
|
| Andorra
| C3-
|
| Angola
| D2-
|
| Anguila
| VP-A
|
| Antigua & Barbuda
| V2-
|
| Argentina
| LQ- (Government Aircraft)
|
| Argentina
| LV-
|
| Armenia
| EK-
|
| Aruba
| P4-
|
| Australia
| VH-
|
| Austria
| OE-
|
| Azerbaijan
| 4K-
|
B
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Bahamas
| C6-
|
| Bahrain
| A9C-
|
| Bangladesh
| S2-
|
| Barbados
| 8P-
|
| Belarus
| EW-
|
| Belgium
| OO-, OQ-
|
| Belize
| V3-
|
| Benin
| TY-
|
| Bermuda
| VP-B
|
| Bhutan
| A5-
|
| Bolivia
| CP-
|
| Bosnia-Herzegovina
| T9-
|
| Botswana
| A2-
|
| Brazil
| PP-, PR-, PT-
|
| British Virgin Islands
| VP-LV
|
| Brunei
| V8-
|
| Bulgaria
| LZ-
|
| Burkina Faso
| XT-
|
| Burundi
| 9U-
|
C
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Cambodia
| XU-
|
| Cameroon
| TJ-
|
| Canada
| C-, CF-
|
| Cape Verde
| D4-
|
| Cayman Islands
| VP-C
|
| Central African Republic
| TL-
|
| Chad
| TT-
|
| Chile
| CC-
|
| China
| B-
|
| Colombia
| HK-
|
| Comoros
| D6-
|
| Congo (Democratic Republic)
| 9Q-
|
| Congo (Republic)
| TN-
|
| Cook Islands
| E5-
|
| Costa Rica
| TI-
|
| Croatia
| 9A-
|
| Cuba
| CU-
|
| Cyprus
| 5B-
|
| Czech Republic
| OK-
|
| Cote d'Ivoire
| TU-
|
D
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Denmark
| OY-
|
| Djibouti
| J2-
|
| Dominica
| J7-
|
| Dominican Republic
| HI-
|
E
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Ecuador
| HC-
|
| Egypt
| SU-
|
| El Salvador
| YS-
|
| Equatorial Guinea
| 3C-
|
| Eritrea
| E3-
|
| Estonia
| ES-
|
| Ethiopia
| ET-
|
F
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Falkland Islands
| VP-F
|
| Fiji
| DQ-
|
| Finland
| OH-
|
| France and colonies
| F-
|
G
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Gabon
| TR-
|
| Gambia
| C5-
|
| Georgia
| 4L-
|
| Germany
| D-
|
| Ghana
| 9G-
|
| Gibraltar
| VP-G
|
| Greece
| SX-
|
| Greece (ultralights)
| HE-
|
| Greenland
| GL-
|
| Grenada
| J3-
|
| Guadeloupe
| F-OG
|
| Guatemala
| TG-
|
| Guinea
| 3X-
|
| Guinea-Bissau
| J5-
|
| Guyana
| 8R-
|
H
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Haiti
| HH-
|
| Honduras
| HR-
|
| Hong Kong
| B-H, B-K, B-L
|
| Hungary
| HA-
|
I
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Iceland
| TF-
|
| India
| VT-
|
| Indonesia
| PK-
|
| Iran
| EP-
|
| Iraq
| YI-
|
| Ireland
| EI-, EJ-
|
| Israel
| 4X-
|
| Italy
| I-
|
J
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Jamaica
| 6Y-
|
| Japan
| JA-
|
| Jordan
| JY-
|
K
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Kazakhstan
| UN-
|
| Kenya
| 5Y-
|
| Kiribati
| T3-
|
| Korea, North
| P-
|
| Korea, South
| HL-
|
| Kuwait
| 9K-
|
| Kyrgyzstan
| EX-
|
L
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Laos
| RDPL-
|
| Latvia
| YL-
|
| Lebanon
| OD-
|
| Lesotho
| 7P-
|
| Liberia
| EL- (revoked 2002 ?)
|
| Libya
| 5A-
|
| Lithuania
| LY-
|
| Luxembourg
| LX-
|
M
| From/to
| Home base
|
| Macao
| B-M
|
| Macedonia
| Z3-
|
| Madagascar
| 5R-
|
| Malawi
| 7Q-
|
| Malaysia
| 9M-
|
| Maldives
| 8Q-
|
| Mali
| TZ-
|
| Malta
| 9H-
|
| Marshall Islands
| V7-
|
| Martinique
| F-OG
|
| Mauritania
| 5T-
|
| Mauritius
| 3B-
|
| Mexico
| XA-, XB-, XC-
|
| Micronesia
| V6-
|
| Moldova
| ER-
|
| Monaco
| 3A-
|
| Mongolia
| JU-
|
| Montenegro
| 4O-
|
| Montserrat
| VP-LMA/LUZ
|
| Morocco
| CN-
|
| Mozambique
| C9-
|
| Myanmar
| XY-, XZ-
|
N
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Namibia
| V5-
|
| Nauru
| C2-
|
| Nepal
| 9N-
|
| Netherlands
| PH-
|
| Netherlands Antilles
| PJ-
|
| New Caledonia
| F-OD
|
| New Zealand
| ZK-, ZL-
|
| Nicaragua
| YN-
|
| Niger
| 5U-
|
| Nigeria
| 5N-
|
| Norway
| LN-
|
O
P
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Pakistan
| AP-
|
| Palestine
| SU-YA
|
| Panama
| HP-
|
| Papua New Guinea
| P2-
|
| Paraguay
| ZP-
|
| Peru
| OB-
|
| Philippines
| RP-
|
| Poland
| SP-
|
| Portugal
| CR-, CS-
|
Q
R
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Reunion Island
| F-O
|
| Romania
| YR-
|
| Russia
| RA-, RF-
|
| Rwanda
| 9XR-
|
S
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Samoa
| 5W-
|
| San Marino
| T7-
|
| Sao Tome e Principe
| S9-
|
| Saudi Arabia
| HZ-
|
| Senegal
| 6V-
|
| Senegal
| 6W- (Military Aircraft)
|
| Seychelles
| S7-
|
| Sierra Leone
| 9L-
|
| Singapore
| 9V-
|
| Slovak Republic
| OM-
|
| Slovenia
| S5-
|
| Solomon Islands
| H4-
|
| Somalia
| 60-
|
| South Africa
| ZS-, ZT-, ZU-
|
| Spain
| EC-
|
| Sri Lanka
| 4R-
|
| St Helena & Ascension
| VQ-H
|
| St Kitts & Nevis
| V4-
|
| St Lucia
| J6-
|
| St Vincent & Grenadines
| J8-
|
| Sudan
| ST-
|
| Suriname
| PZ-
|
| Swaziland
| 3D-
|
| Sweden
| SE-
|
| Switzerland & Liechtenstein
| HB-
|
| Syria
| YK-
|
T
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Taiwan
| B-
|
| Tajikistan
| EY-
|
| Tanzania
| 5H-
|
| Thailand
| HS-
|
| Togo
| 5V-
|
| Tonga
| A3-
|
| Trinidad & Tobago
| 9Y-
|
| Tunisia
| TS-
|
| Turkey
| TC-
|
| Turkmenistan
| EZ-
|
| Turks & Caicos Islands
| VQ-T
|
| Tuvalu
| T2-
|
U
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Uganda
| 5X-
|
| Ukraine
| UR-
|
| United Arab Emirates
| A6-
|
| United Kingdom
| G-
|
| Uruguay
| CX-
|
| USA
| N
|
| Uzbekistan
| UK-
|
V
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Vanuatu
| YJ-
|
| Vatican City
| HV-
|
| Venezuela
| YV-
|
| Vietnam
| VN-
|
W
X
Y
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Yemen
| 7O-
|
| Yugoslavia
| YU-
|
Z
| Country
| Prefix
|
| Zambia
| 9J-
|
| Zimbabwe
| Z-
|
