The Transport Safety Agency (Trafi) has prepared a reform that would allow just letters on registration plates across the country, with a goal of introducing the new practice before the end of 2015.
Trafi handed over a memorandum on the reform to the Minister of Transport Merja Kyllönen on Monday. It expects a response from the ministry in the coming days.
“We will start to prepare the reform just as soon as we hear back from the ministry. The ministry has been closely involved on this issue from the beginning, because implementation will require significant modification of the existing regulations,” says Trafi Department Director Toni Pallaspuro.
Price still undecided
The reform would apply to all road-travelling vehicles. The proposal does not take a stand on what kinds of letter combinations would be acceptable or how the plates would be issued in practice. The pricing of personalized plates is also still open.
”We have considered several options, but we don’t have any particular model to present as yet. Our work on this component of the reform will continue,” says Pallaspuro.
It is already possible to order individualized plates in Finland, but the practice is subject to strict regulations. At present, license plates are limited to no more than three letters combined with no more than three digit numbers. Car owners in the Åland Islands have been able to use just letters on their plates for many years.
