Little is known about the early history of Haitian license plates. Keith Marvin thought that the earliest plates were from the early 1930s, but older plates have since been found and at least one plate from 1923 exists. Early plates were marked with Rd'H, (République d’Haïti), HA., RH, or Haïti at various times. The Haitian coat of arms appeared on the plates from 1998 to 2002, the country flag was shown on the 2002 - 2005 plates, and since 2006 the background has shown a map of the country.[1][2] With the last update on the design, the slogan La perle des Antilles was added at the bottom of the plate in white colour. [3]
Passenger baseplates (Privé)
1910 to 1955
Image
Issued
Design
Slogan
Serial format
Serials issued
Notes
1923
White serial number on dark blue (black?) background
Starting in 1978 Haitian plates were validated annually with stickers that showed the word "Haiti," the year of expiration, and a random serial number. Beginning circa 1998 the format of the sticker changed so that the year of expiration became the predominant feature of the sticker.
The 2006 - 2013 issue happened more than a year later than originally planned, so these plates were not used until the beginning of 2007. Different plates were issued for each geographical region of the country. The following region names were shown at the bottom of the plate: Nord-Ouest, Nord, Nord-Est, Artibonite, Centre, Ouest, Sud-Est, Sud, and Grand Anse. Only a single plate was issued. The front plate was replaced by a windshield sticker that would break apart if someone tried to remove it. Owners of vehicles had the choice to register their vehicle where they lived or where they worked. If they moved away from where their vehicle was registered, then the vehicle would need to be re-registered. All plates had two letters followed by five numbers (AB 12345). At the same time as this new system was implemented, right-hand drive vehicles were banned from being imported into Haiti.[5]
The 2014 issue started 1 October 2014, and the plate backgrounds were given different colors based on the vehicle type.[6] Known colors are pale blue for private vehicles, heavy vehicles, demonstration, and rental vehicles; pale red for dedicated to public transport and that of goods; and pale green is reserved for the diplomatic corps, consular corps, international organizations, temporary registrations, and tourist transportation.[7]
Image
Issued
Design
Slogan
Serial format
Serials issued
Notes
1978-1980
None
A-1234
1981-1986
None
A-1234
1987-1988
Red serial number on gray background
None
A-1234
1989-1992
Black serial number on yell background
None
A-1234
The yellow background is extremely faded in this photo.
1993-1997
Green serial number on white background
None
A-1234
1998-2002
None
A-1234
2003-2005
Blue serial number on white background; "Privé" on black band and flag at bottom
None
A-1234
2006-2013
Black serial number on white background; "HAÏTI" in light blue at top, department name at bottom on black stripe; pink country image behind serial number
None
AA-1234
Only a single plate was issued for the rear of the vehicle.
2014-Present
La perle des Antilles
AA-1234
Plates are issued in pairs again.
Diplomatic and International Organization plates
Image
Issued
Design
Slogan
Serial format
Serials issued
Notes
1998
Red serial number on white background; "Org. Internationale" at bottom
None
0123
Location and Taxi plates
Location plates indicate a vehicle for hire, and taxi plates are issued to traditional taxi companies.
Image
Issued
Design
Slogan
Serial format
Serials issued
Notes
1998
Red serial number on white background; "Taxi" in blue at bottom center"
None
AB 1234
2003-2005
Blue serial number on white background; "Location" in white on black band and flag at bottom
None
1234
Transport plates
Image
Issued
Design
Slogan
Serial format
Serials issued
Notes
1995-1996
Green serial number on white background; "Transport" at bottom center
None
12345
2002
Red serial number on white background; "Transport" in blue at bottom center
None
AB 1234
2003-2005
Blue serial number on white background; "Transport Passagers" in white on black band and flag at bottom
None
AB 1234
2006-current
Black serial number on red gradient background; "Transport Passagers" beneath the serial number. Slogan at the bottom, and map in the background
La perle des Antilles
AB-01234
References
^Marvin, Keith (1963). License Plates of the World. Schenectady, New York: Mainville Advertising. pp. 43–44.
^Kustermann, Michael. "Haiti". License Plates of the World. Retrieved April 5, 2019.