Standard issue registration plates in Croatia follow a specific format, which consists of two letters followed by three to four numbers and suffixed by one to two letters. The prefix letters are separated from the numerical combination by the Croatian coat of arms, while the significance of the prefix letters is that the act as a city identifier.

There are some exceptions to the style of registration plates in Croatia. The alphanumerical combination, used on standard plates, is printed in black, but green numbers and letters are displayed on vehicles owned by foreign citizens, temporarily registered vehicles and those belonging to international organisations. Plates on larger vehicles, which are unsuitable to be driven along smaller roads, have their registration numbers detailed in red.

The plates on Croatian police cars differ further still, as they are assigned registration marks consisting of six numbers split into two groups, printed in blue, which are separated by the country’s coat of arms. Croatian military vehicles have yellow plates, though the registration numbers follow the same format as standard vehicles, with the exception that they display HV, which stands for Hrvatska Vojska, meaning Croatian military, in place of a city code.

All of the plates are made from metal, but when a vehicle is displayed for sale in a dealership, it is assigned a test plate, which is made purely from paper. This plate is attached to the right hand corner of both the front windscreen and the rear window. They follow a different format from the standard plates, consisting of five numbers, preceded by the city code and split by the Croation coat of arms. After purchasing a vehicle, the temporary plates may only be used for a period of five days.