The standardised format for registration plates among member states of the European Union was introduced in November 1998 in Council Regulation (EC) No 2411/98. This format took inspiration from the registration plates, which had already been introduced in several of the member states including Portugal and Germany.

This common format is not mandatory in all of the European member states, being optional in the UK, Sweden, Finland and Cyprus. However, Denmark and Belgium will introduce it by 2010.

The specifics of Euro plates require registration marks to be on white or yellow plates printed with black characters and they must be longer than they are tall. There are still many variations across the European Union, however. For example, in the UK white plates are used on the front of vehicles, while yellow ones are displayed to the rear; France follows this same system. Luxembourg and the Netherlands use yellow plates to the front and rear. The UK uses plastic plates while throughout the rest of the European Union metal plates are commonplace.

The format of the EU plates includes of a blue strip down the left hand side, which contains the European Union symbol of twelve yellow stars. Beneath this symbol should appear the code for the country in which the vehicle has been registered. Member states that do not follow this format have an additional requirement placed on vehicles, when travelling internationally, to display an oval nationality sticker to the rear to enable their easy identification.