British must replace letters “GB” with new country code “UK” on their cars when travelling abroad. British car drivers travelling outside the UK will now have to drive around with a new country code on their car. The well-known stickers with “GB” and a European flag are no longer allowed. In its place comes the country code “UK” with a Union Jack, the flag of the United Kingdom.
The change will follow the Brexit. The British want to present themselves under the name of the United Kingdom. According to a spokesman for the British Department of Transport, the new country code symbolizes the unity of the British as a nation. “The change is part of a wider movement towards the use of the UK designation within the government,” it sounds. The new number plates were not presented by chance on the first anniversary of the Brexit.
Strictly speaking, the term “Great Britain” covers the countries of Wales, England and Scotland. The name ‘United Kingdom’ is used for the same countries and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland was excluded by the old country code, but that is no longer the case with the new country code “UK”.
Changing a country code is not possible. The United Nations must first be informed. “We did that in July,” says the Department of Transport. “We worked with the entire transport sector to make the change happen”.
New license plates will now contain the country code “UK” and a Union Jack, but people who still drive around with an old license plate can simply put an extra sticker on their car with the new symbols. So they don’t have to replace their old license plate right away.
The rule only applies to British people who drive abroad. Within the United Kingdom, the old country code is still allowed. Specific codes for the individual countries of the United Kingdom are also allowed, i.e. ” ENG “for England,” SCO “for Scotland and” WALES”,” CYMRU “or” CYM ” for Wales (the latter two referring to the Welsh name for Wales). These codes are not officially recognised by the UN, but are allowed for domestic use.
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