Can you drive with just one license plate (Quebec) in Europe?

I’m traveling with my Quebec-registered vehicle, which only has one license plate, but several European countries require two. Can I still drive with just one plate?

For France, the highway code requires 2 plates.

Hi there,

French traffic laws don’t cover this. Article 36, paragraph 1 of the Vienna Convention states: « Every motor vehicle in international traffic must display its registration number at both the front and the rear; however, motorcycles are only required to display this number at the rear. » Vehicles from the United States and Canada driving in Europe usually have two plates, often quite decorative.

Michel

French traffic laws have nothing to do with this.

But of course they do. Attila clearly said: "for France" The Vienna Convention is an international treaty that standardizes a set of rules for signatory countries (including France). For these rules to be applicable in each signatory country, it’s up to them to incorporate them into their national law. In France, that means the Highway Code.

So the legal basis for any potential offense would indeed be the Highway Code, Article 317-8).

In France, the requirement to display two plates has been part of the Highway Code long before the Vienna Convention (Article R101 from 1958, now R317-8).

Hi, what Guylaine didn’t mention is how to go about shipping your vehicle to France. I assume it’ll be by boat? I’d recommend getting a rail pass like Eurail instead—you travel a lot by train in Europe, and it’s also a great way to meet people.

Hi,

Ask the SAAQ how to handle license plates and the necessary documents...

Hi there,

Most of the vehicles you see driving around like that have a second dummy plate to avoid unnecessary hassle.

Regarding the Vienna Convention, I’m not sure what you understood, but as far as I’m concerned, I took it to mean that you can drive in signatory states or those that have ratified it in the configuration defined by the registration country. Except for things that are proven to affect safety—so not license plates. The highway code doesn’t need to account for that at all.

Michel

Hi,

In Turkey, I saw a car registered in the United States of America, and it only had a single plate at the back. It didn’t seem to cause any issues.