Erbil Traffic Directorate to begin offering vehicle license plates in English

Erbil (Kurdistan 24) - Erbil Traffic Directorate announced this week that it will start to offer automobile owners a chance to register their plates to be printed in the English language.

"Drivers can change their license plates to English for one time only," directorate spokesman Fadel Hajji said on Wednesday.

He stressed that the process will require that those registering for the new option must first be issued the exit book for their car from Erbil customs.

Hajji, although, warned drivers against either tampering with the proper registration plates in any way, or else face a fine of one million Iraqi dinars (just over $680).

In mid-September, the provincial government in Halabja held an event to auction off vanity license plates for numbers one through nine to fund local infrastructure projects.

Read More: Kurdistan's Halabja auctions off vanity license plates to fund projects

License plates in the Kurdistan Region only have numbers as their identifier, and vehicle owners are obligated to register one for their automobiles. While prices tend to be stable for generic plates, unique ones or those with smaller numbers tend to cost more, sometimes significantly so.