# item.guide

Aircraft Tail Prefixes

Air Traffic & Location Codes · 4 specs

Direct Answer

Under ICAO Annex 7, every civil aircraft must display a unique national registration mark consisting of a Country Nationality Prefix followed by an alphanumeric registration suffix (e.g., N for United States, G- for United Kingdom, TC- for Turkey, F- for France, D- for Germany, JA- for Japan).

Specs

Treaty Standard ICAO Annex 7 (Aircraft Nationality and Registration Marks)
Format Nationality Prefix + Hyphen + Registration Suffix (e.g., G-EUPG, TC-LND)
Display Locations Fuselage sides, vertical tail fin, and lower left wing surface
Historical Basis Derived from 1919 Paris Convention and 1927 International Radiotelegraph Union

Anatomy of Aircraft Tail Numbers & Governing Norms

Under ICAO Annex 7 and ITU Radio Regulations Article 19, every civil aircraft operating across international borders must display a visible registration mark comprising a Nationality Prefix and a Registration Suffix:

  • Separator Rules: A hyphen (-) separates nationality prefix and registration letters (e.g. TC-LNE, G-XWBD, F-GZCP, VH-OQA), EXCEPT when the prefix is an unhyphenated alphanumeric sequence (N502DN, JA801A, HL8201).
  • Restricted Characters: Suffixes internationally prohibit combinations starting with Q (avoiding confusion with Q-signals like QNH, QFE) or distress letters PAN, SOS, XXX, TTT.

Master International Aircraft Nationality Directory (173 States & Territories)

Sovereign State / Territory Tail Prefix National Registration Format National Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
Afghanistan YA- YA-AAA to YA-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Afghanistan
Albania ZA- ZA-AAA to ZA-ZZZ Albanian Civil Aviation Authority
Algeria 7T- 7T-AAA to 7T-ZZZ Direction de l'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie
Andorra C3- C3-AAA to C3-ZZZ Govern d'Andorra
Angola D2- D2-AAA to D2-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Institute (INAVIC)
Antigua and Barbuda V2- V2-AAA to V2-ZZZ Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA)
Argentina LV-, LQ- LV-AAA to LV-ZZZ (civil), LQ-AAA (state/police) Administración Nacional de Aviación Civil (ANAC)
Armenia EK- EK-10000 to EK-99999, EK-AAA to EK-ZZZ General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia
Aruba P4- P4-AAA to P4-ZZZ Department of Civil Aviation of Aruba
Australia VH- VH-AAA to VH-ZZZ Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)
Austria OE- OE-AAA to OE-KZZ (commercial), OE-LAA to OE-LZZ Austro Control
Azerbaijan 4K- 4K-AZ1 to 4K-99999, 4K-AAA to 4K-ZZZ State Civil Aviation Administration of Azerbaijan
Bahamas C6- C6-AAA to C6-ZZZ Civil Aviation Department (Bahamas)
Bahrain A9C- A9C-AA to A9C-ZZ Civil Aviation Affairs (CAA)
Bangladesh S2- S2-AAA to S2-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB)
Barbados 8P- 8P-AAA to 8P-ZZZ Civil Aviation Department of Barbados
Belarus EW- EW-100AA to EW-999ZZ, EW-10000 to EW-99999 State Aviation Committee of Belarus
Belgium OO- OO-AAA to OO-ZZZ Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport
Belize V3- V3-AAA to V3-ZZZ Department of Civil Aviation (Belize)
Benin TY- TY-AAA to TY-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC)
Bermuda VP-B.., VQ-B.. VP-BAA to VP-BZZ, VQ-BAA to VQ-BZZ Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA)
Bhutan A5- A5-AAA to A5-ZZZ Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA)
Bolivia CP- CP-1000 to CP-9999 Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC)
Bosnia and Herzegovina E7- E7-AAA to E7-ZZZ Bosnia and Herzegovina Directorate of Civil Aviation (BHDCA)
Botswana A2- A2-AAA to A2-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB)
Brazil PP-, PR-, PT-, PU-, PS- PP-AAA to PP-ZZZ, PR-AAA to PR-ZZZ, PS-AAA to PS-ZZZ Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC)
Brunei V8- V8-AAA to V8-ZZZ, V8-AA1 to V8-ZZ9 Department of Civil Aviation of Brunei
Bulgaria LZ- LZ-AAA to LZ-ZZZ Civil Aviation Administration (Bulgaria)
Burkina Faso XT- XT-AAA to XT-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC)
Burundi 9U- 9U-AAA to 9U-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Burundi
Cambodia XU- XU-AAA to XU-ZZZ State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA)
Cameroon TJ- TJ-AAA to TJ-ZZZ Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA)
Canada C-F..., C-G..., C-I... C-FAAA to C-FZZZ, C-GAAA to C-GZZZ, C-IAAA to C-IZZZ Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA)
Cape Verde D4- D4-AAA to D4-ZZZ Agência de Aviação Civil (AAC)
Cayman Islands VP-C.. VP-CAA to VP-CZZ Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands (CAACI)
Central African Republic TL- TL-AAA to TL-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC)
Chad TT- TT-AAA to TT-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Chad (ADAC)
Chile CC- CC-AAA to CC-ZZZ Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC)
China (Mainland) B- B-1000 to B-9999, B-10AA to B-99ZZ Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)
Colombia HK-, HJ- HK-1000 to HK-9999, HK-1000A to HK-9999Z Unidad Administrativa Especial de Aeronáutica Civil (Aerocivil)
Comoros D6- D6-AAA to D6-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC)
Congo (Brazzaville) TN- TN-AAA to TN-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC)
Congo (DRC) 9Q- 9Q-AAA to 9Q-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of DRC (AAC)
Costa Rica TI- TI-AAA to TI-ZZZ Dirección General de Aviación Civil (DGAC)
Croatia 9A- 9A-AAA to 9A-ZZZ Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (CCAA)
Cuba CU- CU-C1000 to CU-C9999, CU-T1000 to CU-T9999 Instituto de Aeronáutica Civil de Cuba (IACC)
Cyprus 5B- 5B-AAA to 5B-ZZZ Department of Civil Aviation (Cyprus)
Czech Republic OK- OK-AAA to OK-ZZZ, OK-0001 to OK-9999 Civil Aviation Authority of the Czech Republic (CAA-CZ)
Côte d'Ivoire TU- TU-AAA to TU-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC)
Denmark OY- OY-AAA to OY-ZZZ Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (Trafikstyrelsen)
Djibouti J2- J2-AAA to J2-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Djibouti
Dominica J7- J7-AAA to J7-ZZZ Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA)
Dominican Republic HI- HI-100 to HI-999, HI-100AA to HI-999ZZ Instituto Dominicano de Aviación Civil (IDAC)
Ecuador HC- HC-AAA to HC-ZZZ Dirección General de Aviación Civil (DGAC)
Egypt SU- SU-AAA to SU-ZZZ, SU-100 to SU-999 Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA)
El Salvador YS- YS-AAA to YS-ZZZ Autoridad de Aviación Civil (AAC)
Equatorial Guinea 3C- 3C-AAA to 3C-ZZZ Dirección General de Aviación Civil
Eritrea E3- E3-AAA to E3-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Eritrea
Estonia ES- ES-AAA to ES-ZZZ Estonian Transport Administration (Transpordiamet)
Eswatini 3DC- 3DC-AAA to 3DC-ZZZ Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority (ESWACAA)
Ethiopia ET- ET-AAA to ET-ZZZ Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA)
Fiji DQ- DQ-AAA to DQ-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF)
Finland OH- OH-AAA to OH-ZZZ Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom)
France F- F-AAAA to F-ZZZZ, F-OAAA to F-OZZZ (overseas) Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC)
Gabon TR- TR-AAA to TR-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC)
Gambia C5- C5-AAA to C5-ZZZ Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
Georgia 4L- 4L-AAA to 4L-ZZZ, 4L-10000 to 4L-99999 Georgian Civil Aviation Agency (GCAA)
Germany D- D-AAAA to D-AZZZ (>20t), D-BAAA to D-BZZZ (14-20t), D-CAAA (5.7-14t), D-EAAA (<2t) Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA)
Ghana 9G- 9G-AAA to 9G-ZZZ Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
Greece SX- SX-AAA to SX-ZZZ Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA)
Guatemala TG- TG-AAA to TG-ZZZ Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC)
Guernsey 2- 2-AAAA to 2-ZZZZ Guernsey Registry of Aircraft (2-REG)
Guinea 3X- 3X-AAA to 3X-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Directorate (DNAC)
Guyana 8R- 8R-AAA to 8R-ZZZ Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
Haiti HH- HH-AAA to HH-ZZZ Office National de l'Aviation Civile (OFNAC)
Honduras HR- HR-AAA to HR-ZZZ Agencia Hondureña de Aeronáutica Civil (AHAC)
Hong Kong B-H.., B-K.., B-L.. B-HAA to B-HZZ, B-KAA to B-KZZ, B-LAA to B-LZZ Civil Aviation Department of Hong Kong (CAD)
Hungary HA- HA-AAA to HA-ZZZ, HA-1000 to HA-9999 Civil Aviation Authority of Hungary (CAA)
Iceland TF- TF-AAA to TF-ZZZ Icelandic Transport Authority (Samgöngustofa)
India VT- VT-AAA to VT-ZZZ Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
Indonesia PK- PK-AAA to PK-ZZZ Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
Iran EP- EP-AAA to EP-ZZZ Civil Aviation Organization of Iran (CAO.IRI)
Iraq YI- YI-AAA to YI-ZZZ Iraq Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA)
Ireland EI-, EJ- EI-AAA to EI-ZZZ, EJ-AAA to EJ-ZZZ Irish Aviation Authority (IAA)
Isle of Man M- M-AAAA to M-ZZZZ Isle of Man Aircraft Registry (IOMAR)
Israel 4X- 4X-AAA to 4X-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Israel (CAAI)
Italy I- I-AAAA to I-ZZZZ Ente Nazionale per l'Aviazione Civile (ENAC)
Jamaica 6Y- 6Y-AAA to 6Y-ZZZ Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA)
Japan JA JA0001 to JA9999, JA01AA to JA99ZZ Japan Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB)
Jordan JY- JY-AAA to JY-ZZZ Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC)
Kazakhstan UP- UP-AAA01 to UP-ZZZ99, UP-A0001 to UP-Z9999 Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan (AAK)
Kenya 5Y- 5Y-AAA to 5Y-ZZZ Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA)
Kuwait 9K- 9K-AAA to 9K-ZZZ Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
Kyrgyzstan EX- EX-00001 to EX-99999, EX-100 to EX-999 Civil Aviation Agency of Kyrgyzstan
Laos RDPL- RDPL-10000 to RDPL-99999 Department of Civil Aviation (DCA Laos)
Latvia YL- YL-AAA to YL-ZZZ Civil Aviation Agency of Latvia (CAA)
Lebanon OD- OD-AAA to OD-ZZZ Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
Libya 5A- 5A-AAA to 5A-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Libya
Lithuania LY- LY-AAA to LY-ZZZ Transport Competence Agency (TKA)
Luxembourg LX- LX-AAA to LX-ZZZ Direction de l'Aviation Civile (DAC)
Macau B-M.. B-MAA to B-MZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Macau (AACM)
Madagascar 5R- 5R-AAA to 5R-ZZZ Civil Aviation Directorate of Madagascar (ACM)
Malaysia 9M- 9M-AAA to 9M-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM)
Maldives 8Q- 8Q-AAA to 8Q-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Maldives
Mali TZ- TZ-AAA to TZ-ZZZ National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC)
Malta 9H- 9H-AAA to 9H-ZZZ Civil Aviation Directorate (Transport Malta)
Mauritius 3B- 3B-AAA to 3B-ZZZ Department of Civil Aviation of Mauritius
Mexico XA-, XB-, XC- XA-AAA (commercial), XB-AAA (private), XC-AAA (official) Agencia Federal de Aviación Civil (AFAC)
Moldova ER- ER-AAA to ER-ZZZ, ER-10000 to ER-99999 Civil Aviation Authority of Moldova
Monaco 3A- 3A-AAA to 3A-ZZZ, 3A-HAA to 3A-HZZ (helicopters) Civil Aviation Authority of Monaco
Mongolia JU- JU-1000 to JU-9999 Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia (MCAA)
Montenegro 4O- 4O-AAA to 4O-ZZZ Civil Aviation Agency of Montenegro
Morocco CN- CN-AAA to CN-ZZZ Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC)
Mozambique C9- C9-AAA to C9-ZZZ Instituto de Aviação Civil de Moçambique (IACM)
Myanmar (Burma) XY-, XZ- XY-AAA to XY-ZZZ, XZ-AAA to XZ-ZZZ Department of Civil Aviation (DCA Myanmar)
Namibia V5- V5-AAA to V5-ZZZ Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
Nepal 9N- 9N-AAA to 9N-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN)
Netherlands PH- PH-AAA to PH-ZZZ, PH-1A1 to PH-9Z9 Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport (ILT)
New Zealand ZK-, ZL-, ZM- ZK-AAA to ZK-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAA NZ)
Nicaragua YN- YN-AAA to YN-ZZZ Instituto Nicaragüense de Aeronáutica Civil (INAC)
Nigeria 5N- 5N-AAA to 5N-ZZZ Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)
North Korea P- P-500 to P-999 General Administration of Civil Aviation (GACA)
North Macedonia Z3- Z3-AAA to Z3-ZZZ Civil Aviation Agency of North Macedonia
Norway LN- LN-AAA to LN-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Norway (Luftfartstilsynet)
Oman A4O- A4O-AA to A4O-ZZ Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA)
Pakistan AP- AP-AAA to AP-ZZZ Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA)
Panama HP- HP-1000AA to HP-9999ZZ Autoridad Aeronáutica Civil (AAC)
Papua New Guinea P2- P2-AAA to P2-ZZZ Civil Aviation Safety Authority of PNG (CASA PNG)
Paraguay ZP- ZP-AAA to ZP-ZZZ Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil (DINAC)
Peru OB- OB-1000 to OB-9999 Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC)
Philippines RP- RP-C0001 to RP-C9999 (commercial), RP-R0001 (rotorcraft) Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP)
Poland SP-, SN- SP-AAA to SP-ZZZ, SP-1000 to SP-9999 (gliders) Civil Aviation Authority of Poland (ULC)
Portugal CS-, CR- CS-AAA to CS-ZZZ Autoridade Nacional da Aviação Civil (ANAC)
Qatar A7- A7-AAA to A7-ZZZ, A7-HAA to A7-HZZ Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA)
Romania YR- YR-AAA to YR-ZZZ, YR-1000 to YR-9999 Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority (AACR)
Russia RA-, RF- RA-00001 to RA-99999 (civil), RF-00001 (state/federation) Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya)
Rwanda 9XR- 9XR-AA to 9XR-ZZ Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA)
San Marino T7- T7-AAA to T7-ZZZ, T7-001 to T7-999 San Marino Civil Aviation and Maritime Authority (SM CAA)
Saudi Arabia HZ- HZ-AAA to HZ-ZZZ, HZ-AA1 to HZ-ZZ9 General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA)
Senegal 6V-, 6W- 6V-AAA to 6V-ZZZ National Agency of Civil Aviation of Senegal (ANACIM)
Serbia YU- YU-AAA to YU-ZZZ Civil Aviation Directorate of Serbia (CAD)
Seychelles S7- S7-AAA to S7-ZZZ Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA)
Singapore 9V- 9V-AAA to 9V-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)
Slovakia OM- OM-AAA to OM-ZZZ Transport Authority of Slovakia (Dopravný úrad)
Slovenia S5- S5-AAA to S5-ZZZ Civil Aviation Agency of Slovenia (CAA)
South Africa ZS-, ZT-, ZU- ZS-AAA to ZS-ZZZ (certified), ZU-AAA (non-type certified) South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)
South Korea HL HL1000 to HL9999 (e.g. HL7500, HL8200) Korea Office of Civil Aviation (KOCA)
Spain EC- EC-AAA to EC-ZZZ Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea (AESA)
Sri Lanka 4R- 4R-AAA to 4R-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL)
Sudan ST- ST-AAA to ST-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Sudan
Sweden SE- SE-AAA to SE-ZZZ Swedish Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen)
Switzerland HB- HB-AAA to HB-ZZZ (HB-IBA to HB-IZZ large jets) Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA)
Syria YK- YK-AAA to YK-ZZZ Syrian Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA)
Taiwan B- B-10000 to B-99999 (e.g. B-16701) Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA Taiwan)
Tajikistan EY- EY-10000 to EY-99999, EY-AAA to EY-ZZZ Civil Aviation Agency of Tajikistan
Tanzania 5H- 5H-AAA to 5H-ZZZ Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA)
Thailand HS- HS-AAA to HS-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT)
Tunisia TS- TS-AAA to TS-ZZZ Directorate General of Civil Aviation (Tunisia)
Turkey TC- TC-AAA to TC-ZZZ Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM)
Turkmenistan EZ- EZ-A001 to EZ-Z999 State Civil Aviation Department of Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos VQ-T.. VQ-TAA to VQ-TZZ Civil Aviation Department (TCICA)
Uganda 5X- 5X-AAA to 5X-ZZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Uganda (UCAA)
Ukraine UR- UR-AAA to UR-ZZZ, UR-10000 to UR-99999 State Aviation Administration of Ukraine
United Arab Emirates A6- A6-AAA to A6-ZZZ General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)
United Kingdom G- G-AAAA to G-ZZZZ Civil Aviation Authority (CAA UK)
United States N N1 to N99999, N1A to N999ZZ, N1AA to N99ZZ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Uruguay CX- CX-AAA to CX-ZZZ Dirección Nacional de Aviación Civil (DINACIA)
Uzbekistan UK- UK-10000 to UK-99999 State Aviation Oversight Agency of Uzbekistan
Venezuela YV- YV-1000 to YV-9999, YV-100E to YV-999E Instituto Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil (INAC)
Vietnam VN- VN-A001 to VN-A999 (turbojet), VN-B001 (turboprop) Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV)
Yemen 7O- 7O-AAA to 7O-ZZZ Civil Aviation and Meteorology Authority (CAMA)
Zambia 9J- 9J-AAA to 9J-ZZZ Zambia Civil Aviation Authority (ZCAA)
Zimbabwe Z- Z-WAA to Z-WZZ Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ)

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