Happens from January 1: Introduction of pink license plates

From 1 January 2026, a new and more eye-catching color will appear on the French roads that many Danes drive to both summer and winter.

In addition to the familiar white license plates, cars will start rolling around with a pink background on the plates.

This is not an indication of a new type of car or a special tourist scheme. The pink color marks temporary registrations, so the police can quickly see if a car is only driving on a temporary permit.

This type of car is already filling up traffic because the scheme is used for both new and imported vehicles.

Where previously you had to get closer to the car to assess whether the sign was temporary, the status will now be visible from a distance.

The pink plates will have a clear expiry month on the right-hand side, and this combination should make it much easier to assess whether the car is driving legally.

Only for “WW” plates and cars on their way to permanent registration

The scheme applies to the temporary registrations known in France as “WW”.

They are used for cars that are already on the road while the owner is waiting for the final registration certificate.

This could be a brand new car from a French dealer or a used car from abroad that has not yet received a permanent French registration plate.

The new pink “WW” plates should not be confused with the so-called “W garage” plates, which are reserved for workshops and dealers.

This difference is emphasized as important because dealers will continue with their current system, while car owners and importers will switch to the pink background, according to Future-Sciences.com.

The reform must also solve a technical problem. The number of possible “WW” combinations is limited and the numbers are reused after about 14 months.

This has led to cases where a driver has been fined for an offense committed by a previous user of the same temporary number.

With the expiration date printed directly on the license plate, authorities have an additional point of reference when checking a report or a photographed license plate.

To prevent abuse and protect law-abiding drivers

The French traffic authorities make no secret of the fact that the new color is primarily intended to prevent misuse of temporary plates.

Some drivers continue to drive on a “WW” plate long after the period has expired, or transfer the plate to another car. Both of which make it more difficult to link the car to the right owner.

– “Although fraud is still a marginal phenomenon compared to the scale of activity in the registration system, it has grown in recent years and many concrete measures have been taken to limit and reduce this scourge,” says Marie-Pierre Vedrenne from the French Ministry of the Interior.

Permanently registered cars will not be changed. Cars on permanent French plates will not be affected, and new cars purchased in France will, as a rule, still get their final plates before leaving the dealer.

For most Danes, pink plates will therefore be something you notice in traffic without having to do anything about it.

The color codes are already part of the system in France, where, for example, diplomatic cars have a green background and cars in temporary transit often have red plates.

The pink plates will be yet another link in this division, so that the police can more quickly assess which category a car belongs to.