Vehicle registration plates on a yellow background intended for public passenger transport are planned to be withdrawn from circulation and replaced with standard plates
The Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization has submitted a draft bill for public consultation. In particular, it is proposed that transport operators be given three months to obtain standard registration numbers on a white background. Three months after the decree comes into force, the use of license plates with a yellow background will be prohibited, and the stock of blanks for the production of license plates with a yellow background will be destroyed. This measure is intended to eliminate bureaucratic red tape and additional costs for transport operators engaged in public passenger transport. Previously, yellow license plates were introduced to distinguish legal passenger transport operators from those engaged in this activity illegally. However, the introduction of this requirement became a new barrier for transport operators, with new procedures and additional costs arising. According to the Ministry's estimates, the abolition of the obligation to use yellow license plates will save economic entities approximately 9.5 million lei, while the state budget will lose 27.1 million lei. The explanatory note to the draft law states that the Public Services Agency should cover the financial costs incurred in the purchase of yellow license plates. Currently, there are 3.2 thousand such plates available, and under the signed contract, the agency will receive another batch of 4.5 thousand plates. The total cost of these license plates is €29.1 thousand (0.55 million lei). It is also emphasized that, due to the expiry of the contract with the current supplier of license plates, it was planned to start the procedure for the public procurement of registration plates for cars and trailers for 2025-2028 in March. Accordingly, the purchase of 12.6 thousand license plates worth 1.1 million lei is canceled. Carriers pay the Public Services Agency approximately 1.2 million lei per year for the issuance and production of registration plates, which are stored free of charge. Consultations on the draft will continue until May 26: https://goo.su/eKUvfC. // 20.05.2025 — InfoMarket
