Vehicle registration plates of Lesotho

Lesotho number plate with the mokorotlo sticker

Lesotho requires its residents to register their motor vehicles and display vehicle registration plates.

Plates are blue-on-white for private vehicles and red-on-white for government vehicles. They follow the format of one or two letters followed by four numbers. Diplomatic Plates are blue-on-white however have the letters CD on them.

A 1234 A 1234
A 1234 A 1234

A mokorotlo, the same colour as the characters on the plate, is stuck onto the plate to show a 5-year validity period.

Dealer plates are also red-on-white but do not follow the A 1234 standard and do not show the mokorotlo.

Before 1979, private plates were white-on-black and had an additional preceding 'L' which stood for Lesotho.

LA 1234 LA 1234

Kingdom of Lesotho

Period following independence:

  • LA – Maseru
  • LB – Butha Buthe
  • LC – Leribe
  • LD – Teyateyaneng
  • LE – Mafeteng
  • LF – Mohales Hoek
  • LG – Quthing
  • LH – Qacha's Nek
  • LJ – Mokhotlong

Government:

  • LX – Government vehicles

Diplomatic corps: Owing to a dispute between the foreign legations, several of them used distinctive codes for a period:

  • UKHC – United Kingdom High Commission
  • UNDP – United Nations Development Programme
  • USA – United States of America
  • WHO – World Health Organization
  • ROC – Republic of China (Taiwan)
  • D – Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)

The rest of the legations used DC.

Colony of Basutoland

Prior to independence:

  • BA – Maseru
  • BB – Butha Buthe
  • BC – Leribe
  • BD – Teyateyaneng
  • BE – Mafeteng
  • BF – Mohales Hoek
  • BG – Quthing
  • BH – Qacha's Nek
  • BJ – Mokhotlong

Government:

  • BX – Government vehicles

References

  • World License Plates
  • Holcroft's South African Calendar 1975, published by Vergne, Pretoria (for earlier codes).