# Driving In The U.S. With Foreign Plates In A Foreign Script **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2022, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977 "2022-08-02T15:54:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/21 "2022-08-04T04:37:27Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > IIRC, Egyptian license plates for example are purely Arabic numerals and letters but do say “Egypt” in both scripts. > Unfortunately, cannot embed in post. This looks to be an example, from Wikipedia: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/License_plate_Egypt_private.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/License_plate_Egypt_private.jpg) However, a Google image search also shows examples without the Western-style numerals and letters: [https://www.thecairoscene.online/ArticleImages/500efaa8-fa9d-4ae7-9d50-8155c4533781.jpg](https://www.thecairoscene.online/ArticleImages/500efaa8-fa9d-4ae7-9d50-8155c4533781.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/22 "2022-08-04T05:20:28Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > For whatever it’s worth, the Polish woman in the video in my OP shipped the vehicle to Mexico(?) from Poland, toured around Mexico, then came to the US. For reasons she didn’t make fully clear (she maybe never got an explanation), she was detained at Customs at Laredo, interrogated repeatedly for hours, put into a cell, and then let go. My guess (and this is just a guess) is that the Customs people working that day didn’t know what to do with a European vehicle being driven by a European into the US. And also, this was Texas and she’s likely in her 30s, so something something abortion. It’s almost infinitely more likely that they were looking for drugs, rather than trying to make some sort of abortion-related statement. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/23 "2022-08-04T07:33:00Z")
I once saw a car with Mexican plates in a plaza in a suburb of Toronto. I went into the convenience store and overheard the driver saying it had taken a week to drive from [Guanajuato](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanajuato) state. The weirdest one though was a rental truck with _Hawaiian_ plates in a plaza in Toronto. That just raises so many questions. > [@doreen](#): > > There very likely _isn’t_ a procedure for a European vehicle being driven into the US from Mexico\* ( or Canada) and a vehicle being imported from Europe would have to go through Customs. In fact, a Mexican/Canadian vehicle being imported to the US has to go through Customs as well and it’s just the case that 90+% of the vehicles being driven over those borders with Mexican/Canadian plates aren’t being imported. I can imagine a case that might happen: someone from the French territory of [St Pierre et Miquélon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Pierre_and_Miquelon) puts their car on the ferry over to Newfoundland (about 15 km), to take a driving holiday. Then they drive through the Maritime Provinces and cross the US border into Maine… ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/24 "2022-08-04T08:25:50Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I once saw a car with Mexican plates in a plaza in a suburb of Toronto. I’ve seen cars in Toronto with Mexican plates. Not often, but they have been there. When I was in high school, I worked in the parking lots of the Canadian National Exhibition, in Toronto. One summer, I kept note of the visitors, by license plate. I counted ten out of ten Canadian provinces, one Canadian territory, and 34 American states. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/25 "2022-08-04T10:05:36Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Arabic numerals. Arabs use Indian numerals. Indians use Arabic numerals. Saudi plates use both. The Arabic figures (numerals and letters) are repeated in standard Western forms. Why do you think fewer people in “flyover country” can read Polish than those who live on the coasts? Simple wisecrackery? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/26 "2022-08-04T13:28:16Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Why do you think fewer people in “flyover country” can read Polish than those who live on the coasts? 1. I said “cops” in “flyover states,” not “regular people.” 2. I said “figure out that they’re EU/Polish plates,” not “read Polish.” 3. I stand by my statement. There was a video upthread of an Oregon cop losing his shit over a guy driving with Dubai plates. Oregon. Where, presumably, cops have at least somewhat of a notion that there are going to be foreign-registered cars driving through. Imagine if that guy had been in Arkansas. He’d probably still be in jail. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/27 "2022-08-04T13:58:10Z")
I’d imagine that as long as you stuck to the interstate highways or at least the larger US highways, that shouldn’t be a problem. I would think that local cops all over the country near those high traffic routes will know what to do with international plates. Now if you get off the beaten path, and end up off some farm-to-market road in a county miles from the nearest interstate, that might be a once-in-a-career type event for those cops. I still doubt they’d actually harass anyone about it, unless they were driving crazily or something. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2022, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/28 "2022-08-04T18:52:04Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > However, a Google image search also shows examples without the Western-style numerals and letters That second example, all Arabic, is what I have in my photos from 2011 and 2012. Perusing my photos, it appears the Jordanian plates are similar to EU plates - elongated with large western numerals (which I believe are called “Arabic”? ha ha). The photo is not clear enough to see what’s in the country identifier on the side. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/29 "2022-08-05T02:43:31Z")
Just saying “USA lets Mexican and Canadian registered vehicles drive in USA , so its open to the entire world” is wrong. They are special exceptions to the rules. The case of the polish woman appears to be that they let her across the border without the proper clearances,because of "we let Mexicans across so why not the polish ? ". But One issue is Insurance ? The polish woman may have been taken off the road correctly, being put in jail herself is a bit harsh. They shoulda got it right at the border. But you know, do federal employees implement state laws ? Its Europe where the standard is more clear… due to necessity. The European treaty says Latin front plates to be used. But they would have the insurance issues handled too. eg by stating in the insurance policy where it is valid. They’d know if it was valid where… Where Cyrrilic is used in parts of Europe would allow you to request a latin compatible plate - it would look the same but use only characters that are common between the Cyrillic font and Latin font. I remember a youtube video that was mostly about code pages, and russian code page issues, but they mentioned the compatible letters for vehicle registration plates. But where there is no common characters, they often do a double plate… Eg Egypt… most are Arabic scrypt only plates… But an Egyptian vehicle can get a plate with both Arabic script and Latin on it. For each non-EU, non-European treaty country, Its totally possible that someone gets special permission just for their vehicle. Its not like you should just drive your vehicle in just because you saw one with the same countries plates on the road… ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/30 "2022-08-05T04:26:27Z")
Buddy of mine had his Japanese registered older Porsche shipped to the US when he transferred from Japan to Maryland. He shipped the car to California and drove it the rest of the way, finally registering it in Maryland. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/31 "2022-08-05T05:16:06Z")
This raises a question for me. How are alphanumeric codes read in Arabic? I mean what if the code were to be, from left to right, 1 alif 2 ba 3 ta. Would that be read “1, alif, 2, ba, 3 ta”, or would it be “ta, 3, ba, 2, alif, 1”? ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/32 "2022-08-05T08:32:44Z")
I don’t know for sure, but I suppose it would be read right-to-left; I don’t see why they should do it the other way around. I also suppose Arabic speakers read purely numeric codes right-to-left. This means they read the lowest position in a multi-digit number first, which makes a lot of sense: First the units, then the tens, then the hundreds and so on. When we (i.e., the West) adopted Arabic numerals, we kept the orientation of writing numbers, but since we otherwise read left-to-right this means we have the highest position in a multi-digit number first. I’ve always found that counter-intuitive, because to know the value of that position you have to count how many lower-valued positions came before it. Note that when people manually convert between different number systems (binary, decimal, hexadecimal etc.) they usually work right-to-left for exactly that reason, which comes natural to speakers of Arabic (or also Hebrew, for that matter). ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/33 "2022-08-05T08:38:52Z")
Arabic readers [read numerals in Arabic texts from left to right](https://industryarabic.com/numbers-in-arabic/). ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/34 "2022-08-05T09:16:48Z")
I would love to see some research data on which way the eye scans, but when (in Arabic) 23 is read “three and twenty”, is it reasonable to say the number reads from left to right? ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/35 "2022-08-05T15:57:01Z")
As an aside, German also does that: For numbers from 13 to 99, the units come before the tens. As I understand, English used to do this until not so long ago; cf. Housman’s poem “When I was one and twenty”. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/36 "2022-08-05T17:16:51Z")
And, similarly but different, ‘four score and seven years ago’ from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/37 "2022-08-05T17:18:58Z")
Except “score” is the larger unit. (20 years) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2022, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/38 "2022-08-05T17:21:07Z")
Yes, that’s the part that’s similar but different. ---
**Author:** ![hellasketchy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@hellasketchy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellasketchy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/39 "2022-08-06T10:52:59Z")
I recently spotted a license plate on the streets of Paris that resembled this one, with one Arabic letter set between a series of numbers: [https://licenseplatemania.com/fotos/marokko/marokko38.jpg](https://licenseplatemania.com/fotos/marokko/marokko38.jpg) The car was a recent model and did not have a country sticker. I actually thought at the time, “Huh, there is no way for the police to run this plate”. In Googling to post this, it turns out it was a Moroccan license plate (easy enough to get to Europe by ferry). Here’s another example: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Car_license_plate_of_Morocco_in_Spain.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Car_license_plate_of_Morocco_in_Spain.jpg) Sharp looking plates but not made with international travel in mind. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/40 "2022-08-06T13:37:30Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > IIRC, Egyptian license plates for example are purely Arabic numerals and letters but do say “Egypt” in both scripts. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > This looks to be an example Those are upgrades from the last time I was in Egypt, which has been several years. Back then the license plates were much more crude, looked almost homemade, did not identify Egypt on them (at least not in English). Here is a photo I took in 1993. I have been there more recently but don’t have any photos that show license plates. [![](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/9c4myayrh64uh33/A25Egyptdotcom.jpg?dl=0) ](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/9c4myayrh64uh33/A25Egyptdotcom.jpg?dl=0) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977.md?page=3)