# 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:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/41 "2022-08-08T18:47:25Z")
1993? That picture must be more recent with the URL sticker. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/42 "2022-08-08T20:40:06Z")
I notice license plates. It’s a curse. Anyway, here in Illinois, zeros look like letter Os. One exception is amateur radio plates if the license callsign has a zero. I can’t find a photo of an IL example online but it’s explicitly a zero with a slash run through it like shown here: [https://www.quora.com/On-a-license-plate-how-can-you-tell-the-difference-between-O-and-zero](https://www.quora.com/On-a-license-plate-how-can-you-tell-the-difference-between-O-and-zero) It used to be that the number part of a ham callsign was tied to you geography so, for example Illinois, Indiana & Wisconsin would all have a 9 and you’d need a new call if you moved to a different area. However, that was lifted by the FCC some time ago and you can now apply for a vanity call with any valid combination. I’ve considered applying for a zero call (formerly only for CO, IA, KS, MN, NE, MO, ND & SD), mostly because it looks cool and I qualify for a shorter call from my current 6 characters. But I also wondered if it would get me out of a ticket … not that I get many. ---
**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 8, 2022, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/43 "2022-08-08T22:10:43Z")
You’re right. My first trip there was 1993 but that photo could have been a few years later. ---
**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 8, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/44 "2022-08-08T22:12:06Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Anyway, here in Illinois, zeros look like letter Os. In Virginia they are different characters but I believe they are treated as the same character for purposes of issuing plates. That is, if you have the vanity plate ZOOM nobody can get Z00M ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2022, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/45 "2022-08-09T01:00:54Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Anyway, here in Illinois, zeros look like letter Os. I have to correct myself here. I paid closer attention while driving home tonight and spotted\* a couple plates with Os. It does appear that the letter is a little more squared off than the number. But the slashed zero seems to be just for the ham plates. \*Not easy! It seems the O is only used for vanity plates. Most randomly issued plates here LNNNNNN or LLNNNNNN and I think Os are never used for the prefix letter. Vanity plates aren’t terribly common but I had to drive around the neighborhood a bit to find one with an O and get a good look at it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2022, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/46 "2022-08-12T16:20:53Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I think Os are never used for the prefix letter. It was definitely allowed in the 80s, as my father had an Illinois registered car with a non-vanity license plate number that started with OW. No idea now, though. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2022, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/47 "2022-08-15T02:04:45Z")
I kept my 9 callsign when I moved to MN (0 land) in 1991, I’m not sure if there were vanity callsigns then (maybe for clubs but not individuals). Brian ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2025, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977/48 "2025-03-02T03:18:27Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Anyway, here in Illinois, zeros look like letter Os. One exception is amateur radio plates if the license callsign has a zero. I can’t find a photo of an IL example online but it’s explicitly a zero with a slash run through it like shown here While going through some photos, I found one I took last October that I’d forgotten about. It’s an Iowa plate with a Zero and an Oh. [[Album] Oct 2024 Oh and Zero ![](https://i.imgur.com/uLN603n.jpeg?fb "Oct 2024 Oh and Zero") ](https://imgur.com/a/gEuxNf2) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driving-in-the-u-s-with-foreign-plates-in-a-foreign-script/968977.md?page=2)