State standard for the installation of state numbers
И.1. Each vehicle shall be equipped with the following registration plates (other than plates of types 16 – 18)
one front and one rear – on cars, trucks, cargo-passenger cars and buses;
one rear registration plate for other vehicles.
I.2 The place for installation of the registration plate must be a flat vertical rectangular surface and must be chosen in such a way as to avoid obscuring the plate with elements of the structure of the vehicle, contamination during operation of the vehicle and difficulty in reading it. The registration plates must not reduce the angles of the front and rear overhang of the vehicle, obscure the exterior lights and lightsignals, protrude beyond the side dimension of the vehicle.
I.3. The front registration plate shall be mounted, as a rule, along the symmetry axis of the vehicle. It is permissible to mount the front registration plate on the left-hand side of the vehicle’s symmetry axis in the direction of travel of the vehicle.
I.4 The position of the rear registration plate shall be such that the following conditions are met:
I.4.1. The registration plate shall be mounted on or to the left of the vehicle’s axis of symmetry in the direction of travel.
I.4.2. The registration plate shall be placed perpendicular to the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the vehicle with a deviation of not more than 3°.
I.4.3. The registration plate on the vehicle shall be placed perpendicular to the vehicle’s reference plane, a tolerance of not more than 5°.
Note. If the construction of the vehicle does not permit the registration plates to be positioned perpendicular to the supporting plane of the vehicle, it shall be permissible for registration plates having a height of not more than 1200 mm to increase this angle to 30° if the surface on which the plate is mounted faces upwards and to 15° if the surface faces downwards.
The height of the lower edge of the rear registration plate from the reference plane of the vehicle shall not be less than 300 mm, the height of the upper edge of the plate shall not exceed 1200 mm.
Notes. 1. If the construction of the vehicle does not allow the height of the upper edge of the registration plate to be not more than 1200 mm, it shall be allowed to increase the height to 2000 mm.
The measurement of the height of the registration plate from the reference plane of the vehicle shall be carried out with the vehicle unladen weight.
I.4.5 The registration plate shall be visible in the space bounded by the following four planes: two vertical and two horizontal planes touching the edges of the plate within the angles of visibility shown in figure I.1.
I.4.6. The relative positioning of the registration plate and the registration plate illumination lamp(s) on the vehicle must comply with GOST R 41.4.
I.4.7. The registration plate must be mounted in such a way that it can be read at a distance of at least 20 m in the dark with the vehicle’s registration plate illumination lamp(s).
Note. This requirement does not apply to the inscriptions “RUS” and “TRANSIT”, as well as the image of the State flag of the Russian Federation.
I.5 Bolts or screws with heads having the color of the sign’s field or light galvanic coatings must be used for mounting the registration signs.
It is allowed to mount the signs with the help of frames. Bolts, screws and frames must not obscure or distort the inscription “RUS”, the image of the Russian Federation state flag, letters or numbers on the registration plate.
(as amended by the Federal Service for Technical Regulation and Metrology, decree No.164-st dated 22.05.2009).
It is not allowed to cover the sign with organic glass or other materials.
It is prohibited to drill additional holes on the registration plate in order to attach the plate to the vehicle or for other purposes.
If the coordinates of mounting holes of the registration plate do not coincide with the coordinates of mounting holes of the vehicle, the plates must be mounted through transitional structural elements, which ensure compliance with requirements I.2 through I.4.
What you need to know about installing the license plate on a car
These long-awaited plates, which the driver receives after the registration of the car in the traffic police, in practice, can create a lot of problems. And their mass is connected with the violation of installation rules.
There are clear requirements of traffic rules, as well as standards according to GOST, violation of which entails a fine. In some cases, you can even lose your license. And then, you will only have to watch the car, but you will not be able to get behind the wheel and drive for a while.
In order not to encounter such problems, you should learn in advance about how the installation can be done and what rules should be observed.
Basic rules
The motorist has received a state license plate for his car, and it only remains to fix it. If you do it incorrectly, a penalty will follow. If you do not do it in time, also fines will not be avoided.
It is important that the car is fully compliant with all the rules and requirements. There are current GOST requirements, as well as equally important legal requirements, prescribed in the relevant documents.
You should start with what GOST says. In the case of license plates, it is necessary to start from GOST number 50577-93. It prescribes the following requirements and standards:
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Must match the type of vehicle on which it is installed.
- Regarding the axis of symmetry, front and rear signs should be mounted in the middle, or with an offset to the left in the direction of travel. That is, to the side of the road.
- The license plate and the longitudinal plane of the car must be at an angle of 90 degrees, and the inclination may not exceed 3 degrees.
- The lower edge of the plate must be at a distance of at least 300 mm from the plane of the horizon and the upper edge of the plate up to 1200 mm.
- All symbols must be clearly legible and distinguishable to the human eye and video fixation devices.
- Signs must be visible in the dark with a distance of at least 20 meters.
Legislation indicates that the license plate must be installed in accordance with current regulations. If the plate is not positioned correctly, it is automatically equated to its absence. As a result, even with a minor violation you can receive a fine or lose your license.
The penalty for improper installation of the license plate is 5 thousand rubles, or license deprivation for a period of one to three months.
You won’t be able to get a set of license plates and then throw them in the car or install them under the window to install them in the garage. If you get caught by the inspector, the driver will earn the aforementioned fine, or he will be deprived of his license. Therefore, it is recommended to install the signs directly at the parking lot near the traffic police. In advance, it is worth preparing everything you need and take with you.
What is required for installation
Now it’s time to attach the received license plates to your car. You can do it yourself, without involving any specialists.
Just do not think that everything here is simple and obvious. You can hardly use the first handy device you see, to screw the plates to a new car. Here, you need to comply with certain requirements and act according to regulations. We are talking about these points:
- Fixing elements (bolts or screws) must have a special coating to match the color of the plate field or provide for galvanic elements.
- Special frames may be used for mounting. Only in this case it is inadmissible that they overlap some of the data stipulated for the standard license plate.
- The plate must not be covered by glass, plastic or other materials which can make it difficult to be read by video or photo fixation devices or by any other means.
- If the mounting locations on the bumper and the license plate do not match, you can use special adapters approved for use in the Russian Federation.
The use of bolts with a reflective coating must be rejected immediately. You may also be fined for this decision.
In order to screw the plates on a new car on your own, you can use 2 main options. These are bolts with self-tapping screws or clamps.
It is up to each driver to decide how to mount the license plate. The main thing is that after that the car meets all the requirements and standards.
Bolts and self-tapping screws
Many motorists prefer to use bolts and self-tapping screws for such purposes. It is mainly related to the desire not to become a victim of malefactors, who remove the plates, leave a note with a ransom demand, and then disappear without a trace. In the end, no money and no plates.
The bolts or self-tapping screws can really fasten the plates at the front and back of the car. The procedure is not complicated and looks like this:
- At a construction store, you need to buy bolts that have smooth flats. They are the most effective in terms of theft protection.
- Next, you drill through the bumper of the car, where the sign will be located.
- A through hole is made in the plate of the sign.
- A frame is mounted, and then the license plate is fixed with bolts.
This does not give 100% protection, but with this installation to remove the license plate with a frame will need to use a grinder or a heavy percussion tool. It would draw much attention to the car. That is why thieves usually avoid such cars.
Using clamps
An alternative option is considered mounting with clamps, which is easier to perform, but at the same time less reliable in terms of security.
Clamps are easy to work with. You need to buy parts of the right length, pass them under the frame and tighten tightly. This is a good protection against accidental loss of the license plate in bad weather or with a strong jolt. But the clamp will not save from the intruders. It is enough to cut it with a wire cutter or a knife, and the plate will be in thieves hands.
What is different about the dealer’s frame?
Thinking about what and how best to fix the license plate in the frame, you should think about the frame itself. There is such a thing as a dealer frame.
No one forbids you to use it. But whether you need it and whether you want to ride with such a design on the car, the question is quite important.
The dealers’ frame is the same classic design for the license plate. The only difference is that there is additional advertising. The name of the dealer, his address, often even the phone number is indicated. In terms of how to mount such a license plate frame on your car, there is no fundamental difference. They meet the standards, but additionally place advertising on themselves.
Many motorists do not even pay attention to what frames they were issued by the car dealership when selling the vehicle. According to the law, it should be an ordinary design, matching the dimensions of the license plate provided for use in the Russian Federation. But nowhere does it say anything about the dealer’s advertising.
In fact, the car owner with such a frame becomes a free mobile advertisement for the car dealership. This is an imposed service, for which you pay nothing, but now you benefit the dealer.
To use the dealer’s frame or not, it is up to everyone.
The right place for installation
It is usually not difficult to install front and rear license plates on your car yourself. In the vast majority of cases, if the car is officially sold or was previously introduced in the Russian market, the vehicle necessarily provides special places to place the plates.
But it also happens that the license plate does not provide for a standard landing pad. In this case, if you try to do everything by eye, not relying on the requirements and legal norms, you may be faced with a serious fine or even lose your license for 3 months.
To fix your own car received in the traffic police license plate and there were no questions about the placement of the state sign, when choosing a place for mounting, be guided by the following points:
- Front and rear license plate is forbidden to mount with a deviation relative to the axis to the right side in the course of travel. The license plate must be located closer to the road, not to the side of the road. Otherwise it is a violation of 5000 rubles.
- Installation must be carried out strictly on a vertically level rectangular surface.
- The structural elements of the vehicle itself must not cover and obscure the license plate in any way.
- The place must be chosen so that the plate does not get dirty during operation, it can be easily identified from a sufficient distance, and the surface can be cleaned quickly.
- The plate must not contribute to reducing the overhang of the vehicle and must not affect the overall dimensions of the vehicle.
- The plate itself must not interfere with the operation of the exterior lights.
- If the car has a non-standard bumper, it is forbidden to mount the decals at an angle, bend them or change their shape. In these cases, you must use special adapters.
Knowing how to fix the license plate on your car, every car owner will cope with the task without any problems. According to the rules placed license plate will not provoke a desire to write you a fine.
It is important to note that with regard to the rear and front plates are the same requirements and standards.
It is a mistake to think that if there is no rear plate, but there is a front plate, it is not considered a violation. According to the DMV, there must be two license plates on a vehicle. The absence of one of them is a violation of the law and subject to appropriate administrative penalties.
So, always keep your front and rear license plate secure, intact and clean.
Installation Instructions
There is nothing particularly complicated in putting state license plates on your car. Here it is important to follow some recommendations, take into account the requirements of the legislation and GOST.
As a result, the entire procedure can be reduced to the performance of the following key points:
- For installation, you should first prepare a set of special bolts, which do not have reflective elements.
- Screws and bolts must match the background color of the sign used. A light galvanized finish is provided here.
- To avoid using the usual bolt connection, which does not look very attractive, you can use special frames.
- Applying the frames, they should not cover the symbols and inscriptions, as well as overlap the optics of the car.
- When installing the license plate is not allowed to use plexiglass and other materials that cover the license plate.
- There must not be any additional holes in the plate other than those made during production.
Figuring out how to install with your own hands issued license plate will not be very difficult. If you do not use a frame, just take the license plate, apply it to the holes on the bumper or other structural element, where the placement of the plate is provided from the factory. When the holes on the plate and the car coincide, screw the fasteners.
If a frame is used, then the construction itself is mounted first, and the license plate is inserted into it. Keep in mind that there are several types of frames and not all of them meet the current requirements.
Sometimes the holes in the plate and the car do not match. Then an adapter is purchased at a specialized store, installed on the vehicle, and then a plate with the vehicle registration number is attached to the adapter.
Most often, there are no special difficulties with the installation of motorists. If the car is officially sold in the Russian Federation, all the holes will surely coincide, so the installation can be done in a matter of minutes. With unofficially imported vehicles there may be a few more problems, but they can be easily solved with the help of adapters and frames. The main thing is that in the end the sign was located as prescribed in the GOST and the current Russian legislation. Then you will not have to worry about a fine of 5,000 rubles or the deprivation of rights for 3 months.
