Farthest license plate you've seen from the jurisdiction you're in

[andrepoiy]

Yesterday, I came across a car plated with Northwest Territories plates in Kingston, ON.

Some of the farthest I've also seen include:

Distrito Federale, MX in Niagara Falls, ON
Morelos, MX in Toronto, ON
Yukon, CA in Sherbrooke, QC
German plates in Toronto, ON (it was a Mercedes-Benz corporate car)
I've also seen Hawaii somewhere in the lower 48

What are some of the farthest license plates you've seen?

[hotdogPi]

Hawaii, among plates that actually function (so excluding decorative European plates).

[Max Rockatansky]

I see every state at some point during the year in California.  Sure helps that I work on a military base, there is always variety with the enlisted people.

[MATraveler128]

I've seen Alaska and Hawaii plates in my area before. There was even a time when I saw a Mexican plate (I forget what state) and even Puerto Rico on a trip to Mystic Seaport.

[kphoger]

Arizona in Switzerland
Québéc in Coahuila
Quintana Roo in Kansas
Guam in Kansas
Germany in Colorado

[HighwayStar]

Hawaii everywhere I have seen one.
Alaska otherwise.

[oscar]

Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, a U.S. territory north of (but not including) Guam, which I saw somewhere in the D.C. area. The car might've belonged to CNMI's non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives, which might explain how that car got transported to the D.C. area, and also kept its CNMI plates.

I've also seen Alaska and Hawaii plates here. Maybe those states' Congresscritters, or military personnel relocated here (the military has generous relocation allowances, to help get their vehicles here along with their other belongings).

Many years ago, I saw a Sterling with plates from Guernsey (British dependency in the English Channel), at a rest area along I-70 in Colorado near Vail Pass. It sounded, from a chat with the occupants, that they were permanently relocating to the U.S., so their plates might've had to be changed out once they established residency.

[kphoger]

Yeah, DC is a gold mine for odd license plates.

[Ted$8roadFan]

In greater Boston:

Alaska
Hawaii
Diplomatic plates

[1995hoo]

I've seen a Guam plate several times here in the DC area. I regularly see Alaska and Hawaii plates. The other day I was out for a walk and a lady with a Hawaii plate stopped to let me cross the street and seemed surprised when I gave her the shaka sign.

On our most recent trip to Florida, I saw a Distrito Federal plate in Weston.

In 1982, I saw Northwest Territories and Yukon plates on the Island of Newfoundland.

[kphoger]

On our most recent trip to Florida, I saw a Distrito Federal plate in Weston.

Was it a legit rear plate?  How long ago was that?

I ask because there hasn't been any such thing as a Distrito Federal plate since the 2015 issue.  Every issue from 2016 through early 2019 has said CDMX instead, and everything from late 2019 until today has said Ciudad de México.  Plates from 2015 and earlier really shouldn't be circulating anymore by now.

[1995hoo]

On our most recent trip to Florida, I saw a Distrito Federal plate in Weston.

Was it a legit rear plate?  How long ago was that?

I ask because there hasn't been any such thing as a Distrito Federal plate since the 2015 issue.  Every issue from 2016 through early 2019 has said CDMX instead, and everything from late 2019 until today has said Ciudad de México.  Plates from 2015 and earlier really shouldn't be circulating anymore by now.

I posted it on the forum. I'll follow up and edit this post when I find it. I think you may have made the same observation when I posted it.


Edited to add a quote:

Don't see this too often in Broward County! Parked next to us last night.

I'm surprised it's still got a current registration.  That base hasn't been issued since around 2007.  I haven't seen one in years–even in Mexico.

[7/8]

In Ontario:
- various Mexican plates (unfortunately I forget which states)
- I think I've seen Hawaii and Alaska at least once each
- All three territories (Nunavut only once, but that's still impressive!)

I was surprised to see several Quebec plates on Vancouver Island, a lot more than Ontario plates.

[kphoger]

I posted it on the forum. I'll follow up and edit this post when I find it. I think you may have made the same observation when I posted it.

I'm guessing they're in the US on some sort of visa that allows them to drive a vehicle with an expired registration.

A lot of Mexican states allow a US-plated car's license plates to be expired, so long as the vehicle importation permit is still up to date.  On the one hand, that's convenient if your tags expire before you need to make a border run.  But on the other hand, it makes it rather dicey to drive the rest of the way, between the border and your hometown tag office, when you eventually do decide to renew.  Several other Mexican states have passed laws in the last few years requiring even US registration to be kept up to date.

[bm7]

I've seen a Hawaii plate in Alabama, over 4200 miles away from its home. The farthest Mexican plate I've seen is Jalisco.

[NWI_Irish96]

In Indiana I've seen plates from all 50 states. From Canada I've seen Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Manitoba and BC. I know I've seen a couple from Mexico but don't remember which states.

[Bruce]

Hawaii is the furthest U.S. state from Washington and it's not uncommon due to the Navy's presence in my county. I've also seen quite a few non-functional European plates on imported cars.

[Takumi]

Hawaii. Like others, due to military presence nearby.

I did temporarily put a non-functional Japanese plate on the front of my Toyota Aristo while I was waiting for its permanent plates to come last year. The DMV only gave me one for the rear. When the Virginia plates came I had to get an adapter because Japanese plates are slightly different, though not to the degree of Euro plates.

[1995hoo]

I posted it on the forum. I'll follow up and edit this post when I find it. I think you may have made the same observation when I posted it.

I'm guessing they're in the US on some sort of visa that allows them to drive a vehicle with an expired registration.

A lot of Mexican states allow a US-plated car's license plates to be expired, so long as the vehicle importation permit is still up to date.  On the one hand, that's convenient if your tags expire before you need to make a border run.  But on the other hand, it makes it rather dicey to drive the rest of the way, between the border and your hometown tag office, when you eventually do decide to renew.  Several other Mexican states have passed laws in the last few years requiring even US registration to be kept up to date.

I have no idea what the circumstances were because we simply parked next to the car (a nice white Mercedes S-Class, if memory serves–may have been an E-Class, but I think it was an S), I saw the plate and did a double-take and took a picture, and then we went to the restaurant where we were meeting our relatives for dinner (Tarantella, for those who know the Weston area) and when we came out afterwards that car was gone.

The only other Mexican plate I've ever seen in the USA was about three-quarters of a mile from home stopped at a red light, but I was just far enough away that I couldn't reach which state it was.

[formulanone]

Bahrain in Costa Mesa, California (about 7150 nautical miles):




Mexican license plates are quite rare in Southern Florida, I probably spotted 2 or 3 in my 25 years of living down there. Whereas they are quite common in most larger cities throughout Texas and not completely uncommon along the Gulf Coast region.

[SP Cook]

You see a lot of distant plates near any military base, DC, and near any large private college, as military, congressional representatives and some employees, and college students are exempt from the rules about changing registration when relocation, as they are considered to be just visiting.  I have seen all of the pacific territorial plates in DC and most in the Tidewater area.  Seen a lot of different states in Hawaii as well. 

As to the Mexican plate thing, in reverse, seen several US plates in Cancun, including Michigan and Florida.  These were on late model cars driven by obviously not Hispanic people, AKA tourists.  I get the whole RV thing, but driving the family car 1000s of miles deep into Mexico is something I wouldn't do. 

[1995hoo]

You see a lot of distant plates near any military base, DC, and near any large private college, as military, congressional representatives and some employees, and college students are exempt from the rules about changing registration when relocation, as they are considered to be just visiting.  I have seen all of the pacific territorial plates in DC and most in the Tidewater area.  Seen a lot of different states in Hawaii as well. 

As to the Mexican plate thing, in reverse, seen several US plates in Cancun, including Michigan and Florida.  These were on late model cars driven by obviously not Hispanic people, AKA tourists.  I get the whole RV thing, but driving the family car 1000s of miles deep into Mexico is something I wouldn't do. 

I seem to recall I once saw a Texas plate on the Island of Cozumel, I believe on a pickup. That one really surprised me. I could potentially expect to see something like that in Cancun, but the car ferry to Cozumel is a hassle. I suspect it had to be someone who was down there for several months. The distance isn't totally crazy–Google Maps says it's 1551 miles from the southern end of I-35 in Laredo to just beyond the car ferry dock in Cozumel–but, as you note, you'd want to have a compelling reason to take your US-plated vehicle that deep into Mexico.

[kphoger]

As to the Mexican plate thing, in reverse, seen several US plates in Cancun, including Michigan and Florida.  These were on late model cars driven by obviously not Hispanic people, AKA tourists.  I get the whole RV thing, but driving the family car 1000s of miles deep into Mexico is something I wouldn't do. 

I seem to recall I once saw a Texas plate on the Island of Cozumel, I believe on a pickup. That one really surprised me. I could potentially expect to see something like that in Cancun, but the car ferry to Cozumel is a hassle. I suspect it had to be someone who was down there for several months. The distance isn't totally crazy–Google Maps says it's 1551 miles from the southern end of I-35 in Laredo to just beyond the car ferry dock in Cozumel–but, as you note, you'd want to have a compelling reason to take your US-plated vehicle that deep into Mexico.

Most likely expats living in Mexico more or less full-time.  When it's time to renew their tags, they make a border run–which they have to do every so often anyway if they're not on a resident visa.

As for why you'd take your US vehicle in such a case instead of buying a Mexican one, well there are several reasons:

1.  Non-residents cannot register a vehicle in Mexico.  If you're living there on back-to-back tourist cards or a non-resident visa, you have no choice but to use your US-tagged car.

2.  Comparable vehicles in the USA are less expensive to buy than in Mexico, due to low taxes and tariffs.

3.  Used vehicles from the USA are much more likely to have been maintained well than those from Mexico, as preventive maintenance isn't really a thing in Mexican culture.  Therefore, buying a used vehicle in Mexico is more of a gamble.

4.  Nationalizing a US vehicle in Mexico is an expensive process that requires a customs broker.  Also, it's only an option for NAFTA-built vehicles, and only for certain model years.  If you have, say, a 2013 Toyota that was built in Japan, then it cannot be nationalized in Mexico, therefore it cannot be registered with Mexican tags.

[DandyDan]

When I lived in the Omaha area, I lived close to Offutt AFB, so I would routinely see Hawaii and Alaska. I recall seeing Guam once. After moving to Mason City, I have seen Hawaii and Alaska, but not Guam. The most surprising one, though, is one of the other tenants of my apartment complex, when he first moved in, had one for Oaxaca, Mexico.

[golden eagle]

Hawaii plates here in Mississippi.