Borehamwood number plates

Borehamwood registrations start with one of 20 letter pairs, from KA to LT. Those two letters show the DVLA area that first issued the registration. Borehamwood is unusual: it issues ranges under two different region letters, having absorbed the work of both the Luton office, which closed in 2010, and the Stanmore office.

Looking at a specific car? Check its first registration date, plate transfers, finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Every Borehamwood area code

The first two letters of a current-style plate issued through this office area.

Region letterRegionCodes
K No official name KA, KB, KC, KD, KE, KF, KG, KH, KJ, KK, KL
L London LK, LL, LM, LN, LO, LP, LR, LS, LT

K is the one region letter the DVLA gives no official name. Borehamwood took over from the Luton office when it closed in 2010. The Borehamwood range was previously issued through Stanmore.

The two digits after the area code are the age identifier and the last three letters are random. To work out the year, see the UK number plate year chart.

What the area code does not tell you

The code records where the registration was first issued, which usually means where the supplying dealer was. It says nothing about where the car has lived since, who has owned it or where it was built. Fleet and lease cars are often registered in bulk in one area and then sent across the country.

It can also have nothing to do with the car at all. A registration can move from one vehicle to another, and a private plate replaces the area code completely. The vehicle record, not the plate, shows the date of first registration, plate transfers and import history.

Check the car, not the plate

Check its first registration date, plate transfers, finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Borehamwood number plate FAQs

What do Borehamwood number plates start with?

Borehamwood registrations carry the memory tags KA, KB, KC, KD, KE, KF, KG, KH, KJ, KK, KL, LK, LL, LM, LN, LO, LP, LR, LS, LT. Those are the first two letters of a current-style plate, followed by the two-digit age identifier and three random letters.

Does a KA plate mean the car is from Borehamwood?

It means the registration was first issued through the Borehamwood office area, usually because the supplying dealer was based there. It does not tell you where the car is now, where its keepers have lived or where it was built.

Are DVLA local offices still open?

No. The DVLA closed its local offices at the end of 2013 and moved registration work to Swansea. The memory tags are still allocated to the same areas, so a plate issued today still carries the tag for the area it was registered through.

How do I find out where a specific car came from?

The memory tag is only a hint. The recorded date of first registration, plate transfers, keeper history and import markers describe the car itself. A Carpeep vehicle history report shows them against the registration for £15.

Memory tag allocations are published DVLA reference information. The DVLA closed its local offices in 2013, and the tags are still allocated to the same areas.