Cambodia License Plate Decoder — Decode Any Plate Number

About this tool

The Cambodia License Plate Decoder helps you understand any Cambodian vehicle plate number. Since April 1, 2004, Cambodian plates follow a standard format: a single class digit, one or two Latin letters, and four digits (0001–9999), with the province name printed in Khmer at the top and English at the bottom. The leading digit tells you the vehicle type — motorcycles, private cars, vans, agricultural vehicles, engineering vehicles, truck trailers, and special vehicles each have their own class number and plate color. This tool decodes the class, format, and plate colors from any plate string you enter, and you can even scan a photo of a plate to extract the text automatically. The province name is printed on the plate itself but is not encoded in the number — so it cannot be decoded from the plate string alone. If you need to know the province, read the Khmer or English text printed above and below the number. For a full guide to Cambodian plate numbers, see our [Plate Number Cambodia](/blog/plate-number-cambodia) guide.

How it works

Enter a plate number like "2AB-1234" in the input field (or tap Scan to photograph a plate). The tool decodes the leading digit to determine the vehicle class (motorcycle, private car, truck, etc.), identifies the plate format, and shows the plate body color and text color. The live preview updates as you type, showing an SVG rendering of the plate with the correct colors. The OCR scan uses Tesseract.js to extract the Latin letters and digits from your photo, then normalizes the text and prefills the input — you can edit it before trusting the result.

Use cases

• A used-car buyer checks a plate number to confirm the vehicle class before purchasing.
• A motorist reads a plate from a distance and wants to know what type of vehicle it belongs to.
• A parking attendant scans a plate photo to quickly identify vehicle class for parking fees.
• A tourist sees a Cambodian plate and wants to understand the numbering system.
• A vehicle owner verifies their plate format and colors match the official standard.

Frequently asked questions

• What does the first digit on a Cambodian license plate mean?

  The first digit is a vehicle class code: 1 = motorcycle, 2 = private automobile (1–7 seats), 3 = private automobile (>7 seats), 4 = agricultural vehicle, 5 = engineering vehicle, 7 = truck trailer, 9 = special vehicle. It is NOT a province code — the province name is printed as text on the plate.

• Can I find the province from the plate number?

  No. The province name is printed on the plate (Khmer at the top, English at the bottom) but is not encoded in the number itself. You need to read the printed text on the plate to determine the province.

• What format are Cambodian license plates?

  Since April 1, 2004, the standard format is: one class digit + 1–2 Latin letters + 4 digits (0001–9999). Example: "2D-0008". The province name is printed above and below the number. Older plates (1994–2004) used a different format.

• What do the plate colors mean?

  Plate colors indicate vehicle class: white with blue text for motorcycles and private cars (classes 1–2), blue with white text for large private vehicles (class 3), green with yellow text for agricultural vehicles (class 4), orange with black text for engineering vehicles (class 5), and white with black text for truck trailers and special vehicles (classes 7, 9).

• How does the scan feature work?

  The scan feature uses Tesseract.js OCR to extract the Latin letters and digits from a photo of your plate. It works best with clear, well-lit photos. After scanning, you can edit the detected text before decoding — always verify the result, as blurry photos may produce errors.

• Are there special plate types in Cambodia?

  Yes. Government vehicles use state plates with "រដ្ឋ" (state) prefix. Embassy and consulate vehicles have yellow plates with blue text. Police vehicles have red plates. Royal family vehicles have blue plates with yellow Khmer text. Temporary plates are also issued for vehicles pending registration.

Data and accuracy