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Transport Minister Alemu Sime (PhD) said the replacement will cover all vehicles during the 2025/26 fiscal year. He noted that the cost of changing plates will be borne by vehicle owners.
The new plate system is designed to register up to 121 million vehicles, compared with the current system’s capacity of nine million. To date, about 1.6 million vehicles have been registered under the existing format, which has been in use without modification since 2001.
Alemu said 50,000 new plates have already been imported as part of preparations for the nationwide rollout. He added that a digital registration platform will be introduced to support the process.
Discussions are ongoing with implementing partners to finalise technical arrangements. The ministry expects the new licence plate system to begin within two months and to complete the full replacement by the end of the 2025/26 fiscal year.
