Vehicle registration plates of the Netherlands

Vehicle registration plates of the Netherlands are vehicle registration plates issued by the Netherlands Vehicle Authority, .
RDW vehicle registration plates are assigned bearing the same "number" (a sequence of characters composed of letters and digits) as that shown on the vehicle's registration document. The numbering scheme used bears no relation to the place of a vehicle's registration or ownership, and numbers–which are issued in strict time order–identify the vehicle, not its owner. Thus, if a vehicle changes ownership, the registration number remains unchanged.
Earlier schemes.
The Netherlands introduced a system of vehicle registration plates on 26 April 1898–the third country in the world to do so, after France in 1893 and Germany in 1896. A plate bearing the number 1 was issued to one J. van Dam, who purchased the first Dutch-built motorcar, which was manufactured at his own "Groninger Motor-Rijtuigen Fabriek". Plate numbers stayed with the owner, unlike the present system. From 1906, a new system used the format , where was a province code and a serial number. This system lasted until 1951, when the current system was introduced.
Numbering schemes.
The current Dutch licence plate system uses black letters on a light-reflecting yellow background, although white reflecting letters on a dark-blue background are allowed for vehicles built prior to 1977. Since 2000, the blue band with the European flag and NL has been mandatory for all vehicles except vehicles built prior to 1977. 
Dutch car number plates can be formatted as follows:
Nowadays the letters used do not include vowels, so as to avoid profane or obscene language. To avoid confusion with a zero, the letters C and Q are also omitted. Letters and numbers are issued in strict alphabetical/numeric order. Thus a Dutch licence plate gives an indication of the date of registration of a car, but no information about where in the country the car comes from, or to whom it belongs.
Other formats.
With the introduction of the GAIK series, several other formats have been introduced as well. All background colours used are retroreflective.
Recent changes.
The licence plates have subtly changed shape in 2002, when not only the letter type (or font) changed, but also a few other changes were made.
Current series.
Mopeds.
D/FBS-01-D to D/FBS-99-D and D/FBS-01-S to D/FBS-99-S are not used, to avoid SD and SS combinations. Also in the future, D/FxS-01-D to D/FxS-99-D and D/FxS-01-S to D/FxS-99-S (x is the second letter, D till Z) will not be used; and this also for D/FSD-01-B till D/FSD-99-Z and D/FSS-01-B till D/FSS-99-Z for the same reason.
Trucks/Lorries (weighing 3.5 tons or less).
VBS-01-D to VBS-99-D and VBS-01-S to VBS-99-S are not used, to avoid SD and SS combinations. Also in the future, VxS-01-D to VxS-99-D and VxS-01-S to VxS-99-S (x is the second letter, D till Z) will not be used, for the same reason.
Agricultural Vehicles.
LBS-01-D to LBS-99-D and LBS-01-S to LBS-99-S are not used, to avoid SD and SS combinations. Also in the future, LxS-01-D to LxS-99-D and LxS-01-S to LxS-99-S (x is the second letter, D till Z) will not be used, for the same reason. 
Tractors.
TDS-01-D to TDS-99-D and TDS-01-S to TDS-99-S are not used, to avoid SD and SS combinations. Also in the future, TxS-01-D to TxS-99-D and TxS-01-S to TxS-99-S (x is the second letter, F till Z) will not be used, for the same reason. 
And see now also https://groups.io/g/kentekensnieuwsgroep/topic/hierbij_de_maandelijkse/82486524?p=,,20,0,0,0::recentpostdate%2Fsticky,,20,2,0,82486524
Special-use licence plates.
This list is not exhaustive. The Dutch Wikipedia article contains more exceptions.
Vehicle registration.
Since January 1, 2014, the Netherlands has an all-plastic vehicle registration in credit card format. This and the driving licence (which is the same size) are the only things needed to bring along while driving in the Netherlands. This registration has the same green appearance for every vehicle category, only the information on the card differs. It has a chip with more detailed information about the vehicle. All previously issued vehicle registrations will remain valid until the car changes ownership, or until the owner requests replacement vehicle registration documents. While a so-called "overschrijvingsbewijs" (a separate document that came with the vehicle registration) was needed previously to sell the vehicle, this has now been replaced with a code. The registration card and the correct code are enough to sell the vehicle, even without the original letter stating the code as issued during new car registration.