Mobility # Plate formats in Latin America: how to identify a vehicle in each country Each country names the vehicle identifier differently and writes it with its own rules; this guide summarises the current formats and the normalisation rules that avoid failed lookups. ![](/img/autores/enrique-orione/photo-240.2526eefb2549.webp)By [Enrique Orione](https://apinitro.com/en/authors/enrique-orione/)September 16, 2026 ![Close-up of a blank metal plate reflecting a warm light in a dark workshop](/img/articulos/dominio-patente-placa-por-pais/hero-1200.c1b89c303985.webp) A vehicle lookup starts with an identifier, and a good share of failed lookups is explained by how it was written: a zero for a letter O, an extra hyphen, a space in the middle or an old plate that no longer exists. This guide summarises how a vehicle is identified in each of the countries covered by our fine APIs and which normalisation rules to apply before sending the lookup. ## Argentina: dominio In Argentina the identifier is called dominio, although everyone says patente. Two formats coexist: the earlier one, with three letters and three digits (ABC 123), and the Mercosur one in force since 2016, with two letters, three digits and two letters (AB 123 CD). Motorcycles use their own variants with the same logic. Authorities publish the plate without spaces or hyphens, and that is what the [Argentina traffic fines API](https://apinitro.com/en/apis/traffic-fines-argentina/) expects: upper case, no separators, no zeros for Os. ## Brazil: placa Brazil has used the Mercosur plate since 2018, with three letters, a digit, a letter and two digits (ABC1D23), and the earlier format of three letters and four digits (ABC-1234) still circulates; systems convert it by replacing the second digit with the equivalent letter. Besides the plate, procedures use the RENAVAM, the national vehicle registry number, which the [Brazil traffic fines API](https://apinitro.com/en/apis/traffic-fines-brazil/) accepts as a complementary identifier when the source requires it. ## Chile: patente or PPU In Chile the single licence plate (PPU) has four letters and two digits (BBBB10) in the current format, and two letters and four digits in the earlier one (AB1234), which still circulates. Official systems accept the plate without hyphen or space; the check digit that appears on some documents is not part of the plate and must not be sent in the [Chile fine lookup](https://apinitro.com/en/apis/traffic-fines-chile/). ## Mexico: placa and NIV In Mexico each entity issues its plates with its own formats, three letters and three or four digits in most states, and with distinct series for private, public and federal service. Since the format is not uniform and plates are replaced with each entity’s re-plating, many sources also ask for the vehicle identification number (NIV) to confirm the unit; the [Mexico fines API](https://apinitro.com/en/apis/traffic-fines-mexico/) reports per entity which identifier each source requires. ## Uruguay: matrícula Uruguay uses a plate of three letters and four digits (ABC 1234) whose first letter identifies the department of registration, with its own series for motorcycles and official vehicles. The single vehicle revenue collection system, SUCIVE, unifies the debt lookup by plate and registration number across all departments; the [Uruguay fines API](https://apinitro.com/en/apis/traffic-fines-uruguay/) accepts the plate without spaces. ## Normalisation rules - Convert to upper case and remove spaces, hyphens and dots before validating. - Replace zeros with Os and ones with Is only in the positions the country format defines as letters, and the reverse in numeric ones. - Validate against the current and the earlier format of the country; reject what fits neither before querying. - Store the identifier as the user wrote it and the normalised one, to explain a failed lookup. Official sources return the identifier as they have it registered, which may differ from the one sent in case or separators. The [vehicle lookup quality guide](https://apinitro.com/en/articles/vehicle-data-quality/) explains how to handle those differences without losing results. ## What the API returns All fine APIs receive the normalised identifier in a POST, with the country implicit in the API and the jurisdictions as an optional filter, and return each infraction with the authority that recorded it and the identifier as the source publishes it. An identifier with an invalid format is rejected before querying, with the reason, so that the correction happens at the origin and not after waiting for an answer. ## Sources and further reading - [DNRPA — Patente Mercosur](https://www.dnrpa.gov.ar/) - [SENATRAN — Placa de identificação veicular (gov.br)](https://www.gov.br/transportes/pt-br/assuntos/transito) - [Servicio de Registro Civil e Identificación de Chile](https://www.registrocivil.cl/) - [SUCIVE — Sistema Único de Cobro de Ingresos Vehiculares](https://www.sucive.gub.uy/) Related API ## [Argentina traffic fines API](https://apinitro.com/en/apis/traffic-fines-argentina/) Bring vehicle fine checks into fleet operations, vehicle transactions and document review workflows. [Ask about this API](https://apinitro.com/en/contact/?api=ar.mobility.traffic-fines&ref=article:dominio-patente-placa-por-pais) ## Related articles [ Mobility ## How to assess the quality of a vehicle lookup A useful vehicle lookup explains what was observed, where and when. These questions help teams turn records into clear product decisions. Read article ↗](https://apinitro.com/en/articles/vehicle-data-quality/) [![](/img/articulos/integrar-multas-en-flota/hero-640.da08bbe0ab5a.webp) Mobility ## How to integrate fine lookups into a fleet operation When to look up each plate, how to assign each fine to the right driver and what to store so that a dispute is settled with data rather than memory. Read article ↗](https://apinitro.com/en/articles/integrating-fine-lookups-into-a-fleet-operation/) [← All articles](https://apinitro.com/en/articles/)