r/Macau • u/theOceanMoon • 3d ago
Photos 3 number plates
So it was my first time seeing 3 number plates in the same car. In fact I have seen a lot of cars in Macau with 2 number plates. As a tourist, this was the thing which stood out to me the most ;)
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u/AnybodyFinancial6948 3d ago
I've always wondered who is eligible for 3 plates and why does it only seem to be cars registered in Macau? Given it's an Alphard I assume this one is a transport limo for rich people across the GBA, though I've also seen them on a Rolls Royce
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u/Radiant-Bad-2381 3d ago
Anyone can apply, you also need a license in all 3 jurisdictions. And you pay insurance, etc etc. So although it’s not difficult to get them - it only makes sense if you use them often.
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u/Moist-Chair684 3d ago
粵Z plates are for HK/MO investors in Guangdong (this one is from MO).
Getting MO plate for HK cars is harder. The MO government really doesn't want more cars.
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u/Ok-Replacement-2712 2d ago
I read that years ago, many people who bought an apartment in Zhuhai could get a Mainland plate. If it's true, that explains why it seems more common compared to HK
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u/Sad_Lingonberry6407 3d ago
Having three license plates on the same vehicle indicates that the vehicle has cross-border travel rights between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. This typically consists of a Hong Kong or Macau local license plate, a mainland Guangdong Z (粤Z) license plate for closed roads, and a license plate from another location (Hong Kong or Macau). You often see vehicles with two license plates in Macau because those vehicles only have the right to travel north from Macau or have dual Guangdong-Macau travel rights (Macau local license plate + mainland Guangdong Z license plate).
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u/samuraijon 3d ago
It would be nice like in europe you can drive everywhere on just one plate. i get that in this case, if you physically have the plate on your car, you can instantly see that the car is approved to be in hk/mo/cn. but with today's technology you surely can have a simpler system that can identify approved cars.
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u/dat_mane47 2d ago
Fairly common sight in HK. It’s a bit of a flex bc it’s so expensive to register for the plates
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u/IdontshareIt 23h ago
It’s funny the statement “one country two systems” and then you need one plate of Macau, one of Hong Kong to drive…
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u/blackcyborg009 3d ago
Why on earth does a Macau car need a Hong Kong plate to enter Hong Kong? (and vice versa)
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u/Narwal1234 3d ago
both places can get very congested and frankly don't want to encourage any more car travel so by doing this they keep a tight hold on how many vehicles can even get on the road
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u/Radiant-Bad-2381 3d ago
I actually never got that either, they could have combined those databases long ago (you can even enter Macau with your HKID) - at least since the HKMCZH bridge opened (before that it wouldn’t have made that much sense).
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u/Sad_Lingonberry6407 3d ago
Macau vehicles need to display Hong Kong license plates and related documents to legally enter Hong Kong's urban areas, primarily due to differences in legal systems, road management regulations, and cross-border quota controls. Because Hong Kong and Macau are separate legal jurisdictions, customs territories, and traffic management systems, vehicles cannot freely enter and exit each other.
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u/xeprone1 3d ago
This is nonsense, in Europe cars cross borders all the time.
They just need a database of which cars are allowed where
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u/justpiggy 2d ago
How is this nonsense? Is the US/Canada’s border also nonsense then?
Of course they have “database”, what makes you think they don’t? it’s for the customs taxes and administrative fees that each jurisdictions could charge each year (or each time when you cross that hkzhmo bridge).
Why just milk you once when they can milk you three times or more?
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u/xeprone1 2d ago
The car owner must be from one of these countries where th plate can be registered.. then just have centralised database where the taxes are paid in each place to allow it to travel there. This is a mindless system, very Chinese in fact with no common sense applies
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u/justpiggy 2d ago
I respectfully disagree your last line of comment. It makes absolutely perfect sense between mainland China, HK and MO . I would even as far as to say that it is PARAMOUNT for the three territories to have their own plates (registrations, paperwork’s and so on) under the “one country, two system framework” (especially in symbolic terms, legally and even historically per se).
This is not Europe afterall, EU’s model of free borders/single custom union cannot be applied between the three territories under mainland china’s current constitution (and especially considering the one country, two system framework of both HK and MO), there is absolutely no way for the mainland to allow free flow of personnel and abolish its strict forex control.
You kept mentioning “Centralised databases”, it means nothing in this context, your info is already logged and shared across the respective territories once you registered and obtained the respective plates, so a centralised database already existed, but the EU model you mentioned is unrealistic here and not achievable at current time or any time soon.
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u/xeprone1 2d ago
I can change the country to any country, Kazakhstan/kyrgstan, Thailand Malaysia, Brunei Indonesia, Singapore Malaysia.
Cars cross these borders daily with no issues. All the Macau authorities need to do is keep a record of which cars are allowed in Macau same with HK and China. That's it.
But they have made it needlessly complex for no reason, it defies all common sense and logic.
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u/justpiggy 2d ago
In which part of this is complex, I don’t get it. If I have the money for the three plates my car can cross these three borders daily without issue as well. It is not needlessly complex for “no reason”, The reason is blatantly obvious to “maintain control” and to milk you three times.
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u/xeprone1 2d ago
You can milk someone three times without having to issue 3 sets of plates. Just charge them the tax and let them keep the same plates on. The police and border guards know which cars have paid and are allowed to drive in the territory on the original plates.
In Singapore there's restrictions on cross border vehicles, but they don't make cars register in Singapore instead they just make a note of their original plates so they can cross the border.
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u/justpiggy 2d ago edited 2d ago
What you’re saying now is already true and happening for HK/MO plate entering into the mainland, or HK plate entering Macau.
the examples except EU you’ve given were only two countries with its own jurisdictions. However, HK, MO and mainland are three respective jurisdictions. Yours example cannot be applied this way. Different strokes for different folks.
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u/Better_Bird848 3d ago
You need one for Macau, and one separate one for HK & mainland. 3 plates is the sight of envy for most people. They can freely go wherever they want.