SHENZHEN motorists can select license plate numbers for their new cars starting today, after the Central Government gave the green light to the service earlier this year.

The vehicle administration offices in Xili and Longgang will accept registration for the so-called “vanity” plate numbers most of this week. The two offices have suspended all the other services including driving tests between today and Oct. 9, as up to 6,500 motorists are expected to register their cars during the four days.

Many motorists have postponed the registrations of their cars for the chance to choose their own plate numbers. The city has seen a big drop of car registrations recently, according to the traffic authority.

The registrations will be done on an appointment-only basis. Motorists have to make appointments through the traffic authority’s official Web site http://www.stc.gov.cn.

The plate numbers have to follow the format of “four digits plus one letter” (for example: 1234A), or “one letter plus three digits plus one letter” (for example: A123D). Motorists have to avoid letters “O” and “I” because they look similar to “0” and “1.”

(Helen Deng)