It’s hard not to notice the lack of officiality in Libya’s license plates. Each car has a different  size, color and design; the older ones still read: ‘The Republic’ instead of ‘Libya’. During  Liberation Day celebrations, young men in Tripoli held cans of spray paint and sprayed the ‘The Republic’ on every unchanged tag and even rebuked the car owner.

Given that no competent body has issued any relevant laws, rules or regulations, the emergence of license plate manufacturers has become a relatively profitable service.

It’s hard not to notice the lack of officiality in Libya’s license plates. Each car has a different  size, color and design; the older ones still read: ‘The Republic’ instead of ‘Libya’. During  Liberation Day celebrations, young men in Tripoli held cans of spray paint and sprayed the ‘The Republic’ on every unchanged tag and even rebuked the car owner.

Given that no competent body has issued any relevant laws, rules or regulations, the emergence of license plate manufacturers has become a relatively profitable service.

Some drivers paint the independence flag on the car’s tag, while others prefer a white and black background. Some have black, golden or red lettering, while others keep the original plate of the exporting country. And some cars simply have no tag at all.