Nova Scotia Official Specimen Set 2023
  All 38 types current in 2023 are included.
A very small number of these sets have been officially produced, with one being provided to me, as webmaster of this site,
 to show fellow licence plate enthusiasts the full range of NS plates.   These are not generally available to individuals, and I am not
at liberty to advise anyone regarding the possibilities or impossibilities of obtaining a set.

Note that all current NS plates are manufactured within the province by Waldale.

 

For this run the Access Nova Scotia agency requested that the letter A and the digit zero be used,
unless there was a necessity for other digits or letters. 

Explanatory comments are included when appropriate, to point out differences from regular issue plates.
As will be immediately obvious, these specimens do not include stickers.

The order of display used here is arbitrary, but intended to be organized. 
Notes with each type are unofficial and at this point temporary and/or incomplete.
Most of these photos are less than perfect in sharpness, as it does seem relatively
difficult to get a good photo of plates having the current type of sheeting.

All full size plates are the same size however my formatting may make some appear a little larger or smaller in comparison to others.

Part 1 Plates Entirely or Predominantly Used on Passenger Vehicles and Light Trucks:

Standard Passenger and Light Truck These began with AAA001 in 1979. As of 2022 plates were being issued in the G series.  I, O, Q are not issued. Some three letter combinations are not issued.	Vanity (Personalized) These are standard base plates, issued at a premium price. I, O and Q are allowed on these plates.	Amateur Radio Plates Standard base plates, but with the operator's federally-issued call sign.  I, O and Q are allowed on these plates. There are two standard call sign prefixes for Nova Scotia, VE1 and VA1.  Note that callsigns are not supposed to have a space in the middle! These two specimens duplicate actual call signs and therefore might be seen mounted on vehicles.	Restricted These plates are intended for municipal and provincial vehicles (not federal) but due to changes in regulations over the years, it is now just as common to see such vehicles with regular plates instead of restricted. Note that there is a second iteration of restricted plates that is issued by the Dept of Public Works sign shop, and is flat aluminum.
Honorary Consul.  As there are fewer than 25 consuls in Nova Scotia, and not all necessarily apply for the plates, this is a very rare type.	Antique Automobile	Veteran.  Actual plates all commence with the letter A.  As of early 2024, old stocks of bordered plates were still being issued.	Acadian Heritage. Actual plates all commence with the letter F.
Gaelic.  Actual plates all commence with the letter G.	Buy Local. Actual plates all commence with the letter L.	Mi'kmaq Heritage. Actual plates all commence with the letter M.	Conservation. Actual plates all commence with the letter P.
Handicapped (Accessible Parking)	New Vehicle Dealer	Used Vehicle Dealer	Firefighter
Volunteer Firefighter	Retired Volunteer Firefighter. Actual plates all commence with the letter R. Must have contributed at least 15 years of service.	Ground Search & Rescue Volunteer	Retired Ground Search & Rescue Volunteer.  Actual plates all commence with the letter S.  Must have contributed at least 15 years of service.

 

 

Part 2:  Plates Used on Motorcycles and Off-Road Vehicles:

Part 3: Plates Used Predominantly on Heavy Vehicles, Industrial Vehicles and Trailers: