W
Province Wellesley's code until 1957, then Kuala Lumpur's from 1974 to 2016
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Key Facts
- Issue Date
- pre-1957; 1974-2016
- Issuance Range
- W + number (Province Wellesley); W, WA to WY, then W x #### x (Kuala Lumpur)
- Rarity
- Legacy format (historic Province Wellesley and Kuala Lumpur code)
- Transfer Rules
- Existing W registrations remain valid and transferable.
Issuing State
Key Points
- Province Wellesley's code in the Straits Settlements, dropped in 1957.
- Kuala Lumpur's code from 1974, when it became a federal territory.
- Replaced by V for new Kuala Lumpur registrations in 2016.
- Kuala Lumpur trade plates still use W/TP.
Series Overview
W has had two lives. In the Straits Settlements it was the code for Province Wellesley, the mainland part of Penang. It was dropped in 1957, when P began to be issued for both Penang Island and the mainland.
In 1974 Kuala Lumpur became a federal territory and took W, after years of using Selangor's B. The capital worked through W, WA to WY and three-letter blocks, including WWW in 2012, then an extended format with a suffix letter, such as W 1 A, from 2013. In 2016 new Kuala Lumpur registrations switched to V, while Putrajaya moved to F. Kuala Lumpur trade plates still use W, as W/TP.
Sources
Sources checked for the W entry.
- Vehicle Registration Plates Of MalaysiaWikipediaOpen citation: Vehicle Registration Plates Of Malaysia
- Featured Malaysia Number PlateAutomachiOpen citation: Featured Malaysia Number Plate
- Kl And Putrajaya Get New F And V License PlatesPaul Tan's Automotive NewsOpen citation: Kl And Putrajaya Get New F And V License Plates
- Know Your Malaysian Vehicle Number PlatesFree Malaysia TodayOpen citation: Know Your Malaysian Vehicle Number Plates
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Kuala Lumpur change from W to V?
After the W sequence, including the extended W x #### x format from 2013, was used up, new Kuala Lumpur registrations moved to V in 2016.
What did W mean before Kuala Lumpur?
Province Wellesley, the mainland part of Penang, in the Straits Settlements era. It was dropped in 1957.
For normal state series (V, B, J, etc.), see the Series Index. For broader JPJ plate-index context, visit the Plate Index.
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