Sardinian license plates, four new provincial acronyms in the decree published in the Official Gazette

With the Decree of the President of the Republic of August 4, 2026, n. 183, published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series n. 238 of October 13, 2026, four new identification codes for the Sardinian provinces enter the legal system: Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna (OT), Medio Campidano (VS), Ogliastra (OG), and Sulcis Iglesiente (SU). The regulation modifies Appendix XI to Title III of the Decree of the President of the Republic of December 16, 1992, n. 495, namely the implementing regulation of the Highway Code, and replaces the code Sud Sardegna (SU). The text is signed by the President of the Republic Mattarella, the President of the Council Meloni, and the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Salvini, and was registered by the Court of Auditors on October 2, 2026.

The measure concludes the implementation process of the regional reform of the Sardinian territorial structure. The Law of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia of February 4, 2016, n. 2 had reorganized the island’s local autonomies; the Regional Law of April 12, 2021, n. 7 redesigned the territorial structure, and the Regional Law of July 19, 2024, n. 9 set out the transitional provisions regarding the reorganization of the provinces. The dates for the full operationality of the new entities were established by three decrees of the President of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia:

• Decree of March 26, 2025, n. 22: full operationality of the province of Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna from April 1, 2025;
• Decree of April 28, 2025, n. 38: full operationality of Ogliastra from May 1, 2025;
• Decree of May 15, 2025, n. 48: full operationality of Sulcis Iglesiente and Medio Campidano from June 1, 2025.

The previous reference for the island was the Decree of the President of the Republic of July 20, 2017, n. 140, which had established the code Sud Sardegna (SU) for the province created by Regional Law n. 2 of 2016; the Decree of the President of the Republic of April 4, 2008, n. 89 had instead generally regulated the registration codes for new provinces.

The four new codes

Article 1 of the regulation intervenes in paragraph 1-bis of Appendix XI, which lists the identification codes of the provinces, with four modifications:

• Gallura Nord-Est Sardegna (OT), inserted after “Frosinone FR”;
• Medio Campidano (VS), inserted after “Matera MT”;
• Ogliastra (OG), inserted after “Nuoro NU”;
• Sulcis Iglesiente (SU), which replaces the words “Sud Sardegna SU”.

License plates and provincial transcription tax

The premises of the decree indicate two purposes for the acronym: the manufacture of the self-adhesive sticker to be applied alongside the registration plate, pursuant to Article 260, paragraph 3, of the implementing regulation of the Highway Code, and the management, by the provinces themselves, of the provincial transcription tax provided for by Article 56 of the legislative decree of 15 December 1997, n. 446. The regulation is based on Article 100 of the legislative decree of 30 April 1992, n. 285 and on Article 17, paragraph 1, of the law of 23 August 1988, n. 400; the Council of State issued its opinion on 7 July 2026 and the Council of Ministers deliberated on 14 July 2026, following the preliminary deliberation of 9 April 2026.

Transitional provisions and financial invariance

Article 2 establishes that vehicles already in circulation with plates bearing the acronym “Sud Sardegna SU” as of the date of entry into force of the regulation may continue to circulate until a new registration or until they are withdrawn from circulation. The same rule applies to vehicles with plates bearing the acronyms of the provinces existing prior to the date of entry into force of regional law 12 April 2021, n. 7. Article 3 contains the financial invariance clause: the administrations concerned shall provide for this using the human, instrumental, and financial resources available under current legislation, without new or increased burdens on public finances.

For owners of vehicles registered in Sardinia, there is no immediate obligation to replace the plate: the change will occur with new registrations, while the acronyms OT, VS, OG, and SU will henceforth identify the four provinces in relations with the Department for Land Transport and in the management of the provincial transcription tax.

Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series n. 238 of 13 October 2026 — decree of the President of the Republic 4 August 2026, n. 183 (26G00198).