Taiwan Special License Plate Recognition: AI Support for Chinese-Character Plates Such as 使, 外 and 軍
In our previous article, "AI License Plate Recognition in Taiwan: Overcoming Day and Night Lighting, Weather and Diverse Plates", HITech (Heimdall Intelligent Technology) mentioned that besides common alphanumeric plates, we also support special-purpose plates with Chinese characters. This article uses real recognition results to show how AI plate recognition reads Chinese characters and alphanumerics together, so entry records for vehicles with special plates are just as complete.
Which Taiwan special plates carry Chinese characters
Most Taiwan plates consist of letters and digits, but some special plates print a Chinese character before the number to indicate the vehicle's status or use. Common ones include:
| Character | Use |
|---|---|
| 使 | Vehicles related to diplomatic envoys |
| 外 | Vehicles related to foreign organizations and their staff in Taiwan |
| 軍 | Military vehicles |
| 試 | Test-drive plates |
| 臨 | Temporary plates, for driving before the official plate is issued |
The exact eligibility and current design of each plate type are set by the competent authorities.
These special plates are far less common than ordinary ones, and their layouts vary. In the test images in this article, 使 and 外 plates have the Chinese character in a colored panel on the left with the digits on the right; 軍 plates combine the character with a letter and digits; and 試 and 臨 plates have layouts of their own, with temporary plates possibly carrying additional printed information. A system trained only on alphanumerics, or one that expects a fixed format, can easily miss or misread these plates, or even mistake the Chinese character for a letter, leaving gaps in the entry records.
One engine reads Chinese characters and alphanumerics together
The HITech AI plate recognition engine includes Chinese characters in its recognition character set, so no separate system is needed for special plates. The engine outputs the full plate number, including both the Chinese character and the alphanumerics, letting the management system classify the plate by its leading character instead of receiving an incomplete string.
Below are HITech recognition results from real captures, covering parking lot entrances, outdoor roads and night scenes. The images shown here have the plate numbers and the alphanumerics in the on-screen results masked, leaving only the Chinese character of each special plate; the actual system output is not affected.
使 plates
外 plates
軍 (military) plates
試 (test) plates
臨 (temporary) plates
What it brings to your system
Complete records: recognizing the Chinese character together with the alphanumerics reduces incomplete plate numbers caused by a missed character, helping parking lots and community gates keep more complete vehicle entry records.
Integration with existing systems: ordinary and special plates are handled by the same engine, so no separate special-plate system is needed, and integration is planned around the site's existing equipment and management system.
Access management: government and restricted sites can use plate features such as 軍, 使 and 外 to help classify vehicles, combined with the full plate number, an authorized whitelist and site rules to confirm access rights or notify staff.
Plate images and personal data protection
The test images in this article have the alphanumerics on the plates and in the recognition results masked to avoid disclosing full plate numbers. In real deployments, plate images and recognition records should be given appropriate access rights, retention periods and scope of use according to applicable law and site management needs.
Contact us about special plate recognition
HITech AI license plate recognition can be deployed in parking lots, community access control and outdoor roads, supporting both ordinary plates and special plates with Chinese characters. If your site needs to manage vehicles with special plates, please contact HITech and we will propose a recognition and integration solution suited to your site.