LOUIS VUITTON CODE CHECK

Louis Vuitton date code checker, read the year and the factory

Enter the letters and digits together, for example CA4220. Spaces and dashes are ignored.

This checker does not tell you whether your Louis Vuitton is genuine. A date code can be copied onto a fake as easily as it appears on a real one, and only a professional authentication can settle that. Have your Louis Vuitton authenticated by an expert

IN SHORT

What a Louis Vuitton date code actually tells you

A Louis Vuitton date code is two letters and four digits: the letters are the factory, the digits are the date. Up to 2006 the 1st and 3rd digits give the month and the 2nd and 4th give the year. From 2007 the 1st and 3rd give the WEEK instead. So VI0026 is February 2006 and CA4220 is week 42 of 2020. Printed codes stop in March 2021, when Louis Vuitton moved to an embedded chip.

A date code places a bag in a week or month and names the factory country. It does not prove the bag is genuine. Louis Vuitton is the most counterfeited bag brand in the world and a correct-looking code is one of the easiest things to reproduce, which is why the stamping itself, the canvas alignment and the hardware carry far more weight than the characters do.

LOUIS VUITTON DATE CODE FORMATS

Louis Vuitton date codes era by era

Era What the marking looks like Example
2007 to March 2021, week and year Two letters then four digits CA4220 → week 42 of 2020, Spain
1990 to 2006, month and year Two letters then four digits VI0026 → February 2006, France
1980s, four digits Four digits, sometimes followed by the two factory letters 8503FR → March 1985, France
1980s, three digits Three digits, sometimes followed by the two factory letters 874VX → April 1987, France

Compiled from professional authentication reference material and reviewed in-house.

THE FULL CHART

Louis Vuitton date code chart by country

Made inCodes
FranceA0 A1 A2 AA AI AN AO AR AS BA BE BU CI CO CT DR DU ET FA FL FR LM MB MI MO MX ND NO OS OU RA SA SD SL SN SP SR TA TH TJ TR VI VR VX
ItalyAO BC BO FN MA PL RO SA
SpainAC BC CA GI LB LM LO MO
USAFC FF FH FL OS SD
SwitzerlandDI FA
GermanyLP OL

Several factory codes were genuinely used in two countries, so the same two letters can mean France or Spain. The checker returns both rather than picking one.

WHERE TO LOOK

Finding the date code on your Louis Vuitton

2007 Stamped into the leather inside the bag, on a tab in a pocket, along an interior seam, or on the strap anchor of older models. From 2007 the digits changed meaning: the 1st and 3rd give the WEEK of the year, not the month, and the 2nd and 4th still give the year. A bag read with the pre-2007 rule comes out with a nonsense month.
1990-2006 As above. On this generation it is very often on a small tab inside a pocket. Digits 1 and 3 give the month, digits 2 and 4 the year. The same shape of code as the later era, read differently.
1980 Stamped into the leather, position varies widely on bags this old. 1980s codes are read straight through rather than interleaved: year first, then month. The factory letters, when present, can sit before or after the digits and both are normal. The factory letters, when present, come AFTER the digits in this era, which is the reverse of the 1990-onwards format. Both orders are accepted, so it does not matter which way round you read it off.
1980 Stamped into the leather, position varies widely on bags this old. 1980s codes are read straight through rather than interleaved: year first, then month. The factory letters, when present, can sit before or after the digits and both are normal. The factory letters, when present, come AFTER the digits in this era, which is the reverse of the 1990-onwards format. Both orders are accepted, so it does not matter which way round you read it off.
NO CODE

If your bag has no date code

Three ordinary reasons, none of them a fault. Bags made from March 2021 carry a microchip instead of a printed code, and the chip cannot be read by a phone. Pieces from before the early 1980s predate the system entirely. And a vintage bag that has been relined by the repair service can lose its original code, which is why the book records DK and FO as repair markings with scrambled numbering. Look on a tab inside a pocket, along an interior seam and on the strap anchor before concluding it has none.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Louis Vuitton date code questions

The things people actually ask us about Louis Vuitton date codes, answered by the team that reads them for a living.

Where is the date code on a Louis Vuitton bag?

Stamped into the leather rather than printed on a tag. Common places are a small tab inside a pocket, along an interior seam, and on the strap anchor of older models. On suede and textured linings it is pressed rather than inked and can be very hard to see.

Why do the digits mean the month on my old bag and the week on my new one?

Because the system changed in 2007. Before that the 1st and 3rd digits gave the month, after it they give the week of the year. The code looks identical either way, so reading a 2015 bag with the old rule produces a month that cannot exist.

My bag has no date code at all, is it fake?

Usually not. Printed codes stop in March 2021 in favour of an embedded chip, pieces from before the early 1980s predate the system, and a bag relined by the repair service can lose its original code.

What do the two letters mean?

The factory. France, Spain, Italy, the USA, Switzerland and Germany all appear. A handful of codes were genuinely used in two countries, so this checker returns both rather than picking one.

Can I read the microchip in a newer bag?

Not with a phone. The chip can be sensed by some software but only the boutique can read the information on it, so on a post-2021 bag the production date is not something you or we can read off the item.

Does a valid date code mean my Louis Vuitton is authentic?

No. Louis Vuitton is the most counterfeited bag brand in the world and a correct-looking code is one of the easiest things to copy. What separates a real one is the stamping itself, the canvas alignment at the seams and the hardware.

Are the letters always before the digits?

No, and both are normal. On 1980s pieces in particular the letters can sit before or after the digits. Enter them together either way, the checker ignores spacing.

What does a lowercase f in “made in france” mean?

It points to an older piece. Some items produced before 1992 carry a lowercase f in the made-in stamp. It is a dating clue rather than a verdict, and it is not something the code itself tells you.

Still not sure? Ask the authenticators The people who read these markings for a living, and who check your item
FREE LEARNING

Free Louis Vuitton authentication guides

A code narrows things down. These guides cover what it cannot: the stitching, the hardware and the leather on a real Louis Vuitton. , our guide author since 2019, draws every method from what our authenticators have documented across 2 million+ real items. Read his Louis Vuitton guides, or browse the full library of free guides covering 100+ luxury brands.

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