WITHIN · FREE TOOLS · Facts read 11 November 2026

Louis Vuitton date code checker

Type the code stamped inside your Louis Vuitton (LV) bag, wallet or small leather item, like SD1182. You will see the country it was made in and the month or week and year.

A code that reads right does not prove a bag is real, because copies use real codes. Bags made since March 2021 have a small chip inside instead of a code.

How to read a Louis Vuitton date code

The letters are the factory, and so the country. The numbers are the date. Their shape tells you which years the code is from.

Examples from Yoogi's Closet and Fashionphile.
Years	The code	What the numbers mean, and a real example
Before the early 1980s	No code	Items from these years have no date code. That is normal.
Early 1980s	3 or 4 numbers	The first two numbers are the year, the rest the month.`836`: June 1983
Mid to late 1980s	3 or 4 numbers and 2 letters, either order	The same, and the letters are the factory.`882 VI`: February 1988
1990 to 2006	2 letters, then 4 numbers	The 1st and 3rd numbers are the month. The 2nd and 4th are the year.`SP0065`: June 2005
2007 to early 2021	2 letters, then 4 numbers	The 1st and 3rd numbers are the week. The 2nd and 4th are the year.`SR3179`: week 37 of 2019
From March 2021	No code	A small chip inside instead.

The numbers are not read left to right. Take the 1st and 3rd for the month or week, and the 2nd and 4th for the year. Read left to right, SP1150 looks like week 11 of 2020. It is week 15 of 2010.

Most guides say codes began in 1982, and one says 1981. No guide says how Louis Vuitton counts weeks, so for a week we give the month it falls in as "around".

Where is the date code on a Louis Vuitton bag?

Inside the bag. It is on a small leather tab sewn into a seam or pocket, on the underside of a tab with a D ring, or stamped right onto the lining near a pocket edge. A leather tab is usually the same leather as the bag's trim.

Speedy: on a leather tab under or inside the hanging pocket.
Neverfull: under the hanging pocket, or on a tab at the edge of the zip pocket inside.
Alma: on a leather tab inside the flat pocket, or along a seam inside.
Pochette Métis: inside the zip pocket on the back.
Wallets and small leather goods: along a side seam in the bill section, or in a slip pocket.
Soft Alcantara linings: the code is stamped on the lining itself, and it can fade until it is hard to read.

No date code? Bags made since March 2021 have a chip

Since March 2021 Louis Vuitton has put a small chip inside its bags in place of a stamped code. So a recent bag with no code is normal.

Items made before the early 1980s have no code.
On a soft Alcantara lining the stamp can wear away.
A bag Louis Vuitton has relined has a new code that starts with DK.
On a bag made in the USA after 2012, the "made in" may be on a tag inside, not on the stamp.

Guides disagree on what a phone can read from the chip. Three say only Louis Vuitton's stores can read what it holds.

Factory letters and countries

The letters in a code name the factory, and so the country. Some letters were used in two countries, and for those the "made in" stamp tells you which.

How many of the five lists we read on 11 November 2026 give that country: Fashionphile's, Yoogi's Closet's, Couture USA's, Bagaholic's and Madison Avenue Couture's. Rebag, Xupes and Lollipuff print Yoogi's Closet's list and Etoile Luxury Vintage prints Couture USA's, so each copy counts once.
Letters	Made in	Lists that agree
`AR, DU, SP`	France	5
`TH`	FranceOne guide also lists `TH` for Italy.	5
`A0, A1, A2, AA, AH, AN, AS, BA, BJ, BU, CO, CT, ET, MB, MI, NO, RA, RI, SF, SL, SN, SR, TJ, TR, TS, VI, VX`	France	4
`DR`	FranceOne guide also lists `DR` for charms and key holders made in Italy.	4
`CX`	FranceOne guide also lists `CX` for charms and key holders made in Italy.	3
`DT, TA, TN`	France	3
`MS`	France	2
`AAS`	FranceOne guide says `AAS` marks a special order.	4
`FL`	France or the USAOne guide also lists `FL` for Italy.	France: 5. The USA: 4
`SD`	France or the USA	France: 5. The USA: 5
`LA`	The USA, and France on newer items	The USA: 4. France: 3
`LW`	France or Spain	France: 4. Spain: 4
`SA`	France or Italy	France: 3. Italy: 5
`BC`	Italy or SpainOne guide also lists `BC` for charms and key holders made in France.	Italy: 5. Spain: 3
`FH`	The USA or Italy	The USA: 5. Italy: 2
`FO`	Italy	5
`BO, CE, MA, PL, RC, TD`	Italy	4
`RE`	ItalyOne guide also lists `RE` for France.	4
`FN, NZ, OB`	Italy	3
`FP, FY`	Italy	2
`GO`	ItalyMost codes with `GO` are on shoes.	2
`CA`	SpainIt does not mean California.	5
`LM`	SpainOne guide also lists `LM` for France.	5
`LO`	Spain	5
`GI, LB, UB`	Spain	4
`BP`	Spain	2
`JJ`	SpainOne guide says `JJ` is on straps and belts.	2
`OS`	The USA	5
`FC, TX`	The USA	4
`LP, OL`	Germany	4
`DI`	SwitzerlandOne guide also lists `DI` for charms and key holders made in Italy.	4
`FA`	Switzerland	4
`DK`	A bag Louis Vuitton relined, in any countryThe "made in" stamp outside can name another country.	3

Letters only one guide lists

These may be real. On their own they are not a warning sign.

BE, LU, LY, ML, MM, SK, TY, VM: France (Bagaholic)
FK, FX, FZ, TB: Italy (Bagaholic)
CV, FI, GR, PT, WL: France (Couture USA's list)
RX: Italy (Couture USA's list)
AC, CR: Spain (Couture USA's list)
FJ: bag charms, made in France or Italy (Couture USA's list)

Shoes, scarves and charms use their own letters, so this table is for bags, wallets and small leather goods. Louis Vuitton has added new letters over the years, so a list can miss new ones.

What a date code can and cannot tell you

A code that reads right does not prove a bag is real. Copies use real codes in the right shape.
No code does not prove a bag is fake. Bags made since March 2021 have a chip, bags from before the early 1980s have no code, and soft linings wear the stamp away.
The factory letters should match the "made in" country stamped under the logo. If they do not, have the bag checked by an expert before you pay. The exceptions: some letters were used in two countries, and a bag Louis Vuitton relined (DK) can name another country outside.
Bags made in the USA from 1995 to mid 2012 are stamped "made in U.S.A." After 2012 many have no "made in" on the stamp, and a tag inside says "made in U.S.A. of imported materials" instead.
A code dated before the style first came out, or in a shape from the wrong years for the bag, is a warning sign.

Before you pay

Ask the seller for clear photos of the code and of the stamp under the logo, in the same light.
Buy from a seller who promises in writing that the bag is real, and pay in a way that protects you.
For a bag that costs a lot, have it checked by an expert who holds it.

Louis Vuitton's own help pages say a product is sure to be real when it was bought from Louis Vuitton itself: in its stores, on its website or by phone from its client services.

Louis Vuitton on within

Every Louis Vuitton item on within

See pre-owned Louis Vuitton, each graded by the shop, or check what a Louis Vuitton costs on within.

Common questions

Do Louis Vuitton bags have serial numbers?

No. Louis Vuitton bags carry a date code, not a serial number. Many bags made in the same place in the same week share the same code.

When did Louis Vuitton stop using date codes?

In March 2021, when Louis Vuitton began putting a small chip inside its bags instead. Most guides say bags made since March 2021 have a chip. One guide says some accessories, shoes and small bags kept codes.

My new Louis Vuitton has no date code. Is it fake?

Not for that reason. A bag made since March 2021 has a chip in place of a code. An older bag can also lose its code when a soft lining wears.

How do you read a Louis Vuitton date code?

The two letters are the factory. From 1990 to 2006 the 1st and 3rd numbers are the month and the 2nd and 4th are the year. From 2007 the 1st and 3rd are the week, so SD1182 is week 18 of 2012.

How can you tell if a Louis Vuitton date code is real?

You can't prove a bag is real from its code, because copies use real codes in the right shape. What a code can show is a problem: numbers that cannot be right, or letters that do not match the "made in" stamp.

Can I check a Louis Vuitton date code online?

Yes. This page reads it for free, with no sign up, and tells you the country and the month or week and year. It cannot tell you whether the bag is real.

Does the date code have to match the "made in" stamp?

Yes, on a real bag the factory letters match the country stamped under the logo, like SP with made in France. Some letters were used in two countries, like SD and FL in France and the USA. Bags made in the USA after 2012 often have a tag inside that says "made in U.S.A. of imported materials" instead.

Is CA in a Louis Vuitton date code California?

No. CA is a factory in Spain. The US letters include SD, FL, FH, OS, LA and TX.

Do Louis Vuitton bags come chipped?

Bags made since March 2021 have a small chip inside. Guides disagree on what a phone can read from it, and three say only Louis Vuitton's stores can read what it holds.

Do Louis Vuitton wallets and shoes have date codes?

Wallets and small leather goods do, inside along a seam in the bill section. Shoes, scarves and charms use their own letters, so this checker reads bags, wallets and small leather goods only.

Sources

Fashionphile: the shapes, a factory list and worked examples. fashionphile.com, read 11 November 2026.
Fashionphile: the "made in" stamp and the US tag. fashionphile.com, read 11 November 2026.
Rebag: the shapes, a factory list, the relined code. rebag.com, read 11 November 2026.
Yoogi's Closet: the shapes, a factory list, where to look. yoogiscloset.com, read 11 November 2026.
Yoogi's Closet: date codes against serial numbers, worked examples. yoogiscloset.com, read 11 November 2026.
Yoogi's Closet: the US workshops, the US stamp and tag, CA is not California. yoogiscloset.com, read 11 November 2026.
Couture USA: the shapes, the chip from March 2021, a factory chart. coutureusa.com, read 11 November 2026.
Madison Avenue Couture: the shapes, a short factory list, the chip. madisonavenuecouture.com, read 11 November 2026.
Xupes: the shapes, where to look, the chip. xupes.com, read 11 November 2026.
Lollipuff: the shapes and a factory list. lollipuff.com, read 11 November 2026.
Lollipuff: the chip. lollipuff.com, read 11 November 2026.
Etoile Luxury Vintage: the shapes, a factory list, the chip. etoile-luxuryvintage.com, read 11 November 2026.
Bagaholic: a factory list, the first codes, items that kept codes after 2021. lvbagaholic.com, read 11 November 2026.
Luxe Du Jour: product types that kept stamps after 2021. ldj.com, read 11 November 2026.
Louis Vuitton: where Louis Vuitton says a product is sure to be real. louisvuitton.com, read through a search result on 11 November 2026.
Wikipedia: which years have a week 53. en.wikipedia.org, read 11 November 2026.

within is not part of Louis Vuitton and is not linked to it in any way. We use the name only to say which codes this page reads. This page does not say whether an item is real. For that, have it checked by an expert who can hold it.