Prohibitory Signs — Meaning and Full List
What are prohibitory signs?
Prohibitory signs indicate what you are not allowed to do on a road: overtake, park, enter against the flow of traffic, or exceed a given speed. They almost always have a white background with a red band or border, which makes them easy to spot at a glance. In the IMT theory test they are one of the most frequently tested topics, since ignoring a prohibitory sign usually amounts to a traffic offense — and in some cases a serious one, with a fine and points deducted from your licence. In everyday driving, recognizing them quickly helps you avoid fines and dangerous situations, especially at intersections and in urban areas.
Full list of prohibitory signs (49)
Motorcycles, cars and horse carts prohibited
Mopeds prohibited
Motorbikes - Motorcycles prohibited
End of the zone where parking is prohibited
End of the overtaking prohibition for motorcycles
Tractors prohibited
Overtaking prohibited for motorcycles
Pedestrians not permitted
End of the prohibition to use the horn
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No turning / u-turn allowed
Vehicles with polluted fluids prohibited
End of the overtaking prohibition for trucks
Overtaking prohibited for trucks
Pedestrians, mopeds, cattle and handcarts prohibited
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No entry (one-way traffic)
Height restriction ahead
Vehicles - Cars prohibited
Vehicles where axle weight heavier than indicated prohibited
Vehicles with dangerous goods prohibited
End of the zone with speed limit
Leaving less distance than indicated prohibited
Turning right prohibited
Using the horn prohibited
End of the overtaking prohibition
Begin of a zone with speed limit
Speed limit ends
Horse carts prohibited
Equestrians prohibited
Trailers prohibited
Give way to oncoming traffic, road narrows
Cyclists not permitted
Lorries - Trucks forbidden
Trucks and trailers prohibited
Entry not allowed / forbidden
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Entry not allowed / forbidden (checkpoint)
Turning left prohibited
Overtaking not allowed
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Speed limit
Stopping and parking forbidden
Any vehicles that are wider that indicated forbidden
Motorcycles and cars prohibited
Begin of zone where parking is prohibited
Vehicles with explosive materials prohibited
Cyclists, mopeds and motorcycles prohibited
Vehicles weighing heavier than indicated forbidden
Handcarts prohibited
No parking
Horse carts and trucks prohibited
Vehicles longer than indicated length prohibited
Exam tips: prohibitory signs
Always check the pictogram detail before answering: "No parking" has a single bar, while "No stopping or parking" has a cross — that one-line difference changes the correct answer.
Prohibitory signs often come in "start/end" pairs: if you see a sign with a diagonal bar crossing out the pictogram, it usually marks the end of a previous prohibition, not a new rule.
Don't confuse the speed limit sign (red circle, mandatory) with the recommended speed sign (blue rectangle, purely informational) — the exam often places them side by side as distractors.
For questions about specific vehicles (trucks, mopeds, trailers), read the pictogram carefully — several wrong answer options only change that one vehicle detail.
Common mistakes with prohibitory signs
Mixing up "turn prohibited" with "mandatory direction"
Many candidates confuse "No left turn" (white background, red bar) with the mandatory sign "Mandatory left direction" (blue background). The colors mean opposite things — red prohibits, blue requires — but under time pressure it's easy to mix the two up.
Missing zone prohibitions
Signs like "Start of a no-parking zone" apply to an entire area, not just the spot where the sign is placed. A common mistake is assuming the rule ends after the next sign, when it actually only ends at the matching "End of zone" sign.
Confusing types of no-entry
"No entry" (red circle with a white bar) and "No entry (one-way street)" look similar but apply to different contexts — the first prohibits entry into any road, the second is specific to one-way streets.
Frequently confused signs in prohibitory signs
These pairs show up side by side in the exam precisely because they look alike — compare them closely.
No parking
Stopping and parking forbidden
Only the cross changes: you may stop briefly (e.g. to let someone out) under the first sign, but no stopping at all is allowed under the second.
Overtaking not allowed
Overtaking prohibited for trucks
The first prohibits overtaking any vehicle; the second only applies to heavy vehicles — check for the truck pictogram.
Entry not allowed / forbidden
No entry (one-way traffic)
Visually similar, but the second is exclusive to one-way streets and often appears alongside "One-way" signs facing the opposite direction.
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