France’s Crit’Air stickers: Your complete guide
France has introduced a legal requirement for a clean air sticker when driving in selected cities. We explain if you need one, where to buy one and what to do with it.
Just as London has its Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) and other cities in the UK have clean air zones, France has introduced a legal requirement for a clean air sticker when driving in selected cities.
What is Crit’Air?
Crit’Air is a system designed to prevent the most polluting vehicles entering certain urban areas within France, and to reduce the amount of freedom within these zones of more polluting vehicles.
It’s a simple system. If you are entering one of the restricted zones you need to buy a sticker, which will be a specific colour depending on the emissions level of your vehicle.
Crit’Air 0/E: Zero-emission electric and hydrogen vehicles. Green sticker
Crit’Air 1: Plug-in hybrid and Euro 5/6 petrol vehicles. Purple sticker
Crit’Air 2: Euro 4-compliant petrol vehicles and Euro 5/6-compliant diesel vehicles. Yellow sticker
Crit’Air 3: Euro 2/3-compliant petrol vehicles and Euro 4-compliant diesel vehicles. Orange sticker
Crit’Air 4: Euro 3-compliant diesel vehicles. Burgundy sticker
Crit’Air 5: Euro 2-compliant diesel vehicles. Dark grey sticker
Do I need a Crit’Air sticker if I am visiting from abroad?
Yes, you do. The scheme applies to all vehicles entering the zones, regardless of whether they are registered in France or in another country.
Do older or classic cars need a Crit’Air sticker?
No, but this is because cars registered before January 1997 and motorbikes or scooters registered before June 2000 are not allowed to enter the zones where restrictions apply.
Where do I get a Crit’Air sticker?
The best way – in fact, the only legitimate way – to get a Crit’Air sticker is to order one directly from the French government’s website here. You will need a scan of the V5C registration document for your vehicle in JPEG, PNG or PDF format, and it must be under 2MB in size. You will also need a credit or debit card to pay. An application costs €4.61.
Bear in mind that it can take up to six weeks for your order to be processed, so make sure you apply in plenty of time for it to be posted. It will also be sent to the address on your registration document, so if this is not the correct address, you need to make arrangements to collect it or get the address changed on the V5C before ordering.
Can I buy a Crit’Air sticker in France?
There is no option to buy one in France, so you must order one well before you leave.
Can I buy a Crit’Air sticker in the UK?
There is no option to buy a Crit’Air sticker in the UK – you have to order online from the French government’s website before you travel. It will be sent to the registered address of your vehicle.
How much does a Crit’Air sticker cost?
It’s pretty cheap – €3.11 for the sticker, plus postage, which to the United Kingdom will be around €1.50. So you’ll pay less than the cost of a nice coffee in Paris.
Better still, it lasts the lifetime of the vehicle, so until the rules are changed, it’s a one-off purchase.
What is the fine for not having a Crit’Air sticker?
Fines can range from €68 to over €130 if you are caught not displaying the correct sticker or driving in a zone when not permitted. Given they are so cheap in the first place, doing without one seems like a risk that’s not worth taking.
Where are the Crit’Air zones?
The regulations are slightly complicated and are also subject to specific variations when pollution levels are high, so check in advance of your journey, but also leading up to and on the day you are entering a zone.
You can check in detail the regulations for the areas you will be visiting on the official government website here. The website also includes a journey simulator, so you can map out your route in advance and it will tell you what restrictions may apply here.
Paris
The French capital has two low-emissions zones: the Greater Paris ZCR (sometimes called the ZPE) which applies roughly to the area within the A86 ring road, and the Central Paris ZCR (or City of Paris ZCR) which is everything within the Boulevard Périphérique ring road.
Since July 2023, only vehicles with a Crit’Air E, 1 or 2 sticker are permitted within the Central Paris ZCR and Greater Paris ZCR between the hours of 0800 and 2000, Monday to Friday. From January 2024, this is being expanded to exclude all diesel vehicles, with only Crit’Air E and 1 vehicles allowed.
Lyon
Crit’ Air 5 and unclassified vehicles are not permitted to enter the zone, and further restrictions for 4, 3 and 2 rated vehicles are being introduced from 2024 to 2028.
Marseille
Crit’Air 4 cars will not be permitted from January 1 in 2024, with a further restriction for Crit’Air 3 cars from January 2025.
Strasbourg
Crit’Air 5 and unclassified vehicles are not permitted within the zone, with Crit’Air 4 vehicles banned from January 2024 and Crit’Air 3 vehicles from January 2025.
Rouen
Crit’Air 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles have been banned since September 2022, with this extended to Crit’Air 3 vehicles from January 2025. Additional restrictions may also apply during periods of high pollution.
Toulouse
Crit’Air 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles have been banned since January 2023.
Nice
Crit’Air 5 and unclassified vehicles have been banned since January 2023.
Montpellier
Crit’Air 5 and unclassified vehicles have been banned since January 2023.
Grenoble
Crit’Air 5 vehicles have been banned since July 2023, and this will expand to cover Crit’Air 4 vehicles from January 2024 and Crit’ Air 3 cars from January 2025.
Reims
Crit’Air 4 and 5 vehicles have been banned since January 2023.
How do I know if I’m in a restricted zone?
Just as in emission zones in the UK, the beginning and the end of zones in France are indicated with clearly marked signs.
