Crit'Air sticker, low emission zones and motorway tolls in France

What to do before you drive in France

Three things need sorting before you set off. If your route enters a French city with a low emission zone, order a Crit’Air sticker from the official website, because it is sent to you by post. If you will use a motorway with free flow tolls, decide how you will pay, since there is no barrier and no bill unless you register. If your car is registered in the UK, check your number plate to see whether you need a UK sticker, and pack your licence, proof of identity and registration document.

The Crit’Air sticker explained

The air quality certificate, better known as the Crit’Air sticker, is a round sticker that must be displayed visibly on the vehicle, according to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition. There are 6 types: E, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. Each one matches a class of vehicle defined by its emissions of local air pollutants, mainly fine particles and nitrogen oxides. CO2 does not count.

Your class depends on:

• the type of vehicle: car, light van, motorbike, scooter, lorry
• the energy or fuel: electric, diesel, petrol
• the Euro standard or the date of first registration

The oldest vehicles, built to the least strict standards, are not eligible for any sticker and are not classified. You can check your class with the official simulator.

The classification lasts for the life of the vehicle. The sticker itself stays valid as long as everything printed on it is legible and accurate; if not, you are responsible for ordering a new one. It belongs to the vehicle it was ordered for and may only be stuck on that vehicle. If you sell the car, the right to use the sticker passes to the buyer automatically.

Where the sticker is compulsory

The ministry says the sticker is only compulsory in 2 situations:

• driving and parking in a low emission zone (zone à faibles émissions mobilité, ZFE-m) when it is active
• driving when the prefect imposes differentiated traffic (circulation différenciée) during a pollution episode

During a persistent or intense pollution peak, the prefect can temporarily restrict traffic, using Crit’Air classes to keep the most polluting vehicles off the road. To find out whether this applies where you are going, check the Vigilance Atmosphérique tool, which is updated as soon as a prefect decides on a procedure, or the website of the local prefecture.

As for specific cities, GOV.UK says all vehicles driving in central Paris, Lyon and Grenoble must display a pollution sticker during the daytime, Monday to Friday, and that checks can happen at any time depending on pollution levels. Vehicles that do not qualify for any sticker must not be driven in central Paris during the daytime, Monday to Friday. Other cities may also limit access to town centres and main roads.

The two official sources do not frame this the same way. The ministry does not list cities or hours on its Crit’Air page and links the obligation to zones that are active, while GOV.UK names 3 cities and fixed weekday hours. Treat the GOV.UK hours as a guide and check the local rules for your destination.

How to order with a foreign registered car

Orders are placed on certificat-air.gouv.fr. Choose the option for a vehicle registered abroad. As a private applicant you can add up to 10 foreign registered vehicles per order.

For each vehicle you must enter:

• the country of registration
• the registration number
• the date of first registration
• the vehicle category
• the fuel
• the serial number
• the make

You then upload your registration document in the format shown on the site. The supporting documents are checked, and if they do not comply your application can be rejected. The address on your registration certificate is used to send the sticker, so the official site asks you to make sure it is up to date before ordering.

The order goes through 4 stages: online order, validation, dispatch and delivery by lettre verte, the standard French postal service. Leave enough time before your trip.

Accepted payment methods are Carte Bleue, Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal, which is only available for vehicles registered abroad.

Vehicles fitted with an approved retrofit device that treats polluting emissions can be given a better class than the same vehicle without one. The ordering site has a separate procedure for these.

How much the Crit’Air sticker costs

The official price is €3.11 per vehicle plus postage. Postage varies with the country the sticker is sent to and is shown during your order. The fee was set by the order of 29 June 2016, amended by the order of 14 February 2018. According to the ministry, it only covers the cost of running the service and making and sending the stickers; it is not a tax.

Controls and fines

The ministry lists 3 offences:

• driving in an active ZFE-m, or during differentiated traffic, with a sticker class that is not allowed
• driving in an active ZFE-m, or during differentiated traffic, without a Crit’Air sticker
• parking in an active ZFE-m without a Crit’Air sticker on a vehicle that is eligible for one

Each is a third class offence for light vehicles, a fine of 68 euros, and a fourth class offence for heavy goods vehicles, a fine of 135 euros.

Displaying a sticker that does not match the vehicle is a fourth class offence with a fine of 135 euros. This applies to owners, and to people renting under a contract of 2 years or more or a leasing agreement.

GOV.UK adds that police in France give on the spot fines for driving offences.

Exceptions and special cases

• Outside low emission zones and differentiated traffic, the sticker is not compulsory. Some local authorities offer advantages to vehicles that have one, such as preferential parking.
• Vehicles that benefit from exemptions to traffic restrictions can still be affected during differentiated traffic, according to the ministry.
• Vehicles too old to be classified cannot get a sticker at all, so they cannot enter restricted areas when restrictions apply.

Motorway tolls: barriers and free flow

On traditional toll motorways you pay at the barrier. A growing number of sections now use free flow tolling: a toll motorway without barriers. Gantries fitted with number plate cameras record your vehicle on each section and calculate what you owe, then you pay afterwards.

According to the ministry, free flow currently applies on:

• the A79 in the Allier department, run by ALIAE
• the A13 and A14 between Paris and Caen, progressively from 2024, run by Sanef
• the Boulay interchange on the A4, run by Sanef

Future motorway projects will also use free flow. You will recognise these roads by a round blue PÉAGE sign with the words Flux libre, followed by signs explaining how to pay.

Toll badges are identical for barrier and free flow tolls and can be used across motorway networks in France or in Europe, depending on the terms of your contract.

How to pay a free flow toll

There are 3 ways to pay:

• Toll badge: with a subscription and a badge properly fixed to the windscreen, you have nothing to do. Free flow trips appear on your monthly statement like barrier tolls.
• Online: pay by bank card on sanef.com or aliae.com by entering your number plate.
• In a shop: pay in cash or by bank card at a tobacconist or newsagent in the Nirio network. These shops are shown on signs along the route and on the Sanef and ALIAE websites.

You do not need internet access to pay, and you do not need to register. Registration is free, though, and lets you receive a reminder after each trip or set up automatic payment linked to a bank card. On the A79, pay stations have been installed as a temporary solution and are due to be removed.

Scammers send fake text messages and emails asking you to pay an urgent balance. Never reply and never click on links or attachments; payment is only made through the channels above.

For help, Sanef answers on 09 708 08 709, Monday to Saturday, during the day. ALIAE answers on 08 06 00 50 05, Monday to Friday, during business hours.

What happens if you do not pay

If the toll is not paid within 72 hours, the motorway company draws up a report and sends a payment notice to the registered keeper. It includes the unpaid toll plus a flat fee of €90, reduced to €10 if you pay within 15 days. If nothing is paid within 2 months, an increased fixed fine of €375 is issued. These amounts were set by the French state in decree no. 2020-1494.

UK cars: sticker, licence and documents

UK sticker. According to GOV.UK, you need no sticker if your plate shows the UK identifier with the Union flag. You must display a white oval UK sticker on the rear if your plate has a GB identifier with the Union flag, a European Union flag, the flag of England, Scotland or Wales, or only numbers and letters. Do not put the sticker on the plate, and cover or remove any old GB sticker. In Spain, Cyprus and Malta a UK sticker is required whatever your plate shows; in Ireland none is needed.

Crit’Air. A UK car is treated like any other in French low emission zones, so order a sticker if you will enter one.

Licence. You must carry your UK driving licence. A photocard licence is valid in France. GOV.UK says you might need an international driving permit if you hold a paper licence or one issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. An IDP costs £5.50 from certain PayPoint shops; you must live in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, hold a full UK licence and be 18 or over. Hire companies may ask for more, such as an IDP or a year of driving experience.

Insurance. All UK vehicle insurance includes the minimum third party cover for the EU, and no green card is needed, but your insurance must be valid.

Registration. For trips of less than 12 months, carry your V5C log book if you have one, or a VE103 for a hired or leased vehicle.

Identity. You must be able to prove your identity when asked, or within 4 hours at a police station, with a passport, photocard licence or other government document.

Other rules worth knowing

In certain mountain regions, vehicles must have winter tyres or chains from 1 November to 31 March, with a fine if you do not comply. The French drink driving limit is a third lower than in England and Wales, and police regularly run roadside checks.

Checklist before the trip

• Check whether your route enters a low emission zone and order the Crit’Air sticker on the official site
• Stick it visibly on the vehicle once it arrives
• Check Vigilance Atmosphérique for differentiated traffic before driving into a city
• Fix your toll badge to the windscreen, or plan to pay free flow tolls within 72 hours
• Ignore any text or email asking for urgent toll payment
• UK drivers: check your plate for the UK sticker, carry your licence, V5C or VE103 and a passport
• Fit winter tyres or carry chains for mountain regions between 1 November and 31 March