A Crit'Air sticker (vignette Crit'Air, officially a certificat qualité de l'air) is a round windscreen sticker that classes your vehicle by its pollutant emissions. According to the French ministry, you need it only in a low emission zone (ZFE-m) or when a prefect brings in differentiated traffic during a pollution episode, not across France, and a UK-registered car is not exempt. Order it only on the official site, certificat-air.gouv.fr: for a vehicle registered abroad it costs 5.11 euros including postage, and Service-Public puts delivery at about 10 working days. In a zone without one, the ministry gives a fine of 68 euros for light vehicles. Below: where it applies, your class, ordering from the UK and where the zones stand on 11 October 2026, from French government pages read that day.
Where you need the sticker
The ministry's page, updated on 2 February 2026, says the sticker is compulsory for vehicles driving or parked in a ZFE-m, and for vehicles driving when a prefect imposes differentiated traffic in a pollution episode. The ministry and its Mieux respirer en ville portal count 25 ZFE in France, and the portal says signs at the entrance of a zone show which vehicle categories and Crit'Air classes are restricted, and on which days and hours.
The portal says most local authorities have postponed their next steps and that no restriction currently goes beyond Crit'Air 3. In the Métropole du Grand Paris, Service-Public says, light vehicles that are unclassified or carry Crit'Air 3, 4 or 5 may not drive from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 20:00, outside bank holidays, and exceptions may apply (page checked on 1 January 2026).
Does it apply to a UK car?
Yes. The Mieux respirer en ville FAQ says a zone's restrictions apply to every vehicle driving there, whatever its origin, the address on its registration certificate, its destination or the reason for the journey, and that even an occasional trip needs the sticker. The official order site has a separate route for vehicles registered abroad, and its list of countries of registration includes the United Kingdom.
Finding your class
The ministry says the class depends on the type of vehicle, the fuel and the Euro standard or the date of first registration, and that a vehicle keeps the same class for its whole life. For cars, Service-Public gives this table:
| Class | Colour | Diesel | Petrol |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Violet | None | From 2011, Euro 5 and 6 |
| 2 | Yellow | From 2011, Euro 5 and 6 | January 2006 to December 2010, Euro 4 |
| 3 | Orange | 2006 to 2010, Euro 4 | January 1997 to December 2005, Euro 2 and 3 |
| 4 | Burgundy | 2001 to 2005, Euro 3 | None |
| 5 | Grey | 1997 to 2000, Euro 2 | None |
Class E (green) is for electric and hydrogen cars whatever the date. Gas and plug-in hybrid cars are class 1 whatever the date. Cars from before 1997 (Euro 1 and earlier) are not classified and get no sticker. The official site has a simulator, which it says is only indicative.
How to order from the UK
Service-Public describes four steps for a vehicle registered abroad: enter the requested details, attach the vehicle's registration certificate as a jpg, png or pdf under 5 MB, pay, and confirm the order. The order form asks for the front and back of the registration document.
After the order you receive a confirmation email within 4 hours and, within about 24 hours, an invoice by email with a facsimile of the sticker. Service-Public says the sticker comes by post in about 10 working days to the address on the registration certificate, so check that this address is up to date. For help from outside France it gives the number +33 800 970 033 (Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00).
What it costs, and who not to pay
For a vehicle registered abroad, certificat-air.gouv.fr charges 3.11 euros plus 2.00 euros postage outside France, 5.11 euros per vehicle; Service-Public gives the same total. The ministry says the price is not a tax, and warns that websites with no link to it pose as intermediaries and sell the sticker far above the real price.
The fine
The ministry lists three offences: driving in a ZFE-m or during differentiated traffic with a sticker whose class is not allowed, driving there with no sticker, and parking in an active ZFE-m without a sticker in a vehicle that is eligible for one. For light vehicles each is a third-class offence, a simple fine of 68 euros; for heavy vehicles it is fourth class and 135 euros. Displaying a sticker that does not match the vehicle is a separate fourth-class offence of 135 euros for the owner, or for a lessee on a contract of two years or more.
Are the low emission zones still in force?
Yes. As of 11 October 2026, neither of the two texts that aimed to abolish them has come into force. Article 37 of the law on simplifying economic life was to abolish the ZFE-m; in decision 2026-903 DC of 21 May 2026, the Conseil constitutionnel declared it contrary to the Constitution on procedural grounds, without ruling on the substance. A new bill to repeal the zones, number 2970, filed on 23 June 2026, was rejected in committee (report of 30 September 2026) and debated in public session on 8 October 2026; the Assemblée nationale's legislative file shows no adopted text.
The ministry's page updated on 13 August 2025 says the legal calendar of restrictions now applies only to Paris and Lyon; other agglomerations of more than 150,000 inhabitants must restrict traffic over an area covering at least half the inhabitants of the most populous intercommunal authority. The Mieux respirer en ville FAQ adds that, for now, Crit'Air 2, 1 and E vehicles may drive in every French ZFE. The signs of the zone you enter take priority.
BlitzBuddy near the zones
When you cross a border, BlitzBuddy shows a welcome with the local speed limits and a tip; it is a prompt, not a replacement for the signs at a zone entrance. Its speed camera warnings work only in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France and Türkiye and switch on by themselves on arrival; in the UK, Ireland and everywhere else it gives none, while your speed, your trips and reports from other drivers still work. In France, article R413-15 of the Code de la route, in paragraph V, has since 5 January 2012 also banned devices that warn of or inform about the location of the equipment used to record traffic offences; using these warnings is the driver's own responsibility. In Germany, § 23 (1c) StVO forbids drivers to use a speed camera warner while driving; the warnings can be switched off under Profile, Warnings, and the driver is responsible.
Related: French tolls explained, the France toll calculator guide, the international driving permit guide, where speed camera warnings are allowed and all driving abroad guides.
Sources
- Certificats qualité de l'air : Crit'Air, Ministère de la Transition écologique (in French, updated 2 February 2026)
- Commander votre vignette Crit'Air, certificat-air.gouv.fr, Ministère de la Transition écologique (in French)
- Demander en ligne une vignette Crit'Air pour un véhicule immatriculé à l'étranger, Service-Public (in French)
- Vignette ou pastille Crit'Air, Service-Public (in French)
- Les zones à faibles émissions (ZFE), Ministère de la Transition écologique (in French, updated 13 August 2025)
- Foire aux questions, Mieux respirer en ville (in French)
- Décision n° 2026-903 DC du 21 mai 2026, Conseil constitutionnel (in French)
- Abroger les zones à faibles émissions-mobilités, Assemblée nationale (in French, legislative file)
- Straßenverkehrs-Ordnung, § 23, Federal Ministry of Justice (in German)
- Code de la route, article R413-15, Légifrance (in French, version in force since 5 January 2012)
Sources read on 11 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Crit'Air sticker to drive in France?
Only in a low emission zone (ZFE-m) or when a prefect brings in differentiated traffic during a pollution episode,, according to the French ministry.
Where do I buy a Crit'Air sticker for a UK car?
On certificat-air.gouv.fr, the official site, through the order route for a vehicle registered abroad; the United Kingdom is in its list of countries. The ministry warns that unrelated websites act as intermediaries and charge far more.
How much does a Crit'Air sticker cost?
For a vehicle registered abroad, certificat-air.gouv.fr charges 3.11 euros plus 2.00 euros postage outside France, 5.11 euros per vehicle. Service-Public gives the same 5.11 euros, postage included.
What is the fine for driving in a French low emission zone without a sticker?
The ministry gives a third-class offence for light vehicles, which is a simple fine of 68 euros. For heavy vehicles it is fourth class, 135 euros.
