Driving in France? Make sure you have a Crit'Air sticker

Heading south via Lyon? Then you should know that the urban expressways M6 and M7, including the notorious Fourvière Tunnel, lie inside Lyon's low-emission zone (ZFE). You need a Crit'Air sticker there (known in Flanders as the "Ecovignet").

This route, the stretch of the Autoroute du Soleil through Lyon, is the road south for many holidaymakers. Only vehicles with a Crit'Air 0, 1 or 2 sticker may use it. If you have no sticker, or a sticker 3, 4 or 5, you may not drive through the Fourvière Tunnel.

Fortunately, drivers can still get past the city without a Crit'Air sticker by taking an alternative route.

You can make a detour via the A46, the large eastern ring road around Lyon (the 'Rocade Est'). It lies outside the low-emission zone, so you will have no problem there.

Driving to France? Order your Crit'Air sticker in good time. You only buy it once: it stays valid as long as it is legible.

If you drive in a low-emission zone without the (right) sticker, you risk a fine: €68 for a car or motorbike, €135 for buses and lorries.

Make sure your sticker is clearly visible to avoid unpleasant surprises and enjoy a smooth journey.

Where can you buy the Crit'Air sticker and how much does it cost?

The Crit'Air sticker ("vignette Crit'Air") is an environmental sticker that you put on your car's windscreen. It classifies vehicles according to their emissions and distinguishes between older vehicles, more recent models and clean vehicles. You need it to drive in a low-emission zone (ZFE), and also when the prefect imposes traffic restrictions during a pollution peak. That applies to residents and tourists alike. The aim of the Crit'Air rules is to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and fine particles and so improve air quality.

To find out which category your vehicle belongs to, you can use an online simulator. This tool helps you quickly and easily find out your car's emissions class and which type of Crit'Air sticker you need. Check which category your vehicle belongs to.

Cities

In Greater Paris, the low-emission zone covers 77 municipalities in and around Paris. From Monday to Friday, between 8 am and 8 pm, only cars with a Crit'Air 0, 1 or 2 sticker may drive there.

In the evening, at weekends and on public holidays, the restriction does not apply to private cars. You will find more information on the Métropole du Grand Paris website.

In Lyon, the low-emission zone applies day and night, weekends included, and even if you are only parked. It covers Lyon, the parts of Villeurbanne, Bron, Vénissieux and Caluire-et-Cuire inside the ring road, the ring roads themselves and the M6/M7. Only vehicles with a Crit'Air 0, 1 or 2 sticker are allowed. If you drive a diesel from before 2011 or a petrol car from before 2006, you are better off taking the A46, which loops widely around Lyon. For more details and a map, see zfe.grandlyon.com.

Other major cities

Other French cities also have a low-emission zone, but the rules vary widely from city to city. Grenoble, Montpellier and Strasbourg, like Paris and Lyon, also ban Crit'Air 3 cars. In Aix-Marseille, Toulouse, Nice, Reims and Rouen, the restrictions apply to Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles. The rules change regularly, so check the Bison Futé map before you set off.

The classes

The Crit'Air environmental sticker is divided into 6 classes (from 0 to 5), with class 5 indicating the highest pollution. Each class has its own colour, so you can quickly see how clean or polluting a vehicle is.

Class 0 (green): for electric and hydrogen vehicles.

Class 5: for older diesel vehicles from the period 1997 to 2000, which have the most polluting emissions.

The class of your sticker depends on your vehicle's date of first registration, its fuel and its Euro standard (emissions class). Cars from before 1997 do not get a sticker: they are "unclassified".

Want to know which class your vehicle belongs to? Use this handy simulator to find the right information.

Prices

For a car registered in Belgium (or any other country outside France), the Crit'Air sticker costs €5.11, including postage (2026 rate). You can only order it online, on the official website certificat-air.gouv.fr. Keep your vehicle registration certificate and a bank card or PayPal account to hand. The sticker usually arrives by post within about ten working days, so order well in advance. Beware of other websites posing as official: they often charge much more.

You can also apply through the webshop of VAB, the Belgian motoring club. It costs more (€24, or €20 for VAB members), but you get help in Dutch. Please note: the sticker is not sold at petrol stations or toll booths.

After ordering, you receive an invoice by email within a day with an image of your sticker. Keep it to hand (printed or on your smartphone) until the real sticker lands in your letterbox.

The sticker has no expiry date: it stays valid as long as it is clearly legible. If you change car or number plate, though, you will need a new one.

Bear in mind, however, that if your vehicle is sold or registered in another country, you may need to apply for a new sticker based on the new emissions requirements or local regulations. It is also important to check for updates or changes to the rules in the cities and regions you visit, as low-emission zones and access restrictions can change.