Driving in France Crit'Air, ZFE and Paris ZTL for visitors

The Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and Strasbourg guides say, for each city, which stickers are banned and at what hours.

Crit'Air is a sticker on the windscreen that ranks a vehicle by its pollution level. Electric cars are category 0, other cars are ranked 1 to 5, and the oldest vehicles are unclassified and cannot get a sticker. The ZFE use it to decide who may drive in.

Every car driving in a ZFE needs a sticker, including foreign-registered cars. For a foreign registration you can only order it online, with a scan of the registration document, on certificat-air.gouv.fr. Other sites charge more for the same sticker. Service-public.gouv.fr gives about €3.85 with postage for delivery in France. For a foreign address, check the total at checkout.

The sticker has no expiry date.

These four metropoles show how the rules differ. Other metropoles have their own. Check the local ZFE site before you drive.

Not as of 8 October 2026. Parliament adopted a law in April 2026 with an article repealing the ZFE framework. The Constitutional Council struck that article down on 21 May 2026 for procedural reasons and did not rule on the substance of the zones.

The 25 existing ZFE remain in force. A new bill to abolish them is being debated. Even if the Assemblée nationale adopts it, it would still need the Senate.

The national fine for a car in a ZFE without the right sticker is €68, with a maximum of €450. Heavy vehicles and buses pay €135.

Many zones began with a no-fine educational period, so a banned car may not be fined yet. Paris says no sanction applies until at least 31 December 2026. In Grenoble a missing sticker can still be ticketed during the period.

Since 5 November 2024, the centre of Paris (1st to 4th arrondissements) is a limited traffic zone. You may enter only if your trip starts or ends inside. Crossing without stopping is not allowed, day and night.

No fines are issued in Paris for now. Once enforced, it is a 4th-class offence, €135. A good Crit'Air sticker does not change this rule.

Check the zone's hours first: in Paris, Crit'Air 3 and worse cars can drive at weekends, on public holidays and outside 08:00–20:00 on weekdays. The Métropole du Grand Paris also offers a free Pass ZFE 24h, valid 24 days a year.

Another option is to park outside and take public transport. Île-de-France Mobilités labels park-and-ride car parks near stations around Paris. In Lyon, TCL park-and-ride car parks need a ticket validated during the day, or an exit ticket costs €20.

Amanda includes the French ZFE perimeters and the Paris Centre ZTL. It warns you for free, before you leave, when your destination is inside a zone. With Premium, it also alerts you on the route for the Paris Centre ZTL, can plan a route around it and suggests parking near your destination.

Danger zones on your route are announced for free, by voice. These alerts are off in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg.