Paris ZFE and Paris Centre ZTL Crit'Air rules, hours and fines

The Grand Paris low emission zone covers Paris and every town inside the A86 ring motorway, including the Périphérique and the Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes. The A86 itself is not part of the zone.

Your car is identified by its Crit'Air sticker. Since 1 January 2025, Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles cannot drive in the zone on weekdays from 8:00 to 20:00, except public holidays. In practice this means diesel cars first registered before 2011 and petrol cars registered before 2006.

Cars that can drive more than 50 km in all-electric mode in town are exempt.

Since 5 November 2024, the centre of Paris (1st to 4th arrondissements, about 131 km of streets) is a limited traffic zone. You may enter only if your trip starts or ends inside: a hotel, a public car park, a shop, an appointment, a delivery. Crossing the centre without stopping is not allowed, day and night.

Some roads stay open to all: the northern Grands Boulevards, the Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis, and the right-bank quays from west to east.

Taxis and ride-hailing cars, public transport, emergency vehicles and drivers carrying a disability parking card are exempt.

A car with a good Crit'Air sticker can still break the ZTL rule if it crosses the centre without stopping. The two rules are separate.

No fines are issued today. The ZFE stays in an educational phase until at least 31 December 2026, and there is currently no ticketing in the ZTL.

Once enforcement starts, the national fine for a car in a ZFE without the right sticker is €68 (up to €450). Breaking the ZTL rule is a 4th-class offence, €135.

The zones already created remain in force. On 21 May 2026 the Constitutional Council set aside the repeal article on procedure only (decision 2026-903 DC). It did not judge the substance.

On 13 October 2026 Anne-Laure Blin posted proposal 3320 at the Assemblée nationale. Posting it does not remove the zones.

Foreign cars follow the same rules. The Crit'Air sticker can only be ordered online for a foreign registration, with a scan of the registration document. Order it only on the official site certificat-air.gouv.fr: other sites charge more for the same sticker.

If your car is Crit'Air 3 or worse, you can drive at weekends, on public holidays or outside 8:00–20:00 on weekdays. The Métropole du Grand Paris Pass ZFE 24h gives 24 full days a year, from 00:00 to 23:59. Register the vehicle at least 15 days before the first use, then declare each date at least 24 hours before.

Another simple option: park outside the zone and take the metro or RER. Île-de-France Mobilités labels a network of park-and-ride car parks near stations.