France's low-emission zones the Crit'Air sticker and each city's rules

A ZFE is an area where the most polluting cars do not drive. The Crit'Air sticker says whether your car is affected. Without it, or with a sticker the city bans, you are not in order.

The framework comes from the 2019 mobility orientation law and the 2021 climate and resilience law. Each metropolis then chooses its area, its hours and its calendar. You do not drive two ZFEs the same way.

The sticker is issued with no time limit. It is not renewed. For delivery in France, the price is €3.85, postage included. There is one sticker per vehicle.

A French plate can be requested online or by post. A foreign plate is ordered online only, with the registration certificate, on certificat-air.gouv.fr. The total for an address abroad is shown at payment. Do not use another site: it charges more for the same sticker.

The national framework describes the existing zones and the role of the sticker. It does not replace the calendar of the city you are entering.

Look at the city, not one rule for the whole of France. Lyon already bans stickers that Strasbourg still lets through. Paris restricts without issuing fines, at least until 31 December 2026.

The rules differ by city and can change. Check the city's ZFE before you drive.

Paris, inside the A86: Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles are restricted on weekdays from 8:00 to 20:00, except public holidays. No fine is issued at least until 31 December 2026. The restriction itself remains.

Lyon, including the M6, the M7 and the ring roads: since 1 January 2025, Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles are banned day and night, including when stopped. The fine runs from €68 to €135 depending on the vehicle.

Grenoble, 13 communes: do not drive on Crit'Air 3, 4, 5 or unclassified from Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 19:00. A missing sticker can be fined. Do not count on a date with no fine.

Strasbourg, the whole Eurométropole except stretches of motorway: Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles are banned today, around the clock. A Crit'Air 3 still enters. The published calendar places its ban in January 2027. A study proposes 1 January 2028: that is not the rule to follow.

Driving in a ZFE without the required sticker, or with a vehicle that is not allowed, can cost up to €450. Usually the fixed fine is €68.

Some cities still explain the rule before they fine. That does not cover a sticker that is already banned, or a missing sticker. In Lyon, the amount runs from €68 to €135 depending on the vehicle.

Check the city's hours first. In Paris, a Crit'Air 3 or worse can drive at the weekend, on public holidays, and on weekdays outside 8:00–20:00. The fine is not issued at least until 31 December 2026.

Order the sticker before you leave if the city already requires it. In Lyon, a banned car does not get through, day or night. Parking outside the zone and finishing by public transport avoids the restriction: check the parking price with the operator.

Amanda includes French ZFE perimeters. It warns you for free, before you leave, when your destination is inside a zone. Road signs always come first.