Why You Need The Crit’Air Sticker For Driving In France

Ever heard of the Crit’Air Sticker (Vignette)? 

I hadn’t—until a reader emailed me in a panic a while ago. Diane wrote:

“We are flying from Canada and staying in Paris for seven days before picking up our leased car. But it doesn’t seem possible to get the Crit’Air sticker in time….. Any advice?”

Her email came at an opportune time because I realized I’d be in the same position as her. I was going to be leasing a car and had no idea about the Crit’Air sticker. That got me digging and like Diane, I learned that understanding France’s Crit’Air rules early could save headaches later.

Updated October 2025 to reflect current Crit’Air sticker rules.

Here’s what you need to know—organized as a Q&A so you can scan quickly.

*This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I get a small commission at no extra charge to you. It helps support the running of this website and I do appreciate your help.*

1. What Is A Crit’Air Sticker?

Introduced in 2016 to reduce air pollution from vehicles, the Crit’Air (Air Quality Certificate or “Certificat qualité de l’air”) is a colour-coded sticker (“vignette”) placed on your windshield that rates your vehicle from 0 to 5 based on its emissions and age.

It restricts traffic in high-density areas—mainly large urban centres—known as Low Emission Zones (Zones à Faibles Émissions, or ZFE).

You can check your car’s classification using the official site: https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr.

The vignette is inexpensive, valid for the vehicle’s lifetime, and must be displayed on the lower right-hand corner of your windshield. (Don’t remove it—you might rip it and won’t be able to reapply it!)

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2. Where And When Do You Need It?

All French cities with more than 150,000 inhabitants are now required to implement ZFE rules (Source: https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/actualites/A17999?lang=en)

Paris and Lyon already enforce weekday Crit’Air 3 bans, and even smaller towns may apply short-term restrictions during smog alerts.

Tip: Use the official ZFE map to check if your route enters a restricted zone 

3. What Are The Penalties?

• €68 for private cars
• €135 for buses, coaches, and heavy vehicles (Source: https://www.france.fr/en/article/crit-air-anti-pollution-vehicle-sticker/)
• In rare cases, authorities can technically deny entry or tow your vehicle.

4. How Do You Get a Crit’Air Sticker?

Order only through the official site: https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr (you can switch to English in the top right corner).

You’ll need:

• Your vehicle registration number
• A payment card

Cost: €3.70 within France or €4.91 for international shipping.

You’ll receive a PDF confirmation immediately—this serves as temporary proof until your sticker arrives.

5. Do You Need a Crit’Air Sticker if Driving Into France From Another Country?

Yes. Foreign-registered cars must display a sticker to enter any ZFE.
Order via the official site and keep the confirmation handy until the sticker arrives.Answer: You need to order your Crit’Air sticker online. Be sure to use the gover

6. Do You Need a Crit’Air Sticker if You’re Renting a Car?

Most rental cars in France should have one but it’s worth checking the windshield before driving off. When I rented a car in Clermont-Ferrand in 2024, I asked the Europcar agent if the car had a Crit’Air sticker. The answer was no, and he said that if I was stopped, I would likely just get a warning, not a fine. 

I was never stopped, so I still don’t know if that was true!

7. Do You Need a Crit’Air Sticker if Leasing a Car?

H2-7. Do You Need a Crit’Air Sticker if Leasing a Car?

With a buy-back lease, you’re temporarily the owner until the company (e.g., Renault) “buys it back,” so you’re responsible for getting the sticker. This was exactly my situation—and Diane’s! Here’s how I did it:

Get the registration number:
About 15 days before pickup, I called Renault and received the registration number and date within an hour. That’s all I needed—no photos, no fuel details.

Billing name and address:
On the online form, I added my name but didn’t need to include the delivery address (à l’adresse de livraison). For the billing address (“address de facturation”-which must be in France), I used my first hotel. The system won’t accept non-EU addresses. A small typo caused my first application to be rejected—ask me how I know! Once corrected, it went through smoothly.

Payment:
I paid €3.11 plus €0.59 postage and immediately got a confirmation email showing my Crit’Air serial number.

Temporary proof:
I printed the invoice, which displayed an image of my Air Quality Certificate with the Crit’air serial number and taped it to my windshield. I never received the actual sticker—but the printed version worked fine.

Some leasing companies now include the sticker automatically, so it’s worth confirming this before your trip.

8. Late Registration Number

If your registration arrives late, apply online immediately and keep the PDF confirmation—it’s accepted as temporary proof.

9. How I’m Going To Deal With My Lease And The Crit’Air Sticker (2022)

Here’s my plan:

• Order the sticker as soon as I receive the registration
• Print and save the PDF (both paper and digital)
• Check my route on the official ZFE map and use the Michelin Route Planner
• Adjust timing or routes if needed
• Affix the sticker—or tape the printed image if it hasn’t arrived

This approach has worked for me in past years, even when the sticker arrived after I’d left.

10. Final thoughts

From an environmental perspective, limiting high-polluting vehicles in busy areas makes sense. Whether drivers are actually being fined, however, remains unclear.

Getting accurate information about the Crit’Air sticker can be confusing, but the Ministère de la Transition Écologique website has been helpful. There’s even a simulator to check your Crit’Air classification.

Have you had to deal with the Crit’Air sticker during your travels? Have you been warned or fined for not having one? I’d love to hear your story.

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