From 2025, all French cities with over 150,000 inhabitants will require drivers to have an anti-pollution vehicle sticker.
Failure to display the required sticker may result in a fine of €68.
If you’re driving from Ireland in an Irish-registered vehicle, you won’t be able to buy in France. You must order your sticker direct from the official French government website and ensure it’s displayed before you leave for France. Car owners will need to upload their car registration certificate when applying, and enter the euro classification of their vehicle. The English language version of the site is found by clicking the menu at the top right.
he ordering process of a Crit’Air sticker can take up to six weeks so make sure you factor this in before you travel and plan accordingly ahead of time.
A driver’s checklist must include a licence, insurance details, vehicle registration document, IRL sticker or Europlates, warning triangle, and reflective jacket.
Crit’Air sticker (or certificate of air quality) and the corresponding restricted traffic zones were first implemented on 1st July 2016 for two cities and restrictions have been imposed on a greater number of cities each year since then. As of 2025 the stickers are required in Aix-Marseille-Provence region, Bordeaux , Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Montpellier, Paris, Reims, Rouen, Strasbourg, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse,
A Crit’Air sticker is valid for the lifetime of the vehicle. This means that as long as the sticker is legible, it’s valid. Check your vehicle’s Euro emissions standard to find out which sticker you’ll need (generally from 1 September 2015 Euro 6, from 1 January 2011 Euro 5, from 1 January 2006 Euro 4, from 1 January 2001 Euro 3, from 1 January 1997 Euro 2, and from 31 December 1992 Euro 1). The categories are:
- Crit’Air 1 – Green: Vehicles with the least environmental impact, such as electric and hydrogen vehicles.
- Crit’Air 2 – Blue: Plug-in hybrid vehicles and Euro 5 and 6 diesel vehicles.
- Crit’Air 3 – Yellow: Euro 4 vehicles, including some diesel models.
- Crit’Air 4 – Orange: Euro 3 vehicles, often older diesel models.
- Crit’Air 5 – Dark Red: Euro 2 vehicles, typically older gasoline cars.
- Crit’Air 6 – Grey: Euro 1 and unclassified vehicles, usually older and highly polluting.
A estimated 70,000 Irish families are expected to travel to France by car this summer.
