The short answer
- • The "French ULEZ sticker" is the Crit'Air sticker
- • There is no daily charge in France — you either have the right sticker or you can't drive in the zone
- • Every vehicle needs one, even if it is ULEZ compliant, hybrid or electric
- • One sticker covers every French city and lasts for the life of the vehicle
- • Fine without one: €68 for cars and vans
If you've searched for a "French ULEZ sticker", you're thinking about it the right way — French cities do have low emission zones, and UK cars are not exempt. But the system works differently from London's, and the differences catch people out in both directions: drivers of clean cars assume they need nothing, and drivers of older diesels assume they're banned when they aren't.
Just need the sticker?
We handle the French application in English. Official certificate by email within 24–48 hours.
ULEZ vs Crit'Air: How They Differ
| London ULEZ | French Crit'Air | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Non-compliant vehicles pay £12.50 a day | No charge. Vehicles are allowed or banned by sticker category |
| What you need | Nothing, if compliant | A sticker on the windscreen — every vehicle |
| Where | Greater London | Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Bordeaux and other cities — each sets its own bans |
| When | 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day | Varies: Paris is weekdays 8am–8pm, Lyon and Strasbourg are 24/7 |
| Penalty | £180 (halved if paid within 14 days) | €68 for cars and vans, €135 for lorries and coaches |
ULEZ Compliant Doesn't Mean Sorted for France
In London a compliant car needs nothing at all — cameras read the number plate and that's the end of it. In France the sticker is the proof. A two-year-old petrol hatchback with no Crit'Air sticker can be fined in a French low emission zone exactly like an old diesel can.
Electric and hybrid cars need one too.
Electric cars get the green Crit'Air 0 sticker; plug-in hybrids get Crit'Air 1. There is no exemption for being zero-emission — you still have to display it.
Not ULEZ Compliant? You May Still Be Fine
The two schemes use the same Euro emissions standards but set the bar differently, and France is more lenient on diesels.
Petrol from 2011 onwards: ULEZ compliant · Crit'Air 1 · currently allowed everywhere
Petrol 2006–2010: ULEZ compliant · Crit'Air 2 · currently allowed everywhere
Diesel from September 2015 (Euro 6): ULEZ compliant · Crit'Air 2 · currently allowed everywhere
Diesel 2011 – August 2015 (Euro 5): not ULEZ compliant · Crit'Air 2 · currently allowed in every French zone
Diesel 2006–2010, petrol 1997–2005: Crit'Air 3 · banned in Paris on weekday daytimes and in Lyon; allowed in many other cities
Diesel 1997–2005: Crit'Air 4 or 5 · banned in most of the larger zones
Dates are a guide — the category is set by the Euro standard on your V5C. See our Crit'Air category guide to check yours, and our city guides for Paris and Lyon.
How to Get the Sticker
You apply online with a copy of your V5C. The French government site (certificat-air.gouv.fr) charges €5.11 including postage to the UK; you fill in the vehicle details yourself and the sticker arrives by post from France. Or we do the application for you for £19.95 — see where to buy a Crit'Air sticker for an honest comparison of the two.
Either way, the official certificate arrives by email first and is valid on its own, so you're covered before the physical sticker lands. There is no renewal: one sticker lasts as long as you own the vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a French ULEZ?
Not under that name. France has low emission zones called ZFEs (zones à faibles émissions) in Paris, Lyon, Strasbourg, Grenoble, Bordeaux and other cities. Instead of a daily charge, they work on a windscreen sticker called Crit'Air, which grades every vehicle from 0 (cleanest) to 5. People searching for a 'French ULEZ sticker' are looking for the Crit'Air sticker.
My car is ULEZ compliant. Do I still need a sticker for France?
Yes. Being ULEZ compliant means you pay nothing in London; it has no standing in France. Every vehicle driving in a French low emission zone must display a Crit'Air sticker, however clean it is — including brand-new petrol cars, hybrids and electric cars.
My car isn't ULEZ compliant. Can I still drive in French cities?
Often, yes. The two schemes draw the line in different places. A diesel registered between 2011 and September 2015 (Euro 5) fails ULEZ, but gets a Crit'Air 2 sticker, and no French zone currently bans Crit'Air 2 cars. Older vehicles — Crit'Air 3, 4 or 5 — are banned in some cities and allowed in others.
Can I just pay a daily charge in France instead?
No. There is no daily charge. In France a vehicle is either allowed in the zone, with the right sticker, or it is banned. A few cities offer a limited number of free day passes for banned vehicles — Strasbourg, for example — but there is nothing like paying £12.50 to drive in.
What is the fine for not having a Crit'Air sticker?
€68 for a car or van and €135 for a lorry or coach, sent to the registered keeper's address. It applies both to driving a banned vehicle and to driving an allowed vehicle with no sticker displayed.
How much does the French sticker cost?
It is a one-off purchase that lasts for the life of the vehicle — there is no renewal. Ordering direct from the French government site costs €5.11 including postage to the UK. Our service is £19.95 all-in: we complete the French application for you and you get your official certificate by email within 24–48 hours.
Order Your Crit'Air Sticker — £19.95
One sticker for every French low emission zone, for the life of the vehicle
Order Your Crit'Air Sticker → £19.95Last Updated: October 2026