The short answer
- • You can't speed up the physical sticker — the French authorities print and post it, typically in 10–15 days
- • You don't need to: every order produces a certificate by email, usually within a day, which is accepted as proof while you wait
- • It can only be ordered online. It is not sold at ports, the Tunnel terminal or in French shops
- • So the quick route is simple: order today, print the certificate, keep it in the car
It's a common discovery a few days before the ferry: French cities need a Crit'Air sticker, and the sticker takes weeks to arrive by post. The good news is that the sticker itself isn't what you need in a hurry. What matters is the certificate that's emailed to you first — and that part is quick.
Travelling soon? Order now.
We submit most applications within 24 hours. Takes about 3 minutes with a photo of your V5C.
What Actually Arrives, and When
The certificate — fast
Once an application has been accepted, the French Crit'Air service emails a receipt with an image of your sticker, showing your registration number and category. This usually arrives within a day of the application going in.
The sticker — slow
The physical sticker is posted from France, typically in 10–15 days and up to six weeks in summer. That is the same whoever you order through. No service can make it quicker.
Print the certificate.
Keep a printed copy in the car to show if you're stopped. The email comes from the French system and its subject line is in French — it can look like an invoice, and it sometimes lands in spam, so check there too.
Two Ways to Order, Equally Quick on Delivery
You can apply yourself on the French government site, certificat-air.gouv.fr, for €5.11. If you complete the form correctly, the certificate normally follows by email within a day. That is the cheapest route and there is nothing wrong with it.
Or we do the application for you for £19.95. You upload a photo of your V5C, a person checks the details, and we submit it — in most cases within 24 hours of your order, and always within our 24–48 hour commitment. The certificate and the sticker then come from the same French service, on the same timings.
We're not faster than doing it yourself perfectly first time. What we remove is the risk of losing a day or two to a rejected upload or a mistyped detail when you don't have days to spare.
How to Avoid Delays
- Photograph the whole V5C. Both sides, all four corners in shot, flat, in good light. A cropped or blurred photo is the most common cause of a hold-up.
- Use an email address you check. The certificate is sent there, and so is any question from us.
- Reply quickly if we ask for a better photo. We can't submit until the details are readable.
- Check your spam folder. The French email is easy to miss.
If the Certificate Hasn't Arrived When You Set Off
You can still drive in France — the stickers only matter inside the city low emission zones. Until the email arrives, plan to stay outside them:
Paris: the A86 ring motorway is outside the zone, and restrictions inside it apply only on weekdays, 8am to 8pm. See our Paris guide.
Bordeaux: the A630 rocade ring road is outside the zone. See our Bordeaux guide.
Lyon: the M6/M7 through the city is inside the zone, 24 hours a day. Use the eastern bypass instead. See our Lyon guide.
The fine for driving in a zone without a sticker or proof is €68 for a car or van. If you're already in France when you realise, the same advice applies: order online straight away, and keep out of the zones until the certificate lands.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to get a Crit'Air sticker?
Order online today. Nobody can make the physical sticker arrive faster — it is printed and posted by the French authorities — but every order produces a certificate by email, usually within a day, and that certificate is accepted as proof while the sticker is in the post. So the fast route is not a faster sticker; it is getting the emailed certificate and printing it.
Can I buy a Crit'Air sticker at the port, the Eurotunnel terminal or in France?
No. For a vehicle registered outside France the application can only be made online. Stickers are not sold at ferry ports, at the LeShuttle terminal, at motorway services or in French shops.
I'm travelling tomorrow. Is it too late?
Not necessarily. If you order today there is a good chance the certificate will reach your inbox before you arrive in a French low emission zone. We submit most applications within 24 hours of receiving a clear V5C photo, and the French system normally emails the certificate within a day of that. It cannot be guaranteed, so plan your route to stay out of the zones until it arrives.
Is the emailed certificate really enough without the sticker?
Yes, while you are waiting for the sticker. The email from the French Crit'Air service includes a receipt and an image of your sticker showing your registration and category. Print it and keep it in the car to show if you are stopped. Once the physical sticker arrives you should fit it to the windscreen.
I'm already in France without a sticker. What should I do?
Order online now — it can be done from anywhere — and keep out of the low emission zones until the certificate arrives. Most motorways and ring roads are outside the zones: Paris's A86 and Bordeaux's rocade are both exempt, and Paris's restrictions only apply on weekdays from 8am to 8pm. Lyon is the exception: the M6/M7 through the city is inside the zone, so use the eastern bypass.
Do any services deliver the physical sticker faster?
No. Whoever you order through, the same French government service prints the sticker and posts it from France, typically in 10 to 15 days and up to six weeks in summer. Be wary of any site that implies it can speed up the post.
Order Your Crit'Air Sticker — £19.95
Most applications submitted within 24 hours. Certificate by email, sticker by post from France.
Order Your Crit'Air Sticker → £19.95Last Updated: October 2026