How to access the Low Emission Zones (LEZ) in France
CRIT’Air: Low Emission Zones in France
Where are the French low emission zones? From 2017 France has adopted a scheme called CRIT’Air. The idea behind the scheme is to reduce the number of old vehicles being driven at peak times or during high pollution. Therefore, there are currently two different types of zone: Zones à circulation restreinte (ZCR), which are permanent, and Zones de protection de l’air (ZPA), which are pollution dependant.
Basically,
Paris has a ZCR zone banning all vehicles below a Euro 4 driving within the Périphérique between 8am-8pm Monday-Friday. Lyon operates a ZPA zone, which only comes into effect if air pollution is high. From July 2017 it became mandatory for all vehicles to display a CRIT’Air sticker before they enter a CRIT’Air zone. Should you find yourself inadvertently in a CRIT’Air zone without the appropriate sticker, the fine is €68. HGV fines are higher.
The CRIT’Air system has six different classes. Classes 1-5 deal with petrol or diesel vehicles of different ages and there is an E sticker for electric and hydrogen vehicles. The certificate is valid for the life of the vehicle as long as it remains legible. Barring electric and hydrogen vehicles, Class 1 is deemed the least polluting and Class 5 the most polluting. For diesel vehicles, the classification operates on Euro engine classification, identified by build year: Euro 5 and 6 engines should get a Class 2 sticker; Euro 4 and should get a Class 3 sticker; Euro 3 vehicles should get a Class 4; and Euro 2 vehicles fall into Class 5. The classifications are different for petrol vehicles where each class gets a sticker one class higher than the relevant diesel class. All vehicles built before 1 January 1997, whether petrol or diesel, are marked as Euro 1. These are unclassified, do not get a sticker and cannot travel within the zones when they are active.
Photo credit: https://www.drieat.ile-de-france.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/3-les-zones-a-faibles-emissions-en-ile-de-france-a3739.html
Applying for your sticker is fairly simple and cheap. You will need a credit/debit card and a copy of the page of your V5 logbook detailing your vehicle age, registration number and engine type. This copy can be a scan or photograph in .pdf or .jpeg format no bigger than 400kb. Once you have saved this, go to the CRIT'Air website and follow the instructions. Once the form is complete you will be directed to a payment page and charged €4.80. Once your application is complete you will receive an email confirmation. Then it is simply a waiting game, but be aware the sticker can take between 1-6 weeks to arrive. Do not use any other website to apply for your sticker as it could be an ‘agent’ charging considerably more.
Once you have your sticker it will be fairly simple to work out if you can travel within the ZCR zones. However, the ZPA zones operate differently. When pollution is high different emissions stickers will be allowed to travel at different times. As a tourist, it is going to be very difficult to know in advance which zones are suffering from high pollution. Hopefully there will be some guidance in the form of permanent and electronic signage when you arrive!
Update: 12 June 2025: According to the BBC 'France's National Assembly has voted to abolish low-emission zones'. But don't get too excited, you will still need your CRIT'Air sticker for a while longer as we wait to if and how this is implemented.