How to Buy the France Crit’Air Environmental Sticker for Your Campervan or Motorhome

Here's a helpful blog post on how to buy the France Crit’Air environmental sticker for your campervan or motorhome, PLUS a money-saving tip regarding where to get one!

France introduced its environmental zones in 2016, starting with the capital, Paris. Today, permanent low-emission zones (LEZ) exist in every French urban area with more than 150,000 inhabitants – and you can only drive in them with a valid Crit’Air sticker.

Not all European countries are moving at the same pace with low-emission zone projects, but more nations are joining in over time, and the zones are expanding.

In France, each city decides independently whether to require the Crit’Air vignette, so you’ll find variations in rules. On our summer 2025 road trip, we passed through enough low-emission zones that buying the sticker made sense. Plus, our French isn’t quite good enough to want to explain a missing sticker to local authorities! ;)

Why You Need the Crit’Air Sticker in France

In France, low-emission zones are called Zones à Circulation Restreinte (ZCR).

Just like the German Umweltplakette (read here about how to get the German sticker), the France Crit’Air sticker identifies how environmentally friendly your vehicle is. It’s designed to limit the access of high-emission vehicles to residential areas, helping keep air quality and living conditions pleasant.

It’s worth checking ZCR areas before your trip. There are also regional exceptions within France, which you can research here.

We ordered our Crit’Air sticker during our trip, after getting temporary export plates for our new campervan.

How to Recognize French Low-Emission Zones

French environmental zones are marked with road signs, so it’s difficult to drive into one by accident. In Austria, by contrast, there are no specific signs – drivers are expected to know where the zones begin.

Whether you are staying in a zone or just passing through, driving without the sticker can result in fines of 68–375€.

You’ll recognize the start and end of these zones from these signs:

Interestingly, some French low-emission zones only apply at certain times of the day. If that’s the case, the sign will show the active hours (e.g., 08:00 – 20:00). During these times, your vehicle must display the Crit’Air vignette, but outside them you can drive through without it.

Crit’Air Sticker Categories

There are six Crit’Air categories, each represented by a different color corresponding to a vehicle’s emissions level. Restrictions in certain zones vary according to sticker color.

• Green: Lowest emissions – new electric & hybrid cars, as well as the newest low-emission combustion cars.

• Yellow: Relatively low emissions.

• Orange: Moderate emissions.

• Purple: Higher emissions than orange category.

• Burgundy: Higher emissions than purple category.

• Grey: Highest emissions – most restricted.

Classification is based on the vehicle registration certificate details, factoring in both environmental performance and noise levels. 

The most eco-friendly vehicles get a green sticker, but this is usually only available for fully electric cars. Cars built before 1997 and motorcycles built before 2000 are not eligible for a sticker.

For reference, our 2024 Adria campervan received a yellow sticker.

Where to Buy the France Crit’Air Sticker

You can order the Crit’Air vignette only online – either before your trip or electronically while in France. It cannot be purchased from local offices.

You’ll need parts 1 and 2 of your vehicle registration. After a successful order, you’ll receive an email confirmation (in French), which also serves as proof of purchase. It’s best to print it or save it on your phone for the trip.

The cheapest and safest way to order is via the official French Ministry for Ecological Transition website here, from which we bought our sticker, too. The price is 4.76€ including postage. Our physical sticker was waiting in our home mailbox after our trip – though it’s now useless for next summer since it shows the temporary export plate number!

The Crit’Air vignette is tied to your specific vehicle and license plate. As long as neither changes, you only need to buy it once, and it’s valid indefinitely throughout France.

The cheapest place to get the Crit'Air vignette is via https://certificat-air.gouv.fr/

Where to Place the Crit’Air Sticker

As in Germany, it’s recommended to place the sticker on the inside of your windscreen, bottom right corner from the driver’s seat perspective.

Unlike in Germany, France doesn’t require the sticker to be permanently attached – showing the PDF receipt on request is sufficient.

Our new Adria was granted with a yellow Crit'Air sticker.

Final Tips for Driving in Europe’s Low-Emission Zones

If you travel widely in Europe, you’ll soon notice your windscreen filling with various stickers. Belgium, Spain, and the UK also have low-emission zones, each with their own permits.

Perhaps one day, access restrictions will be managed digitally rather than with physical stickers – but the idea behind them is good: cleaner, fresher cities and hopefully more people choosing a local train or bike ride instead of driving :)

- Hanna