How to Apply for a Crit'Air Sticker from the UK - UK Driver's Guide 2026

To apply for a Crit’Air sticker from the UK, enter your vehicle registration on the France Stickers website, confirm your details, and pay GBP 7. Your official sticker arrives within 7 to 21 days, and you get a valid digital facsimile by email within 48 hours. The whole process takes about two minutes.

What you will need

Before you start, make sure you have:

• Your vehicle registration number - the number plate of the car, van, motorhome, or motorcycle you will be driving in France
• Your V5C logbook - you may need to upload a photo of it if your vehicle’s Euro standard cannot be determined from DVLA data alone
• A UK delivery address - where you want the physical sticker sent
• A debit or credit card - for the GBP 7 payment

That is it. No passport, no driving licence, no insurance documents.

Step-by-step application process

Step 1: Enter your registration number

Type your UK vehicle registration into the lookup tool on the France Stickers website. We query the DVLA database to retrieve your vehicle’s make, model, year of registration, fuel type, and Euro emission standard.

This lookup is free and instant. You can check your category without committing to an application.

Step 2: Confirm your vehicle details

The system displays what we found: your vehicle’s make and model, fuel type, and the Crit’Air category it qualifies for. Check that this matches your vehicle. Common things to verify:

• Fuel type - make sure it shows the correct fuel (petrol, diesel, electric, hybrid)
• Year - confirm the year of first registration looks right
• Category - this is calculated automatically but you should understand what it means for your trip

If anything looks wrong - for example, if DVLA data shows diesel but your car has been converted to LPG - you can flag this during the application.

Step 3: Enter your delivery address

Provide the UK postal address where you want the sticker delivered. This can be your home address, a work address, or any UK address. We also accept BFPO addresses for military personnel stationed overseas.

The address is only used for delivery. It is not printed on the sticker and is not shared with French authorities.

Step 4: Upload your V5C (if required)

For most modern vehicles, DVLA data is sufficient and no V5C upload is needed. However, for some older vehicles or those where the Euro standard is ambiguous, we will ask you to upload a photo of your V5C logbook.

V5C photo tips

• Photograph the front page (the side with the vehicle details)
• Make sure the image is sharp and well-lit - avoid shadows across the text
• Ensure fields V.9 (Euro standard), B (date of registration), and P.3 (fuel type) are clearly legible
• A smartphone camera is fine; you do not need a scanner
• Accepted formats: JPG, PNG, or PDF
• Maximum file size: 10 MB

Step 5: Pay GBP 7

Complete the payment using a UK debit or credit card. We accept Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. The GBP 7 covers everything:

What is included	Detail
Official Crit’Air sticker	The genuine article issued by the French Ministry for Ecological Transition
V5C translation	We translate the relevant fields of your V5C into French for the application
Application handling	We complete the French-language form on your behalf
UK delivery	Postage to your UK address
Digital facsimile	Emailed to you within 48 hours as interim proof

There are no hidden fees, no subscription, and no renewal charges.

Step 6: Receive your sticker

After applying, two things happen:

1. Within 48 hours: You receive a digital facsimile by email. This is a PDF document containing your vehicle details, Crit’Air category, and a QR code. It is legally valid as interim proof and can be printed or shown on your phone if stopped by police.

2. Within 7 to 21 days: The physical Crit’Air sticker arrives at your UK address by post. This is the official adhesive sticker that you apply to your windscreen.

The digital facsimile explained

The digital facsimile is not a photocopy or unofficial document. It is the official interim certificate generated by the French system when an application is processed. It contains:

• Your vehicle registration number
• Your Crit’Air category and colour
• A unique QR code that French enforcement officers can scan
• The date of issue

French police are trained to accept this document for vehicles awaiting delivery of the physical sticker. It is particularly useful if you have a trip coming up before the postal sticker arrives.

Keep the digital facsimile even after your sticker arrives. It serves as a backup if your windscreen sticker becomes damaged or illegible while you are in France.

Delivery timeline in detail

Stage	Timeframe
Application submitted	Day 0
Digital facsimile emailed	Within 48 hours
Application processed by French Ministry	1 to 5 working days
Sticker dispatched from France	3 to 7 working days after processing
UK delivery	3 to 7 working days after dispatch
Total typical time	7 to 21 days

Delivery times can be longer during peak summer months (June to August) when application volumes are highest. If you are travelling in summer, apply at least three weeks before your departure date.

Applying directly through the French government

You can apply directly at certificat-air.gouv.fr, the official French government site. This is a legitimate option, but there are several drawbacks for UK drivers:

• The website and form are in French
• You must translate your V5C details into the French format yourself
• Delivery to UK addresses takes 4 to 6 weeks
• Payment is in euros
• Customer support is in French only

The official government fee is EUR 3.77 plus EUR 3 to 5 for international postage. Our GBP 7 fee covers the convenience of an English-language process, faster delivery, V5C translation, and UK-based customer support.

Applying for multiple vehicles

If you have more than one vehicle - for example, a car and a motorhome, or two family cars - you need a separate Crit’Air sticker for each. Each sticker is tied to a specific registration number. You can apply for multiple vehicles in one session; just complete the process for each registration.

Company cars and fleet vehicles

The process is the same for company cars. Use the vehicle’s registration number as normal. The sticker is tied to the vehicle, not the driver, so any employee driving that car in France will be covered.

What if my vehicle is too old for a sticker?

If your vehicle pre-dates Euro 2 standards (generally registered before July 1997), it will be classified as “unclassified” and no sticker will be issued. This means the vehicle cannot legally enter any ZFE-m zone. Our lookup tool will tell you this before you pay.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying too late. Do not wait until the week before your trip. Allow at least three weeks, especially in summer.
• Wrong registration number. Double-check the reg you enter. A typo means the sticker will be issued for the wrong vehicle.
• Forgetting the sticker at home. Once it arrives, put it on your windscreen straight away, even if your trip is weeks away. It does not expire.
• Assuming a hire car has one. If you are hiring in the UK and driving to France, check with the rental company. French rental cars should already have one, but UK rentals may not.