Where to Put Your Crit'Air Sticker on the Windscreen - UK Driver's Guide 2026

Place your Crit’Air sticker on the bottom-right corner of your windscreen, viewed from inside the car. For UK right-hand drive vehicles, this means the passenger side - which is the side nearest to the kerb in France, making it clearly visible to police and cameras. This position will not affect your MOT.

Official French placement rules

The French regulation (arrete du 7 avril 2016) states that the Crit’Air sticker must be:

• Affixed to the inside of the windscreen on the right-hand side of the vehicle
• Visible from the outside without obstruction
• Placed in the lower corner of the windscreen

The “right-hand side” here means the right side of the vehicle as viewed from outside, which is the passenger side of a UK right-hand drive car. The sticker faces outward so enforcement officers and cameras can read the colour and category without stopping you.

Right-hand drive UK cars: where exactly

This is the question UK drivers ask most, and the answer is straightforward.

Recommended position

Bottom-right corner of the windscreen, viewed from inside the car. Specifically:

• Sit in the driver’s seat and look at the windscreen
• The sticker goes in the bottom-right corner - the passenger side, near the dashboard
• Place it within 10 cm of the edge of the glass
• Make sure it is not hidden behind the rear-view mirror, a dashcam, or a toll tag

Why this position works for UK cars

In France, traffic flows on the right side of the road. When a police officer walks up to your car or a camera photographs it, they approach from your passenger side (the left side of the road in France). Placing the sticker on the bottom-right of your windscreen (from inside) means it is on the side closest to French traffic enforcement.

This is the same position recommended by the French authorities for left-hand drive cars, which happens to work well for RHD cars too, because it keeps the sticker out of the driver’s primary field of view.

MOT implications

A Crit’Air sticker will not cause your car to fail its MOT. Here is why.

The MOT test manual (DVSA section 3.2, “Windscreen condition and view to the front”) states that a vehicle will fail if there are obstructions in the driver’s swept area - the zone cleaned by the windscreen wipers directly in front of the driver.

A Crit’Air sticker placed in the bottom-right corner of the windscreen is:

• Outside the wiper-swept area for virtually all vehicles
• Below the driver’s line of sight (near the dashboard line)
• Smaller than a parking permit (approximately 8 cm diameter)

There is no record of any UK vehicle failing an MOT because of a Crit’Air sticker, and DVSA guidance does not classify small environmental stickers in the windscreen corners as obstructions.

What about other stickers?

If you already have a motorway toll tag (Liber-t), a parking permit, or a dashcam in the lower windscreen area, make sure the Crit’Air sticker does not overlap them. Each should be separately visible. If space is tight, you can place the Crit’Air sticker slightly higher in the same corner, as long as it remains outside the wiper-swept area.

How to apply the sticker — official French government instructions translated

The following instructions are translated directly from the reverse of the official Crit’Air letter sent by the Ministère de la Transition Écologique et de la Cohésion des Territoires. This is the only complete English translation of these instructions available online.

For vehicles with a windscreen (cars, vans, motorhomes)

1. Clean the inside of the windscreen at the bottom-right corner. The surface must be clean and dry before application.
2. Peel the entire sticker from the backing on the front of the letter.
3. Stick it to the cleaned area. The certificate must be visible from the outside of the vehicle.
4. Do not attempt to reposition it. Once stuck, trying to move it risks tearing and destroying the certificate.

For vehicles without a windscreen (motorcycles, scooters)

1. Remove the protective patch from the front of the letter.
2. Carefully peel the certificate from the letter — caution, the surface is sticky.
3. Turn the certificate over and reposition it in the same place on the letter (this seals the adhesive side).
4. Peel again from the back of the document. Affix the sticker, front-visible, to a surface at the front of the vehicle in a clearly visible position (fork tube, mudguard, or right front fairing).

The letter includes a warning triangle stating: “Avant de décoller, lire attentivement la notice au verso” — “Before peeling, carefully read the instructions on the reverse.”

When to apply it

Apply the sticker as soon as it arrives, even if your trip is weeks away. There is no advantage to waiting, and you eliminate the risk of forgetting it on the morning of departure. The sticker does not degrade from sitting on your windscreen in UK weather.

The QR code on your sticker

Your Crit’Air sticker includes a QR code that French authorities can scan to verify your vehicle’s category and confirm the certificate is genuine. This is linked to the national Crit’Air database and is unique to your vehicle registration. It is one reason counterfeit stickers are easily detected — the QR code must match the registration number and category in the government system.

Motorcycles

Motorcycles do not have a windscreen in the traditional sense, so the rules are different. The official French government instructions (translated above from the reverse of the Crit’Air letter) specify a different application process for vehicles without a windscreen.

Where to place it

The official instructions state the sticker should be affixed “front-visible on a surface at the front of the vehicle in a very visible position.” Specifically, they recommend:

• Fork tube (upper section, facing forward)
• Mudguard (front, visible from ahead)
• Right front fairing on a faired motorcycle or scooter

Key rules for motorcycles

• The sticker must be visible without moving any part of the vehicle (no opening seats or lifting panels)
• It must be on a permanent, non-removable component - not on a pannier, top box, or tank bag
• It should face forward or to the side so enforcement cameras can read it
• Protect it from the elements if possible - though the sticker is weatherproof, road spray and UV exposure will degrade it faster on a motorcycle than on a car windscreen

Scooters and mopeds

Scooters with a leg shield or front panel should have the sticker placed on the front panel, facing forward. If there is no suitable flat surface, the fork tube is the next best option.

Motorhomes and campervans

Motorhomes follow the same rules as cars: bottom-right of the main windscreen, viewed from inside.

Split windscreens

Some motorhomes, particularly cab-over designs, have split or panoramic windscreens. Place the sticker on the lower right corner of the right-hand pane (viewed from inside). If the windscreen is a single piece, treat it exactly like a car.

Large windscreens

On motorhomes with very deep windscreens, make sure the sticker is low enough to be readable from ground level. A sticker placed too high on a tall motorhome may not be visible to a police officer standing at road level. Aim for the bottom 20 cm of the glass.

Campervans (VW Transporter, etc.)

These have standard vehicle windscreens. Place the sticker in the bottom-right corner as you would on any car.

Vans and commercial vehicles

Vans follow car rules. Place the sticker on the bottom-right of the windscreen (from inside). For vehicles with a very deep dashboard that partially obscures the lower windscreen from outside, place the sticker slightly higher in the right-hand corner to ensure it remains visible to enforcement cameras.

What if your sticker is damaged or torn?

Crit’Air stickers are designed to be tamper-evident. Once applied, removing the sticker destroys it. This is intentional - it prevents people from transferring stickers between vehicles.

If your sticker is damaged, faded, or illegible:

1. Apply for a replacement through France Stickers using the same registration number
2. Carry your digital facsimile in the meantime (the PDF emailed to you when you first applied)
3. Remove the old sticker by soaking it with warm soapy water or a sticker-removal solution, then scraping with a plastic blade

A sticker that is visibly damaged but still readable (category and colour identifiable) may still be accepted by French police, but this is at their discretion. Do not rely on a damaged sticker for an important trip.

Windscreen replacement

If your windscreen is replaced (by Autoglass, the RAC, or any other provider), your Crit’Air sticker will be destroyed in the process. You will need to apply for a new one. Keep your digital facsimile as backup for exactly this situation.

Tip: If you know a windscreen replacement is coming, apply for the new sticker before the old windscreen is removed, so there is minimal gap in coverage.

Enforcement: how do police check your sticker?

French enforcement of Crit’Air stickers works in two ways:

Visual checks

Police officers at checkpoints or during routine stops visually inspect your windscreen for the sticker. They check the colour, category number, and registration number printed on it. Having the sticker in the correct, visible position speeds up these checks.

Camera enforcement

Automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in cities like Paris, Lyon, and Strasbourg photograph your vehicle and cross-reference the registration against the Crit’Air database. The camera does not need to read your physical sticker - it checks whether a valid sticker has been issued for your registration. However, not having the sticker visibly displayed is itself an offence, separate from the database check.

Summary of placement by vehicle type

Vehicle type	Position	Notes
Car (RHD)	Bottom-right of windscreen (from inside)	Passenger side, near dashboard
Car (LHD)	Bottom-right of windscreen (from inside)	Same position
Motorcycle	Fork tube, frame, or fixed body panel	Must be visible from outside
Scooter	Front panel or leg shield	Facing forward
Motorhome	Bottom-right of main windscreen	Low enough to be seen from ground level
Van	Bottom-right of windscreen	Same as car