If you've recently realized that you're headed to France and urgently need a Crit'Air sticker for your vehicle, then I have the answer for you here.
You can’t get the physical sticker in your hand in less than two weeks, but I can show you how you can legally drive in France within 48 hours with this clever workaround.
Here's a step-by-step guide to get a Crit Air sticker quickly.
- Visit the Official French Government Website. (I've put the link below for you) The default language of the website will be French, but at the top right of the site there is a dropdown menu where you can select English.
- Select that your vehicle is registered abroad. (The French think we’re foreigners!) Click on the Order button.
- After giving car details make the payment. (It’s less than £5): **Never buy from 3rd party websites. Here is the link to the official French Gov website. https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/
- Once you’ve paid, you’ll receive a confirmation email. (Within an hour)
- Crucial 2nd email: You will get a second email usually within 5 hours, but max 24 hours.
- Print the invoice that comes with the 2nd email, and crucially a photograph of the purchased sticker with your details on it. Ensure to print the invoice and photo out.
So now you can drive to France the same as if you had the Crit Air Sticker in your possession. If you do get questioned by the police about not displaying the sticker in your windscreen, then when you have the invoice and the photo with you, you should be fine.
The full process for and all the information you need on these Low Emission Zones (LEZ) can be seen on this main page. Crit Air Stickers.
The video that is the basis of this article can be seen on our YouTube Channel.
You can see the YouTube video here.
If you follow this fast-track process, you can obtain your Crit'Air sticker swiftly and avoid any legal complications while driving in France.
For other things you need to drive legally in France see our Checklist page.
We hope you found this guide helpful. Safe travels!
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