Crit'air Sticker for France

stepheneric · June 2, 2023

We are shortly going to France with Lexus Rx450h and I find I need a Crit'air Sticker to drive in some of the towns and cities we are visiting.

First problem, is on the Official Government website there is no Hybrid/Petrol classification only plug-in Hybrid. Also cannot find if I can purchase at a dealers or Govt office once in France.

It is now too late to buy from Official website as post could be three weeks.

Does anyone know if it is possible to visit a Toyota or Lexus Dealer with V5 documents and buy the Crit'air sticker over the counter?.

In Germany we visited a Lexus dealer and was sorted with no problems.

Any suggestions and/or advice welcome

Malc1 · June 2, 2023

if you're a member of the AA / RAC whatever then I'm sure they will know instantly

Malc

stepheneric · June 2, 2023

6 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

if you're a member of the AA / RAC whatever then I'm sure they will know instantly

I searched on lots of sites and before I emailed both Calais and Dunkerque Toyota dealerships but had no reply. I have Lexus breakdown service.

Malc1 · June 2, 2023

is that the AA ? or whoever, then just pick up the phone and ask maybe !

Malc

stepheneric · June 2, 2023

42 minutes ago, Malc1 said:

then just pick up the phone and ask maybe !

The more I search on the internet the more it looks like you can only purchase via Govt website - even if live in France - and its posted to your address on the V5

Bluemarlin · June 3, 2023

16 hours ago, stepheneric said:

We are shortly going to France with Lexus Rx450h and I find I need a Crit'air Sticker to drive in some of the towns and cities we are visiting.

First problem, is on the Official Government website there is no Hybrid/Petrol classification only plug-in Hybrid. Also cannot find if I can purchase at a dealers or Govt office once in France.

It is now too late to buy from Official website as post could be three weeks.

Does anyone know if it is possible to visit a Toyota or Lexus Dealer with V5 documents and buy the Crit'air sticker over the counter?.

In Germany we visited a Lexus dealer and was sorted with no problems.

Any suggestions and/or advice welcome

If it helps, I got mine from the official site and it only took a week to arrive. Probably best to try that as, even if it doesn't arrive on time, it will only have cost you less than 5 euros. If I remember rightly, I believe the email receipt covers you if the actual sticker doesn't arrive in time.

As for classification, put petrol and then you enter the Euro standard further down.

stepheneric · June 4, 2023

23 hours ago, Bluemarlin said:

If it helps, I got mine from the official site and it only took a week to arrive. Probably best to try that as, even if it doesn't arrive on time, it will only have cost you less than 5 euros. If I remember rightly, I believe the email receipt covers you if the actual sticker doesn't arrive in time.

I was getting concerned about the possible three weeks postal time, but like you I went on official Govt website which I found straight forward easy and helpful especially the

drop down box linking our V5 sections to their relevant sections to be answered on the website form. Only hiccup was the box titled "Mark" which should have been "Make" as the answer was Lexus

The email receipt has arrived and like you say can be printed and covers until the original arrives in the post. Top marks to the French for getting it right as there was no need for me to be unduly worried.

Mr_Groundhog · June 9, 2023

What? I have just come back from Spain and France all May and nothing was requested.... I thought foreign cars didn't have to display the environmental grade sticker.

stepheneric · June 9, 2023

16 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

come back from Spain and France all May and nothing was requested

Maybe you were lucky or possibly did not enter any the cities that require the Crit'air to be displayed

18 minutes ago, Mr_Groundhog said:

thought foreign cars didn't have to display the environmental grade sticker.

All cars pollute irrespective of were they are registered

Malc1 · June 9, 2023

This is quite disconcerting for me, as a now infrequent car driver across europe ...... last was pre covid times

NOW ........... does one need one of these " stickers " as a matter of course to avoid falling foul of unintended and non-planned for entry to prohibited areas ?

does it only apply to cars with UK ULEZ type emission benefits OR does it apply to cars even as old as my dear old banger maybe ? . that is definitely penalised for not being ULEZ compliant

Thanks

Malc

Linas.P · June 9, 2023

I think it is similar to UK ULEZ, but each country has it's own system. So basically they do not know what standards your car meets when it is on foreign number plate and therefore you would be automatically classed as non-compliant and receive fine.

I recently seen article where maybe French family was hit by £27,000 fine for driving in London.

As for your car - "Cars registered before January 1997 and motorbikes and scooters registered before June 2000 are ineligible, and cannot be driven at all where restrictions apply." Now to be fair cars over age of 30 are except as classic, so 4 more years and you won't need one. Although in practice there is no way to get Crit'air for foreign classic... so good luck with that. The list of UK cities covered by the scheme is quite extensive, so I guess you can just assume it will be needed.

Now as far as I know French fines do not automatically apply in UK, meaning that you would receive the fine, but you would only need to pay it if they would take you individually to the court in UK and won (don't that that as legal advise, this is just my understanding). As such I personally think it is safe to ignore... as well I am going to France in few weeks time and I have no plans to apply for any stickers. If they want to take me to court, then they are more than welcome to do so... and lose. As well I believe you could be fined on the spot by French police, but I don't believe they would make you pay before letting you go (as it is not traffic violation). At which point it becomes the same as fine by post - has to be brought to UK court to be valid.

Mr_Groundhog · June 9, 2023

6 hours ago, stepheneric said:

All cars pollute irrespective of were they are registered

No way! Are you telling me cars with an exhaust pipe and a combustion engine actually produce pollution?

I'm in disbelief you decided to grace us with your superior knowledge in this humble forum. Please, do go on.

Spottedlaurel · June 10, 2023

I don't have plans to enter any of the zones shown on the official map, but we do go close to one or two of them on this year's holiday and for the sake of a few Euros it would be better to have one of these in case we have to make an unscheduled visit.

Just gone through the process, commendably straightforward.

Malc1 · June 10, 2023

ok, so " it's simply the best " to get one before leaving our hallowed shores for those dastardly foreign fields that our guys died on to give then their freedom ............ albeit a while back now . " lest we forget "

Malc

Rabbers · June 10, 2023

Being a law-abiding person but mainly, I must admit, because I considered it a cheap way to avoid prospectively getting hassled by French traffic policemen (which is something I can do without both intellectually and out of personal sensitivity), I bought a Crit'Air vignette for my previous car, which was also an RC300h, some six years ago. I have been in France twice in my present car, including one stay of more than a week inside the Périphérique in Paris, without having bought a Crit'Air, simply because I forgot until it was too late before i could receive it through the post before leaving. The Paris trip was nearly a year ago, and I feared getting a fine through the post courtesy of an electronic eye, but this hasn't happened.

Malc1 · June 10, 2023

2 hours ago, Rabbers said:

but this hasn't happened.

YET . and it possibly won't now BUT i did read a year or so back that my simple ancient Ls400 is actually banned in Paris

Oh, and a fair few of our guys died in France and on the Normandy beaches trying to protect France ...... believe it or not ..

........and my now departed dad actually had a bullet thru' his helmet on those goddam beaches . but it missed going into him thankfully

Malc

Mr_Groundhog · June 10, 2023

I was in Versailles end of last year, and also Amiens, Rouen and other places.... and I haven't been told anything 😶

Rabbers · June 11, 2023

15 hours ago, Malc1 said:

YET . and it possibly won't now …

As a rule of thumb, if you don’t receive a fine by registered delivery within 100 days from any EEC country you probably never will. And should you do so and the date of issue is beyond 100 days from that of the claimed offense you can feel free to tear it up.

eightk · June 11, 2023

Email should cover you if they stop you. I doubt any police are bothered though. I just had the email as I’d put a private plate on the car right before the trip through France and I had no problems last year.

As far as I know brexit means the EU don’t have UK driver database access anymore so any speeding fines etc cannot be issued by post to the UK, they can only fine you if they physically stop you in country, or presumably if they spot you and your car is on a list of ‘most wanted’ foreign speeders. Don’t quote me on that though…

Bluemarlin · June 11, 2023

17 hours ago, Malc1 said:

YET . and it possibly won't now BUT i did read a year or so back that my simple ancient Ls400 is actually banned in Paris

Oh, and a fair few of our guys died in France and on the Normandy beaches trying to protect France ...... believe it or not ..

........and my now departed dad actually had a bullet thru' his helmet on those goddam beaches . but it missed going into him thankfully

Malc

Swings and roundabouts Malc.

These emisssions regulations also mean that German tanks are banned in French cities too, so no need for our guys to die on Normandy beaches again:)

Malc1 · June 11, 2023

1 hour ago, eightk said:

EU don’t have UK driver database access anymore so any speeding fines etc cannot be issued by post to the UK

that's a brilliant good outcome from Brexit then ✌️

Malc

Linas.P · June 11, 2023

17 hours ago, Malc1 said:

and a fair few of our guys died in France and on the Normandy beaches trying to protect France ......

I found it inappropriate connect this simple emissions sticker with wars of last century. Are you saying French should treat Brits in some special way? What about Americans, Australians, New Zealanders? There was whole Polish squadron, all in all probably 20 nationalities fought nazis only on the western front alone. So what is Crit'Air sticker for then - only French themselves?

Besides let's just be clear about one thing - British didn't do it because of their "good heart", they do it for themselves, they needed to protect UK first and foremost (can't blame them), if that meant expedition to France... that is what they did. I am not saying individual soldiers were not heroes, they certainly were... but if we looking at the big picture - the nazis were common enemies for everyone and they needed destroying. Sadly, allies kind of stopped and Berlin and let even bigger evil in form of commies ravage the Eastern Europe for over 50 years. Again just politics - nazis were close enough to be bothered about, commies were distant threat that could be ignored (for a while at least... until they developed nukes themselves and then could not be dealt with either). At least I hope we learned that lesson and won't abandon Ukraine... again.

Sorry for turning political here, but I am not the one who started. So I think two outcomes are possible here - either get the sticker and pay 6 euros or so and have peace of mind, of drive as it is and then deal with fines (which in UK I still believe can't touch us). Nobody needs to storm the Normandy again just because of different emissions standards... ohh and by the way - as I said Europeans are being stung by our ULEZ, so I think fair for them to return the favour... isn't it?

1 hour ago, eightk said:

Email should cover you if they stop you. I doubt any police are bothered though. I just had the email as I’d put a private plate on the car right before the trip through France and I had no problems last year.

As far as I know brexit means the EU don’t have UK driver database access anymore so any speeding fines etc cannot be issued by post to the UK, they can only fine you if they physically stop you in country, or presumably if they spot you and your car is on a list of ‘most wanted’ foreign speeders. Don’t quote me on that though…

First of all, EU never had UK drivers database. What they had instead was DVLA process where DVLA sells our details to anyone willing to pay few £, not sure if process became harder or easier after brexshaite, but that has always been the process. However, their fines were never directly enforceable in UK, by "directly" I mean it is not like UK speeding fine where you automatically get 3 points and NIP. Instead they were more like private debt which had to be taken to the court to recover and not many have been enforced.

The second part is actually bad for you - meaning that if they can't send you the fine, then they will impound your car until you pay (UK does the same to foreign cars)... which let's just say is less than ideal. As I said I doubt they will impound the car for Crit'Air, as it is not traffic violation, but it means you may get impounded for speeding. So just to be clear - this is not some sort of brexshaite benefit.

Malc1 · June 11, 2023

oh gawd . what have i unleashed on us poor readers ............ my apologies ... I promise never to mention the war again Capn Mannering 🤣

Malc

eightk · June 11, 2023

7 hours ago, Linas.P said:

First of all, EU never had UK drivers database. What they had instead was DVLA process where DVLA sells our details to anyone willing to pay few £, not sure if process became harder or easier after brexshaite, but that has always been the process. However, their fines were never directly enforceable in UK, by "directly" I mean it is not like UK speeding fine where you automatically get 3 points and NIP. Instead they were more like private debt which had to be taken to the court to recover and not many have been enforced.

The second part is actually bad for you - meaning that if they can't send you the fine, then they will impound your car until you pay (UK does the same to foreign cars)... which let's just say is less than ideal. As I said I doubt they will impound the car for Crit'Air, as it is not traffic violation, but it means you may get impounded for speeding. So just to be clear - this is not some sort of brexshaite benefit.

That’s why I said they had access. Not the database, access to it.

I wasn’t intending to trigger a brex——-(insert a random series of letters here) argument but as I understand it unless they physically stop you in France/Spain/Portugal/Turkey etc they won’t know who owns the car. Biggest problem as you’ve said would be impounding - a return visit using the same plate could trigger that, which is probably why carrying a V5 showing when you took responsibility of the car is required.

Sending fines out by post as they used to is no longer possible as far as I’m aware, so, err, yeah, I’d call that a benefit. Sorry! Being told on our last visit to Portugal that citizenship used to cost 15 euros and involved a single form done at the local post office whereas now it’s an absolute nightmare would be classed as NOT a benefit.

All the above is what I think is current info, not necessarily what IS current, legal and correct.

Linas.P · June 11, 2023

Understood, but that is what I am saying - nothing has changed. Before they could have bought your information from DVLA and send you the letter, which you could throw to the bin... now they can do the same and still send you the letter and all the same applies. I don't believe anything has changed, UK never had bilateral agreement with any county apart of maybe Ireland to enforce the fines and they still don't have it, but they can still get your details as they always did and letter may eventually arrive.

To be fair I have been flashed dozen times in various countries and nothing ever arrived to my letter box... maybe depends on the country? As I would say mine were 3 times in Germany, 6 times in France and maybe once each in both Spain and Belgium. Once I got e-mail from Lithuania, but that is kind of different as it was rented car, but who got me was that they were "demanding" 6 Euros... or maybe 4.6 Euro for 8km/h over the limit... some countries certainly are better to drive in than others.