Guide to applying for the French emissions sticker

We receive many emails with questions about ordering the French emissions sticker. The French government has created a special website for this purpose, but the order form is quite complicated. Especially the step where you have to add your vehicle causes problems. In this article we will tell you step by step how to order your emissions sticker. Most people understand English better than French, so in this guide we will use the English form.

How to add a vehicle

On the order page, first choose Vehicle registered abroad and then click Order. For the next step, it’s helpful to have your vehicle registration certificate at hand. We will show you the form below and then discuss the entry fields one by one for you.

Not sure what your vehicle registration certificate is? Have a look at these example images from most European countries.

Please note that our French friends occasionally modify the order form. We check this with some regularity, but it is possible that at the time you place your order, the form looks slightly different from the one above.

• Country of vehicle registration – the country of issue of your vehicle registration certificate and where your vehicle is registered. Choose your country from the list.
• Registration number – this is your registration number (A on your vehicle registration certificate). You can enter it exactly as it appears on the license plate on your vehicle including spaces or dashes, for example AB-123-CD.
• Date of first registration – this is the date of first registration shown under B on your vehicle registration certificate. Simply copy this date.
• Vehicle category – if your vehicle is a passenger car or camper not exceeding 3.5 tons, choose Passenger cars (M1 Category) here. You can also find the category under J on your vehicle registration certificate.
• Fuel/power source – the fuel type of your vehicle. This field is fairly obvious. If you have a hybrid engine, choose the appropriate combination. If in doubt, see P.3 on your vehicle registration certificate for this.
• Serial number – this is your chassis number, sometimes referred to as frame number, vehicle identification number or VIN. It can be found under E on your vehicle registration certificate.
• Make – this is the make of your vehicle, for example Volkswagen or Renault. It’s under D.1 on your vehicle registration certificate, but you probably know the make of your car yourself.
• Commercial description – the trade name of your vehicle. The best thing to do here is to copy exactly what is under D.3 on your vehicle registration certificate.

The next two fields are trickier because they are not on every vehicle registration certificate. Registration certificates from some countries do not show this information at all. You may have a look at the technical documentation provided by the manufacturer of your car.

• EURO standard – the European emission standard that indicates how polluting your engine is. The higher the number, the cleaner the engine. This can be found under V.9 on your vehicle registration certificate or just V in some countries.
• CO₂ (in g/km) – emissions of CO₂ can be found under V.7.

Can’t find out this data? Then you can leave the fields empty. They are not required to send your application. For which color of the emissions sticker your vehicle qualifies is then determined by the year of first admission.

Add a copy of your vehicle registration certificate

The last requirement is to add a scan or photo of your vehicle registration certificate. Please scroll down to the bottom of this pages for examples from different European countries.

Make sure all text is legible, the file does not exceed 2 MB and is saved as .png, .jpg or .pdf. You can resize the image using a program such as Paint.NET or an app on your phone. An online service such as TinyPNG can be useful as well. After you have your copy ready, click Add my proof to select the file on your computer or phone.

It is best to save the image as a .jpg file, as these usually take up less space. If you run into trouble with this step, we recommend getting help from someone.

Complete your order

On the next page of the order form you can enter your address and contact information. Then follows another page where you can check your information and finally you can complete the order and pay. These last steps are no different from most online stores.

Do you still have questions?

Do you have more questions about the French emissions sticker? Then take a look at our page with frequently asked questions. If you have a specific problem with the order form on the website of the French government, it is best to contact them directly. You can do this by email and by phone. Please have a look at the contact page on official website of the French government.