Low-emission zone of Lille
A low-emission zone went into effect in Lille in northern France on 1 January 2025. It is one of the largest and strictest low-emission zones in France and includes through highways. If you are also visiting other French cities, check out our overview map of all low-emission zones. You can read more about the French emissions sticker itself on the home page of our website.
Map of the low-emission zone in Lille
The low-emission zone of Lille covers the entire area of the Métropole européenne de Lille (often abbreviated to MEL). This is a large urban area of 95 cooperating municipalities. Lille is the largest city. Other major cities include Tourcoing, Roubaix and Villeneuve-d’Ascq. On the map, the low-emission zone is marked in orange. The border of the zone is defined to the north and east by the border with Belgium.
What is special about the low-emission zone of Lille, is that there are no through highways on which a sticker is not needed. This means that if you drive through the low-emission zone using the A1, A22, A23, A25 or A27, an emissions sticker is mandatory. This makes Lille’s low-emission zone one of the strictest in France. Keep this in mind when driving from Belgium to France.
The low-emission zone of Lille
The rules of the zone à faibles émissions (ZFE), or Lille low-emission zone, are in effect day and night, seven days a week.
If your vehicle is not eligible for an emissions sticker, there are a number of ways to apply for an exemption. One way is if you do not drive more than 8,000 kilometers per year. Applying is possible through the website of the Métropole européenne de Lille (in French). Keep in mind that unless you visit Lille often, the lengthy application process probably will not be worth it.
Parking outside the low-emission zone
The low-emission zone of Lille is one of the largest in France. This makes it difficult to park outside the low-emission zone. All of the metropolis’ major park-and-ride sites are within the low-emission zone and cannot be accessed without an emissions sticker.
One option is to park at Mouscron station, just across the Belgian border. Trains from the Belgian city of Kortrijk often stop here on the way to Lille. From Mouscron, you can be in downtown Lille in 20 minutes by train. Along the way the trains will also stop in Tourcoing and Roubaix. On the map at the top of this page, Mouscron is marked with the letter A.
Which emissions sticker in Lille?
All colors of the French emissions sticker are allowed within the low-emission zone of Lille. You will only receive a fine if your vehicle does not have an emissions sticker and does not have the exemption listed above. The plan is to tighten the rules in the coming years. First, vehicles with a burgundy (4) or gray (5) emissions sticker will be banned.
Other low-emission zones nearby
There are currently no other low-emission zones near Lille. However, there are some cities that should have been required by the French government to introduce low-emission zones by 1 January 2025. Due to political disagreement, administrative slowness or improved air quality, these low-emission zones do not exist by early 2025. The cities in question are Amiens, Béthune, Douai-Lens, Dunkerque and Valenciennes. Whether these low-emission zones will still be created is unclear at this time.
Low-emission zones that do already exist can be found some distance away in Rouen, Paris and Reims. Each is just over 200 kilometers away from Lille.
What to see and do in Lille
Lille is the fourth largest city in France with 1.1 million inhabitants in the metropolis. The city has traditionally had many Flemish influences, which is reflected in its architecture and cuisine. Some good examples are the ornate facades around the Place du Général-de-Gaulle. The Vieille Bourse is especially nice to see. The Palais des Beaux-Arts houses the most works of art in France after the Louvre in Paris.