Road laws
Low-emission zones and restricted streets: check before you enter
Learn to separate emissions rules, congestion charges, pedestrian areas and permit-only streets before your city stop.
- Topic
- Road laws
- Published
- Last reviewed
- 18 September 2026
- Official source
- Open source ↗
The last kilometre to a city hotel can be more complicated than the motorway journey. A route may pass through an emissions zone, a congestion-charging area and a street where only authorised vehicles may enter. These are separate questions, even when the boundaries overlap.
Check the vehicle and the destination
Have the registration certificate available, including fuel type, emissions information and first-registration date. Find the municipality's or transport authority's own map. Check the exact street, your vehicle class, operating hours and the rules for foreign plates. Do this for the parking entrance as well as the hotel address.
Different places, different processes
France's official Crit'Air portal provides the emissions-sticker application, including a route for foreign-registered vehicles. A sticker category alone does not tell you whether a particular city permits entry at a particular time.
For London, use Transport for London's vehicle and charging guidance. Where the authority needs evidence of emissions compliance, it has a registration process for UK and non-UK vehicles. An emissions status and a separate congestion charge are not interchangeable.
Ask the hotel precise questions
“Can I drive to you?” is less useful than asking which entrance to use, whether a permit is needed, who registers the plate and when confirmation arrives. Keep written instructions. A parking reservation is not automatically an access permit, and a navigation suggestion is not authorisation.
Before crossing the boundary
• Read the actual sign, including days and hours.
• Confirm that any application is accepted, not merely submitted.
• Check whether your route crosses another charging zone.
• Save a parking option outside the restricted area.
If you reach an unexpected restriction, continue only where signs permit and find a legal place to stop. Do not follow another vehicle through a gate or bollard. Parking outside the centre and finishing by public transport can make a city visit simpler and more predictable.
Sources and further reading
Crit’Air — official application portal
https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/
Transport for London — vehicle compliance registration
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/compliance-registration/before-you-start
Check the vehicle and the destination
Have the registration certificate available, including fuel type, emissions information and first-registration date. Find the municipality's or transport authority's own map. Check the exact street, your vehicle class, operating hours and the rules for foreign plates. Do this for the parking entrance as well as the hotel address.
Different places, different processes
France's official Crit'Air portal provides the emissions-sticker application, including a route for foreign-registered vehicles. A sticker category alone does not tell you whether a particular city permits entry at a particular time.
For London, use Transport for London's vehicle and charging guidance. Where the authority needs evidence of emissions compliance, it has a registration process for UK and non-UK vehicles. An emissions status and a separate congestion charge are not interchangeable.
Ask the hotel precise questions
“Can I drive to you?” is less useful than asking which entrance to use, whether a permit is needed, who registers the plate and when confirmation arrives. Keep written instructions. A parking reservation is not automatically an access permit, and a navigation suggestion is not authorisation.
Before crossing the boundary
• Read the actual sign, including days and hours.
• Confirm that any application is accepted, not merely submitted.
• Check whether your route crosses another charging zone.
• Save a parking option outside the restricted area.
If you reach an unexpected restriction, continue only where signs permit and find a legal place to stop. Do not follow another vehicle through a gate or bollard. Parking outside the centre and finishing by public transport can make a city visit simpler and more predictable.
Sources and further reading
Crit’Air — official application portal
https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/
Transport for London — vehicle compliance registration
https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/compliance-registration/before-you-start