But there's no need to panic if you are heading over to Brittany, Normandy, the Charente or in fact most parts of France.
For the moment at least the stickers are only obligatory in Paris and most of the French capital’s surrounding suburbs, Lyon and Villeurbanne in central France and Grenoble in the south east.
Signs on the road side will let you know you are in a Zone of restricted Circulation (ZCR).
However by 2020 they will be obligatory in some 22 towns and cities across the country, so perhaps it’s worth purchasing one now.
The stickers indicate how environmentally friendly the car is according to a colour code. The criteria is based on how old and how polluting the car is.
CritAir stickers were made obligatory in Paris in January, but after a period of grace to allow drivers to purchase them, those without one will now be subject to a €68 fine.
For those who are heading to France this summer and have just realised they need to get hold of a sticker, you can do so by visiting this website: www.certificat-air.gouv.fr.
Note that all motorized vehicles need one, including motorbikes and scooters.
The stickers are essentially aimed at cracking down on pollution, with authorities able to ban the oldest and most polluting cars from driving at peak pollution times.
Note that in Paris cars that are classed “level 5” – the most polluting are banned from driving in the city from Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm.