Pepper spray or mace (known as a bombe ou gaz lacrymogène in French) can be considered a Category D weapon.

All weapons in France – from machine guns to knives, pepper spray and tasers, are graded as Category A-D. Many items are banned in all circumstances for members of the public, some are allowed with special authorisation – such as licensed guns for hunters – and some are allowed in certain circumstances.

Find the full rules on weapons classifications – and the rules on carrying knives – here.  

Pepper spay is Category D, meaning that you can buy it without needing special permissions as long as you aged 18 or over.

However, such devices cannot have a filling capacity that exceeds 100 ml, and there are also limits on the strength of the solution that is legal for public use. 

Tear gas containers larger than 100ml are reserved for law enforcement. 

There are also limits on carrying mace or pepper spray in public – as with knives, you need to be able to justify a legitimate reason for being out in a public space with a weapon. Your vehicle is also considered to be outside your home, so you will need to be able to justify having pepper spray or mace there too.

Pepper spray is banned completely in certain areas including airports and sports stadiums – in big cities entry to venues such as museums and art galleries increasingly involves going through a metal detector or scanner and it is highly likely that you would not be allowed entry with a can of pepper spray. 

The only place where you can be certain that you will not face any legal sanction for carrying pepper spray is in your own home.

EXPLAINED How gun control laws work in France