It has to match the information on the carte gris. Likely a big fine if you cheat.
See here: Déterminer mon macaron Stick'AIR | ge.ch
Well, thanks for clearing that up. Will have to organise getting one as we’re going to the UK in May.
I assume the Geneva one applies because of so many cross-border workers. Would it be accepted on a non-Geneva registered car though?
Applying is simples. Just take a pic of your carte, enter VIN and license plate, make and model. They will issue the correct sticker based on your reg doc, not on what you tell them. It took a few minutes today.
Yes, any car from anywhere, provided you know the pollution data. And on Swiss cars that’s on the carte gris
How/where do you apply for the Geneva one?
The info is all here
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I read through all of that again, but still completely filed to find how you’re supposed to know when it applies or which categories are allowed or disallowed. Quite frustrating actually, especially as it’s all dated from 2020 with no updates as to whether it’s ever been enforced, and if so how and when.
I’m only bothered because I drive through the centre of Geneva perhaps once or twice a year and have never heard of this, never seen any signs, and am wondering if we’re somehow just supposed to know.
I posted a link in the third post, you need your carte gris at hand.
Nope. That only lets you buy the right one for your car, nowhere, even linking through from it, did I find any explanation of how it actually works in practice.
I was responding to someone who wanted to buy one. If you want chapter and verse try https://www.eda.admin.ch/missions/mission-onu-geneve/en/home/manual-regime-privileges-and-immunities/introduction/manual-vehicles/Macaron-Stick-Air-Canton-Geneve.html
Thank, but that’s exactly my point, having previously read all that ‘chapter and verse’, that nowhere is it properly explained how it’s implemented. It’s implied that there are restrictions at certain times only, and I assume that these restrictions must apply to specific categories of vehicle, hence the different stickers, but am still unable to find out how I’m supposed to know when it’s in force and when it’s not, or which sticker is allowed at any given point in time.
Given that I’ve never heard of this on the perhaps dozen times I’ve driven through there since it was implemented, not seen any signs about it, nothing, I’m minded to wonder if I actually need to do anything at all.
Geneva city introduced the Critic’air (French) system for the city center. The idea was that during times of high pollution (typically hot summer days), cars need to have the sticker and the most polluting categories (if I recall 4 and 5) would not be allowed in the centre. For the remaining days there are no limitations whatsoever and no requirement for a sticker.
Since then, a GE court decided that the pollution limits specified to trigger the measure were wrong, and almost doubled them. They are still in force. This means that practically the measures will never take place, as the levels of air pollution required for activation are extremely high. Since, the air quality has improved (more newer vehicles + more electric ones) so it is extremely unlikely that anybody will ever need a sticker for GE. (Even with the original plans, they were talking about an activation of the measures for 2-5 days a year, on average…).
Nowadays, the infrastructure (traffic signs with pivoting panels which display the red circle sign, and a text banning the worst categories) still exist, but the conditions for their activation are very unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Most people have the stickers for travel to France (selected French cities), where the limitations are permanent (365/24/7), you can get a fine even if the car is parked without a sticker inside the zone. But generally the chances are very low… and the fine around 150 euro is not totally offputting, I mean nowadays nobody places a CH sticker anymore on the number plates and that is a comparable offence…
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Given the low cost of the Geneva one and the validity in France I think I’d just buy one and have done with it.
No need to worry about anything when driving in France or Geneva then.
[It’s not about the cost of the sticker, it’s about knowing if or when you’re not allowed to drive in certain areas.
The only people who would not need to worry about anything are those with the ultra-clean vehicles that would be allowed in anyway.
For everyone else, especially those with older diesels, the Geneva system, if it were actually applied, would mean that on any given day you might find yourself suddenly needing to make a detour of an hour or more.
Its now clear, thanks to @Bling, that it’s not enforced, or indeed enforceable at this time, so I will not be bothering.
The French system seems much simpler, and realistically, with fixed permanent zones in place, you’d simply view the whole of those area as a no-go area in a given vehicle, just like the congestion charge area in London.
Careful, careful!
Definitions are important, look at the TCS guide:
- There are permanent low emission zones ( zone à faibles émissions or ZFE), which have fixed boundaries and you can see online maps of these signs on the road. An example is Paris where the ZEF is inside the A86 peripheral motorway. French sense of humor: the damned signs do not say anything about emissions or ZFE.
- There are temporary low emission zone (zone de protection de l’air - ZPA). There are no signs on the road and these zones are defined when pollution levels go above a certain threshold. An example is the valley of the Arve river where Chamonix is located.
These news from january 2019 are an example of the implementation of the temporary ZPA in Chamonix. The local authorities (prefecture Haute-Savoie) reduced speed limits by 20 kmh, heavy trucks with critiq air 5 were not allowed to drive, no wood burning heating allowed, etc.
When do the local temporary restrictions apply? When a central office says, haha In this case the central lab for the surveillance of air quality. Right now the map is all green meaning no restrictions, if the map shows something red, read the local news of your destination.
In general, pay more attention to pollution levels for big cities during summer, and Chamonix/Alps during the winter. However, if the incentives created by the system work, older and diesel cars will be out of circulation, so the number of days with temporary restrictions per year should go to zero at some future date.
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Ordered the French sticker in the end. Main problem was working out what category the car was in and getting the grey card compressed down to 2mbs. 
Sticker should be here within a week according to the website, barring any postal holdups.
Sticker was posted yesterday so should be here soon.
Ours took only 5 days from ordering to get here…
Sticker arrived today.