Monaco France
Monaco 
FranceLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
Monaco and France share a land border you can cross by car. Keep your passport, national driving licence and International Driving Permit together, and check opening hours and any toll or vignette requirements before you travel.
Driving rules in France
- Drive on the right; overtake on the left.
- Carry a reflective vest and warning triangle in the vehicle.
- Priority to the right (priorité à droite) applies at unmarked junctions.
- Strict 0.05% blood-alcohol limit (0.02% for new drivers).
What to see when you arrive in France
- the Eiffel Tower in Paris
- the Palace of Versailles
- the French Riviera
- Mont Saint-Michel
- the châteaux of the Loire Valley
Once you're driving in France
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
Most foreign licences are valid for short visits and the duration of a tourist stay; a non-EU licence in Roman script can be used alongside the original physical licence. An International Driving Permit becomes mandatory if your licence is not in the Latin alphabet (Arabic, Cyrillic, Japanese, etc.) or has no photo.
Tolls & road charges
Most autoroutes are tolled (peage), paid at booths by cash, card or contactless, or via a Liber-T electronic tag; long-distance trips can run EUR 30-60+. Take a ticket on entry and pay by distance on exit; green-arrow lanes are for tag holders only.
Parking in the cities
Paid on-street parking (stationnement payant) is bought from horodateur meters or apps like PayByPhone/Flowbird, often EUR 2-6/hour in cities; many central spaces are resident-only (zone residentielle). Overstaying triggers a forfait post-stationnement fine and persistent offenders risk towing (mise en fourriere).
Fines & camera enforcement
On-the-spot fines are common for foreign drivers: speeding starts around EUR 68-135 (more for higher bands), handheld phone use EUR 135, no seatbelt EUR 135; police may demand immediate payment or a deposit. Radar/speed-camera fines are forwarded to the rental company, which passes them to you with an admin fee, and radar detectors are illegal.
If you have an accident
Call 112 (or 15 SAMU / 17 police); police attendance is required if anyone is injured. For damage-only crashes complete and both-sign the constat amiable (European Accident Statement), do not move vehicles if there are injuries, and send the form to the insurer/rental firm within 5 days.
Driving in the capital
Paris runs a permanent low-emission zone (ZFE) requiring a Crit'Air windscreen sticker; cars rated Crit'Air 4-5 are banned and driving without a valid sticker risks a EUR 68-135 fine. Order the sticker in advance at certificat-air.gouv.fr as postal delivery takes 1-2 weeks.
Sources: service-public.gouv.fr · france.fr · eta.co.uk · europa.eu