The VTC sticker: permanent markings, temporary sticker and where they go
A 2017 order, lightly amended in 2025, covers it all: who prints it, where it goes and when it stops counting.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Markings for VTC (licensed private-hire) cars in France are governed by the order of 6 April 2017, in the version in force since 2 August 2025. They consist of two red self-adhesive stickers, printed by the Imprimerie nationale (the state printing works) and ordered from the operator’s account on the VTC register, for about €35 according to service-public. One goes in the bottom left corner of the windscreen, the other in the bottom right corner of the rear window. Since the order of 24 July 2025, they must be stuck on permanently, so that they cannot come off without being destroyed. Each sticker shows the operator’s register number, the car’s registration number, a two-dimensional barcode and a reference number. While waiting for the permanent stickers, a temporary paper version is valid for 30 days at most. The markings stop being valid when the car no longer complies or the register entry expires.
Your VTC sticker orders over five years
Stickers to order, approx.
€70
| Orders | 2 |
| Stated price per order | about €35 |
| Temporary sticker, at most | 30 days |
One order per vehicle approved on the register, plus one each time you change cars. Stickers stop being valid at the latest when the register entry ends, after 5 years.
The governing text
Everything sits in an order of seven articles plus an annex: the order of 6 April 2017 on VTC vehicle markings. The current version dates from 2 August 2025, after a single amendment, the order of 24 July 2025, published in the Official Journal on 1 August 2025. What follows goes through both texts article by article, with service-public’s page F31027 for price and colour.
What counts as markings
Article 1 defines the markings as stickers matching the model in the annex, produced by the Imprimerie nationale. They come in two forms:
- permanent markings: two self-adhesive stickers, red for a car according to service-public;
- temporary markings: a document printed on plain paper from an electronic template.
The annex lists the 4 vehicle-specific items printed on each sticker:
| Item | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Operator’s register number | links the car to an authorised business |
| Vehicle registration number | stops the sticker moving between cars |
| Two-dimensional barcode | allows a quick scan at a roadside check |
| Reference number | identifies the sticker itself |
That is what separates the official sticker from a logo. It is personal to one operator and one car, and a “VTC” badge bought online has no legal value at all.
Ordering and delivery
Article 2 ties the markings to the register: permanent stickers are issued for each car approved under the operator’s entry. You order them from your account on the VTC register, in the sticker-ordering section, once your registration is accepted. Service-public puts the cost at about €35.
Temporary markings are issued straight after payment, to bridge the wait for permanent stickers or an update to your registration such as adding a car. The register site emails them as a PDF; print it and place it behind the windscreen. The site works in French only, so keep a translation tool handy the first time.
Where and how to stick them
Article 4 fixes the positions with no alternative:
- one sticker in the bottom left corner of the front windscreen;
- one in the bottom right corner of the rear window;
- the temporary version, bottom left on the windscreen.
Since 2 August 2025, both permanent stickers must be “stuck on permanently without destroying the stickers”. The 2025 order changed only those words, yet they end a habit: fitting the sticker removably so it could come off after hours or move to another car. The professional card is a separate document, displayed on the windscreen while working and removable afterwards, as explained on our VTC card page.
When the sticker stops counting
Article 3 gives three end points for permanent markings:
- the car no longer meets the technical requirements, for example a petrol car reaching seven years old;
- the operator’s register entry expires, after 5 years at most;
- the temporary authorisation to use the car comes to an end.
Temporary markings last 30 days at most, according to service-public. The calculator counts how many orders to expect over one registration period: one per declared car, plus one for each change of car.
New car, renewed registration
Because it carries the registration number, the sticker never follows the driver; it stays with the car. A change of car is declared in your register account within 15 days, followed by a new order. That is a recurring cost worth counting if you rent cars for short periods, and our page on renting a VTC car builds it into the comparison.
When the registration is renewed, every 5 years, markings tied to the old entry also lapse, so plan the order into your register timetable. The renewal calendar gives the dates from your registration.
Motorbike taxis: the blue sticker
Two- and three-wheeled motor vehicles, VMDTR in French, use the same register but a blue sticker according to service-public. The vehicle rules are specific to two-wheelers and appear on the same service-public page.
What the sticker does not replace
The sticker shows that the car belongs to a registered business. It does not stand in for the driver’s professional card, the advance booking every ride requires, or the business’s insurance. Our route to becoming a VTC driver puts those duties in order.