Country guide · France
Google Ads Government Certification in France
Quick answer
Google’s policy names four French documents as covered examples: the carte d’identité, the extrait de casier judiciaire, the Crit’Air certificate and the carte grise (vehicle registration card). France is listed as a regional exclusion for two categories: business identifiers and fishing licenses. Contrary to a common assumption, Google’s policy does not list France as an exclusion for driver licenses.
On this page
- Quick summary
- The policy for advertisers in France
- Does France require Google Ads government certification?
- French references in Google's policy
- France-specific considerations
- Government providers in France
- Authorized non-government providers
- Advertiser verification
- Certification vs advertiser verification
- Landing page considerations
- Common problems
- Practical preparation checklist
- Next steps
- Frequently asked questions
- Official Google sources
Key points
- Covered examples: carte d’identité, extrait de casier judiciaire, Crit’Air, carte grise.
- Regional exclusions: business identifiers; fishing licenses (hunting licenses are not excluded).
- France is not excluded for driver licenses; driving schools benefit from the global business exclusion.
- Carte grise and Crit’Air services are among the most common French intermediary services affected.
Quick summary
| Topic | What it means |
|---|---|
| Mentioned in Google’s policy? | Yes: four examples and two regional exclusions |
| French examples | Carte d’identité (regional ID); extrait de casier judiciaire (criminal background checks); Crit’Air certificate (public road access fees and passes); carte grise (vehicle owner registration) |
| Regional exclusions for France | Business identifiers; fishing licenses |
| Not excluded | Driver licenses, hunting licenses, passports and the categories of the four examples |
| Country-wide certification rule? | No. It depends on the category and advertiser type |
The policy for advertisers in France
France has an active market of online services for administrative procedures, particularly vehicle registration (carte grise) and emissions stickers (Crit’Air). Google uses both as examples of covered categories. At the same time, France is one of four regions excluded for business identifiers, which affects company-formation services.
Does France require Google Ads government certification?
No country-wide rule applies. Depending on the service:
- Carte grise, Crit’Air, casier judiciaire and identity card services: covered; certification as a government or authorized provider may be required.
- Business identifier services targeting France (for example company registration numbers): regional exclusion; apply to be excluded.
- Fishing license services targeting France: regional exclusion; apply to be excluded. Hunting licenses are not excluded.
- Other covered categories: general rules.
French references in Google's policy
| Category | France in the policy | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Regional identification numbers | Example: carte d’identité | Covered |
| Criminal background checks | Example: extrait de casier judiciaire | Covered |
| Public road access fees and passes | Example: Crit’Air certificate | Covered |
| Vehicle owner registration | Example: carte grise | Covered |
| Business identifiers | Regional exclusion: France | Apply for exclusion |
| Hunting or fishing licenses | Regional exclusion: fishing licenses in France | Fishing: apply for exclusion; hunting: covered |
France-specific considerations
Carte grise services
Online carte grise services are a well-known category in France. Google names the carte grise as its example of vehicle owner registration, and France is not excluded for that category. Private services need certification; since October 2026 an authorized provider must be linked and explicitly referenced as authorized on an official government website for that service.
Crit’Air
The Crit’Air certificate is Google’s French example in public road access fees and passes. Note that Google excludes vignettes and e-vignettes “used across Europe” from that category description, but Crit’Air is named as covered.
Company formation
France is a regional exclusion for business identifiers, so formation and registration services targeting France can apply under the exclusion rather than as authorized providers.
Driver licenses
Google’s regional exclusions for driver licenses are Israel and Italy only. Driver license services targeting France are covered; driving schools and training providers fall under the business exclusion that applies everywhere.
Official government websites
- Agence Nationale des Titres Sécurisés – ANTS (cartes grises, permis, titres)
- Official Crit’Air certificate website (Ministère de la Transition écologique)
- Demande d’extrait de casier judiciaire (Ministère de la Justice)
Listed so that users and advertisers can find the official service. Linking to these sites does not imply any relationship between Ads Verification Pro and the government bodies concerned.
Government providers in France
State bodies, agencies and local authorities can apply as government providers using their official domains (typically gouv.fr). Certified government providers do not get the “Not a government website” disclosure on Search ads.
Authorized non-government providers
For covered French services, an intermediary needs an explicit authorization reference and link on an official, publicly accessible government website for the specific document or service, a domain limited to that service, and targeting limited to the authorized region. Professional approvals, commercial agreements or a Kbis extract are not sufficient on their own: Google lists contracts, licenses and registry entries as invalid evidence. See what counts as government authorization.
Advertiser verification
Non-government applicants, including those applying for the business identifiers or fishing license exclusions, complete advertiser verification. Use the document list Google shows for France in your account and make sure the company name matches the registration exactly, including the legal form (SAS, SARL…).
Certification vs advertiser verification
See certification vs advertiser verification for how the two processes connect.
Landing page considerations
We recommend that French pages show the company identity (mentions légales), separate the service fee from the official tax or fee (for example the regional tax for a carte grise), link to the official service, and avoid Marianne logos, tricolour government styling or “officiel” claims.
Common problems
- Assuming a driver license exclusion exists for France.
- Assuming the fishing exclusion also covers hunting licenses.
- Carte grise services relying on a professional approval or contract as Google authorization.
- Crit’Air services that look like the official site.
Practical preparation checklist
- Classify each French service against the six categories above.
- Apply for exclusions for business identifiers and fishing licenses where relevant.
- For carte grise, Crit’Air, casier judiciaire or ID services, confirm qualifying authorization before applying.
- Align company details for verification.
Advertising carte grise, Crit'Air or company services in France?
Next steps
For advertisers in France, these guides and services are the most useful next steps:
- How the government documents and services policy works and our policy reference with all categories
- Government certification options and options for private government service providers
- How certification and verification fit together and the advertiser verification guide
- How all 20 countries compare, category by category, or browse all country guides
- Prepare with the verification checklist or get help: verification support, landing page review, policy compliance audit or contact us
Frequently asked questions
Is France excluded for driver licenses?
No. Google’s regional exclusions for driver licenses are Israel and Italy. Driving schools are covered by a business exclusion that applies in every country.
Can I advertise carte grise services?
The carte grise is Google’s example of vehicle owner registration, and France is not excluded. Advertisers need certification, in practice as a government or authorized provider.
Are hunting licenses excluded in France?
No. The French exclusion is for fishing licenses only.
Do company formation services in France need certification?
France is a regional exclusion for business identifiers. Advertisers do not need government or authorized-provider status for that category but still apply to be excluded.
Official Google sources
Google updates its policies and help pages. Check the current version of these pages before you apply or change your account. We last checked them on the “Last reviewed” date shown at the top of this page.
Keep reading
Related resources
Government Certification
The four certification options and how the process works.
Germany
Führungszeugnis is a named example. Regional exclusions for health insurance, vehicle owner registration and license plates.
Spain
NIF/NIE and CIF are named examples. Regional exclusion for criminal background checks.