The rules also apply when passing through one of the many communes in the mountainous departments of France. The period in which the ticket is inspected is from November 1 to March 31 and foreign drivers are not exempt from the rule.
Specifically, you must have tires with the M+S logo (Mud and Snow) or carry at least two chains or two tire socks in the trunk. ‘Real’ winter tyres, i.e. tires with the 3PMSF symbol (3 Peak Mountain Snow Flake – three mountains and a snowflake) are also allowed, but not mandatory.
The law would actually come into effect on November 1, 2019. Many residents of these winter sports areas complained, because it was chaos every time with heavy snowfall. This led to long traffic jams and accidents. Saying you didn’t know about the new regulation will be difficult, as a new traffic sign will be placed at the entrance to the zones. The rule applies to passenger cars and commercial vehicles, campers, trucks and coaches and the fine is 135 euros.
These are the mountainous departments where winter tires and/or snow chains and socks are mandatory
01 – Ain, 03 – Allier, 04 – Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, 05 – Hautes-Alpes, 06 – Alpes-Maritimes, 07 – Ardèche, 09 – Ariège, 11 – Aude, 12 – Aveyron, 15 – Cantal, 2A – Corse-du-Sud, 2B – Haute-Corse, 21 – Côte-d’Or, 23 – Creuse, 25 – Doubs, 26 – Drôme, 30 – Gard, 31 – Haute-Garonne, 34 – Hérault, 38 – Isère, 39 – Jura, 42 – Loire, 43 – Haute-Loire, 46 – Lot, 48 – Lozère, 54 – Meurthe-et-Moselle, 57 – Moselle, 58 – Nièvre, 63 – Puy-de-Dôme, 64 – Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 65 – Hautes-Pyrénées, 66 – Pyrénées-Orientales, 67 – Bas-Rhin, 68 – Haut-Rhin, 69 – Rhône, 70 – Haute-Saône, 71 – Saône-et-Loire, 73 – Savoie, 74 – Haute-Savoie, 81 – Tarn, 82 – Tarn-et-Garonne, 83 – Var, 84 – Vaucluse, 87 – Haute-Vienne, 88 – Vosges, 89 – Yonne, 90 – Territoire de Belfort.
These are other countries where winter tires are mandatory: Germany, Andorra, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Norway, Czech Republic, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.