This article covers the street parking rules of the City of Paris. It matters to anyone riding into the French capital: visitors on a foreign-registered bike as well as people who live in Paris or are moving there. Since 1 September 2022, motorcycle parking in Paris has cost money on the street, at half the car rate. Here you will find what an hour costs, how to pay, what the post-parking charge (FPS) is, what residents pay and when electric two-wheelers park for free. All information as of November 2026, based on the City of Paris website.
In short
- Paid hours: Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 8 pm, August included. Sundays and public holidays are free.
- Rates: 3 euros for the first hour in zone 1 (1st to 11th arrondissement), 2 euros in zone 2 (12th to 20th).
- Not paid: an FPS charge of 37.50 or 25 euros.
- Electric: light electric two-wheelers park free on all paid spaces.
Which vehicles count as two-wheelers
Paris uses the term 2RM, deux-roues motorisés. It covers vehicles in categories L1 to L3 and L5: mopeds, scooters and motorcycles. The category is shown on the registration document (box J on the French carte grise). Vehicles in categories L4, L6 and L7 pay the car rate.
Where you may park
The city lists around 42,000 spaces for powered two-wheelers. You may park in bays marked for motorcycles or 2RM and in the ordinary paid parking lane used by cars. Parking on pavements and in spaces reserved for bicycles is prohibited and can lead to a ticket and towing.
Visitor rates: zone 1 and zone 2
The price depends on the arrondissement. Zone 1 covers the 1st to 11th, zone 2 the 12th to 20th. You pay in 15-minute steps. From the third hour on, the price rises sharply.
| Duration | Zone 1 (1st to 11th) | Zone 2 (12th to 20th) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 hour | €3.00 | €2.00 |
| 2 hours | €6.00 | €4.00 |
| 3 hours | €12.00 | €8.00 |
| 4 hours | €19.50 | €13.00 |
| 5 hours | €28.50 | €19.00 |
| 6 hours | €37.50 | €25.00 |
Payment is due Monday to Saturday between 9 am and 8 pm, August included. Sundays and public holidays are free. If you pay outside the paid hours, for example on a Sunday, the payment counts from the next paid period, so from Monday at 9 am.
How to pay
There are two ways:
- Pay station (horodateur): chip bank cards and prepaid cards. The newer, lower machines also take contactless payment but no longer accept the Paris Carte. An interactive map of the machines is on paris.fr.
- App: the city lists PayByPhone, EasyPark and Indigo Neo. Since 4 July 2026, you can no longer pay for Paris parking with Flowbird.
Enforcement works by number plate: wardens check a database of all payments. That makes the entry critical. The registration must be typed exactly as it appears on the registration document. According to the city, common mistakes are mixing up zero and the letter O and adding a département number such as 75. A typo counts as not paying.
Tip: check every character of your plate before confirming, especially with a foreign registration, then check the payment confirmation. The rules for the plate itself are covered in our article on motorcycle number plates.
What the FPS costs
If you do not pay, or pay too little, you get a forfait post-stationnement. Legally it is not a fine but a charge for using public space. For a two-wheeler it equals the six-hour rate: 37.50 euros in zone 1, 25 euros in zone 2 and in the Paris woods (bois).
What happens next:
- Payment notice: the national agency ANTAI sends it to the address on the registration document.
- Reduced: 30 percent off if you pay within 9 days of the sending date. This does not apply to a second notice or a corrected FPS.
- Standard: you have three months from notification.
- Increased: after that, 50 euros are added and collected by the tax authority DGFiP. Paid within one month, the increased FPS is reduced by 20 percent.
The only way to dispute it is a RAPO, a mandatory prior appeal to the city, within one month of notification. You do not have to pay first. The RAPO does not stop the payment deadline. The city has one month to decide.
Paris.fr does not explain how an FPS is served on the keeper of a foreign-registered vehicle. For general information on payment demands from abroad, see our article on foreign traffic fines.
Resident permit for Parisians
If your main residence is in Paris, you can apply for a resident right for a two-wheeler in category L1 to L3 or L5. A second home does not qualify. Each person gets only one resident right, so you cannot hold a car permit and a motorcycle permit at the same time.
- Permit: 22.50 euros for one year or 45 euros for three years.
- Parking charge on top: 0.75 euros per day or 4.50 euros for seven days.
- Valid: in the so-called mixed streets of the four zones around your home, for up to seven consecutive days in the same space. Elsewhere you pay the visitor rate.
The permit does not replace the charge: you still pay the resident rate at the machine or by app. You apply online through your Mon Paris account; with FranceConnect, the city says you get an immediate answer without uploading documents.
Free parking: electric two-wheelers and other exemptions
Electric two-wheelers in categories L1, L2, L3 and L5 with the entry EL in box P3 of the French registration document park free between 9 am and 8 pm on all paid spaces in Paris, the woods included. If the vehicle is in the French registration system SIV, this applies automatically.
For an electric motorcycle with a foreign registration it is not automatic. You must apply for a separate, free right from the city, by post only, enclosing the registration document and the certificate of conformity (CoC) translated into French. The right is valid for five years.
Home-care professionals with the dedicated permit and holders of a disabled parking card (CMI-S or European parking card) also park free. Since the card cannot be displayed on a two-wheeler, the bike has to be registered through the Handi'Stat service.
Alternative: Pass 2RM in underground car parks
If you park in Paris regularly, the city's Pass 2RM for underground car parks is open to everyone, wherever you live. You take a subscription in a home car park and pay a reduced hourly rate in the other car parks of the network.
- Zone 1: €90 a month, €256 a quarter or €990 a year; €1.20 per hour in other car parks.
- Zone 2: €70 a month, €199 a quarter or €770 a year; €0.80 per hour in other car parks.
According to the city, 68 public car parks take part; the list is available as a PDF on paris.fr.
What else you need for Paris
Whether you need a Crit'Air sticker for Paris is explained in our article on low emission zones in Europe. The other traffic rules are covered in our guide to motorcycle rules in France. If your bike is registered in France, keep an eye on the deadlines for the French roadworthiness test.
Frequently asked questions
Is motorcycle parking in Paris free on Sundays?
Yes. You pay Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 8 pm. Sundays and public holidays are free, but August is not.
How much does an hour of motorcycle parking in Paris cost?
3 euros in zone 1 (1st to 11th arrondissement) and 2 euros in zone 2 (12th to 20th). You pay in 15-minute steps.
How much is the FPS for a motorcycle?
37.50 euros in zone 1, 25 euros in zone 2 and in the woods. It drops by 30 percent if paid within 9 days and rises by 50 euros after three months.
Does my foreign-registered electric motorcycle park free?
Only if you first apply to the city for a free right, by post, with the registration document and the translated CoC. The automatic exemption applies to vehicles in the French SIV register.
Sources
- Le stationnement payant pour les 2-roues motorisés, updated 08/07/2026 (City of Paris, in French)
- Payer son stationnement, updated 24/08/2026 (City of Paris, in French)
- Le forfait post-stationnement (FPS) et le RAPO à Paris, updated 12/10/2026 (City of Paris, in French)
- Stationnement résidentiel : mode d'emploi, updated 09/11/2026 (City of Paris, in French)
- Le stationnement des véhicules basse émission et des 2-roues motorisés électriques, updated 09/11/2026 (City of Paris, in French)
Last checked: November 2026. Rates and rules may change.
