Countries · France · Road signs

French Road Signs: What the Colours Mean, and the Signs Visitors Miss

Checked 13 October 2026 against the French sign rules on Légifrance and Cerema's sign instruction · skynomad

What the Colours of French Direction Signs Mean

The colour tells you what kind of destination a sign points to: blue for the motorway, green for the larger towns, white for local places.

Colour	What it leads to
Blue	The way to a motorway. Signs turn blue on the motorway and at the junction that joins it, and go back to green and white at the exit. (IISR, part 5 (2025): colour of direction signs)
Green	The larger towns, which the rules call 'pôles verts'. (IISR, part 5 (2025): colour of direction signs)
White	Local destinations and local points of interest. (IISR, part 5 (2025): colour of direction signs)
Brown	Tourist and cultural signs: the H10 panels on motorways and dual carriageways, and tourist-route signs. (Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 5-9 (Légifrance))
Yellow	Temporary signs and diversions (types AK, KC and KD), and the signposted alternative routes marked 'S' and 'Bis'. (IISR, part 8 (2025): temporary signs · IISR, part 5 (2025): colour of direction signs)

Priority Signs: Who Goes First at the Junction

Five signs say who goes first. The one to learn is AB1: at that junction, traffic coming from your right has priority.

• 

  AB1

  A junction where you must give way to vehicles coming from the right.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 3-1 (Légifrance)

• AB6 · Route prioritaire

  You are on a priority road.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 3-1 (Légifrance)

• AB7 · Fin de route prioritaire

  The priority road ends here.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 3-1 (Légifrance)

• 

  AB3a · Cédez le passage

  Give way at the junction.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 3-1 (Légifrance)

• 

  AB4 · Arrêt (STOP)

  Stop at the junction.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 3-1 (Légifrance)

No Parking and No Stopping Signs

One bans parking; the other bans stopping as well.

• 

  B6a1 · Stationnement interdit

  No parking.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 4 (Légifrance)

• 

  B6d · Arrêt et stationnement interdit

  No stopping and no parking. With an M6a plate underneath, a car parked in breach may be towed.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 4 (Légifrance) · Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 2-1 (Légifrance)

Town Signs and Speed Zones

The town name sign marks where the built-up area, and its default 50 km/h limit, begins.

• 

  EB10 · Entrée d'agglomération

  Start of a built-up area: the town rules apply, with a default limit of 50 km/h.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 5-8 (Légifrance) · Code de la route, article R413-3 (Légifrance)

• 

  EB20 · Sortie d'agglomération

  End of the built-up area.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 5-8 (Légifrance)

• 

  B30 · Zone 30

  Start of a zone limited to 30 km/h.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 4 (Légifrance)

• 

  B52 · Zone de rencontre

  Start of a zone de rencontre.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 4 (Légifrance)

• B31 · Fin de toutes les interdictions

  End of every prohibition signed earlier for moving vehicles.

  Source: Arrêté du 24 novembre 1967, article 4 (Légifrance)

The Words on French Signs

Péage, Rappel, Vous n'avez pas la priorité and Sauf riverains: what the words on French signs and panels mean is on road words. Speed limits in rain and on each road type are on driving in France.

Drawings: Wikimedia Commons. France road sign D52a.svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, KiwiNeko14; France road sign D61.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Roulex 45; D21a.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Roulex_45; KD42.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Mathgb; France road sign AB1.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Roulex 45; France road sign AB3a.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Roulex 45; France road sign AB4.svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Roulex 45; France road sign B6a1.svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, Roulex 45; France road sign B6d.svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, Roulex 45; France road sign EB10.svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, Kilyann Le Hen; France road sign EB20.svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, Kilyann Le Hen; France road sign B30 (30).svg, CC BY-SA 4.0, Roulex 45; France road sign B52.svg, Public domain.