Environmental Zones & Environmental Vignettes in Spain

12.12.2022

Before you go to Spain, check where the environmental zones are and don't be surprised.

Madrid and Barcelona have an environmental zone (zona de bajas emisiones; ZBE; low-emission zone) that is only accessible to vehicles with a valid environmental sticker.

What are the plans for the environmental zones in 2023

The Spanish government plans to introduce an environmental zone in all 148 Spanish municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants and some with more than 20,000 and the islands in 2023. The environmental zones are indicated by the sign with the environmental stickers of authorized vehicles.

Environmental sticker
Foreign vehicles
The Spanish environmental sticker (distintivo ambiental) is not available for vehicles registered abroad. A Danish, German, French or Austrian environmental sticker is also valid in Spain. At sede.dgt.gob.es/es/vehiculos/distintivo-ambiental/equivalencia-distintivo-ambiental-ue.shtml you can see which foreign stickers correspond to which Spanish ones.

If you do not yet have an environmental sticker, buy the French vignette Crit'Air in good time, which is also useful when passing through France (delivery time approximately 10 days, see Environmental zones in France). If you are already in Spain and you do not have a valid sticker, park outside the city.
Note: The authorities of Barcelona have their own policy, independent of national laws and regulations, and do not recognize foreign environmental stickers. Therefore, apply for a long-term or day permit for Barcelona (see below). A special permit is also available for the Madrid environmental zone. See below for more information.

Spanish vehicles
For vehicles registered in Spain, there are four Spanish environmental badges (distintivos ambientales):

Blue - 0: no emissions.
Green-blue - eco: hybrid and gas-powered vehicles that meet the criteria of the green sticker.
Green - C: petrol cars registered in 2006 or later; diesel cars registered in 2014 or later; vehicles with more than 8 seats and heavy vehicles, both petrol and diesel, registered in 2014 or later. Petrol vehicles must comply with Euro standard 4, 5 or 6 and diesel vehicles with Euro standard 6.
Yellow - B: petrol cars registered in 2000-2005; diesel cars registered in 2006-2013; vehicles with more than 8 seats and heavy vehicles, both petrol and diesel, registered in 2005-2013. Petrol vehicles must comply with Euro standard 3 and diesel vehicles with Euro standard 4 or 5.

There is no sticker for other vehicles. The stickers are available at Spanish post offices and cost €5.

Madrid environmental zone

All of Madrid is a Permanent Low Emission Zone (ZBE). Within it are two zones with stricter regulations (zonas de bajas emisiones de especial protección): ZBEDEP Centro and ZBEDEP Plaza Elíptica).
Only vehicles with a valid environmental sticker are allowed to drive in the ZBE.
In the ZBEDEP alone, only vehicles belonging to residents and vehicles with a valid environmental sticker are allowed to drive. There are no restrictions for vehicles with a blue sticker; vehicles with a green-blue sticker may park for a maximum of 2 hours; vehicles with a green or yellow sticker may only park in a public car park, for more information see madrid360.es/medio-ambiente/zonas-de-bajas-emisiones.

For foreign vehicles without a French or other valid foreign environmental sticker (see information above under Environmental sticker), environmental class accreditation is required. Please make an appointment with the Oficina de Madrid Central at Calle Bustamante 16, telephone 010-91 529 82 10 or +34-10-91 529 82 10, website s.munimadrid.es/CitaNet/Concertar.do.

In case of persistent severe air pollution, the permanent zone can be temporarily extended up to and including the M-30 ring road and, in case of extreme air pollution, to the entire municipality of Madrid. For information about public transport in Madrid, see crtm.es (Spanish and English) and for more alternatives, see anwb.nl/vakantie/spanje/reispreparation/vervoer-in-naar-madrid.

Environmental zone Barcelona

Barcelona and the surrounding area have a permanent environmental zone. The environmental zone is in force from Monday to Friday (Catalan: de dilluns a dindres) from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The zone is then only accessible to:

Spanish vehicles with a valid Spanish environmental sticker.
Vehicles with a long-term or day permit (see below).
Note: Foreign environmental stickers are not valid in Barcelona.

Long-term or day permit

A long-term license is available for:

Electric vehicles.
Motorcycles (category L) with a Euro standard 2 or higher.
Passenger cars (category M1) and vans (category N1) with petrol engines with Euro standard 3 or higher.
Passenger cars (category M1) and vans (category N1) with diesel engines with Euro standard 4 or higher.
Trucks (category N2, N3) and buses (category M2, M3) with Euro standard 4 or higher.

You can apply for the long-term permit via zberegistre.ambmobilitat.cat/en/VehiclesEstrangers. The delivery time can take up to three weeks. If you are in a hurry, it is better to apply for a day permit online.

A day permit is available for all vehicles without a long-term permit or without a Spanish environmental sticker. The day permit is valid for one day (maximum ten days per year). You can apply for a day permit via zberegistre.ambmobilitat.cat/en/AutoritzacionsDiaries. Requests for the next day can be made until 23:59.

Extensive and up-to-date information can be found at zbe.barcelona/en, zberegistre.ambmobilitat.cat/en and ajuntament.barcelona.cat/qualitataire/en (all three in Catalan, English and Spanish).

Indication environmental zone Barcelona

The environmental zone in Barcelona is indicated with signs: Zona Baixes Emissiones. The board states which environmental stickers and vehicles are allowed and when the environmental zone is in force.