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DRIVING

Do I need a Spanish emissions sticker to drive my foreign car in Spain?

With the introduction of Spain's new 'low-emission zones' in towns and cities this year, many foreigners and tourists might be wondering if they need a Spanish emissions sticker to drive their foreign-registered car on the roads here.

Published: 5 January 2023 15:50 CET
Do I need a Spanish emissions sticker to drive my foreign car in Spain?
Though you won't have to buy a Spanish emissions sticker you'll likely have to register your car and pay to use the ZBEs, perhaps on a daily basis. Photo: Pixabay.

As part of the Spanish government’s climate change and energy transition legislation, a series of low-emission zones (Zonas de Bajas Emisiones, ZBE) were introduced across the country from January 1st 2023.

In order to help enforce these new ZBEs, the Spanish government are rolling out emissions stickers to identify which type of car you have, its emission status, and to help fine those drivers who disregard the new rules of the road.

You can find out more information about the different types of stickers and how they will affect drivers, which The Local covered here.

READ ALSO: GUIDE: How to get an emissions sticker for your car in Spain 

Understandably, as so many millions of people visit Spain on holiday every year, many are wondering how all this will affect them especially if they drive in Spain in a foreign registered car.

Do I have to buy a Spanish emissions sticker for my internationally registered car?

No, well at least not the emissions-specific stickers Spanish drivers will use, anyway. But you may have to purchase something depending on where you are from and where you are going, as we explain below. 

In fact, the DGT do not even release or allow Spanish emissions stickers on foreign cars.

READ ALSO: The new road signs drivers in Spain need to know in 2023

So what do I have to do?
 
As these low-emissions zones are newly established and many areas aren’t even enforcing them yet, it isn’t clear yet how exactly cars with international license plates will have to identify themselves in the new ZBEs. There are a handful of European countries (see below) that have equivalent emissions stickers that can be used in Spain, but most don’t.
 
And as these ZBEs will be so localised, that is, town and city halls will have a certain degree of autonomy with regards to the rules because there are nationally binding regulations, it is likely that the rules on foreign cars will be on a city by city basis.
 
We can, however, use Madrid and Barcelona as examples that might give us a better idea of how it’ll probably work.
 
 
The short answer is: though you won’t have to buy a Spanish emissions sticker (like Spaniards will be required to have), you’ll likely have to register your car and pay to use the ZBEs, perhaps on a daily basis.
 
If we take Barcelona, for example, according to the ZBE registration and authorisation page foreign cars wanting to drive in the ZBEs must be registered. Of course, some internationally registered cars will meet the environmental requirements and can obtain long-term permits to be able to drive anywhere in Barcelona whenever they want. These vehicles are generally:
 

  • Motorcycles and mopeds (category L) classified as Euro 2 or higher (usually registered after 2003).

  • Passenger cars (M1) classified as electric, Euro 3 gasoline (usually registered after 2000) or higher or Euro 4 diesel or higher (usually registered after 2005).

  • Trucks (N2, N3), buses and coaches (M2, M3): electric, diesel Euro 4 or higher (usually registered after 2005).

Others however, especially older cars, won’t meet those requirements and have to apply for day permits, and can use up to 10 one-day authorisations throughout the year.

You can find all the information you need about registering, applying and paying for the day permits here.

Registration is €5 and it’s €2 per extra day authorisation, so we can use those figures as a ball-park estimate for what other ZBE passes around Spain might be.

You can find information on registering your car in the Madrid ZBE here.

Though most areas are still finalising the details of their ZBEs, it’s likely other cities will use similar systems and you’ll have to register you car and pay for some kind of daily permit to use the low-emission zones.

What happens if I don’t?

If you drive into a ZBE without authorisation (and are caught), you’ll be fined €200. This is the flat-rate fine for Spaniards and foreigners, established in Spain’s Traffic Law reforms back in March 2022.

What if I live in a country with its own vehicle emissions categories?

If you live in a country like France and already have an equivalent sticker then you won’t have to buy a Spanish emissions sticker. In fact, you likely won’t have to pay anything at all, depending on your car.

There are several other countries in Europe that have their own system of environmental car stickers. These are Germany, Austria, Denmark, and France.

If you have a car registered in one of these countries and want to drive in Spain, specifically in one of the newly established ZBEs, or in certain parts of Madrid and Barcelona, where they’ve been established for some time, you’ll be able to drive with the sticker from your own country but will need to understand what they entitle you to do and where they entitle you to go.

What their equivalent in Spain would be, in other words, as this could potentially affect where you’re allowed to drive.

Fortunately, the DGT does have some guidance on this, which you can find here.

Petrol cars

According to the DGT website, if you have a petrol car or small van the sticker equivalencies are as follows.

Equivalent emissions stickers for petrol cars and small vans. Photo: Dirección General de Tráfico

Diesel cars

If you have a diesel car or small van:

Equivalent emissions stickers for diesel cars and small vans. Photo: Dirección General de Tráfico

Motorbikes and other two-wheel vehicles

Equivalent emissions stickers motorbikes and other two-wheel vehicles. Photo: Dirección General de Tráfico
 
Alternative energy vehicles 
 

Equivalent emissions stickers for alternative energy vehicles. Photo: Dirección General de Tráfico
 
Low-emissions zones
 
The new rules apply to municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, which number 149 across the Spanish territory, and authorities in municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants and high air pollution levels will also have to introduce the new measures.

It is worth noting, however, that despite the new rules officially being introduced to start 2023, they are not being actively enforced yet. In fact, many cities have already suggested that it could take some time, such as Zaragoza, which has said it will take months to begin applying it, and Valencia, where the deadline to finalise the rules and fines has been vaguely defined as sometime “in the course of 2023.”

The only places implanting the rules (and fines) to start of 2023 are Madrid, Barcelona, Pontevedra, in Galicia, and Zaragoza.

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TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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