Getting your environmental label (distintivo ambiental)

Terms used

• Permiso de circulación — The permiso de circulación is the vehicle registration document for a car registered in Spain.
• Ficha técnica — The ficha técnica is the car's technical sheet, listing its engine type and emissions data.
• Gestoría — A gestoría is a private office that handles paperwork with public bodies for a fee.
• Matriculación — Matriculación is the Spanish registration of a vehicle, which gives it Spanish plates.
• ITV — The ITV is Spain's mandatory periodic vehicle inspection.

Key rules

• Categories: The labels are 0 Emisiones, ECO, C and B; older vehicles get no label.
• Sticker: National rules do not require the sticker, but some towns ask for it, so display it.
• Foreign plates: A foreign-registered car has no automatic label, so ask the city for an equivalence.
• Imported cars: After Spanish registration, your car's label appears in the register, normally within days.

Start by checking your label

If your car has Spanish plates, look up its label for free. Enter your licence plate on the DGT website's label check, or open the miDGT app. No certificate is needed. The label belongs to the car in the DGT register, so the result is the same whether or not you have the sticker.

What the categories mean

The categories are 0 Emisiones, ECO, C, B, and no label for older vehicles.

• 0 Emisiones (blue): battery electric cars, fuel-cell cars, and plug-in hybrids or extended-range electric cars with at least 40 km of electric range.
• ECO (blue and green): plug-in hybrids with under 40 km of range, hybrids that you do not plug in, and natural gas or LPG cars that meet Euro 4 or later.
• C (green): petrol cars meeting Euro 4 or later (registered roughly from 2006) and diesel cars meeting Euro 6 (roughly from September 2015).
• B (yellow): petrol Euro 3 (from about 2000) and diesel Euro 4 and 5 (from about 2006).
• No label: anything older than that.

Do you need the sticker?

National traffic rules do not require the sticker. Some towns ask for it, so it is sensible to display it. Cameras in low-emission zones read your plate against the register, but a sticker makes any police check easier. Check the rules of the city you drive in.

Getting the sticker

You can get it at a Correos post office, at a DGT office (some work by appointment), or from an authorised seller such as a gestoría, a workshop or an ITV centre. Bring your permiso de circulación, the technical sheet (ficha técnica) and your ID.

At Correos the price has been around 5 euros in recent years, and you get the sticker on the spot. Other sellers charge more. Online orders take several days. Stick the label on the inside of your windscreen.

If you are importing a car

The label comes from the car's data in the Spanish register, not from where it was made or first registered. Once your car has Spanish plates (matriculación) and a Spanish permiso de circulación, it appears in the register with a label, normally within days. Look up your plate on the DGT website, then get the sticker as above.

If the technical sheet has incomplete emissions data, the car may come out with no label. Ask DGT to review it.

If your car is still foreign-registered

A car on foreign plates is not in the Spanish register, so it has no label and the plate lookup will not work. Some cities let you claim an equivalence by showing the vehicle documents and proof of the engine type and Euro standard. Madrid and Barcelona both have such systems. Procedures differ by city, so look at the low-emission zone page of the town where you drive. The alternative is to import and re-register the car in Spain.

The documents list, checklist and FAQ below cover the rest.

Documents you need

• Permiso de circulación (the vehicle registration document) of your Spanish-registered car

• Technical sheet (ficha técnica) of the vehicle

• Your ID

• For a foreign-registered car, the vehicle documents plus proof of its engine type and Euro standard, if your city or the DGT offers a label or equivalence

Checklist

• Gather your permiso de circulación, technical sheet and ID before you ask for the sticker.

• Get the sticker at a Correos post office, a DGT office, or an authorised vendor such as a gestoría, workshop or ITV centre.

• Stick the label on your windscreen, as some towns ask for it.

• Check your city's low-emission zone site for how foreign-registered cars get an equivalence.

• Look up your plate on the DGT website a few days after Spanish registration of an imported car, then get the sticker.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a Spanish label for a car registered abroad?

Sometimes, but not automatically, because a foreign-registered car is not in the Spanish registry. In some cases the DGT or the city lets you get a label or an equivalence by showing the vehicle documents and proof of its engine type and Euro standard. Madrid and Barcelona have systems for foreign vehicles, so check your city's low-emission zone site.

How long until my imported car has a label after I register it in Spain?

Your imported car normally shows a label within days of Spanish registration and the issue of the Spanish permiso de circulación. The label comes from the car's fuel type, Euro standard and, for hybrids, electric range, not from its country of origin. If the technical sheet lacks emissions data, the car may get no label, so ask the DGT.

Do I need the sticker to enter a low-emission zone if I already have a label?

No, you do not need the sticker for classification, because cameras read your plate against the DGT registry. Some towns still ask you to display it, so putting it on the windscreen makes inspections easier.