Cities like Madrid or Vigo expressly oblige to place the DGT sticker on the windshield for those drivers who want to access the Low Emission Zones (ZBE). But what about the city of Barcelona? Can you be fined for accessing the Barcelona ZBE if you don’t wear the environmental label in a visible place?
The Barcelona ZBE has been in operation permanently since January 1, 2020. It is a protected area of more than 95 square kilometers in which the circulation of the most polluting vehicles (those without a DGT label) is prohibited on days weekdays, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
It includes the entire city of Barcelona and part or all of the municipalities of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Cornellà de Llobregat, Esplugues de Llobregat and Sant Adrià de Besòs. The ring roads, the Vallvidrera neighbourhood, Tibidabo i les Planes and the Zona Franca are outside the ZBE.
This is how the accesses to the ZBE of Barcelona work
The Guàrdia Urbana checks the license plates of the vehicles with video surveillance cameras installed at the entrances and exits of the city and inside the urban core.
The cameras will record the number plates of the vehicles that do not comply with the regulations in order to apply the corresponding sanctions which, in the case of those drivers who access the delimited perimeter without being able to do so, will be 200 euros (as established by the Traffic and Road Safety Law in effective from March 21).
Is it mandatory to wear the visible sticker?
The ZBE of Barcelona prohibits the passage of vehicles without a label (with exceptions) but does not oblige them to carry the sticker on the windshield.
“The placement of the badge is not mandatory but it facilitates control by the Barcelona Urban Guard and the local police of the municipalities in the event of manual controls”, explain those responsible for the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. “Therefore, it is advisable to take it,” they clarify.
“Drivers who circulate without the DGT label placed on the vehicle may be stopped by agents at the ZBE Rondas de Barcelona; in these cases, the agents will check the vehicle’s documentation and registration, verifying if it is subject to to traffic restrictions,” they add.
