Before you start

Legal residence in Spain (TIE/NIE) before you can register an EU licence or do a non-EU canje
An empadronament (padró) certificate from your Barcelona-area town hall, as proof of address for the DGT and the medical centre
For the canje: a valid, current foreign licence (with an official sworn translation if it's not in Spanish)
For the ZBE: knowing your car's DGT environmental category (0, ECO, C, B, or none) — check the plate at sede.dgt.gob.es before you buy or import

Step-by-step

1
Work out which licence track you are on
EU/EEA licence: keep driving on it; you only register it with the DGT once you've been resident 2 years. Non-EU licence: valid for just 6 months after you take up residence. If your country has a bilateral canje agreement (UK since March 2023, Japan, South Korea, Argentina, Colombia and others), you exchange without an exam. If not, there's no exchange — you must pass the full Spanish theory and practical test like a new driver.
OnlineWho: YouDecide within your first weeks; the 6-month non-EU clock starts at residenceFree to determine
2
Do the canje: psicotécnico, online application, then the Barcelona Jefatura
Get a medical fitness report ('psicotécnico') at an authorised Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores — a 20-minute vision and reaction test uploaded digitally (valid 90 days). Start the canje on the DGT Sede Electrónica, pay the fee, and book a cita previa to hand in your original foreign licence at the Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico de Barcelona. You surrender the foreign licence and get a provisional authorisation; the Spanish card is posted later.
In personWho: You (at a CRC medical centre and the Barcelona DGT office)Psicotécnico same-day; Spanish card in roughly 4-6 weeksTasa 2.3 = €28.87 (2026) + psicotécnico ~€30-50
3
Get the DGT environmental label (distintivo ambiental) for your car
This decides whether you can enter the ZBE at all. Categories: 0 (pure/plug-in electric), ECO (hybrids, gas), C (petrol from Jan 2006, diesel from ~2014/2015), B (petrol from ~2000/2001, diesel from ~2006). Older cars (petrol pre-2000, diesel pre-2006) get NO label and are banned. Buy the physical sticker at a Correos office with your permiso de circulación and ID, and put it on the windscreen.
In personWho: You (at any Correos post office)Same day / on the spot~€5 (Correos base price)
4
If your car has foreign plates, register it in the AMB ZBE register
Cars registered outside Spain carry no DGT label, so they're invisible to the cameras and treated as non-compliant by default. Before driving into the zone you must enter the car in the metropolitan register at zberegistre.ambmobilitat.cat. If it meets the emission standard (petrol Euro 3+, diesel Euro 4+) you get a long-term permit; verification takes up to 15 working days. There's no physical sticker for foreign cars — the online 'validated' status is your proof.
OnlineWho: You / the vehicle ownerUp to 15 working days for long-term verification; daily permits are immediateFree to register; daily permits charged per day

Documents you’ll need

Valid foreign driving licence (plus official sworn translation if not in Spanish) — surrendered at the canje
TIE/NIE residence card and empadronament (padró) certificate
Informe de aptitud psicofísica (psicotécnico medical report) from an authorised CRC, valid 90 days
Vehicle permiso de circulación (or foreign registration document) + ID, for the distintivo or AMB registration

Things most newcomers don’t know

The ZBE sticker, not your licence, is what stops you at the city limits.

A perfectly licensed driver in a 2003 diesel still cannot legally drive into central Barcelona on a weekday — the car's lack of a DGT label is the blocker, and the cameras read plates automatically, so 'I didn't see a sign' is no defence.

Source: AMB / Ajuntament de Barcelona ZBE

Don't buy a cheap second-hand 'bargain' car without checking its DGT label first.

A pre-2000 petrol or pre-2006 diesel has no label, is banned from the ZBE on weekdays, and is hard to resell for the same reason — the saving evaporates the first time you need to drive into town.

Source: DGT distintivo ambiental categories

A foreign-plated car is treated as non-compliant by default — even if clean and modern — until you register it in the AMB register.

The cameras can only classify Spanish DGT plates; an unregistered foreign plate reads as 'no label' and gets fined regardless of how new the car is. Verification takes up to 15 working days, so register before you arrive.

Source: AMB ZBE foreign-vehicle register

If you're from a bilateral-agreement country, the canje skips the dreaded Spanish driving exam — but the 6-month clock is unforgiving.

Miss the 6-month window and you're technically driving unlicensed; if your country has no agreement you face the full Spanish test in Spanish. Start the psicotécnico and online application early — Barcelona Jefatura appointments fill up.

Source: DGT canje rules

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming your non-EU licence is fine because you're 'only here a year' — it expires for driving 6 months after you become resident.
Confusing the DGT environmental label (on the car) with the licence canje (your personal permit) — two unrelated processes with different offices.
Driving a clean foreign-plated car into the ZBE before completing the AMB register — it reads as unlabelled and you get fined (~€200) despite being compliant.
Letting the psicotécnico medical report lapse — it's only valid 90 days, so don't get it months before you file the canje.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.