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.