Terms of use of tickets

Children under four are exempt from having a transport ticket. All other passengers need to have a valid, correct and paid ticket.

Make sure that the ticket is correct for your personal details and that it is valid for the zones where you wish to travel.

You should also validate the ticket before starting the journey and in all transfers you make, unless they are direct changes between metro lines. To help you identify whether the ticket has been correctly validated, the bus validating machines display a green light and emit a soft sound. On the other hand, when the ticket has not been validated, they display a red light and emit a loud sound. On the metro, the validating machines will not let you through the barrier if there is an error in validation. If your pass does not work as a result of a fault of the validating machines, contact a member of bus or metro staff, who will change it. Damaged cards for other causes will not give you the right to compensation nor to change it.

Finally, make sure that you keep the correctly validated ticket in good condition until the end of your journey. You should not throw it away until leaving the station, as you may be asked to show it by a member of staff.

If you need more detailed information on transport tickets or passes, go to the section “Metro and bus fares”.

With an integrated pass (not a single ticket), you can transfer up to 3 times to other integrated means of transport, over a certain period of time, set by the number of zones of the card. For single-zone passes, the time limit is 75 minutes from the first validation. This time limit increases by 15 minutes for each additional zone.

Please bear in mind that a return journey or resuming your journey after interrupting it is considered as two journeys. Therefore, fare integration does not allow you to validate your ticket twice within the same journey on the Barcelona metro (or the FGC line), nor two consecutive bus validations on the same route.

Apart from travel on which the metropolitan fare is applied, you can calculate the number of zones of the pass you need with the information about how the integrated tariff system works at the ATM website.

6-zone passes allow you to travel between all municipalities of the metropolitan transport area of Barcelona. You can see which they are on the map of zones.

See all the information abou metropolitan fare the metropolitan fare.

In the metro, your validated ticket or pass is valid for the following two hours.

On the bus, the validation gives the right to travel to the end of the route in the chosen direction (except on the Bus del Barri neighborhood routes and other circular lines, in which case you can complete the entire circuit).

Single-person tickets (such as the T-casual) cannot be used simultaneously by more than one person, but it can be used by different people at different times. For example you can use the pass in the morning and anyone you give it to can use it in the afternoon.

Multi-person tickets can be used with your companions, as long as you travel together. To correctly share a multi-person pass (such as the T-grup and the T-familiar), the number of validations must match the number of people traveling together. On the metro, you should stay together for the whole journey, from the entry point station until leaving the metro premises. On buses, you may separate once on board, but the person carrying the pass must be the last one to get off the bus.

Personalised tickets can only be used by the named holder of the card. On the front of these passes, your ID number or an equivalent document number should be indicated. You should identify yourself with the documents required whenever you are asked to show the pass. Otherwise, it is deemed that you do not have a valid transport ticket and it may be withdrawn. The most common personalised passes are the T-16, the T-jove and the T-usual.

Personalised passes of single-parent or large families (FM/FN), are special cases, because apart from the ID or equivalent of the holder, these passes should also be accompanied by the original, valid single-parent or large family card (which should be shown when a staff member requests it).

The Autoritat del Transport Metropolità (ATM) establishes the validity period for integrated tickets purchased during the current year.

Tickets acquired during 2022 can be used until January 15, 2023 inclusive unless they do not expire earlier due to the ticket's own expiration date.

Monthly validity

Passes with monthly validity allow you to travel for 30 days from the first validation.

The 30 days are calculated taking into consideration the entire day of the first validation, plus the following 29 days. The pass is therefore valid until the service closes on the last day. If the metro service closes after midnight on the last day, it will be valid until 3.59 h of the following day.

Quarterly validity

Passes with quarterly validity allow you to travel for 90 days from the first validation.

The 90 days are calculated taking into consideration the entire day of the first validation, plus the following 89 days. The pass is therefore valid until the service closes on the last day. If the metro service closes after midnight on the last day, it will be valid until 3.59 h of the following day.

You can request the exchange of your ticket or travel card in the following situations:

• If the TMB metro or bus validators cannot read the magnetic stripe on the ticket or travel card, despite it being kept in good condition. In this case, you must present your ticket or travel card and you will receive another with the same characteristics: same ticket, number of zones and journeys or remaining days of validity. You can request an exchange from bus and metro staff as soon as you realise your ticket is not working properly.
• If the fares change and you have not validated the ticket or travel card even once, you can request an equivalent ticket or travel card for the new fare and hand over the ticket for the previous fare within the maximum period established by the Metropolitan Transport Authority (ATM). For tickets purchased during 2022, the exchange period is from the 1 January to 31 March 2023. In general, if the new ticket or travel card is more expensive than the old one, you must pay the difference. If it is cheaper, however, the price difference will not be refunded. This type of exchange can only be requested at Punts TMB.
• If you have purchased a travel card through a TMB sales channel and it is not what you wanted and you have not used it, it can be exchanged for another same-priced card with the features that suit you at Punts TMB. Tickets purchased between 1 January and 31 August 2022 can be exchanged up to 31 August 2022. Tickets purchased between 1 September and 31 December 2022 can be exchanged up to 31 December 2022. Between 1 January and 31 March 2023, you can request the exchange for other tickets that suit you with the 2023 fare; in this case, you will have to pay the price difference if any.

Customers are entitled to a refund on their transport ticket if they keep it in good condition, do not validate it even once and request their money back within the period allowed from the moment of purchase.

Refunds are made through the same payment method, whenever possible.

Deadlines and means of requesting a refund on transport tickets purchased through TMB sales channels:

• Single bus ticket validated by bank card: check the Conditions of purchase and validation of single bus tickets by bank card.
• Voucher: the voucher is a document with a numerical code received after purchase entitling you to redeem it for a ticket or travel card. See the general terms and conditions for purchasing travel tickets through digital channels.
• Tickets and travel cards bought at Punts TMB and from ticket machines on the metro network: the refund must be requested in person at any Punt TMB. Refunds for tickets purchased between 1 January and 31 August 2022 can be requested up to 31 August 2022. Refunds for tickets purchased between 1 September and 31 December 2022 can be requested up to 31 December 2022. You should bring and hand over the ticket or travel card you wish to return, which must be in good condition and must not have been validated even once.
• T-mobilitat tickets. The deadline to request your return is 14 calendar days from the time of purchase.
  • If you have purchased them through TMB digital channels (TMB Tickets and TMB App), consult the general conditions for purchasing travel tickets through digital channels.
  • If you have bought them through the ticket vending machines at metro stations, you must make the return request through the complaints, claims and suggestions form.
  • If you have bought them at Punts TMB or at T-mobilitat Kioscs, you must go to any Punt TMB (except Punt TMB La Sagrera) or T-mobilitat Kiosk. It is necessary to present the id. and the purchase ticket, which contains the operation number.
• Tickets and travel cards bought through the Hola Barcelona website: check the general terms and conditions for online contracting on the Hola Barcelona website.