Terms of use of tickets

Children under four are not required to have a ticket. All other passengers must have a valid, suitable and validated ticket.

Make sure you have the right ticket for your circumstances and that it is valid for all the zones in which you intend to travel.

Furthermore, you must validate your ticket before starting your journey and for every transfer, except when these are between metro lines. To indicate that your ticket has been validated correctly, the ticket machines on the bus show a green light and emit a gentle sound. However, if the ticket has not been validated, a red light comes on and the sound is loud. In the metro, the ticket machines will not let you pass if the ticket has not been validated correctly. If your card can no longer be used due to a malfunction of the validating machine, you should inform a member of bus or metro staff, who can change it for you. Cards damaged for other reasons cannot be exchanged nor can the cost be refunded.

Finally, you must keep your validated ticket in in good condition until the end of your journey. Do not throw it away before you leave the premises or vehicle, as you must show it if requested to do so by staff.

For more detailed information on tickets and travel cards, go to the "Metro and bus fares" section.

With an integrated travel card (a single ticket is not integrated) you can make up to three transfers to other integrated modes of transports within a given period of time for the number of zones the ticket covers. For one-zone travel cards, the time limit is 75 minutes as of the first validation. This period increases by 15 minutes for each additional zone.

Bear in mind that going and coming back, and interrupting and resuming a journey are considered two journeys. For this reason, under the integrated fare system you cannot validate your ticket twice on the Barcelona metro (or on the same FCG line) on the same journey, nor validate your ticket on two consecutive occasions on the same number bus.

To calculate the number of zones of your travel card, use the zone counter on the ATM website.

With a 6-zone travel card you can travel between all the towns in the Barcelona Metropolitan Transport Area. You can see them on the zone map.

For further information on the integrated fare system, go to "Features of the integrated fare system" on the ATM website

On the metro, once your ticket or travel card is validated, it remains valid for two hours.

On the bus, validating your ticket entitles you to travel to the end of the line in a single direction (except on Bus del Barri and other circular routes, where you can travel the whole route).

Multi-person travel cards can be use by several people, provided that they travel together. To share one of these travel cards (such as the T-10 or the T-70/30), validate the card as many times as there are people travelling. On the metro, you must make the whole journey together, from the start until you exit the premises. In the case of the bus, you can get off at different stops, but the person who has the card must get off last.

Individual travel cards (like the T-50/30) cannot be used by more than one person at the same time, but they can be used by different people at different times. For instance, you can use it in the morning and pass it on to someone else to use in the afternoon.

Personalised cards issued in a person's name are only valid for the cardholder. The holder’s ID card or passport number features on the back of these cards, and the document in question must be shown along with the travel card when you are required to show it. Failure to do so is considered travelling without a valid ticket and it may be confiscated. The most common personalised travel cards are the T-16, the T-jove, the T-mes and the T-trimestre.

A special case of personalised travel card are those for single-parent and large families (FM/FN cards) because, along with the holder’s ID card, you must also have an original, valid single-parent or large family card (and show it if required to do so by a member of staff).

One-way metro tickets, airport tickets and travel cards for the integrated fare system purchased in 2017 can be used until 31 December 2018. Tickets and travel passes are generally valid until the last day of February of the year following their purchase and issue. Quarterly season tickets are valid until 31 March of the year following their purchase and issue.

 

Hola BCN! Is a travel card valid for 2, 3, 4 or 5 days that works by hours. You can validate your card at any time of day and enjoy unlimited journeys over a period of 48 (2 days), 72 (3 days), 96 (4 days) or 120 hours (5 days) as of first validation.

Daily, monthly and quarterly travel cards (T-Dia, T-50/30, T-Mes, T-Trimestre, etc.) expire in their own time calculated from the date of the first validation.

Bear in mind that on the metro and TMB buses, FGC urban railway and the Tram, the service day starts at 4.00 am and ends at 3.59 am the following day, therefore, validations made between midnight and 3.59 am count as made the day before. On Rodalies de Catalunya trains, the service day is the same as a calendar day.

Daily validity

One-day travel cards let you travel for a day from the first validation to the end of service. If the metro service ends after midnight, the card is valid until 3.59 am the following day.

Monthly validity

Monthly travel cards let you travel over 30 days as of the first validation.

The 30 days count as of the full day of the first validation, plus the following 29 days. The travel card is therefore valid until the end of service on the last day. If the metro service ends after midnight on the last day, the card is valid until 3.59 am the following day.

Quarterly validity

Quarterly travel cards let you travel over 90 days as of the first validation.

The 90 days count as of the full day of the first validation, plus the following 89 days. The travel card is therefore valid until the end of service on the last day. If the metro service ends after midnight on the last day, the card is valid until 3.59 am the following day.