Can Foreign Vehicles Obtain a Spanish Eco Sticker?

We have been speaking a lot about the so-called eco sticker, or environmental badge, and the requirements for driving in Low Emission Zones in Spain.

However, there are still two main questions outstanding regarding the eco stickers, that is if the sticker issued in Spain is valid in other countries that also have Low Emission Zones, and if foreign registered vehicles will be permitted to drive in these restricted areas in Spain.

To answer the first question, can I drive with my Spanish-issued badge in restricted areas of other countries? The answer, unfortunately, is no. If you are going to travel with your vehicle to another country with an environmental classification system, such as Germany, Austria, Denmark, or France, for example, your Spanish eco sticker is not valid. You must research the requirements for each country you are planning to travel to, as you may be required to obtain a sticker relevant to that country.

However, the opposite is not always the case. If you have a badge issued in some other EU countries, you may be permitted to drive in restricted areas within Spain.

There are several countries in the European Union that have drawn up a classification system for vehicles based on how polluting they are, similar to the Spanish system. In Spain it is not possible to issue environmental labels to vehicles with foreign registration. If you have a vehicle from a country with an environmental label (Germany, Austria, Denmark, France) then the DGT considers that your vehicle does have the corresponding Spanish label.

You can check the equivalence between the classifications of the different countries on the DGT website, at https://sede.dgt.gob.es/es/vehiculos/distintivo-ambiental/equivalencia-distintivo-ambiental-ue.shtml. Checking the equivalent restriction is crucial to ensure that the eco badge issued in your country is valid, and to what extent.

If you have a foreign registered vehicle, as we have mentioned, it is not possible to obtain a Spanish environmental badge. But, if your vehicle comes from a country with environmental certification (Germany, Austria, Denmark, France), you can again check the equivalent of your badge in Spain, as you may be able to drive in Spain with your country’s badge, as we have mentioned.

Remember, only those vehicles displaying the relevant eco sticker are permitted to enter the Low Emission Zones.