The DGT sticker: buying it, fitting it and when it is required
Your label exists on the register whether you stick it on or not. The sticker is only visible proof of it, and some cities require it while others do not.
Which label does your car get?
Label under DGT rules
B label
| Rule applied | registration date |
| Changeover date? | no |
Worked out for mid-year. The Euro standard on the technical card (V.9) overrides the date.
A vehicle’s environmental classification exists on the DGT vehicle register from the day it is registered, whether or not you display it. The sticker, which the DGT calls the distintivo ambiental, is how you show it: the DGT says getting and fitting it is voluntary and that, if fitted, it goes in the lower right corner of the windscreen, or anywhere visible on a motorbike. It costs €5, though sellers may add postage or handling. It is sold at post offices (Correos), garages in the CETRAA network and other authorised workshops, administrative agencies (gestorías), the Instituto de Estudios de Automoción and authorised tobacconists (estancos); fleets go through Ganvam. First check with the plate, free on the DGT website, that the vehicle is entitled to one. Among the zones on this site, Pamplona / Iruña and Zaragoza require it on show; in Bilbao, Málaga, Vitoria-Gasteiz, cameras read the plate and it is not needed.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Before buying: the number-plate lookup
The sticker grants no rights the car does not already have: it mirrors the register. So the first step is to check on the DGT website, with the plate and no login, which label applies; you can also check in the miDGT app or by phone. If the lookup says the vehicle is not entitled to any label, no outlet can issue one. If you think the classification is wrong, it is the register that needs correcting, with the technical card.
Where and how to fit it
In the lower right corner of the windscreen, on the inside, where it does not block the view. On motorbikes and mopeds, anywhere visible on the vehicle. It is the same position throughout Spain and the place local police officers look in cities that require it.
The cities that check it
In Zaragoza, until the planned cameras are installed, the local police enforce the zone in person, and the sticker lets an officer see at a glance whether a car may be there; not displaying it is a minor offence. In Pamplona the council stressed that the label is compulsory to drive in the Old Town zone. In Madrid, Málaga, Bilbao, Seville or Vitoria-Gasteiz, by contrast, cameras linked to the DGT register do the checking and the sticker changes nothing.
Even if your city does not require it, displaying it can avoid misunderstandings at traffic checks during pollution episodes, when restrictions are often enforced in person. It is also the quickest way to see which label a used car has before you buy it: if it has none, work out which applies and confirm it with the plate.
Used cars and old stickers
When buying a used car, the sticker on the glass guarantees nothing: it may have been fitted by mistake, come from another car or be out of date after a register correction. What counts is the classification returned by the plate lookup. If it does not match the sticker, remove it and buy the right one, because in cities that check stickers an officer will trust what they see. Where cameras do the checking, a wrong sticker neither protects nor harms you: the system queries the register.
Fleets, companies and leased cars
For fleets the DGT refers to the Ganvam association, which handles labels for many vehicles at once. On leased cars the company usually fits the sticker on delivery; if it is missing and you drive in Zaragoza or Pamplona, ask for one before entering the zone. Delivery vans follow the same placement rules as cars.
Bear in mind that the sticker does not replace council permits. An unlabelled car entered in the residents’ register in Zaragoza or Bilbao needs no sticker to enter, because its permit is in the system; an out-of-town B-label car, on the other hand, does not gain access to Madrid’s Centro district by displaying it, only the right to reach a car park.
Replacing a windscreen or selling the car
One last practical detail: the sticker is single-use. If you replace the windscreen, crack the glass or sell the car and the buyer wants one, you have to buy another, because peeling it off damages it. The label number and QR code identify the vehicle, so it cannot be moved to another car even if that car has the same classification. Replacements are sold at the same outlets and the same price, and you do not need to declare the old one lost. If you are not sure the replacement matches, the plate lookup on the DGT website shows the classification it has to reflect, and the outlet will check it against the registration document before issuing a new sticker.