Most parking spaces in Barcelona are pay parking. It is necessary to get a ticket from the parking meter and not to exceed the maximum parking time… Quite a challenge while you queue to visit the Sagrada Familia or go for a swim at the beach. Failure to comply with parking regulations is punishable by fines of up to €200.
The most common parking fines in Barcelona are:
- Exceeding the maximum parking time in blue or green zones (between €60 and €90).
- Parking in blue and green zones without paying at the parking meter (€90)
- Double parking (200€)
- Parking at a public transport stop (200€)
- Parking in prohibited areas such as pedestrian crossings or fords (200€)
- Parking in loading and unloading zones (200€)
For the most serious offences the tow truck can remove the vehicle and take it to a municipal depot. In these cases a yellow notice with the vehicle’s number plate is left at the place where it was parked indicating the address of the municipal vehicle depot. You will have to pay the traffic fine and the fee for the removal of vehicles from the public road (from 173€ for passenger cars). The fee and the fine are separate and both must be paid to recover the vehicle.
Fines for exceeding the maximum parking time in blue or green zones can be cancelled at a parking meter by paying 9 euros when the excess does not exceed 50% of the time paid.
All other parking fines can be paid at ATMs, online or by phone.
Paying a parking fine at an ATM machine
If you have a yellow warning on the windscreen of your vehicle, you can pay the fine at the cash machines of the following banks: Banco Santander, BBVA, Banco Sabadell or CaixaBank. The fine notice details the conditions and deadlines for paying with a reduction. If you do not understand the text of the notice, you can use mobile applications such as Google Translate.
The yellow notice that the agents leave in the vehicle only allows you to pay fines at cash machines. To pay online or by phone you must receive the fine notice by post.
Paying a Barcelona fine online
To pay a fine online you need the fine notice which is sent to the vehicle owner’s home address. The notification contains the information required to start the process: bar code or issuer, reference and identification. These details are at the bottom of the document. Payment is made by debit or credit card.
Paying a Barcelona fine by telephone
Barcelona City Council has a telephone number for information on fines: +34 931 537 010. The service is only available in Spanish. To pay a fine by telephone, you will need the fine notice sent to your home address. You will be asked for the details at the bottom of the document and the details of a bank card.