In Badalona, the local scooter rules are in the municipal traffic bylaw, amended in 2025: the changes came into force on 20 October 2025, and the Guàrdia Urbana (Badalona's local police) has been issuing fines since 20 November 2025. On top of that come DGT registration, compulsory throughout Spain since 30 January 2026 (Royal Decree 52/2026), and, from 1 October 2026, the rules of Royal Decree 518/2026.
| Topic | What applies in Badalona | Source |
|---|---|---|
| DGT registration | Compulsory since 30/01/2026. Without registration and the label, the scooter cannot be ridden legally or insured. | RD 52/2026 |
| Insurance | Compulsory under the bylaw, linked to the scooter and with at least third-party cover. Riding without it is a very serious offence (up to €600) and the Guàrdia Urbana can confiscate the scooter. | Badalona bylaw, arts. 18-bis-b, 40-bis-a and 54 |
| Minimum age | 15. Below that age, only vehicles classed as toys, outside traffic areas and under the responsibility of parents or guardians. Riding under the permitted age is a serious offence (up to €300). | Bylaw, arts. 18-bis-b and 54; RD 518/2026 |
| Helmet | Compulsory and approved; riding without one is a minor offence (up to €150). From 1/10/2026 national law requires it too (approved or certified, and fastened); without one, a serious offence with a €200 fine. | Bylaw; Badalona City Council; RD 518/2026 |
| Carrying a passenger | Banned: a scooter is a single-seat vehicle. Minor offence (up to €150). | Bylaw; Badalona City Council |
| Phone, headphones, alcohol and drugs | Riding with headphones or using a phone is banned, except hands-free without headsets or earphones. Alcohol and drugs: the general limits, and zero alcohol for minors. | Bylaw, art. 18-bis-b |
| Pavements and pedestrian streets | Banned unless there is a cycle lane; the mayor can set exceptions by decree. Pedestrian crossings must be crossed on foot, and in spaces shared with pedestrians you must keep 1.5 metres away or get off. | Bylaw, art. 18-bis-b |
| Tampered scooter | Riding a modified scooter is a very serious offence (up to €600) and allows it to be confiscated. | Bylaw, arts. 40-bis-a and 54 |
| Parking | Only in spaces where bicycles may park, without locking it to street furniture, trees or other items, except bike racks. | Bylaw, art. 18-bis-b |
How fast can you ride a scooter in Badalona?
The bylaw sets the limit by type of street and cycle lane. Exceeding the maximum speed by more than 50% is a very serious offence (up to €600); other speeding offences are serious (up to €300).
| Where | Maximum speed |
|---|---|
| Carriageway of streets with a separate pavement | 25 km/h |
| Carriageway of single-level streets (pavement and carriageway at the same level) | 10 km/h |
| Cycle lane on the carriageway | 25 km/h |
| Cycle lane on the pavement | 10 km/h |
| Cycle lane in single-level streets | 10 km/h |
| Parks, following the cycle paths (never on green areas) | 10 km/h |
What fines does Badalona's bylaw set?
The bylaw classifies offences as minor (up to €150), serious (up to €300) and very serious (up to €600). Minor offences include riding without a helmet, carrying a passenger or using headphones or a phone; serious ones, breaking speed limits or riding under the minimum age; and very serious ones, exceeding the maximum speed by more than 50%, riding recklessly or endangering pedestrians, using prohibited roads or areas, testing positive for alcohol or drugs, and riding without insurance or on a tampered scooter.
Without insurance or with a tampered scooter, the Guàrdia Urbana can also confiscate it and take it to the municipal pound. To get it back you have to prove it is yours, have insurance and pay the fine; if nobody claims it, the City Council reuses or recycles it. The bylaw also lets the City Council replace a fine with road safety sessions, civic activities or other community work, if the person fined agrees. According to the City Council, as of 12 June 2026 the Guàrdia Urbana had removed 250 scooters, mainly for reckless riding, tampered motors or lack of insurance, and had filed around 350 reports, including for riding without a helmet.
Can you take your scooter on the metro, the bus or Rodalies in Badalona?
No. Since 1 February 2023 the ATM (Autoritat del Transport Metropolità, the metropolitan transport authority) has banned electric scooters and unicycles on public transport, even folded, and in October 2023 it decided to keep the ban indefinitely. On the TMB metro, whose L2 and L10 Nord lines serve Badalona, the fine is €200 once past the ticket barrier. The passenger rules of TUSGSAL, which runs buses in Badalona, ban boarding with electric scooters or unicycles, and Rodalies, which stops in Badalona on the R1, does not accept them either. According to El Nacional, on 22 September 2026 the ATM was studying how to allow them again, so check the rules before you travel.
For longer journeys, since 7 September 2026 Renfe has accepted scooters on its Media Distancia and Larga Distancia (medium- and long-distance) trains if they are certified, registered with the DGT, with the label visible and insured, and travel folded and switched off, but not on Rodalies de Catalunya.
What does Royal Decree 518/2026 add from 1 October?
On helmets and age, national law matches Badalona's bylaw: a compulsory helmet, approved or certified and fastened (without one, €200), and a minimum age of 15. What is new is that the lights must be on at all times (in daylight, from 1 October 2027) and, after dark or in poor visibility, you need a light or reflective item that can be seen from 150 metres. You can never ride on the pavement, and in pedestrian areas only if the City Council allows it; in Badalona, the bylaw does not allow riding on pavements or pedestrian streets unless there is a cycle lane. You must also signal turns with your arm. All the changes from 1 October.
How do we register your scooter from Badalona?
Online and with no appointment at a traffic office: you fill in the registration form, upload your documents and the scooter's (which documents you need) and we file the registration with the DGT. You pay €35 with the DGT fee (€8.67) included and receive the registration certificate in PDF in under 24 hours once your documents are complete. With that certificate you can take out the insurance the bylaw requires: we send you a partner's link, from €44 (compulsory insurance).
You need legal residence in Spain and your DNI or NIE, and the DGT requires you to identify yourself with one of these three methods: Cl@ve PIN, a digital certificate or a Spanish driving licence. If you have a Spanish driving licence, you don't need Cl@ve or a digital certificate: we identify you with your licence and handle the whole procedure for you. The licence is only used to identify you; you don't need one to ride a scooter (more about registering without Cl@ve).
If you would rather come in person, our office is at Calle Rosselló, 216, 6th floor (08008 Barcelona), in the Eixample. We are open Monday to Friday, from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, by appointment on WhatsApp (+34 634 434 485) or by email (patinetes@ntcars.es).
Registration does not include the identification plate (the identification label the DGT requires, which many people call a number plate or sticker). You can order it separately for €15 + €4.95 shipping or choose the registration + plate pack for €45 + €4.95; we make it ourselves as an authorised plate manufacturer.
Sources
- Royal Decree 52/2026 (BOE, 30/01/2026): where the obligation to register your scooter comes from (in Spanish).
- Royal Decree 518/2026 (BOE) and DGT press release of 23/06/2026: helmets, age, lights and pavements across Spain from 1/10/2026 (in Spanish).
- BOPB (29/09/2025): text of the amendment to Badalona's general municipal traffic bylaw, articles 18-bis-a to 18-bis-h, 40-bis-a, 40-bis-b and 54 (in Catalan).
- Badalona City Council, 20/10/2025 and 20/11/2025: entry into force, speed limits, obligations and fines (in Catalan).
- Badalona City Council (12/06/2026): 250 scooters removed and how to get them back (in Catalan).
- TMB, TUSGSAL and Rodalies de Catalunya: the ban on boarding with electric scooters and the €200 fine (in Catalan and Spanish).
- Badalona City Council, Badalona Comunicació and Rodalies (R1): which public transport serves Badalona (in Catalan).
- Renfe: which trains accept scooters from 7/09/2026, and El Nacional (22/09/2026): the ATM is studying allowing them again (in Spanish).