In Mataró, two layers of rules apply. The City Council's Mobility Bylaw, in force since December 2021, already required helmets and sets the minimum age at 16. National law has required scooters to be registered with the DGT since 30 January 2026 (Royal Decree 52/2026) and, from 1 October 2026, adds the rules of Royal Decree 518/2026.
| Topic | What applies in Mataró | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Registration and insurance | DGT registration compulsory since 30/01/2026. Without registration and the label, the scooter cannot be ridden legally or insured. The City Council's website points out that civil liability insurance is also required, and the DGT fines €250 to €800 for riding without insurance. | RD 52/2026; Law 5/2025; DGT; Mataró City Council |
| Minimum age | 16 under the bylaw; below that age, only outside traffic areas or in spaces closed to traffic, accompanied by a parent or guardian. From 1/10/2026 the national minimum is 15. | Bylaw, art. 37; RD 518/2026 |
| Helmet | Compulsory and approved under the bylaw; riding without one is a minor offence with a €90 fine. From 1/10/2026 national law requires it too (approved or certified, and fastened); without one, a serious offence with a €200 fine. | Bylaw, art. 37 and annex 11; RD 518/2026 |
| Carrying a passenger | Banned: only the rider may be on the scooter. | Mataró City Council |
| Pavements and pedestrian areas | No riding on pavements, platforms or promenades: get off and walk. In the Centre pedestrian island (illa de vianants), only residents' scooters and goods deliveries are allowed. | Bylaw, art. 40; Mataró City Council |
| Lights | At night or in poor visibility, approved lights; if the scooter has none, approved reflective clothing or items. | Bylaw, art. 37 |
| Phone and headphones | Banned. You must also submit to alcohol and drug tests. | Mataró City Council |
| Fines | Most offences under the bylaw carry a €90 fine. According to the City Council, fines for scooter riders range from €90 to €200, and if the offence is committed by a minor, the parents or guardians are liable. | Mataró City Council |
Where can you ride a scooter in Mataró?
According to the City Council, the preferred place to ride a scooter is the cycle lanes and other routes signposted for bicycles, where the limit is 25 km/h; an Anella ciclista (cycling ring) is also being built to link the main roads with the busiest facilities. On the carriageway of streets limited to 30 km/h you can also ride at up to 25 km/h, and the City Council recommends keeping to the centre of the lane. In residential streets the limit is 20 km/h, and on pavement cycle lanes and park cycle paths it is 10 km/h; in parks, never on planted areas. In residential streets and 30 zones you must keep 1 metre from pedestrians and, if you can't, get off the scooter; you also have to get off at pedestrian crossings.
What you cannot do is ride on the carriageway of roads limited to 50 km/h. Mataró is a “30 city” and, according to the City Council, only these roads keep the 50 km/h limit:
- Via d'Europa
- Avinguda de Lluís Companys
- Ronda de la Creu de Pedra
- Avinguda del Maresme
- Carretera de Valldeix
- Carretera de Mata, between Plaça d'Alfred Opisso and the C-32 motorway
- Carretera d'Argentona
Where can you park a scooter in Mataró?
In the spaces reserved for motorbikes, bicycles and scooters. If there are none, you can leave it on the carriageway next to the kerb, wherever parking is allowed. The bylaw bans parking it on the pavement (unless a sign allows it), on top of manhole covers and locked to street furniture, trees or signs (a €90 fine), and if you have to go onto the pavement to reach a parking area, you must get off and walk.
Does Mataró have a municipal scooter register?
The bylaw allows the City Council to set up a municipal register of personal mobility vehicles, but registering in it is voluntary, except for scooters used in a business activity such as deliveries. The register you need in order to ride is the DGT one, which is the one we handle. Non-certified scooters, sold before 22 January 2024, can also be registered and may be ridden until 22 January 2027 (what to do with a non-certified scooter).
Can you take your scooter on Mataró Bus, Rodalies or the intercity bus?
It depends on the service. On Rodalies, whose R1 and RG1 lines stop in Mataró, and on intercity buses, which are managed by the ATM (Autoritat del Transport Metropolità, the metropolitan transport authority), you cannot board with an electric scooter, not even folded: the ban has applied since 1 February 2023, the ATM kept it indefinitely in October 2023, and the fine is €200. According to El Nacional, on 22 September 2026 the ATM was studying how to allow scooters again. Mataró Bus, on the other hand, is a municipal service (run by Avanza): the ATM ban did not bind urban buses that depend solely on a town council, and in February 2023 the City Council decided not to apply it, according to Capgròs. Its regulations allow bicycles and scooters only if they are foldable and folded. As this is a municipal decision, check before you board.
As for Renfe, since 7 September 2026 it 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. So from Mataró, the train is still not an option with your scooter.
What does Royal Decree 518/2026 add from 1 October?
As well as helmets and a minimum age of 15, national law requires the lights to be on at all times (in daylight, from 1 October 2027) and, after dark or in poor visibility, 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 Mataró the bylaw bans them, except for residents and deliveries in the Centre pedestrian island. You must also signal turns with your arm, which the City Council's website already asked for. All the changes from 1 October.
On age, Mataró's bylaw says 16 and national law says 15: in its reminder of 22 September 2026, the Local Police already refers to 15. If someone aged 15 is going to ride the scooter, check with the City Council which age applies.
How do we register your scooter from Mataró?
Everything is done remotely: 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 no appointment at a traffic office. It works the same whether you live in Mataró or anywhere else in the Maresme.
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).
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. With the certificate you can take out insurance: we send you a partner's link, from €44 (compulsory insurance). And if you're ever in Barcelona and would rather do it in person, book an appointment at our office at Calle Rosselló, 216, 6th floor (Eixample), Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, on WhatsApp (+34 634 434 485) or by email (patinetes@ntcars.es).
Sources
- Royal Decree 52/2026 (BOE, 30/01/2026): the obligation to register your scooter and the deadline for non-certified models (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).
- Law 5/2025 and DGT press release of 27/01/2026: compulsory insurance and the fines for riding without it (in Spanish).
- Mataró City Council: “Patinet elèctric o altres VMP”: age, where to ride, speeds, helmets, lights, passengers, phones and insurance (in Catalan).
- Mataró Mobility Bylaw (text approved on 4/11/2021), articles 36 to 44 and 92 and annex 11 on fines; in force since December 2021, and “Les sancions i el civisme”: most offences, €90 (in Catalan).
- Mataró City Council: “Mataró, Ciutat 30”: the roads that keep the 50 km/h limit (in Catalan).
- Mataró City Council (10/02/2026): fines of €90 to €200 for scooter riders and parents' liability (in Catalan).
- Capgròs (25/09/2026): the Local Police reminder on the minimum age of 15 (in Catalan).
- Mataró Bus regulations (art. 10), Mataró City Council (who runs the urban bus) and Capgròs (9/02/2023): scooters on Mataró Bus (in Catalan).
- Rodalies de Catalunya and AMTU: the ATM ban, which services it covers and the €200 fine; Mataró City Council: R1 and RG1 lines and intercity buses (in Spanish and 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).