How to Get Your Madrid Metro Card (Abono)

Not only is Madrid a great walking city, but it also has a fantastic public transportation system. The city offers public buses, metro, and regional trains (Cercanías), which are all fast, reliable, and surprisingly clean. 

If you plan on using public transportation, we highly recommend getting an “abono” or monthly travel card for unlimited trips. The “Metro de Madrid App” is also helpful when it comes to figuring out how to get from one metro stop to another.

What is the Madrid metro card?

The abono, or monthly card, gives you full access to all forms of Madrid public transportation for 30 days. The price depends on your age and what zone of the city you want access to. The “normal” card is for ages 26-64 and covers Zone A (city center), for the price of 54,60€ per month. The “youth” card, which is ages 26 and under, is priced at 20€ for all zones  (see below for more details).

What do I need?

These are the documents you will need to get your metro card:

• Application document
• A standard passport sized photo (which you can get at the photo booths in most metro stations, including Sol)
• An original copy of either your, EU ID, Spanish residency card, or passport

Once you have prepared these three things, you have two options depending if you are a first-time Madrid metro card applicant or not.

If this is NOT your first time applying for the metro card:

• You can easily complete the process online.
• After entering your form of identification, click on the Iniciar solicitud on-line button.
• Then, all you have to do is upload a copy of all three required files and once your application has been received, your card will be sent to your address in 7 days.

If you are a first-time applicant:

• Make an appointment online by clicking the Pedir cita previa button after entering the form of identification you will be bringing to the in-person appointment.
• Then pick a metro office near you, date, and time.
• On the day of your appointment, bring the three required documents and your metro card will be given to you by the time you’re finished.

Oficina de atención by espormadrid.es

Which zones do I choose?

If you are new to the province of Madrid, you’re probably unfamiliar with the different zones. When applying for your card, pick the zones that you might need to travel to by public transportation. The price will vary depending on which zones you want to include. Remember, if you are applying for the “youth” card, all zones are included for 20€ every 30 days.

If you’re not sure what zones you might need, take a look at this map and see if there are any areas you might need access to. Zone A is the standard zone that will give you full access to the city center. But if you think you will need to be traveling outside of zone A frequently, then it might be worth adding another zone to your card. If you’re unsure of which cities are in which zones, check out the map below.

Hopefully this post cleared up any confusion on how to get your Madrid metro card. Now that you have a better understanding of the process, go get that abono and start exploring Madrid!