Gijón Citizen Card (Tarjeta Ciudadana): what it is and how to apply

The Tarjeta Ciudadana (Citizen Card) is Gijón/Xixón City Council’s own smart card and, in the council’s words, a kind of master key to the city’s services. You use it to pay on city buses, borrow library books, get into municipal sports centres, hire a public bike or identify yourself at recycling centres. If you live in Gijón, or are staying for several months as a student or worker, it’s one of the first things worth getting, ideally at the same time as registering on the local census (empadronamiento).

What the Citizen Card is

It’s a personal, non-transferable card that identifies you to Gijón City Council. Anyone, or any organisation, that uses municipal services can apply, whether or not they live in Gijón. It isn’t limited to registered residents, so it can be handy for Erasmus students, people on work placements or long-stay visitors too.

According to the council, the card does not expire, even though the first cards issued carry a printed date.

What you can use it for

Getting around

• City buses (EMTUSA): load money onto the card’s e-purse and tap it as you board. The fare depends on your user category, and some discounts are applied automatically. It allows free transfers between lines within 45 minutes.
• Social fares: there is a free social fare for people receiving a non-contributory pension and a reduced social fare that you request at the Social Services Centre for your home address (once granted, it is activated at a citizen service office).
• Public bikes (Gijón-Bici): the card identifies you on the scheme, which also works through the Gijón bici app.

For everything else about transport, see our guide to getting around Gijón.

Culture and leisure

• Access and borrowing at the municipal libraries and media libraries.
• Access to the municipal museums, free entry to LABoral Art and Industrial Creation Centre, part of Laboral City of Culture and offers at the Gijón Aquarium, according to the council.
• Wi-Fi at the Centros Municipales Integrados (municipal community centres).

Sport, courses and activities

• Access to municipal sports facilities, either pay-as-you-go or with the Abono Deporte sports pass, plus booking and payment by app, web or the self-service cajeros ciudadanos (council information kiosks). Looking for a pool? See our guide to public swimming pools.
• Enrolling in council courses and activities: you need the card to sign up, and for online bookings and renewals.

Paperwork and other services

• Access to the APP Gijón (the council’s app), the online services portal (sede electrónica), appointment booking and certificates such as proof of census registration (also from the kiosks, using your PIN).
• Automatic public toilets: free with the card; without it, you pay the standard charge.
• Waste and recycling: the card identifies you for EMULSA services such as the recycling centres.

How to apply

You can request your first card:

• In person: ask at a citizen service office (Oficina de Atención a la Ciudadanía) how to do it; they also handle replacements and social fares. It’s a good idea to book an appointment (cita previa) first.
• Online, using the first card application procedure on gijon.es (in Spanish).

Check the official procedure page for the documents you need and, for a child, who must sign the application. If you’re not from the EU, your passport or residence card (TIE) is your usual form of ID in Spain.

Tip: if you’ve just moved to Gijón, ask for the card at the same appointment as your census registration. It saves a trip and you’ll have it ready for the bus and the library straight away. All the steps are in our living in Gijón guide.

Top-ups, PIN and replacements

• Top-ups: if you top up online, the credit is activated when you tap the card on a city bus, about 45 minutes after the purchase. If a top-up doesn’t work, go to a citizen service office with the receipt (or the date, place and time of the transaction if you don’t have one).
• PIN: you need it for kiosk and online services. If you forget it or want to change it, there’s a dedicated procedure.
• Damaged or faulty card: take it to any citizen service office, where staff will identify the problem and explain how to get a replacement. According to the council, it’s free if your previous card was collected within the previous three months.

All the official information, with links to each procedure, is at gijon.es/tarjetaciudadana (in Spanish). For questions, the council’s information line is 010 (from within the municipality).