The Abono Joven is Madrid’s 30-day youth transport pass: unlimited travel on metro, EMT city buses, interurban buses, light rail and Cercanías trains across every fare zone of the Comunidad de Madrid, from age 15 until the day the holder turns 26. It is issued by the region’s transport authority, the Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM), and is loaded onto a personal travel card that, since 15 June 2026, is only issued to people registered as residents of the region, which puts it out of reach for short-term visitors.
The Abono Joven at a glance
- Age: from 15 until the date the holder turns 26, according to the CRTM.
- Zones: all of them, A to E2, at a single price. There is no zone to choose.
- Validity: 30 days from first use. There is no annual version.
- Price: an official fare of €20, charged at €10 with the regional discount the Comunidad de Madrid extended through 2026 (confirm on the CRTM site, as the discount is renewed year by year).
- Card: the personal Tarjeta Transporte Público, €4 to issue and valid for ten years.
- Residency: since 15 June 2026, new cards require a current certificate of empadronamiento (registration on a municipal roll).
- Airport: no Metro airport supplement for abono holders.
What exactly is the Abono Joven?
It is one of several “abono” products sold under the Comunidad de Madrid’s single fare umbrella, which lets a traveler use one card across metro, bus and rail rather than buying separate tickets for each operator. The Abono Joven applies a reduced monthly rate specifically to travelers under a set age, in exchange for the card being personal and non-transferable.
Like other abonos, it is loaded onto the region’s rechargeable travel card rather than sold as a paper ticket. Unlike the adult abono, which is priced by the number of zones it covers, the Abono Joven has one price for every zone from A to E2, so a holder can travel as often as they like anywhere on the network for 30 days. For how the zone-and-card structure works generally, see how the Madrid metro fare system works.
Who qualifies for the Abono Joven?
Eligibility is set by age. According to the CRTM, the Abono Joven can be used from age 15 until the date the holder turns 26; from that day the card can no longer be loaded with it and the holder moves to the general adult fare. The upper limit has been raised more than once over the years, so the CRTM’s own site remains the place to confirm it.
The bigger change in 2026 is residency. Since 15 June 2026, applicants for the personal travel card must present a current certificate of empadronamiento, registration on the municipal roll, in the Comunidad de Madrid or in one of the neighbouring municipalities the CRTM lists, issued within the previous three months, according to the CRTM’s application requirements. Telecinco reported that existing holders keep their card until it needs renewing or replacing, and that university students from other Spanish regions can still obtain the pass without being registered in Madrid. How that exception is proved is set out by the CRTM, and it is worth checking before applying.
What does the pass actually cover?
The Abono Joven covers the same modes as the standard adult abono: the Madrid Metro network, EMT city buses, the interurban bus network run by private concessionaires under CRTM coordination, and Cercanías commuter trains within the Comunidad de Madrid. It does not typically extend to long-distance or high-speed rail services leaving the region — for those, see how to reach other Spanish cities by train from Madrid.
With this pass, coverage is not a choice. The Comunidad de Madrid is divided into fare zones, A at the centre, then B1, B2, B3 outward, and C1, C2, E1 and E2 further out, the last two reaching into neighbouring provinces. Where the adult abono is bought for a zone combination, the Abono Joven covers every zone from A to E2 at the same price, according to the CRTM, so a student living in an outer town pays the same as one living in the centre.
Whether the Abono Joven applies to night bus services is worth checking directly, since night coverage rules have differed from daytime abono rules in the past. Background on that separate network is at what Madrid’s night buses, the Búho network, actually are, and on daytime city buses at how the EMT bus network works.
How much does it cost?
According to the CRTM and the Comunidad de Madrid, the Abono Joven has an official fare of €20 and is currently charged at €10 once the regional discount is applied, a discount the Comunidad de Madrid announced in December 2025 it would keep through 2026. Because that discount is renewed year by year, check the current price on the CRTM site before budgeting. The personal card it is loaded onto costs €4 to issue.
What is durable is the shape of the pricing: one price for the whole network, set far below the adult abono, which, unlike the youth pass, still rises with the number of zones it covers.
How is it different from the standard Abono Transportes?
The core mechanics, unlimited travel loaded onto a personal card, are the same as the adult Abono Transportes. The differences are the age band, the price and the zones: the adult abono is priced by the zones it covers, while the youth pass covers all of them at one price. For readers weighing an abono against Madrid’s other travel card, the pay-as-you-go Multi card, the relevant comparison is set out at what the Multi card is, and how it differs from the abono. Broadly: the abono suits regular daily travel, 30 days at a time, and the Multi card suits shorter, occasional or one-off visits where a monthly pass would not be used enough to pay for itself.
Does the Abono Joven cover the airport?
Madrid Metro charges a supplement on journeys to the airport terminals at Barajas, but according to the CRTM it applies to single and 10-journey tickets, not to an Abono Transporte that includes zone A, and the Abono Joven covers every zone. A holder travelling to or from the airport by metro pays nothing extra. Details of when it applies and how it is charged are covered at the Madrid Metro airport supplement explained. For getting into the city from the airport in the first place, including alternatives to the metro, see how to get from Barajas Airport into central Madrid.
How do you apply for one?
Any abono in Madrid, including the Abono Joven, is loaded onto the region’s personalized travel card, generally referred to as the TTP (Tarjeta de Transporte Público). A new applicant typically needs:
- A recent colour passport-style photograph
- An identity document: DNI, passport or residence permit
- A current certificate of empadronamiento, issued within the previous three months (required since 15 June 2026)
The card can be requested online through the Comunidad de Madrid’s TTP service, where the CRTM says it arrives within about a week, or in person at a card management office by prior appointment (booked online or by phone on 012), where it is issued on the spot. It costs €4 and is valid for ten years. The Abono Joven is then loaded and renewed in the Tarjeta Transporte app, at Metro, Cercanías and light rail ticket machines, at interchanges, and at estancos (licensed tobacco-and-stamp shops) and other associated shops, according to the CRTM.
Is the Abono Joven relevant to a short-term visitor?
No. It is built around an age band and, since June 2026, a requirement to be registered as a resident, which puts it out of reach for someone visiting Madrid for a few days regardless of age. A visitor staying under a couple of weeks is almost always better served by single tickets or a Multi card loaded with 10-journey passes, covered in the comparison linked above.
The Abono Joven matters for a different reader: someone who has moved to Madrid to study or work, expects to use public transport daily for months, and is under the qualifying age. For that reader, it is usually the cheapest way to move around the city and the wider region over a sustained period, and it is worth setting up in the first weeks of a longer stay rather than paying single fares while it is arranged.
Where does this fit into getting around Madrid generally?
The Abono Joven is one card within a much larger transport system that also includes Cercanías regional trains, the EMT bus network, night buses, and a bike-share scheme. For journeys where Cercanías is a faster or more direct option than the metro, see what Cercanías is, and when it beats the metro. For a broader view of how all these pieces connect, the Getting Around section covers fares, cards and networks across the city, including options like BiciMAD, Madrid’s electric bike-share system, which sits outside the abono system entirely but is often used alongside it.
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