First week
Time
15 min
Cost
Free card · free rides for residents in 2026
Difficulty
Easy
What to bring
Photo ID (passport works)
Padrón certificate (for the free resident card)
Not needed: NIE
Not needed: Any card at all for occasional trips (tap a contactless bank card)
Your options
Tarjeta Intermodal (TIB)
The island-wide get-one card
Free card + free rides in 2026
Covers EMT city buses, TIB intercity buses, the SFM metro and the trains to Inca, Sa Pobla and Manacor. The Govern has kept every ride on it free through 2026; the resident profile needs your padrón.
Tarjeta Ciutadana (EMT)
For residents, once you have padrón
Free card + resident EMT fares
Palma's resident card. With EMT rides free on the Intermodal in 2026, its main use now is Bicipalma bike share and other city services. Apply after you're empadronat.
Single tickets / contactless
Occasional trips
Visitor fares, €5 airport bus
Tap a contactless bank card on EMT and TIB buses (EMT added it in March 2026). Fine for your first weeks before the padrón; after that the free resident card wins on every ride.
Prices checked October 2026
Do it
- 1
Until your padrón, tap a bank card
Contactless works on EMT and TIB buses and at the metro and train gates, so you don't need any transit card in week one.
- 2
Apply for the resident Intermodal card
Once you're empadronat, apply through the Consorci de Transports de Mallorca (online or at the Estació Intermodal, Plaça d'Espanya) with ID and your padrón certificate. The first card is free; it can take a few weeks to arrive. Keep about €5 of credit on it even though rides are free.
- 3
Add the Tarjeta Ciutadana if you want Bicipalma
Apply through EMT Palma (emtpalma.cat) with your empadronament. It's the key to Bicipalma bike share and the city's resident services.
- 4
Tap in on bus, metro and train
The Intermodal works across EMT, TIB, the SFM metro (M1 to the university, M2 to Marratxí) and the trains. Validate it getting on and off the bus and at the rail gates: free rides still count.
Words you'll hear
TIB / Tarjeta Intermodal
The Balearic transport card. Loads EMT city buses in Palma plus TIB intercity buses, metro and train. With a padrón, the resident card makes every ride free in 2026.
Common questions
Which card should I get first?
Get your padrón first, then the resident Tarjeta Intermodal: it covers the whole island's buses, metro and train, and rides on it are free in 2026. Until then, tap a contactless bank card. The free scheme has been renewed each December so far, so check in January.
How do I get from the airport?
The EMT line A1 runs airport ↔ city centre for €5 a ride on a bank card (check the EMT app for the current resident rate). The A2 reaches Palma's beaches and Arenal.
Is there a metro in Palma?
A small one: SFM lines M1 and M2 from Plaça d'Espanya to the university and Marratxí. Most in-city journeys are EMT buses or on foot; trains reach Inca, Sa Pobla and Manacor.
Full checklist tracking and task completion live in the Ternli app for Mallorca.