Get Your Child a Discounted Transit Card
How to Get Your Child’s Discounted (and Often Free) Bus Pass in Valencia
One of the quiet superpowers of raising kids in Valencia is public transport. Once your child has their own little red-and-white card, they can ride the bus to art class, rock climbing, or a playdate without you white-knuckling the steering wheel through city traffic. Of course, we don’t even own a car, but, you get the idea.
As a mom of two (Frances, 11, and Evelyn, 7), we use Valencia’s buses, metro, and trams regularly. The good news: Valencia and the wider Valencian Community are extremely generous with kids’ and youth fares—especially right now. The trick is understanding which card you actually need and how to apply for it, especially if you’d like to do as much as possible online.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through:
– What the kids’ bus/transport discounts look like in 2025
– Age limits and what’s free vs. discounted
– The difference between EMT Infantil and the ATMV SUMA/Móbilis30 card
– Where to get the card, including the online application
– Step-by-step instructions for applying online via the ATMV (regional transport authority)
Quick Snapshot: What Kids Pay for Public Transport in Valencia (2025)
First, a quick reality check on how generous things are right now. Current measures from the Generalitat Valenciana and the City of Valencia mean:
Kids under 6
– On EMT city buses, children under 6 travel free when accompanied by an adult with a valid ticket, up to two children per paying adult.
– No personal card is required at this age.
Kids under 14
– At the regional level, the Generalitat has extended free public transport for children up to 13 years old (under 14) on services it manages—Metrovalencia, MetroBus, TRAM Castelló, and others—through the end of 2025.
– Within the city of Valencia, the EMT Infantil pass allows children under 14 who are registered (empadronados) in Valencia to ride EMT buses for free; the card itself currently costs 5€.
Teens and young adults (14–30)
– Youth passes (like EMT Joven the city and youth SUMA/Móbilis abonos in the region) receive discounts of up to 50% on monthly passes through at least the end of 2025. The big takeaway: if you have a school-age kid in Valencia and they don’t have a personalized transport card yet, you’re probably leaving money (and independence) on the table.
Two Names You’ll Hear: EMT Infantil vs. SUMA / Móbilis30
This is where many parents get confused, especially coming from the U.S. where every city seems to invent its own system from scratch. In Valencia, there are two different—but related—things to know about:
1. EMT Infantil (City Bus Only)
EMT is the municipal bus company for the City of Valencia. Their EMT Infantil pass is:
– For children under 14
– Who are empadronados in the city of Valencia(registered as residents) for at least 6 months
– A personalized card with your child’s photo
– Valid only on EMT buses within the Valencia network
– Card price: 5€ (once), abono itself is free with unlimited journeys while they meet the requirements. To request EMT Infantil, you download a form and then go in person to an EMT Customer Service Office with your child’s documents. You can’t finish the whole process online, but you can prepare most of it from home. (Don’t fret yet, keep reading for your easy online solution.)
2. ATMV SUMA / Móbilis30 (Regional Integrated Card)
The ATMV(Autoritat de Transport Metropolità de València) manages the SUMA and Móbilis30 personalized cards that work across:
– Metrovalencia (metro and tram)
– MetroBus
– EMT Valencia
– Other regional operators in the Comunitat Valenciana.
The Móbilis30/SUMA personalized card is:
– Personal and non-transferable (with your child’s name and photo)
– Available for young people under 31 (including kids) :contentReference
– The support where youth discounts and free-travel schemes are loaded (for example, the free or discounted youth abonos)
– Requested online through the ATMV website, using the Generalitat’s telematic system. Since this card covers our use cases for the EMT Infantil plus more, this is the path we chose and will discuss in detail below.
What Your Child Actually Gets Out of These Cards
Let’s step out of bureaucracy land and into real life for a second.
With a kids’ transport card, your child can:
– Ride to school or extracurriculars without you driving
– Hop on the bus to meet friends at the Turia or the beach
– Eventually manage their own route to language classes, karate, or rock climbing (Frances is obsessed with Laif Climbing)
For us, it was a huge emotional shift when our older daughter could tap her card and find her way across the city. The combination of cost savings and growing independence is one of the very Valencia-specific reasons our family loves living here.
Eligibility & Documents: What You Need Ready
Requirements vary slightly depending on whether you’re applying for EMT Infantil or the ATMV SUMA/Móbilis card, but the document list overlaps a lot.
Eligibility for EMT Infantil (EMT Valencia)
– Child isunder 14
– Child is empadronado/a in the City of Valencia (not just the region) for at least 6 months before applying
– You (parent or legal guardian) are applying on their behalf.
Eligibility for Móbilis30 / SUMA (ATMV)
– Cardholder is under 31 at the time of application
– Spanish or foreign national with legal residence in Spain
– Application submitted online through the ATMV telematic system (you, as the adult, will typically submit for a minor)
Typical Document Checklist
For both cards, you should expect to need:
–Child’s ID: Passport, DNI or NIE (original + copy)
–Your ID as parent/guardian: Passport, DNI or NIE (original + copy)
–Libro de familia or birth certificate to prove the relationship
–Recent passport-style photo of your child (color, plain light background)
–Proof of legal residence for foreign nationals (residency card / certificado de residente)
– For older teens (14+ applying for youth discounts): Carnet Jove may be required.
If you apply for the ATMV card online, you’ll also need:
– A way to pay the card issuance fee online (the abono itself may be free or discounted, but the physical card usually has a small cost)
Where You Actually Get the Card
EMT Infantil – In Person, With Online Prep
For EMT Infantil, the core of the process still happens in person:– You download the EMT Infantil application form from the EMT site
– You book an appointment (cita previa) if required
– You go to an EMT Customer Service Office (Oficina de Atención al Cliente) with your forms and documents and pay the 5€ card fee. The main EMT Title & Tariff page, which describes EMT Infantil and links out to the form and rules, is here:
EMT València – Tarifas y títulos
SUMA / Móbilis30 – Online via ATMV
The ATMV personalized Móbilis30/SUMA card is requested online through the Generalitat’s telematic system.
The official procedure page clearly states that:
– The card is personalized and used as a support for discounted youth titles across Metrovalencia, MetroBus, and EMT
– People under 31 can apply
– The application is submitted telematically via ATMV’s website, with digital signature You can see the official procedure (including “Tramitar con certificado”) here: GVA – Tarjetas Móbilis30 y títulos para jóvenes
When you submit the online form, the system generates a PDF “solicitud” similar to the one in your downloaded document, with your child’s name, birth date, ID, address, email, phone, and the chosen delivery option (home delivery vs. pick-up point).
Step-by-Step: Applying for Your Child’s ATMV Móbilis / SUMA Card Online
Here’s the part most parents really want: a click-by-click roadmap for the online application. The portal design can change over time, so think of this as a guided outline—the exact labels might differ slightly, but the logic is the same.
Step 1: Go to the Official Móbilis30 / Youth Card Procedure
Go directly to the purchase page: https://atmv.gva.es/es/inici
Click the button or link that says something like “Solicita las tarjetas: -SUMA personalizada -Mobilis30”.
Select the button to use “Version en Castellano”.
Confirm the next screen “Solicitar tarjeta”.
Agree to the terms and conditions via the check box and “Aceptar”.
Step 2: Complete the multi-screen process
Cantidad de Tarjetas a Solicitar- Select that you want to get “Tarjeta individual” or “Múltiples tarjetas”. (Since I only need 1 card, I will use Tarjetas individual for the directions below.)
Tipo de Tarjeta- Select “MOBILIS30 Valencia, Castellón y Alicante”
Adjuntar Documentacion - Upload a .jpg passport-sized photo (carnet foto) and a .jpg image of the front and back of your child’s TIE. (Each image must be “adjusted” to verify alignment)
Tarjeta Jove- I skipped “Expendida por” and “Fecha de vencimiento”, only ticking the boxes “Es Estudiante” and “Es menor de 14 años”.
Razon de Solicitud- Select “Primera vez” if it is your first time getting the card.
Datos Personales- Complete with your child’s information.
DNI/NIE/PASAPORTE- I selected NIE and entered my child’s number, checking the box “ste es mi documento”. If your child doesn’t have a TIE, there are choices, but I have not tested them.
Apoyo Sensorial- This is for any mobility / sensory / support that may be needed, just tick the appropriate boxes.
Datos de Contacto- Your contact information goes here
Forma de envío- Delivery method, only mail delivery was available when I did it.
Domicilio- Enter your mailing address.
Pago de la Solicitud- Payment notification screen. Select to proceed. You get sent to a secure payment screen and then once payment is processed you are done.
Step 3: Receive and Activate the Card
Once your application is approved:– The card will arrive at your address (some parents report a delay of several weeks), and you’ll often need to validate/activate it on first use.
After that, your child can use the card to:
– Validate free or discounted youth abonos loaded onto the card
– Travel across the networks covered (Metrovalencia, EMT, MetroBus, etc.), according to the title you’ve loaded and current regional policies.
What About Getting EMT Infantil “Online”?
EMT Infantil isn’t fully telematic yet, but you can absolutely reduce the paperwork stress:
1. Go to the EMT Valencia “Tarifas y títulos” page and scroll to EMT Infantil.
2. Use the “descargar aquí” link for the EMT Infantil form (or the EMT Infantil PDF) and print it.
3. Fill it out at home with your child’s details.
4. Gather the documents listed in the “Documentos necesarios” section (IDs, libro de familia, photo, etc.).
5. If required, book a cita previa through the city’s website (valencia.es) for the EMT office or Junta Municipal indicated.
6. Go to the appointment, pay the 5€ card cost, and your child’s EMT Infantil card will be issued and activated.From then on, your child simply shows and validates the card each time they board the bus, and their EMT travel is free as long as they continue to meet the requirements.
Practical Tips From a Mom Who’s Done This
A few things we’ve learned doing this with our own kids:
–Start early in the school year. September is paperwork season; offices are busy, so July or early September is ideal.
–Keep a dedicated “Valencia paperwork” folder. School, empadronamiento, transport cards… it all overlaps. Having IDs, photos, and certificates in one place saves your sanity.
–Explain the card to your child. We made a big deal of Frances’s first “bus card,” and she took the responsibility seriously—remembering to tap in and keep it in the same spot in her backpack.
–Watch for policy extensions. The free and discounted schemes are set by regional and local decrees and tend to be extended in 6- or 12-month chunks. Before each new school year, check ATMV, EMT, or ask a local friend to make sure the rules haven’t changed.
Need Help Navigating All of This?
If you’re relocating from the U.S., all of this can feel like a lot—especially layered on top of visas, schools, and finding an apartment. Transport cards are just one small piece of building your new everyday life in Valencia, but they make a real difference in how independent and at home your kids feel.
At LaVidalencia, we help families not only with the “big” things—visas, home-finding, school choices—but also the little, lived-in details like bus cards, doctor registrations, and extracurriculars that make Valencia feel likeyourcity, not just a postcard.If you’d like one-on-one support with your move, you can always reach out through our website or send us a message on Instagram at @LaVidalencia.Warmly,
Amanda Chigbrow
Founder of LaVidalencia
@LaVidalencia | LaVidalencia.com