What is 010, and what can it actually do for me?

010 is Barcelona City Council’s information and procedures line, and it is free to call from within the Barcelona metropolitan area. It is open every day, 07:00 to 23:00. From outside the metropolitan area, call 931 537 010 at the ordinary rate.

Does this apply to me

Yes, and 010 does not ask your immigration status. It is the fastest way to find out which office handles a thing, where that office is, and whether you need an appointment — which saves a wasted journey across the city. It covers Barcelona and 21 neighbouring municipalities, among them:

• Badalona
• Santa Coloma de Gramenet
• Sant Adrià del Besòs
• Cornellà de Llobregat
• Esplugues de Llobregat
• El Prat de Llobregat
• Sant Boi de Llobregat
• Viladecans
• Gavà
• Castelldefels

L’Hospitalet de Llobregat is not on the council’s list, so if you live there, check the full list on the official page before assuming you are covered.

What it costs

Free from within the metropolitan area — it has been a free number since 1 Apr 2017. From outside, 931 537 010 is charged at your normal rate.

What to bring

Have ready:

• what you are trying to do
• your address or district
• any reference number you already have

One honest gap: the council does not publish which languages 010 answers in. Catalan and Spanish are safe to assume; if you would rather not call alone, ask someone to sit with you and call together.

Where to go, and how to book

Dial 010. That is the whole procedure.

• If you would rather be seen in person, the council’s OAC (Oficina d’Atenció Ciutadana, a council citizen help office) will see you without an appointment for information and to register documents; anything else needs a cita previa (advance appointment).
• There is also a video-call service, by appointment.
• A call-back service called “L’Ajuntament et truca”.
• Self-service kiosks for the commonest procedures.
• If you want the council’s own front desk, it is at Plaça de Sant Jaume 1, and the switchboard is 934 027 000.

How long it takes

A phone call. The council procedure itself takes longer, but 010 will tell you which procedure you are in and what the next step is.

What happens next

You can use 010 to:

• Find a council service, facility or activity, with its address and hours.
• Ask what a council procedure involves and which office handles it.
• Carry out certain council procedures directly, including tax payments and setting up direct debits.
• Find your street’s furniture collection day and get waste questions answered.
• Get the phone number of the department you actually need.

What goes wrong

• 010 is not an emergency number: call 112 in an emergency, free from any phone, anywhere in the European Union.
• For a complaint about street cleaning, maintenance or the state of public space, the number is 900 226 226, the telèfon del civisme, also free — not 010.
• Do not pay a website or an agent to book you a council appointment; council appointments are free to book, through 010 or the council’s own site.
• Ringing after 23:00 gets you nothing, because the line closes at 23:00 and opens again at 07:00.

Useful words

Read next

• Which office books which appointment (cita previa)? — who books what, and none of it costs money.
• I have just arrived in Barcelona. What do I do first? — the order to do things in.
• How do I get rid of an old sofa, mattress or fridge? — one of the things 010 answers in a minute.

Official source

Barcelona City Council, “010 Telèfon d’Informació i Tramitació”, at ajuntament.barcelona.cat, for the line being free since 1 Apr 2017, the daily 07:00–23:00 hours, the 931 537 010 number from outside the area, and the list of municipalities covered.