Ibiza will limit the number of vehicles entering the island from the mainland starting this Sunday to alleviate tourist pressure. The measure was first implemented in Spain seven years ago in Formentera and it will be implemented in Mallorca in 2026 and is also being considered for Menorca. Tourist overcrowding and the resulting road congestion are a source of concern for the Balearics and politicians, where residents’ cars are joined in high season by rental fleets and vehicles belonging to tourists arriving on the islands by boat from the mainland.
All the representative parties, except Vox, agree on restricting the arrival of vehicles from the mainland in summer, with differences lying in the timing and severity of the restrictions. In Ibiza, the regulation comes into force for the first time on 1 June, while in Formentera, where it was introduced in 2019, an annual reduction of 4% of the vehicle ceiling has been applied.
Under the name Formentera.eco and the umbrella of the Formentera Tourism Sustainability Law, approved that year by the Balearic Parliament, the smaller of the Pitiusa Islands began with a maximum of 11,620 authorised foreign vehicles. For 2025, it has set a ceiling of 10,287 vehicles for visitors, including cars and motorcycles belonging to tourists, rental vehicles and vehicles belonging to residents of Ibiza.
The fees are €6 per day for cars and €3 for motorcycles in June and September, and €9 per day for cars and €4.5 for motorcycles in July and August. The regulation on the neighbouring island has served as an example for the Ibiza Council in promoting its own law to control the influx of vehicles, approved last November, which highlights, with data from 2023, that the island’s road network suffers from 23.6% overload during the peak tourist season.
A maximum quota of 20,168 foreign cars has been set for circulation between 1 June and 30 September, of which 16,000 will be rental cars and 4,108 will be tourist cars. Unlike Formentera, Ibiza does not include motorcycles in its regulations, applies a special requirement for caravans and motorhomes to have a reservation at a campsite and has set the fees at £1 per day.
The Regional Minister for Territory, Mariano Juan (PP), has pointed out that Ibiza is currently the largest island territory in the European Union to apply regulations of this kind. The Council of Mallorca will soon publish the draft of the future law that will regulate the entry of vehicles and will probably apply its restrictions from the summer of 2026.
Its president, Llorenç Galmés, has announced that, on an annual or biennial basis, a maximum number of vehicles will be set and preference will be given to electric and non-polluting vehicles.
Non-residents who own a home on the island will be able to drive one vehicle, provided that it is registered for tax purposes on the island. In 2023, almost 400,000 vehicles arrived in Mallorca via the ports of Palma and Alcudia, 108% more than in 2017. Galmés has already held meetings with the main sectors affected and has the support of transport companies and most car rental associations.