On 3 June 2016, Bartra was sold to German club Borussia Dortmund for an estimated fee of €8 million, signing a four-year deal. He made his competitive debut on 14 August, playing the entire 0–2 loss against FC Bayern Munich for the DFL-Supercup, and a month later scored his first goal in a 6–0 win at Legia Warsaw for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.