How Traffic Fine Discounts Work

Holders of Spanish driving licences have a benefit over foreign drivers, in that traffic fines can be paid online, rather than at the roadside, but even better than that, with prompt payment, you can get a 50% discount on the fine, although there are conditions.

The majority of traffic fines in Spain issued by the DGT are automatic, with new cameras able to monitor the road, record infractions, and start the process of sending the fine to the registered vehicle keeper.

20 Days to Pay

If you receive a fine through the post, and you acknowledge that the fine is from the DGT and that it is your responsibility, you have a voluntary period of 20 calendar days from when you received the notification to pay, or appeal if you do not agree with the sanction.

If you pay the fine during the voluntary period, you benefit from a 50% reduction, although you do then waive the right to appeal it as you have accepted responsibility.

Any appeal or claim you submit after paying the fine during the voluntary period will have no effect. By filing an appeal, you lose the right to the 50% discount, so if your appeal is rejected, you will have to pay 100% of the fine.

Not all fines can benefit from the discount however, the majority of regular sanctions do.

After 20 Days

Once the voluntary period of 20 days has elapsed, if you have not paid or appealed, your fine will be processed through what is known as the ordinary procedure:

This ordinary period gives you a period of 45 days after you receive the notification (so an additional 25 days) to make the payment of the fine. In this case you will have to pay 100% of the amount.

During this ordinary period, it will not be possible to make objections. Only in the event that there is an error in the complaint, you may file an extraordinary appeal for review.

Once the 45-day period has elapsed since the notification of the sanction, if you have not paid, the fine will be sent to the State Agency for Tax Administration, which will be responsible for collecting it with a 20% surcharge.

Request a Refund of a Fine

If there has been an error when making the payment, for example you were entitled to a reduction but it has not been applied or there is a duplication in the payment, you can request a refund of the penalty amount.