How Spanish traffic fines arrive, get discounted and are paid

Terms used

• Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV) — The Dirección Electrónica Vial is your official electronic mailbox for traffic notices from the DGT.
• Tablón Edictal de Sanciones de Tráfico (TESTRA) — The TESTRA is the official online board where traffic fine notices are published when other delivery fails.
• Apremio — The apremio is enforced collection of an unpaid fine, adding a 20% surcharge and interest.
• Embargo — An embargo is the seizure of bank accounts, wages or assets to collect an unpaid debt.

Key rules

• Early payment: Paying early gives up your chance to argue the fine, so decide before you pay.
• Excluded offences: Very serious offences get no reduction.
• Electronic notices: An unopened DEV notice still counts after 10 natural days.
• Unpaid fines: An ignored fine ends in a 20% surcharge, interest and seizure of money.

How the fine reaches you

If a police officer stops you, the fine is handed to you on the spot. Otherwise it is sent to your Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV) if you have one. Companies must have one; for individuals it is optional. If you have no DEV, the notice goes by post to your registered address.

If the post fails, the notice is published on the Tablón Edictal de Sanciones de Tráfico (TESTRA), and as a last resort in the official state gazette. A published notice counts even if you never saw it. If you expect a fine but nothing has arrived, check TESTRA.

An electronic notice you never open is treated as rejected after 10 natural days, and the procedure carries on without you. If you have a DEV, open it regularly.

The early-payment reduction

Paying a traffic fine within 20 natural days of notification cuts it by 50%, but it ends your right to make allegations. Count from the date of the notice, and count every day, weekends included.

Paying ends the procedure. The sanction becomes final in administrative terms from the day you pay. Any loss of points still applies.

Not every offence qualifies. Very serious offences, such as heavy alcohol, use of a speed-detector or refusing tests, get no reduction.

Can you still challenge it after paying?

Only through a contentious-administrative appeal, filed within two months of the payment. This is a court route and is hard to win. Even if it succeeds, do not count on getting the reduction back. If you think the fine is wrong, decide before you pay. The decision block below helps you choose.

How to pay

• Online at the DGT electronic office, by card or bank account, with Cl@ve or a digital certificate.
• At a bank branch or ATM of a collaborating bank, using the payment slip.
• By phone, using the number on the notice.
• At Correos.
• From abroad: online with a foreign card, or by international bank transfer using the details on the notice. Quote the file number.

If you do nothing

If you neither pay nor contest, the sanction becomes firm once the period for allegations ends. You then get a short voluntary payment period, roughly 15 to 30 days depending on the notice date. After that the debt goes to enforced collection (apremio) with a 20% surcharge plus interest. The tax agency or the regional collection body can then seize bank accounts, wages and assets (embargo). Ignoring a fine is the costliest choice.

Choosing between options

What should you do once a fine notice reaches you?

• Pay early with the reduction: You accept the fine and your offence is eligible. Pay within 20 natural days of notification for the 50% cut; this ends the procedure and your right to make allegations.

• Contest the fine: You disagree with it or were not the driver. Make allegations within the allegations deadline, as set out in the article on contesting a fine or naming the driver.

• Do nothing: This is the costly choice: the sanction becomes firm, then enforced collection adds a 20% surcharge plus interest and your accounts, wages or assets can be seized.

If you accept the fine, pay within 20 natural days for the 50% reduction. If you dispute it, contest rather than pay. Never let it go unanswered.

Timeline and deadlines

• Receive the fine notice: day 1, on the date of notification

• If you neither paid nor contested, the sanction becomes firm once the period for allegations ends: after the allegations period closes

• If still unpaid, the debt goes to enforced collection with a 20% surcharge plus interest, and seizure of accounts, wages and assets can follow: after the voluntary payment period ends

Checklist

• Check how the fine reached you: on the spot, in your Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV, the official electronic mailbox for traffic notices), or by post.

• Open your DEV mailbox regularly if you have one, because an unopened notice counts as rejected after 10 natural days.

• Look at the notice date and count 20 natural days to see if you can still get the 50% reduction.

• Check that your offence is eligible, since very serious offences such as heavy alcohol or refusing tests get no reduction.

• Pay at a collaborating bank branch or ATM with the payment slip, by phone using the number on the notice, or at Correos if you prefer.

• Pay from abroad online with a foreign card, or by international transfer using the notice details and quoting the file number.

What to watch out for

• An unopened electronic notice still counts: If you have an electronic mailbox for traffic notices and do not open a fine within 10 natural days, it counts as rejected and the process goes on without you. If the notice is not delivered, it can be published on the TESTRA edict board or in the BOE. Open your mailbox regularly and check the TESTRA board if you expect a fine.

• Paying early gives up your right to argue: Paying with the 50% reduction ends the procedure and means you give up making allegations. Points are still deducted for offences that carry them. Pay only if you accept the fine. Otherwise contest it first.

• Some offences get no reduction: Very serious offences, such as heavy alcohol, using a speed-detector or refusing tests, are not eligible for the reduction. Read the notice to see whether the reduced amount is offered before you pay.

• Late appeal after paying is hard: After paying, the only route left is a contentious-administrative appeal, filed within two months of the payment. Get legal advice quickly if you want to challenge a fine you already paid.

• Ignoring a fine makes it much costlier: An unpaid, uncontested fine becomes firm, then goes to enforced collection with a 20% surcharge plus interest. Your bank accounts, wages and assets can be seized. Pay or contest within the deadlines, and pay within the voluntary period if the fine is already firm.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still appeal after paying a fine with the reduction?

Yes, but only through a contentious-administrative appeal, which you must file within two months of the payment. Paying ends the normal procedure, so you can no longer make allegations. The sanction is final from the payment date.

Can I pay a Spanish traffic fine from abroad?

Yes, you can pay online with a foreign card or by international bank transfer. Use the bank details on the notice and quote the file number so the payment is matched to your fine.

What happens if I never open an electronic fine notice?

The notice counts as rejected after 10 natural days without access, and the process continues without you. Open your electronic mailbox regularly so you do not lose time to react.