You received a fine or sanction notice: how to respond

Key rules

• Deadline: Your window to respond starts the day after you are notified, so write down the last day at once.
• Early payment: Paying early or acknowledging liability closes your administrative appeal.
• Extension: Ask for any extension before your period ends, not after.
• Expiry: If the procedure expires, the authority may still open a new one while the offence is not time-barred.

Act within 15 working days

You have 15 working days from the day after notification to submit your arguments (alegaciones). Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays do not count. The notice itself states your actual period, and some sector rules set a different one, so read it first.

If you need more time, ask the instructor for an extension before the period ends. It can be up to half the original period and is granted only if the circumstances justify it.

In your alegaciones you can set out your version of the facts, add any relevant information and propose evidence. The template below gives wording you can adapt.

Decide: pay early or contest

Acknowledging liability and paying voluntarily each cut a fine by at least 20%, up to 40% in total, but you must give up your administrative appeal. Both are available at any time before the final decision.

Some sector laws raise these percentages. Check your notice for the exact figures that apply to you. The decision block below helps you choose.

Pay early if you do not dispute the facts and the saving matters more to you than an appeal. Contest if you think the facts, the amount or the procedure are wrong.

How the procedure runs

1. Notice. The authority sends a notice opening the procedure. It gives the facts, the possible sanction, the instructor handling the case and the body that will decide. It may also impose temporary measures.
2. Your arguments. This is the 15-working-day window above.
3. Evidence. The instructor gathers the evidence needed, usually within up to 30 days.
4. Proposed resolution. The instructor then issues a proposal, normally within 10 days of the end of the investigation.
5. Hearing. You get 15 days to see the file and respond to the proposal.
6. Final decision. The deciding body must give reasons and notify you. It normally decides within 10 days of the proposal.

Minor offences can follow a simplified procedure, and tax or traffic rules set their own timeframes.

If the authority takes too long

Each type of fine has a maximum duration, set by its own law or regional rule. If none sets one, the default is 3 months. If the authority starts the procedure itself and does not notify a decision in time, the procedure expires (caducidad) and must be archived.

Expiry does not always end the matter. The authority can start a new procedure if the offence is not yet time-barred.

Can they collect while you appeal?

Not while an administrative appeal is pending: the sanction cannot be enforced until the administrative route ends. Once it ends, the sanction can be enforced even if you go to court, unless the court suspends it. You ask the court for that suspension.

Keep proof

Note your notification date and your deadline. Keep proof of every notification and of everything you submit.

Choosing between options

Should you pay the fine with a reduction or contest it?

• Acknowledge liability and pay early: You accept the fine and prefer to close the matter. Each step cuts it by at least 20%, up to 40% in total, but you give up your administrative appeal.

• Submit arguments and contest the fine: You think the facts or the fine are wrong. You keep every appeal route, and the fine cannot be enforced while an administrative appeal is pending.

If you accept the fine, take the reductions before the final decision is issued. If you want to challenge it, submit your arguments and do not acknowledge liability or pay.

Timeline and deadlines

• The authority sends you the notice that opens the procedure, with the facts, the possible sanction and who will decide: at the start of the procedure

• Submit your arguments (alegaciones) and propose any evidence: within 15 working days, counted from the day after notification

• The instructor gathers the evidence needed: usually up to 30 days

• See the file and respond to the proposed resolution: within 15 days of receiving it

• The authority issues a reasoned final decision and notifies you: within 10 days of the proposed resolution

• If no decision is notified within the maximum period set for your type of fine, the procedure expires: after the maximum period set by the specific rules

Checklist

• Find the date you were notified and write down the last day to submit your arguments in your calendar.

• Read the notice for the facts, the possible sanction and the name of the instructor who handles your case.

• Check the notice or the law for your type of fine to see whether the reduction percentages are higher than the standard ones.

• Decide on acknowledging liability or paying before the final decision is issued.

• Look up the maximum duration of the procedure for your type of fine and note the date it would expire.

• Keep proof of every notification date and every document you submit.

What to watch out for

• Paying early can close the door on appeal: The reductions for acknowledging liability and for voluntary payment depend on you giving up your administrative appeal. If you take them, you cannot challenge the fine afterwards through that route. Decide whether you want to contest the fine before you pay or acknowledge anything, and only take the reductions if you accept it.

• Expiry does not cancel the fine for good: If the authority exceeds the maximum duration without notifying a decision, the procedure expires and must be archived. A new procedure can still start if the offence has not yet become time-barred. Do not count on expiry to make the fine disappear. Keep your arguments and evidence, and ask the authority whether the procedure has been declared expired.

Wording for an appeal or allegations to a Spanish authority

Copy the structure below and replace everything in square brackets. Write the escrito in Spanish. Keep the headings, because offices expect them.

Use it for allegations (alegaciones) after a sanction notice, which are due within 15 working days. Use it for an appeal (recurso) against a decision already taken. The notification itself states which one you can file and by when. If you need more time, ask the office for an extension before the period ends. It is not for court filings, which have their own rules. Some offices require a standard form or filing through their electronic office, so check this before you print and deliver.

AL [ÓRGANO QUE HA DICTADO EL ACTO / p. ej. SUBDELEGACIÓN DEL GOBIERNO EN (provincia)]

D./Dña. [nombre y apellidos], con NIE/DNI n.º [número], y domicilio a efectos de
notificaciones en [dirección completa / dirección electrónica], ante ese órgano
comparece y, como mejor proceda en Derecho,

DICE:

HECHOS

PRIMERO.- Que con fecha [fecha] se me notificó [acuerdo de iniciación /
resolución] del expediente n.º [número de referencia], por el que [resumen breve
del contenido: sanción, importe, denegación...].

SEGUNDO.- Que [explique los hechos desde su punto de vista, con fechas y de
forma ordenada].

TERCERO.- Que [otros hechos relevantes, si los hay].

FUNDAMENTOS DE DERECHO

I. Cuestiones formales. Este escrito se presenta en plazo, ante el órgano
competente, y quien lo firma tiene la condición de interesado.

II. Cuestiones de fondo. [Explique por qué el acto no es correcto: los hechos no
son ciertos, no se ha respetado el procedimiento, la sanción es desproporcionada,
etc. Cite la norma aplicable que figure en la notificación.]

SOLICITO

Que se tenga por presentado este escrito, se admita y, en su virtud:

[Si son alegaciones:] se tengan por formuladas las alegaciones anteriores, se
practique la prueba propuesta y se archive el procedimiento o, subsidiariamente,
se reduzca la sanción propuesta.

[Si es recurso:] se admita el recurso de [alzada / reposición] y, previos los
trámites oportunos, se anule / revoque la resolución de fecha [fecha].

OTROSÍ DIGO que [solicito la suspensión de la ejecución del acto mientras se
resuelve el recurso, por las siguientes razones:...] / [propongo como prueba:
documentos, testigos...].

En [ciudad], a [día] de [mes] de [año].

Firmado: [firma y nombre]

Documentos que se acompañan:
1. Copia de la notificación recibida.
2. Copia de mi pasaporte / NIE / DNI.
3. [Otros documentos que apoyan lo que dice: contratos, recibos, fotos...]

Tips for filling it in

• Facts first. Keep the Hechos short, numbered and in date order. Stick to what happened and what you can prove.
• Reference number. Copy the expediente number and the date of notification exactly as they appear on the notice. Without them, the office may not link your escrito to your file.
• Your address. Give a postal or electronic address where you will really receive notices. A missed notification can start a new deadline running without you knowing.
• Representative. If someone files for you, add their name and details after yours and attach proof that they can act for you.
• Proof of filing. Whether you file in person or online, keep the stamped copy or the receipt with the date. It is your evidence that you met the deadline.
• Complex cases. If the amount is large or your residence status is at stake, have a lawyer (abogado) review the text before you file.

Frequently asked questions

Can I ask for more time to submit my arguments?

Yes, you can ask the instructor for an extension of up to half the original period, if the circumstances justify it and nobody else's rights are harmed. You must make the request before the period ends, so do not wait for the last day.

Can the fine be collected while I am still appealing?

Not while an administrative appeal (alzada or reposición) is pending, because the sanction cannot be enforced until it ends the administrative route. Once it does, it can be collected even if you go to court, unless the court grants a suspension, which you ask for as an interim measure.

Can I still get the reduction after the final decision?

No, the reductions for acknowledging liability and for voluntary payment are available only before the resolution is issued. Once the authority has decided, the chance is gone, so make up your mind while the procedure is still open.