Spain's national traffic authority is the Dirección General de Tráfico, known to everyone as the DGT. You can pay a Spanish traffic fine online through the DGT payment portal, without needing a digital certificate. Pay by card, or by Bizum, the Spanish service that sends money straight from one bank account to another. You need the file number (expediente) and the notification date printed on your penalty notice. Pay within 20 calendar days and you pay half. You can also pay cash at a CaixaBank branch or a post office. Most parking fines are paid to the local town hall, not to the DGT.
Living in Spain Licence and road rules
Paying Traffic Fines In Spain
How fines work in Spain for visitors, expats, residents and foreign-registered cars.
Understanding traffic fines in Spain
The DGT runs the speed cameras, the Guardia Civil roadside checks and the licence points system.
It is not the only body that fines you. Town halls handle parking and low emission zones. Check who issued the notice first, because you deal with that body and no other.
What you can be fined for in Spain
Common, and often surprising, offences include:
- Speeding, including small amounts over the limit
- Holding a mobile phone while driving
- Not wearing a seatbelt or a helmet
- Parking illegally or too close to a crossing
- Driving through a tunnel without dipped headlights, at any hour
- Failing to give way, or crossing a red light
- Overtaking a cyclist without leaving 1.5 metres of space
- Entering a low emission zone without permission
- Not keeping your address up to date with the DGT
Footwear is not mentioned in the rules. Officers use a different one: the driver must keep full freedom of movement, a clear view and constant attention. Flip flops get fined under that.
Since 1 January 2026 the connected V-16 beacon is the only legal way to mark a vehicle stopped in a live lane. Warning triangles no longer count. A car registered abroad still complies with triangles or the equivalent device used at home.
How fines are issued
Residents: the notice goes to your Dirección Electrónica Vial, the official electronic postbox for traffic mail, or to the address the DGT holds. An out of date address does not pause the case.
Visitors: Guardia Civil traffic officers can take payment at the roadside by card, with the discount already applied.
Hire cars: the hire company gives your details to the DGT and charges you an administration fee.
European Union plates: Spain can ask that country for the keeper's name and address. The United Kingdom has left the European Union, so that route no longer covers British plates.
How much are traffic fines?
The traffic law sets three levels: minor offences up to 100 euros, serious offences 200 euros and very serious offences 500 euros. Speeding has its own table. Typical penalties:
- Speeding: 100 to 600 euros, and up to 6 points
- Drink driving: 500 euros, and 1,000 euros if you were fined for it in the year before or were over double the limit
- Drugs in your system, or refusing a breath or drug test: 1,000 euros every time
- Holding a mobile phone: 200 euros and 6 points
- No seatbelt, helmet or child seat: 200 euros and 4 points
- Overtaking a cyclist unsafely: 200 euros and 6 points
Speeding penalty table
Town limits are now 20, 30 or 50 kilometres per hour. It is 20 where the road and the pavement are one flat surface, 30 on a street with one lane each way, and 50 with two or more. Going more than 60 over an urban limit, or 80 over a limit outside town, becomes a criminal offence rather than a fine. So does more than 0.60 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath.
Road accidents are normally excluded
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Spain's driving licence penalty points system
Most drivers hold 12 points. A licence less than three years old starts with 8. Drive cleanly and you earn bonus points, up to a maximum of 15.
- 6 points: more than 0.50 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath, drugs in your system, refusing a test, reckless driving, driving the wrong way, holding a phone, overtaking a cyclist dangerously
- 4 points: 0.25 to 0.50 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath, red lights and give way signs, no seatbelt or helmet, driving too close, using the wrong licence
- 3 points: headphones at the wheel, handling a sat nav, carrying a radar detector
Professional drivers, and anyone holding a licence less than two years old, are held to a lower alcohol limit of 0.15 milligrams per litre of breath, or 0.3 grams per litre of blood.
Lose every point and your licence stops being valid. You wait six months, or three if you drive for a living, pass a re-education course and sit the driving test again. The licence you then get back starts with 8 points, not 12.
Early payment discount
Pay within 20 calendar days and you pay half. The clock starts the day after you are notified. Paying at the discount closes the case and gives up your right to argue it.
Challenging the fine works the other way round. You lose the discount the moment you file, and pay in full if it fails. Fines cannot be paid in instalments.
How to pay a traffic fine in Spain
- Online with a digital ID: DGT online payment portal
- Online without a digital ID: No-login payment page
- CaixaBank branches and cash machines: card or cash, with the cash machines open around the clock
- Any post office: cash only, plus the post office's own small fee
- At the roadside: by card, to Guardia Civil traffic officers
Anyone can pay on your behalf. What matters is the file number and the notification date.
How to appeal a fine
You have 20 calendar days to lodge an objection, called an alegación. It has to bring facts that are new or different from the ones the officer recorded. Disagreeing is not enough.
- Online: DGT online appeal portal
- By post: CTDA, Apartado de Correos 505, 24080 León, Spain
- In person: at any provincial traffic office
If the decision goes against you, you get one month to lodge a further appeal, the recurso de reposición. Appealing costs you the 50% discount.
For what makes an appeal succeed, how you are notified and what happens after you file, see our guide on how to appeal a traffic fine in Spain.
How to check if you have outstanding fines
If the DGT cannot reach you, the notice is published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado, the state gazette that acts as Spain's public noticeboard. The DGT also runs a searchable penalties board:
Worth a look if you have moved house, changed car or think a letter went astray.
What happens if you don't pay a fine?
Once the penalty is final you get a last 15 calendar days to pay. After that the Spanish tax agency collects it:
- A surcharge of 20% on top of the full fine
- Money taken from a Spanish bank account, then wages, then other property, in that order
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Frequently asked questions
How do I pay a traffic fine in Spain?
The easiest way is the DGT online payment portal, which lets you pay by card without a digital certificate – you just need the expediente (file) number and the notification date. You can also pay at a bank or post office. Parking and other municipal fines are usually paid through the local town hall.
Is there a discount for paying a Spanish traffic fine early?
Yes. If you pay within 20 days of being notified you normally get a 50% reduction on the fine. Paying promptly is almost always cheaper than contesting a minor fine.
What happens if I do not pay a traffic fine in Spain?
You lose the early payment discount, the amount goes up by a 20% surcharge, and the Spanish tax agency can take it from your bank account. Spain can also ask another European Union country for the details of a driver registered there.
How long do you have to pay a fine in Spain?
The 50% discount applies for 20 days from notification. After that you must pay the full amount within the deadline shown on the notice, or the penalty moves into enforcement.
Do foreign drivers have to pay Spanish fines?
Yes. Guardia Civil traffic officers can take payment at the roadside from a driver who does not live in Spain.
Can I pay a fine at the post office?
Yes. Post offices take cash and charge a small fee of their own. CaixaBank takes card or cash.
Do speeding fines always cost points?
No. The first band of the speeding table is money only. Points start from the second band up.
Can I appeal a speed camera fine?
Yes, but you need something solid, such as a calibration problem, missing or wrong signs, or a paperwork mistake.
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Reviewed by Sean Guy, authorised Sanitas agent (agent code 22395) and DGSFP-registered insurance mediator (C0320X5769518Z), Marbella.
Written by the HealthPlan Spain team: English-speaking Sanitas health insurance specialists, helping expats in Spain get the right cover since 2011. Authorised and regulated by the DGSFP.