Fines in Spain: how to check them, pay with the 50% discount and appeal

How to find out about a fine and not miss the deadline

Two levels of authority issue penalties in Spain: the DGT (Dirección General de Trafico) for offences on motorways and intercity roads, and town halls for parking, low-emission zones (ZBE) and driving in bus lanes inside cities. Who issued the multa determines both where to look for it and where to complain.

The notification channels are:

• Post - a registered letter to the address held in the DGT register. After two failed delivery attempts the notification goes to the electronic noticeboard.
• The electronic noticeboard (TEU in the BOE). Publication in the official gazette is legally equivalent to personal service: the clock starts running even if you never saw anything. This role used to be played by TESTRA.
• DEV (Dirección Electronica Vial) - the official electronic mailbox for DGT notifications. It is compulsory for companies and optional for private drivers.
• The miDGT app - shows your fines, points and documents; the simplest way to keep an eye on things.

The practical conclusion: update your address with the DGT immediately after you move (and with the ayuntamiento - via cita previa or online), otherwise you will only learn about the fine once it has reached the collection stage with a surcharge added.

Types and amounts of fines

The traffic law (Real Decreto Legislativo 6/2015) splits offences into three categories. Benchmarks for 2026:

Speeding has its own scale, from 100 to 600 euro depending on how far over the limit you were and on the zone. A separate cost item is driving without compulsory insurance: that is no longer a "traffic" fine with points but a penalty of 601 to 3005 euro, which we covered in detail in our article on home and car insurance.

The 50% discount: how pago reducido works

The main tool every driver should know about is the 50% discounted payment (article 94 of the traffic law). The mechanism works like this:

1. From the day after the notification you have 20 calendar days.
2. Paying within that window automatically halves the amount: a 200 euro fine becomes 100.
3. The procedure then closes: the discount amounts to admitting the offence and waiving alegaciones. Any points attached to the offence are still deducted.

You can pay online at sede.dgt.gob.es (using the expediente number), in the miDGT app, by phone on 060 or through partner banks; municipal fines go through the payment services of the specific ayuntamiento.

The discount does not apply to every offence (some categories have no reduction scale), and the notification always states whether pago reducido applies and until what date. Go by the text of your own document.

Appealing: alegaciones and recurso

Contesting a fine makes sense when you have a specific ground, not merely a disagreement. The procedure has two stages:

1. Alegaciones (formal objections)

These are filed within the same 20 calendar days from the notification, instead of paying at the discount. Filing objections automatically forfeits the discount: if they are rejected, you will pay the full amount. You can file online (with a certificado digital), by post or at a registro.

2. Recurso de reposicion

If a penalty resolution is issued after your objections, you have 1 month to file a recurso de reposicion with the authority that issued the fine. The next step is the courts (the contencioso-administrativa route), but for small amounts that is rarely worth it economically.

What actually works as a ground

• identification errors: the wrong plate, the wrong vehicle, the driver not established;
• a breach of the notification procedure or of the time limits (caducidad, prescripcion);
• no evidence that the speed camera was calibrated, or no photographic record;
• illegible or missing zone signage (ZBE signs, road markings);
• circumstances that exclude fault: a proven tow-away, an emergency.

Municipal fines are appealed on the same logic but to your own ayuntamiento; the forms and addresses are stated in the notification itself.

Points: how you lose them and get them back

The Spanish driving licence runs on a points-credit system: 12 points as standard (8 for new drivers). Serious offences take away 2 to 6 points; at zero you lose the right to drive and have to earn it back with a course and an exam.

• You can check your balance in miDGT or on the DGT portal with electronic identification.
• Points are restored automatically after 2 years without offences (under the general rules).
• You can recover some points (up to 6) with a voluntary safe-driving course at an accredited centre.

For anyone who has recently exchanged a foreign licence for a Spanish one: points are an attribute of the Spanish licence, and it is worth tracking them from day one, because "minus 6" for using a phone at the wheel is the most common surprise for newcomers.

How Krepko helps

A fine is always a timer: 20 days to make the key decision. We make the process manageable:

• We check every fine you have across the DGT and municipal databases, explain what it says and weigh up the options: discount or dispute.
• We pay on time under pago reducido so you do not lose the 50%.
• We prepare alegaciones and a recurso with supporting evidence; the legally significant steps are performed by licensed specialists - lawyers, gestores and sworn translators.
• We set up DEV and miDGT so that new notifications never get lost.

More on legal support on our Legal services page. Received a fine letter with the clock ticking? Leave a request - the review is free and we will tell you what to do the same day.

Sources

• DGT: que hacer si has recibido una multa
• Sede DGT: paying fines online
• BOE: Real Decreto Legislativo 6/2015 - Ley de Trafico (articles on penalties and pago reducido)