If you did not, it may help to know that some folks on this forum have been pleased with the low-cost service offered by TransferWise. If it were me, for future peace of mind, I'd just pay it and I'd use TransferWise if I had to "wire" money as opposed to simply paying straight-up via credit card.
Then the next time I was going to Italy, I wouldn't be sweating bullets. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night the next time I was in Europe if I didn't pay it. I'm not confident enough that the authorities would ignore it.
I believe the long-standing policy of this Travel Forum, as desired by the Rick Steves Europe organization, is to avoid advising that local laws be flouted, for example by non-payment of traffic fines. Many travelers here have noticed the rigorousness with which some countries enforce traffic violations, Italy would be just one of these countries.
One of the challenges of driving in some Italian cities, like Florence, is that they have ZTLs in which unauthorized cars, inlcuding tourist rental cars, must not drive; and, if they do, they will usually be detected by a computerized photo enforcement system. They have zones where only those living inside the ZTL can drive in.
Florentines living in the outskirts can't drive inside central Florence, writing that it's aimed only to tourists is just a way to spread the word about a scam. Not all of them, but many. Your choice. Are you sure both fines are for a ZTL violation? I'd like to clarify that I did not intend to suggest that the enforcement of ZTLs is a scam directed at tourists.
It's the responsibility of tourists to comply with local laws and pay the fines if they don't. Are you sure you got two separate tickets? That should be a hit on your credit card with which you rented the car. Then sometime later you get a notice of a larger fine for the ticket itself, sometimes with a need for a wire transfer to pay. Have you now gone through both steps twice? This assumes you were in a rental car, not your own car. If they are two separate tickets for two different traffic offenses, then the law-abiding thing to do is pay the ticket.
In terms of consequences for not paying, as a resident of the US you would face no legal consequences other than the harassment by a collection agency, if the jurisdiction you were fined from is one of those that employs international collection agencies to try to collect their fine not all Italian cities use those international collection agencies, Florence does.
The statute of limitations on traffic fines in Italy is 5 years from the day the violation was notified. If you go back to Italy during this 5 year period, the possibility they might catch up with you is very slim. The only risk is if you were involved in an accident in the same jurisdiction where you got the fine and your name came up, but even that is doubtful.
In the unlikely event that happened, you could always claim you never received it, however they might still try to collect it then. I don't know the laws of Italy well enough to give firm advice, but in Denmark where I live, I can negotiate an agreement to pay in installments if I can persuade the police that I have troubles paying.
I don't know if that expands to foreigners, but at least you can ask. We go up and down on driving on our European trips. This is the downside for sure - European tickets.
It seems like every trip, we get a ticket, and since we rented a car, there is no choice on payment - the rental agency simply notifies us that our card was docked, and they add on a fee. So, we drive less and less on trips. We are also 67 and At some point, it will not only be inconvenient to drive due to ticketing, but actual rental will not be an option due to age.
I am sorry about the tickets! However, I have to believe that anyone that can afford a trip to Europe can probably find a way to pay their traffic tickets.
People really like the idea of all the extra "freedom" rental vehicles provide. Although all they ever provided me in my European travels were headaches. Sorry you're dealing with traffic tickets. Obviously I learned my lesson the hard way and now I love taking the train every where I want to go. We have had wonderful experiences in Europe that would have been extremely difficult if not impossible to have without renting a car. Some comments make it sound like you are bound to get one.
It may be me, I have gotten two speeding tickets in 52 years of driving. We stay on the outskirts and take public transportation into town. May I ask you where did you find these data? Pretty close to what I wrote. Roberto When driving in Italy, I notice that many drivers seems to ignore the speeding enforcement cameras.
I assume that most of those people are Italian citizens. Do Italians get citations for speeding very often? How do those people deal with the citations? They also read local papers that are allowed to publish the position of not-fixed speed traps in the following 7 days. Yes, but I've observed that a large number of Italian drivers seem to ignore the cameras and speed right by them.
This makes me think that they have some way of getting out of traffic citations. I had to go to traffic school for speeding once-and it was my first ticket in many years. Many of the others in the class wasted our time telling us and the instructor that they really didn't deserve to get a ticket. Apparently a common reaction to getting a ticket! Even though I tried my best to avoid breaking any Italian traffic laws, I did accidentally end up in restricted zones twice.
It certainly was not intentional. I am actually feeling pretty fortunate that I didn't receive more tickets than I did, since this was my first time driving abroad. A few posts that collectively violated Guideline 8 re breaking laws were removed.
Unfortunately that meant several other posts that replied became completely out of context. Those were also removed to prevent confusion for others reading along. Thanks for your understanding. I am having this same problem. We rented a car From Hertz. Maybe I have just not in English!! I felt that I had to drive super fast there just to keep up with traffic. How did you all take care of the tickets?
Thank you so much! From the 6th to the 60th day you can either appeal or pay the full fine. After the 61st day the cops will start the procedures to sell your debt to an international collection agency.
It seems these are ZTL fines, not speed traps. Did you drive into any city center without a permit? Not all Italian cities bother with sending fines to foreign residents, and even fewer bother to engage international collection agencies. Melloscher, I received 2 separate certified letters informing me of the violations. Each letter was from the local police authority in the two different cities where the violations occurred.
It taught me that no matter how careful you try to be, you may still end up with traffic violations when driving in different counties. No more for me! Is there a list of places with these zones so we can avoid them? We will be in Italy for a month and I dont want to accidentally wander into these zones on the daily and end up bankrupt. There is a ZTL zone in every italian settlement. Usually, but not always, a ZTL keeps non residents' cars out of the historic center.
It's used also for camera controlled bus lanes and other places where you are not supposed to drive a car without a permit. For instance metered cabs and limo drivers can use bus lanes, if you follow them without paying attention to signs you'll be fined. One common reason local drivers don't slow for some cameras is that a good percentage of the devices are inactive and only folks who follow local news would know.
In our town, there are four cameras: two active, one long dead, and one turned off recently by the new mayor. I haven't used it, but the Waze smartphone app is popular in Italy and supposedly uses crowd-sourcing to mark the location of speed traps et al.
When do they start counting the days? From the day you committed the violation? The day the rental car company charges you the fee? The day you get the ticket in the mail?
I got a letter ticket from last years' trip to Italy from a small village, but I can't tell when the timer started. Five days from the moment you sign the first registered letter from the cops or open their first e-mail.
From the 6th to the 60th day you can either file an appeal via registered letter or pay the full fine. Cops have days to send the first registered letter to foreigners driving a rental car. The count of these days starts when they receive your name and address from the rental agency. The authorities must notify the owners of the car within 90 days of the infraction. The owners of the car, the rental company, must then respond within 60 days with the information on who was driving the car at that time.
From the moment the authorities get that information they have days to notify the driver of the fines. What if it has taken almost 5 years before they send the ticket. I don't even remember being in that area. As written above: Cops have days to send the first registered letter to foreigners driving a rental car.
Did you notice 5 charges from the rental company on your credit card? That was the fee for telling authorities your name and address. I got 4 tickets each issues 8 minutes after the first.
I received a ticket in the mail due to driving in a zone during a time that was for buses only, wth. I would have paid it immediately if there was an easy way to pay but there wasn't. I was there for work and I figured it wasn't bad getting only 1 ticket over 7 trips to Bologna. I didn't pay it since I couldn't do it without jumping through hoops.
It says they will send it to a collection agency if I don't pay within 20 days of receipt. I figure since it's close to the 5 year statute of limitations they're making 1 last attempt. Not sure if I'm going to pay it or not, I have to do wire transfer which will be a pain. I'm tempted to see how far they will go though, undecided at this point.
You did not pay because you thought you could cheat the system, but don't use such excuses and don't call the methods of payments I mentioned "jumping through hoops". I also wonder how using network like TransferWise to send money abroad could ever be "a pain". I just received a speeding ticket in the mail today from Italy for my son from March 11th It says the police officer filed it May 11th and it was from a photograph.
The issue is my son was not in Italy on those dates. He did a semester abroad starting in September of Any suggestions? Does it specify the word "March"? Or are you reading as March 11, when Europeans put day first and then month- November 3. Was he driving there at the beginning of November? Has anyone wondered why it is that the rental car agencies, who know what the laws are and what the complications can be, NEVER tell you about the "no go zones" in Italy.
I'm dealing with a debt collector out of California who is after me for a "traffic violation" in Italy in May of for which I received a notice from the Pisa Polizia roughly 18 months later but NEVER received any documentation as to what it was that I supposedly did to warrant a ticket. We used Google maps for all directions and to locate parking lots, hotels, etc.
There wasn't any indication that we went somewhere we weren't supposed to. In addition, they have never provided me with a photo radar image nor was there written notice given at the time of the alleged infraction. Not even an address where the supposed infraction occurred. I'm guilty and can't prove my innocence? Of course, the collection agency is inflating the financial charges, but like many who have posted on this and other forums, a traffic ticket is a far different offense than defaulting on a loan or other financial obligation which would affect your credit score.
I'll update this once I find out what my options are and if this is likely to go away. One thing for sure is that I won't be renting a car in Italy again! A few years ago, I rented a car for two weeks and drove through Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Northern Italy and France and never had an issue.
Now this. I guess times have changed. It doesn't leave a good impression to say the least! It's not the responsibility of the car rental agency to teach you.
Most guide books and online forums warn travelers about ZTLs and other traffic quirks specific to Italy. There are some good suggestions for handling your fine in the comments here. I have found driving in Italy to be frustrating as well. After one expensive summer Saturday I have paid my fines for the ZTL in Florence and the speed camera on the causeway to Venice and even the speed camera on the way out of Talamone going north that morning.
Province of Grosseto didn't send the latter fine till February which I paid immediately by wire transfer the next day. In July they sent me another notice with fines added on for non payment at which point I faxed and mailed them the original paperwork a second time. Now in June I have been reported to said California Collection agency. I have driven in Chile and was stopped at a checkpoint with no problems, I've driven by mistake into a market street in Torun, Poland with a friendly correction and directions by a Police Officer and survived the Wild Atlantic way in Ireland with right hand drive and one lane roads.
I have enjoyed driving in several central European countries without incident. But I really don't want to drive in Italy again! Maybe you drove in Florence before they installed the bilingual traffic lights to mark the ZTL limits, so I can somehow understand those fines. But the causeway from Mestre to Venice is a 2 lanes straight road with "50 kms" speed limits clearly posted and "camera ahead" warning signs well before the speed traps.
If you couldn't see those signs I'm quite grateful you won't drive in Italy again. Dario, thank you. Your point is well made. Just like my college exchange student daughter who screamed at me from the back seat as we entered the causeway to Venice to watch the speed camera but too late. The same daughter who gave me bad advice that she thought we could get to her student apartment to pick her up after eight weeks and not cross the ZTR line in Florence. The one we left Talamone so early in the morning for to stay on schedule to be in Venice that afternoon.
Except for the severe heat that early June we had a beautiful week in Tuscany and then a beautiful week in Slovenia but that Saturday I am literally still paying for!
I need to have a conversation with Avis as their paperwork at the time indicated they had taken care of the fines for Firenze and passed them on to me but now I am afraid that wasn't so. I suspect they assume you have informed yourself about what you are undertaking to do, and do not want to insult you by telling you 'do not speed' and 'obey the signs'.
We had a speeding ticket that was received 6 months later Went to the local bank and transferred the funds. Worked out fine The directions were on the ticket. Of course any fine received via snail mail involves mailing and amministrative fees, but you'd have paid those fees even if you had received the letter 1 month after your journey.
So all those fines are not legitimate, locals have stopped paying them and they freely enter that ZTL? Strange no newspaper has ever written a line about a noT signposted ZTL. Wouldn't it be more probable that you don't know international signs and that you ignored things you didn't know? Take the trouble to look for, read and understand the parking signs.
Almost all towns of any size in Tuscany have these parking restrictions in their historical centres. Try to use the parking areas usually metered or with a custodian provided near the entry points. In many cases the latter are well thought out and convenient at Arezzo and Sansepolcro, for example. These zones are areas where cars with special permits only are allowed to drive and are found in many Italian cities and towns.
In addition, they sometimes apply only to certain hours on working days. Pisa is notoriously tricky — I recommend not driving in the city centre of Pisa at all.
In Florence it is crucial to be aware of the ZTL signs and restrictions. Failure to abide by the rules will cost 80 euros or more each time you enter one of these areas. Click here for the Florence ZTL map. Click here for the Pisa ZTL map. The prohibition applies to petrol and diesel vehicles of type: Euro this refers to the exhaust system.
PA vehicles from outside the province. New and much more evident signs are being installed at the camera-equipped entries to the ZTL in Florence. The lights are red when the limitations are in force and the notice is written in Italian and English.
Do not assume that this will be done — ask them to make the call and then check later that it was made. My advice is to ask your hotel about this before you arrive. Use a taxi and rent a car from a location outside the ZTL for excursions into the country.
If you are arriving by car from elsewhere, park outside the restricted zone and walk or use a taxi to reach your hotel. The official instructions for Florence. Non-residents are prohibited from driving and parking within the ZTL at the following times: On weekdays Mondays through Fridays : from 7. On Saturdays: from 7.
In order to obtain this permit, the number plate of the car concerned should be given to the relevant hotel or garage which will undertake to forward the same to the appropriate office. This permit will be issued for a maximum of two hours for baggage transport purposes and, therefore, only on the arrival and departure dates a permit may also be issued to tourists without a hotel booking entering the ZTL to find accommodation.
Other peculiarities of Florence: blue lines indicate open but very likely metered parking. Do not park where there are white lines. These areas are reserved for residents and those with special parking permissions.
Is this worrying you? Exploring Italy by car is a great experience, but beware of the pitfalls associated with renting your car from the wrong company. Tons of useful information including on places to stay in Chianti — villas, farmhouses, Bed and Breakfast rooms, country and village vacation apartments with pool agriturismi. Click here for our Greve in Chianti Tuscany vacation rentals plus everything you need to know about Chianti. Traffic violations in Italy - Italian traffic tickets.
You are here: Home » Tuscany travel advice » Italian traffic tickets. Italian traffic tickets. Italian traffic tickets Traffic violations and fines in Italy - restricted traffic zones in Florence Five facts you need to know about traffic violations, ticketing and fines in Italy: 1 Local authorities around the world generate a significant proportion of their revenue from fines levied for infractions of various non-penal laws, notably driving regulations.
Overall Conclusions Fines for entering limited traffic zones only are unreasonably duplicated for infractions within a few minutes of one another as confused tourists attempt to locate their hotel or find their way out of the ZTL. What to do about it if you are ticketed and fined? Non-EU residents Not to pay a fine that is sent directly to you at your home outside the EU as opposed to having been paid by the rental car company and then charged to your card?
EU residents Friends — for you life became even harder in March when EU regulations were implemented such that your local vehicle registration authority can and will cooperate with the authorities in other EU countries to locate you and deliver the citation. UK residents. How to pay a fine: As noted above, if you are fined while still in Italy, take the payment form that comes with the citation to the Post Office and pay there.
How to avoid being fined in the first place: Speeding This is quite easy to resolve as far as the very numerous speed cameras dotted along the motorways and country roads go.
Speed camera warning sign. Speed camera housing. Traffic is limited between 8 am and 8 pm. Delivery vehicles under 3. The official instructions for Florence Non-residents are prohibited from driving and parking within the ZTL at the following times: On weekdays Mondays through Fridays : from 7.
Chianti without a car Is this worrying you? Renting a car in Italy Exploring Italy by car is a great experience, but beware of the pitfalls associated with renting your car from the wrong company. Vacation in Tuscany. If you want to learn how tolls work in Italy, make sure to read this post.
You will find what to do in any situation, including ticket loss. When you break a traffic rule, authorities have to inform you about it. Depending on the infraction, the notification can be immediate or deferred. Whenever possible, the police must stop you the instant you commit the offense. Then, they have to draw up the ticket and give you a copy. It is illegal to send fines when immediate contestation is required.
You can refuse to accept the ticket in case of immediate contestation. However, it will be notified to your home at your expense. The signature of the offender is not necessary. The police may not contest some violations directly on the spot. If it is risky or impossible to do so, the notification will occur after the infraction.
Authorities will send the fine to the actual offender or vehicle owner. As stated in Art. It must be specified why the violation was not notified on the spot. If the reasons are not detailed, the fine is unlawful. They must be precise and not just refer to traffic rules generically. From the date of ascertainment , authorities must notify the fine within 90 days. The ticket expires after this period. You have the right to file a complaint if the terms are not respected.
As for non-Italian residents, the limit to notify the infringement is days. It is more difficult to locate a foreign address. So, authorities have more time to send the fine to tourists. The notification will take longer if you get a fine with a rented car in Italy. Even if the vehicle is not yours, you are always liable for any infraction. But the legal owner must respond to traffic violations together with the offender. In this case, Art. If the violation is not contested immediately, it is notified to the vehicle owner.
Thus, the car rental company will be the first to receive the ticket. Essentially, it can take up to days to notify a fine in Italy. There is no way to anticipate Italian traffic tickets. You can only wait until it arrives at your home. If the violation is contested immediately, the owner is still notified within days. It is a little bit tricky to understand the notification terms. This will result in a waste of time, energy, and money.
Until a few years ago, the days for notifying a fine were not very clear. Every municipality interpreted the terms in their own way. But with the sentence n. The terms are counted from the date of the infringement. When the law says ascertainment, it relates to the day of the offense. They are only justified if it is too difficult to identify the vehicle owner. To be specific, the time limit runs the day following the infraction.
If the last day is a holiday, it is extended to the next working day. Now the notification terms start from the day authorities know your details. The notification is not calculated from the day you receive the fine. But from the moment authorities hand over the ticket to the post office for delivery. In fact, what matters is the shipping date of the envelope. The date of receipt is irrelevant. The police may bring it for delivery on the last day without any problem.
For example, if they sent the envelope on the th day but you received it two months later, it is still on the rule. Also, the municipality is not responsible for any postal delays. You can check the postmark to know the notification date. Usually, the ticket will have a short report.
You will find it under the barcode at the top of your ticket. The police may also have used a private postal agency. For a fine to be legit, it must have some requirements and characteristics. You need to read your ticket carefully before making any decision. Here is what you should check on your Italian traffic fine:. You have the right to request a photo of the exact moment you committed the offense. Without it, the fine would not be valid. So, make sure to always check the picture before making any decision.
For privacy reasons, the police never send the photo along with the ticket. Most of the time, you will see the instructions to view the photo in your fine. Firstly, you have to go to the website of the municipality.
Next, enter the listed information of the ticket in each blank field. Some cities such as Rome and Milan may require registration to do it. Usually, you will find a form on its website. You have to compile it with your data, request, and the details of the infraction. Also, you need to attach a valid form of identification. You have 60 days from the notification to pay your ticket.
However, the amount depends on the payment date. The longer you wait, the higher the fine will be. These are the terms required in Art.
Also, your ticket is enforceable after 60 days. According to Italian law, the municipality and the offender have separate terms. Essentially, the time for your response starts from the day you become aware of the fine. Whether you decide to pay or appeal, you have to count from the date of receipt.
In the same way as notifications, the time limit starts the day after you receive the ticket. If it ends on a public holiday or Sunday , it is delayed to the next business day.
The last day is the deadline. If you are not at home at the delivery time, your local post office will hold the letter. The time limit starts from the date you retire it. The terms will run automatically from day 11 of the deposit.
As for immediate notifications, the terms start the day after the violation. If the police issued the fine, you could pay it directly at PosteItaliane. Also, you need an active bank account if you want to use the website to pay online. In case you are in Italy, you have to fill out a bollettino postale. Write down the following information:.
Usually, you will find a completed form attached to your ticket. If you do, you only need to add your details and the amount to pay. Remember to bring cash with you. You just have to put a barcode of your ticket under an optical reader.
It is a very straightforward process, and you can find a tabaccheria almost anywhere. Another option is to type the details of the infringement into the machine. Make sure to keep the receipt for at least 5 years.
Sisal betting shops work similarly to Lottomatica. The best way to pay for Italian traffic tickets online is by wire transfer. Write the license plate of the vehicle, date of infraction, and ticket number in the reference. If you add it to the fine, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars. If you want to stop hassling, consider using Transferwise.
It is hands down the cheapest method to send money abroad. You will avoid paying huge fees and annoying waiting times at the bank. Make sure to click on this link now to register for free. You can choose to pay traffic fines on the municipality website. However, the procedure may vary from city to city.
You have to follow all the instructions given in the fine. You will be fine using your email to proceed with the payment. Usually, you only have to enter the ticket code, license plate number, and infraction date.
Some municipalities also use a payment system called PagoPa. Basically, it allows you to make all kinds of payments to Italian Public Administrations. You have to put the unique code of your ticket or codice di avviso IUV. Then, enter your basic demographics and choose your payment method.
Make sure to type the right amount. You can pay with Visa, MasterCard, and Paypal. However, any fee for international transactions is determined by your local bank. If you choose to pay with any online service, you need to count the terms differently.
According to the Interior Minister , the payment is considered made when the funds appear in the police account. So, be sure to consider the timelines for international transfers. It usually takes from business days for the funds to be credited. Thankfully, you have 2 extra days when you pay online. Also, the time limit will rise from 60 to 62 days. Remember that you have to count from the next day you received the ticket. The car rental company is never responsible for any traffic fine.
When you signed the contract, you agreed with its conditions. This cost is a service for handling your traffic ticket.
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