How do we pay a traffic ticket from Germany
Jan 14th, 2010, 06:56 AM
#41
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>>>>>>
One can either send a cheque or one goes to a bank, indicates the ISIN and SWIFT Codes of the payee's account and bank, instructs payment and that's it. Could not be less complicated.
>>>>>>
send a cheque in what currency? a bank transfer can be done as you suggest but the cost is very high and hardly a straightforward endeavour. the fact is that the world's banking systems do not well serve international commerce. even within the eu, it's hardly cheap and painless to make payments and other transactions across borders. why do i have to pay £10-12 to withdraw about €200 from a cash machine in another european country?
One can either send a cheque or one goes to a bank, indicates the ISIN and SWIFT Codes of the payee's account and bank, instructs payment and that's it. Could not be less complicated.
>>>>>>
send a cheque in what currency? a bank transfer can be done as you suggest but the cost is very high and hardly a straightforward endeavour. the fact is that the world's banking systems do not well serve international commerce. even within the eu, it's hardly cheap and painless to make payments and other transactions across borders. why do i have to pay £10-12 to withdraw about €200 from a cash machine in another european country?
Jan 14th, 2010, 07:29 AM
#42
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"send a cheque in what currency?"
In whatever currency is convenient for you. It will be converted upon cashing it in or crediting it to an account to the desired or required currency. Simple(s).
The GBP 12.00 fee for a withdrawal at a cash machine appears steep for me (maybe as exaggerated as labelling a EUR 200.00 transaction "international commerce"), but it is quite obvious why a fee needs to be charged. There are at least 2 banks involved that need to have a corresponding account relationship and, if your own account is not EUR denominated, the currency needs to be converted. And if the banking system was indeed serving international commerce so badly it is hard to see why international commerce has thrived this much over current years.
In whatever currency is convenient for you. It will be converted upon cashing it in or crediting it to an account to the desired or required currency. Simple(s).
The GBP 12.00 fee for a withdrawal at a cash machine appears steep for me (maybe as exaggerated as labelling a EUR 200.00 transaction "international commerce"), but it is quite obvious why a fee needs to be charged. There are at least 2 banks involved that need to have a corresponding account relationship and, if your own account is not EUR denominated, the currency needs to be converted. And if the banking system was indeed serving international commerce so badly it is hard to see why international commerce has thrived this much over current years.
Jan 14th, 2010, 07:41 AM
#43
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Bank transfers within the Eurozone are free. It is only to and from EU countries outside the Euro that it costs money.
I regularly make international bank transfers, from the comfort of my own home with no problem whatsoever.
No idea why you would pay so much to withdraw money from another EU country, unless it was a) a private ATM which charges anyway, or b) you are adding the currency conversion costs onto the normal small charge for using your card abroad.
I regularly make international bank transfers, from the comfort of my own home with no problem whatsoever.
No idea why you would pay so much to withdraw money from another EU country, unless it was a) a private ATM which charges anyway, or b) you are adding the currency conversion costs onto the normal small charge for using your card abroad.
Jan 14th, 2010, 08:01 AM
#44
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I think with my normal debit card, I've never paid more than 5 Euro fees for cash withdrawal within Europe in the last years.
I don't know whether this is a fair fee considering the cost the banks have, but I still kind of marvel that it's possible to go to any ATM with my German bank card and get cash and often enough the currency I use at home
If I compare this with the trouble (and costs) of two decades ago, I pay the 5 euro gladly.
I don't know whether this is a fair fee considering the cost the banks have, but I still kind of marvel that it's possible to go to any ATM with my German bank card and get cash and often enough the currency I use at home
If I compare this with the trouble (and costs) of two decades ago, I pay the 5 euro gladly.
Nov 18th, 2010, 12:07 PM
#45
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Some commenters provided you with the correct advice, including "hsv". Throw the ticket out into the trash ! You don't have to pay it. The offence will be thrown out by the German traffic court and you will never hear from anyone again. I live in Canada and I received several speeding tickets and parking violations over the years while I was operating a vehicle that was registered under a friend's name over there. I never did pay these tickets and they just get thrown out by the German authorities.
Nov 18th, 2010, 01:45 PM
#46
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More fool you if you do chuck it in the trash.
All that will happen is the hire company will end up paying for it - then they'll charge your CC for the fine plus a large admin sum on top and for good measure stick you on a black list.
All that will happen is the hire company will end up paying for it - then they'll charge your CC for the fine plus a large admin sum on top and for good measure stick you on a black list.
Nov 18th, 2010, 09:46 PM
#49
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It is an old thread but this comes up a great deal, more so about Italian traffic tickets but a lot of it remains somewhat murky and there doesn't seem to be a straight answer. On the Italian questions, the complaint is the rental car company charges an administrative fee for providing the information to the authorities but there is hardly anybody who has ever written of what happens if they don't pay the fine so I'm not sure Alan's response is correct. I'm not sure they collect from the rental car company (and since it's a year ago or more, what if you no longer have the credit card or the expiration date has passed? Illegal? Make your own judgment.
Nov 18th, 2010, 11:39 PM
#50
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alanRow,
simply not true.
If a <b>German</B> ticket is issued for <b>speeding</b>, the hire car company will <b>not</b> be charged. I outlined the procedure and legal fundamentals ealier in this thread (see my post 20 Nov 09).
If the ticket is issued for <b>parking or stopping offences</b>, this could be <b>different</b> according to sect. 25 a para 1 of the German Traffic Code (StVG).
It's incomprehensible to me why so many people around here without any knowledge of the German legal system whatsoever feel inclined to advise on the matter. Consequently more than 80% of the advice on this thread is negligible due to being misleading or outright <b>wrong</b>.
Experiences from <b>other (European) countries</b> in this context are merely of <b>anecdotal</b> character and may be entertaining, but are not constructive in finding an answer to a specific question concerning a legal problem occurring in the specific (European) country in question.
simply not true.
If a <b>German</B> ticket is issued for <b>speeding</b>, the hire car company will <b>not</b> be charged. I outlined the procedure and legal fundamentals ealier in this thread (see my post 20 Nov 09).
If the ticket is issued for <b>parking or stopping offences</b>, this could be <b>different</b> according to sect. 25 a para 1 of the German Traffic Code (StVG).
It's incomprehensible to me why so many people around here without any knowledge of the German legal system whatsoever feel inclined to advise on the matter. Consequently more than 80% of the advice on this thread is negligible due to being misleading or outright <b>wrong</b>.
Experiences from <b>other (European) countries</b> in this context are merely of <b>anecdotal</b> character and may be entertaining, but are not constructive in finding an answer to a specific question concerning a legal problem occurring in the specific (European) country in question.
Jan 7th, 2011, 05:28 PM
#55
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Hi there,
Okay....we were in Germany in Oct 2010 and I received a 'fee' on my credit card for a rental from Avis. First of all, Avis wouldn't tell me what the fee was for....kept saying it was GPS which I had just paid with same credit card the statement before! Told them I wasn't paying twice for GPS. Finally after initiating a search from my credit card co. I find out that there is a traffic violation on the last day of the rental...convenient. This would have been enroute from Potsdam to Munich.
I have just spent 2 hrs going through the internet trying to find out what to do about this. If a photo of the 'offence' that I am unaware of as of yet, was sent to me, it went to the wrong address! The address on my driver's licence is not where i am currently living and so there is no way the information will be forwarded to me. There is also no way of looking at the website of the authority to find out any information. I have been provided with a reference number and the details of the authority:
Thuringer Polizeiverwallungsa
Zentrale Bussgeldstelle, D 06553 Artern
After spending a lot of time on this issuing authority's website, I am unable to find out any information.So I now have no way of obtaining the information on the traffic violation.
After reading the posts, I believe there is no point in paying the fine. However, I don't know the actual amount, the nature of the fine etc. Is there any way I can find this out? I don't want to provide the information to Avis as they will probably charge an additional 15 Euro to relay it. I would just ignore it as I am fairly sure there is no reciprical agreement between Germany and Canada but my husband will be heading to Germany for a conference next year and I don't want to be stopped at the airport and fined.
Help! What should I do at this point?
Thank you for reading this really long response!
Okay....we were in Germany in Oct 2010 and I received a 'fee' on my credit card for a rental from Avis. First of all, Avis wouldn't tell me what the fee was for....kept saying it was GPS which I had just paid with same credit card the statement before! Told them I wasn't paying twice for GPS. Finally after initiating a search from my credit card co. I find out that there is a traffic violation on the last day of the rental...convenient. This would have been enroute from Potsdam to Munich.
I have just spent 2 hrs going through the internet trying to find out what to do about this. If a photo of the 'offence' that I am unaware of as of yet, was sent to me, it went to the wrong address! The address on my driver's licence is not where i am currently living and so there is no way the information will be forwarded to me. There is also no way of looking at the website of the authority to find out any information. I have been provided with a reference number and the details of the authority:
Thuringer Polizeiverwallungsa
Zentrale Bussgeldstelle, D 06553 Artern
After spending a lot of time on this issuing authority's website, I am unable to find out any information.So I now have no way of obtaining the information on the traffic violation.
After reading the posts, I believe there is no point in paying the fine. However, I don't know the actual amount, the nature of the fine etc. Is there any way I can find this out? I don't want to provide the information to Avis as they will probably charge an additional 15 Euro to relay it. I would just ignore it as I am fairly sure there is no reciprical agreement between Germany and Canada but my husband will be heading to Germany for a conference next year and I don't want to be stopped at the airport and fined.
Help! What should I do at this point?
Thank you for reading this really long response!
Jan 8th, 2011, 12:45 AM
#57
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1. I don't think there is a way around the fee that Avis charged you.
2. I would not contact the police in Thuringia and wait it out. Even if your husband will attend a conference in Germany next year (or whenever) it is highly unlikely that he will be held responsible at his point of entry.
If you committed a parking offence, Avis will be held responsible and they will pass it on to you. If it is a speeding violation, Avis would not be liable (just the driver) - and the driver would have to be served with a ticket and would have to be given the chance to defend him/herself.
Under certain circumstances you may be lucky anyway as the general period for an offence to fall under the statute of limitations is 3 months (which under certain circumstances can be prolonged several times to 6 months, but no more than 2 years).
2. I would not contact the police in Thuringia and wait it out. Even if your husband will attend a conference in Germany next year (or whenever) it is highly unlikely that he will be held responsible at his point of entry.
If you committed a parking offence, Avis will be held responsible and they will pass it on to you. If it is a speeding violation, Avis would not be liable (just the driver) - and the driver would have to be served with a ticket and would have to be given the chance to defend him/herself.
Under certain circumstances you may be lucky anyway as the general period for an offence to fall under the statute of limitations is 3 months (which under certain circumstances can be prolonged several times to 6 months, but no more than 2 years).
Jan 8th, 2011, 05:03 AM
#58
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HSV
Let's re-iterate the advice we gave earlier. The laws changes continually and the UK authorties are currently negotiating with the rest of the UK to allow the transfer of the FINES to the UK courts. This will mean that EU residents will have to pay EU fines where ever they are incurred in the EU.
However, the CURRENT situation is that if you are not a resident of the EU country in which the fine was incurred, then that fine cannot be persued in your home country.
The issue of the credit card charges are totally different. Whatever your nationality, you sign an agreement with a hire company. Within that agreement there will be a clause that states that you wil be charged by the hire company for the administration involved in the hire company having to provide your details to the police.
I am still sat on E500 of speeding fines from 4 to 5 years ago which were a result of various trips to Italy. They have never been persued further than two very cheap looking demands which I ignored and have no idea if they were even valid claims.
They were all issued 363 days after my trips ended and I drove around 2500 miles on each trip. In short I have absolutely no idea whether I was in that area at that time. I have no intention of paying.
Let's re-iterate the advice we gave earlier. The laws changes continually and the UK authorties are currently negotiating with the rest of the UK to allow the transfer of the FINES to the UK courts. This will mean that EU residents will have to pay EU fines where ever they are incurred in the EU.
However, the CURRENT situation is that if you are not a resident of the EU country in which the fine was incurred, then that fine cannot be persued in your home country.
The issue of the credit card charges are totally different. Whatever your nationality, you sign an agreement with a hire company. Within that agreement there will be a clause that states that you wil be charged by the hire company for the administration involved in the hire company having to provide your details to the police.
I am still sat on E500 of speeding fines from 4 to 5 years ago which were a result of various trips to Italy. They have never been persued further than two very cheap looking demands which I ignored and have no idea if they were even valid claims.
They were all issued 363 days after my trips ended and I drove around 2500 miles on each trip. In short I have absolutely no idea whether I was in that area at that time. I have no intention of paying.
Jan 8th, 2011, 07:28 AM
#59
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humptynumpty,
the law indeed changes and as far as I am aware among EU countries fines issued in one country have become enforceable since 12 Oct. 2010 in the respective country of residence of the offender. However this concerns only fines that have been issued after that date and fines concerning violations prior to that date, but where the ticket has only been issued afterwards (so how far they can issue tickets retrospectively will then depend on the applicable statutes of limitation in the issuing country).
However, any offenders from non-EU countries should generally not be concerned.
the law indeed changes and as far as I am aware among EU countries fines issued in one country have become enforceable since 12 Oct. 2010 in the respective country of residence of the offender. However this concerns only fines that have been issued after that date and fines concerning violations prior to that date, but where the ticket has only been issued afterwards (so how far they can issue tickets retrospectively will then depend on the applicable statutes of limitation in the issuing country).
However, any offenders from non-EU countries should generally not be concerned.
Jan 9th, 2011, 06:25 AM
#60
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>>>>
I am still sat on E500 of speeding fines...
>>>>>
this kind of language misuse is commonly heard in britain. who teaches our children to construct sentences like this? i was never taught to write like this. is this a northern state school way of expressing oneself?
you might still be SITTING on fines or perhaps at some point in the past you SAT on fines. but you are not still sat on fines. crikey when will we britons learn our own language?
I am still sat on E500 of speeding fines...
>>>>>
this kind of language misuse is commonly heard in britain. who teaches our children to construct sentences like this? i was never taught to write like this. is this a northern state school way of expressing oneself?
you might still be SITTING on fines or perhaps at some point in the past you SAT on fines. but you are not still sat on fines. crikey when will we britons learn our own language?
