Error: it was not possible to conduct the operation

The DGT payment platform is having issues with given cards, especially when trying to pay a fine from third countries. The error message is pretty vague: 'Error: it was not possible to conduct the operation'.

In these cases the only alternative seems to be making a bank transfer.

The field 'date of notification' is not correct

If you get the following error message: 'Error:  the field 'date of notification' is not correct' you should try again using a Windows PC or an Android device with either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.

If you use iOS no matter the browser or Windows with Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, DGT's website won't read the notification date properly.

Update August 2020: important information if you are trying to pay from the US or from Canada.

I have received a fine, but it is in Spanish!

Ok, let us begin at the beginning. Go to the top-left corner and read the words after 'ASUNTO', there are several possibilities, but the most common are,

1. 'Notificación de iniciación de expediente' (notice of initiation of administrative proceedings). You have been identified as the driver of the car (even if you were just the person who paid for the car rental). If it is a 100 euro fine you don't need to identify the driver: the fine will be deleted from your driver's record once it has been paid for, and it will be easier to get the 50% reduction. You can still identify the driver if, and only IF, it was a rental car. If a friend has identified you by mistake it is likely that either you pay the fine or your friend is fined for misidentification. 
2. 'Petición de datos al titular para identificación del conductor' (request to the registered owner to identify the driver). You can identify the driver on the Internet, by fax, or by post. If you cannot complete the identification process online (the DGT site is a nightmare), I would suggest that you contact the DGT by phone a week after sending the documents to confirm that everything is OK. To identify the driver you will have to quote the record number ('número de expediente') and provide the driver name, ID (NIF, NIE or passport*), and full address. If the driver does not have a Spanish driving licence, it is advisable to attach a good quality copy of it. 

Have you received a notification with a different 'asunto'? Leave us a comment and we will try to provide further information! And whenever you need the procedure clarified, do not hesitate to contact the Spanish authorities.

* NIF and NIE are the Spanish IDs. The NIF format is NNNNNNNNL, and the NIE format is LNNNNNNNL, where N is a number and L is a letter.

Can I get a receipt after paying a fine in Spain?

There are two ways to get a receipt,

• Online: you can request it at the end of the payment operation, introducing your e-mail in the given field. As the payment is done via credit or debit card, you can also ask your bank for the operation details. 
• Transfer: if you pay by transfer you will have to quote the reference number (top-right corner), and your bank will issue a receipt. [Subject to surcharge]

According to the Spanish law if you pay by card the procedure against you MUST be closed within 72 hours, so my advice is to call their information number 72 hours after the payment to confirm that the procedure is closed. If that is the case you can forget about the fine.

Speed cameras in Malaga

Malaga is one of the best Spanish destinations, as it offers a perfect balance of beach, sun, shopping, culture, nightlife and gastronomy. The A-7 (the highway that runs parallel to the coast) and the A-45 (also a highway, this one connecting Malaga and Cordoba) concentrate most of the speeding cameras. You can be aware of their precise location hiring a GPS (DGT informs about their location in advance).

As the list of spots controlled by radar is updated monthly, radar than providing an information that will be outdated in a matter of weeks, I think it's more useful to provide the link where the information will always be up-to-date:

1. List of speeding cameras and areas under strict control: http://www.dgt.es/es/el-trafico/control-de-velocidad/malaga/index.shtml * 
2. Map highlighting the roads under strict speeding control: http://www.dgt.es/Galerias/el-trafico/control-de-velocidad/Malaga.jpg 

* vocabulary tips: "radar fijo" means "fixed speed camera". "Radar tramo" means "road section average speed camera". "Radar móvil" means "mobile speed camera". 

You migh be interested in our article about the tolerance thresold in Spain.

Can I still get the reduction for a Spanish fine I got last summer?

Some readers still doubt they can get the reduction in their speeding fine six months after the offence. Let's make it clear once again, there are only two conditions for the reduction to be applicable,

1. The car driver is not registered as a driver in Spain.
2. Calling the Spanish Traffic Authority and insisting that you have only just received the fine.

You have all the information you might need in our Paying a speeding fine in Spain page.

Oh, and one more thing, if you are considering a trip to Spain in 2016 don't forget that DGT is moving some of its speeding cameras to secondary roads (most of them were in highways). 

Paying a Spanish ticket by transfer

If you have paid a Spanish ticket by transfer within the last 6 months, you might be in trouble. When paying by transfer it is always important to include the 'expediente' number in the transfer form. If you fail to do so, the fine will be unpaid for the Spanish authorities. Several drivers in France have found that the Spanish authorities are insisting that they must pay a fine they have already paid.

Our advice if you choose to pay by transfer is to call the Spanish authorities two weeks after making the transfer to confirm both that they have registered the payment and that the file has been closed for payment (which means you will receive no further communications, and the car rental company won't charge the fine amount plus a fee on your credit card).

I've found three similar cases in different forums on the Internet, so if you choose to pay by transfer make sure to confirm that they register your payment properly.

NEVER EVER request a copy of the fine in English

This is a comment I received a couple of weeks ago. I think it deserves its own space here:

I pay my fines, so when I received one after my trip to Tenerife I did my best to pay. The information in English was terrible, so I sent a letter asking for a copy of the fine in English. Three weeks later I received a copy of the fine... in Spanish again. I called the number in the letter, and a lady kindly informed me that they received my request and as per their regulations I was disputing the fine and had lost any chance to get the 50% discount.

I was shocked, so I thanked her and hung up. After browsing the Internet I found advice as to how to pay online and paid 300 euro. 

I think those 150 euro extra I paid would have been better invested in Spanish lessons, tbh. 

So trust me, do NEVER EVER request a copy of the fine in English. It will cost you time and money.

The next time I get a fine from Spain I'll leave it in a drawer, I'll call them 6 months later and I will pay my fine, still not knowing what they say, but with my reduction.

Many French visitors in the last few weeks

Spain and France signed a reciprocal agreement to share car owners information, and in the last few months both Spanish and French drivers have received the first cross-border fines. That is probably why some French readers found this blog.

My sources in Spain tell me that the letter sent to French drivers might be confusing, but CTDA seems to have French speaking operators, so for any doubt or question call them straight away and demand any information that you need.

I can't yet confirm whether the trick to get the discount (calling and saying that you just received the fine) works for French drivers, comments regarding this or any other point are welcome.

Speeding in Spain: two facts and the new EU directive

As of May 2015, a new EU traffic directive will make sure that every EU country shares car owner information so that eight different traffic violations can be enforced.

According to EU figures, foreign drivers account for 5% of the road traffic and about 15% of the speed offences.

All of the offences enforced by this directive are considered major road safety offences:

1. Speeding;
2. Not using a seatbelt;
3. Not stopping at a red traffic light or other mandatory stop signal;
4. Drink driving;
5. Driving under the influence of drugs;
6. Not wearing a safety helmet (for motorcyclists);
7. Using a forbidden lane (such as the forbidden use of an emergency lane, a lane reserved for public transport, or a lane closed down for road works);
8. Illegally using a mobile phone, or any other communications device, while driving.

Up to this moment, car rental companies were the best way to reach a foreing driver, as countries weren't always willing to provide that information*. From next month, sharing the car holder's data will be a matter of minutes.

* Spain and France had an agreement to exchange these data, but it was a bilateral one, not affecting third countries.

Tolerance threshold Spain, clarified

As of February 19th, the DGT announced that the 'tolerance threshold' in speeding cameras across most of Spain will be the same; Catalonia and the Basque Country will keep their very own margins, and they keep them locked under seven keys.

In areas where the speed limit is 90 km/h or lower, the tolerance thresold is 7km/h. So if you drive at 57 km/h in an area with a limit of 50 km/h, you are free to go... At 58 the speed camera will take a pic of your car and you are likely to receive a letter within a few weeks.

The image shows speed limit, speed necessary to activate the camera, and the table used to calculate the amount of the fine.

Do not hesitate to leave a comment for any question or doubt.

Heavy snow hits northern Spain

More than 200 people, around a hundred of them brits, were rescued in northern Spain after they got stranded because of the heavy snow.

If you are due to drive in Asturias, Leon, Cantabria or Palencia within the next few days, make sure to fill the car's gas tank. If for any reason you feel you might be in trouble, dial 112 (emergencies line).

The Army's special unit for disasters, UME, is working hard to make roads safer.

More information: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2942457/More-100-Brits-stuck-Spain-heavy-snowfall-Travellers-headed-Santander-stranded-roads-17-HOURS.html

900 euro fine in Spain

Failing to identify the driver in certain speeding fines in Spain can be expensive. The car owner will get a 900 euro fine. These fines triple the amount of the original fine, and there is no early payment reduction.

These are the most common speeding fines in Spain,

• 100 euro: about 75% of the fines. This is the only speeding fine in which identifying the driver is not mandatory, as points will not be taken off the driver's licence. 
• 300 euro: about 15% of the fines. Two points taken off. 
• 400 euro: about 5% of the fines. Four oints taken off. 
• 500 euro: about 4% of the fines. Six points taken off. 
• 600 euro: about 1% of the fines. Six points taken off, and driver might be sent to court.

Fines for failing to identify the driver triple the previous ones, 

• 300 euro: very rare, just in cases when the car owner is not a physical person and refuses to acknowledge the fine. 
• 900 euro: 80% of the fines for not identifying the driver. 
• 1200 euro: 12%. 
• 1500 euro: 8%.
• 1800 euro: very rare. 

Fines for failing to identify the driver can be disputed, and it is easier than you might think, but we will talk about that later on.

Update: good information about these tickets in Spanish in this URL (copy and paste in Google Translate): http://sanciones.info/www-dgt-es/tramites-y-multas/multa-de-900-euros-por-no-identificar-al-conductor/ 

To pay or not to pay, that is the question

Spanish residents can hardly escape the Tax Agency, but tourists visiting the country might think they can avoid paying a fine... Well, they can, though it won't be easy.

Spanish authorities have up to four years to request that a fine be paid, but they try for up to a year. If by that time the driver does not comply, the fine will be charged to the car owner... And the car owner, usually a car rental company, will not hesitate to charge the user card and demand all applicable fees according to the contract.

Our advice is to pay for the fine as soon as possible... And getting the 50% reduction available to early payers.

Fines in Spain: sample letter

Did you receive a letter from the DGT (Spanish Traffic Authority)? The information in the letter is organized in numbered areas, as you can see in the picture.

1. Date of the offence, time and record number: you will need both the date and the record number to pay for the fine (the record number, 'número expediente' in Spanish, has 12 digits).
2. Legal stuff: article and law you broke.
3. Where: precise location where the offence took place.
4. Why: a brief explanation of the offence (in speeding fines it includes both the car speed and the limit speed for the road).
5. Vehicle data: if the car was rented, you can check your contract and confirm that the car rental company didn't make a mistake.
6. Your name and address: if you have received the letter these data are likely to be correct.

You don't really need to read / translate all the text below, all the information you need is there. 

Pro tip: you can reply to the letter and request that they send you a copy in English or in your mother tongue (the address is below the Spanish coat of arms).

Barcelona to enforce towing service

BCN city hall has informed the tow service personnel that their contractual conditions will be unilaterally changed starting last 1st January. To sum up, every worker will have to work 10 more days a year - for the same salary.

The ultimate purpose of this measure is to increase municipal revenue from towing fines, which are already the most expensive in Spain (starting at 150 EUR, plus parking or traffic fine and increased depending on the time the car spends in the deposit).

As in every major European city, parking in Barcelona is more difficult every month. and more expensive!

Fixed speeding cameras in Spain: numbers

Spanish roads sum over 165.000 kilometres. There are around 5 speeding cameras for every 1.000 kilometers of roads, but the distribution of the speed cameras is anything but uniform.

Two autonomous communities in Spain, the Basque Country and Catalonia, sum more than 30% of the speeding cameras in the country, with record averages of 13'5 speeding traps every 1.000 kilometers in the Basque Country and 18 in Catalonia.

That means that if you hire a car in Barcelona and use it for about a week you will be monitored between 20 and 100 times, depending on how much you drive... Take into account that speeding cameras are often placed in touristic areas, you will probably find well over 18 for every 1.000 kilometers on the road.

The average speeding cameras every 1.000 kilometers reduces to 9 in Madrid. The lowest rates are found in Castile and Leon (2'45), Extremadura (2'18) and Navarra (1).

Car rental in Spain

Renting a car is one of the best ways to move around Spain. Driving in Spain is pretty much like driving in any other european country. There are three things you should remember if you decide to rent a car in Spain:

• know your rights: if you hire a car within the EU you should read this site before leaving home.
• speed limits: 50 km/h in urban areas (though it can be reduced to 30 km/h), 100 km/h in interurban roads (90 km/h in smaller roads) and 120 km/h in highways. Respecting these limits is the best way to avoid speeding fines.
• there is much more to Spain than the coast: consider, for example, these five one-day excursions from Madrid.

Parking fines in Spain

There are two different types of parking fines in Spain,
- local parking fines: in blue/green areas without the required ticket, and
- general parking fines: parking offences against the Traffic Law (parking in areas reserved for the disabled, etc)
You can contact the DGT for fines of the second type (ser contact details in the right column -or at the bottom if you read the blog on your mobile phone).

Spanish traffic law: FAQ

Question: Does your advice apply to every Spanish fine? 

Answer: no. Spanish traffic law is a bit of a chaos, and you can be fined by DGT (Spanish Traffic Authority), by Trànsit (Catalan Traffic Authority, only in Catalonia), by Trafikoa (Basque Traffic Authority, only in the Basque Country) or by local authorities (only in urban areas). Our advice is limited to the DGT fines; you can identify them by the file number, a twelve digit code with the following format: 00-000-000.000-0. However, the Spanish traffic law is the same, no matter who operates the speed camera. As DGT is responsible for over 80% of the speeding fines we will focus our attention on those.

Question: Can I be fined for going 1 km/h above the speed limit in Spanish roads?

Answer: no. No matter what you read elsewhere, speed cameras in Spain won't activate unless you drive 7% above the limit (if the speed limit is 100 km/h, you'll be fined for going 8+ km/h above the limit). 

Question: I want to pay half of the fine amount, but I am well over the 20 calendar days limit. What can I do? 

Answer: if you are either a Spanish citizen or a legal Spanish resident, chances are scant that you escape from paying the full amount. If you live anywhere but in Spain, you just need to dial 0034902508686, quote your file number/s and insist that you just found out about the fine/s. You will be given a grace day, and will be allowed to pay with the reduction within the next 24 hours. As this is undoubtedly the most asked question, you have all of the information you might need here.

Question: can I know where the speed cameras are before starting my trip?
Answer: the location of the speed cameras is published by the Spanish government, but speed cameras operated by traffic authorities like the Guardia Civil can vary and are not published. However, the speed cameras of which the precise location is published are responsible for well above 60% of the fines, so it is always good to check this map before renting a car in Spain (to see only speed cameras, leave "radares" box checked and uncheck the others; the map works fine in Internet Explorer, not so good in other browsers).