How do I pay my fine DGT es?

These are the steps to follow to pay a fine on the DGT website:

1. Go to https://sedeapl.dgt.gob.es:7443/WEB_IWPS5_INET/jsp/sincertificado/index.jspx.

2. Fill in the personal details of the holder of the card with which you are going to make the payment, choosing NIE, Passport or Other as the type of identification.

3. It is very important to provide a valid e-mail address, as the payment receipt will be sent by this means.

4. Use only numbers in the Document No. and Amount boxes. Select the notification date using the calendar (the day you received the fine).

5. Click the Plus button if you have more than one fine and repeat.

6. Click Continue.

7. Read and accept the terms and conditions and click Continue.

8. Enter your card details. The DGT website uses a double verification system, so you will receive an SMS or you will have to access your bank's app or website to complete the operation.

If you need assistance you can call the DGT hotline (+34987010559). The service is available in English from Monday to Friday mornings, from 08:00 to 14:00 (Spanish time).

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.

Where is the record number?

It isn't always easy to comply with the Spanish Traffic authorities, and their website is far from perfect. Whe trying to pay a Spanish ticket you will be required to provide the 'record number' for the fine. The 'record number' can be found on the top-right corner of the letter when the letter is in Spanish, under the 'N. EXPEDIENTE' label.

The Spanish speeding fine record number is required to complete the payment or to get further information about the ticket.

If the notification is in French, in Dutch, in German, in Italian, in Portuguese, in Polish, in English or in any other EU language, then the 'record number' will be on the top-left, labelled as record number, dossier number, pratica number, etc.

The field for the record number requires 12 digits, so forget the dots and dashes.

How to pay a Spanish speeding fine - step by step

If you wonder how to pay a Spanish speeding fine, I would recommend that you read '50% discount off speeding fines in Spain' before getting started.

This is the link to the official payment form in the Spanish Traffic Authority site: https://multas.dgt.es. It is very important that you refer to this site, I do NOT trust other sites, no matter how convincent the notification is. If the speeding fine can't be paid using the previous link I would leave it in quarantine. If the link doesn't work you can try a PC (where P means personal, sometimes professional computers have tighter security settings), ideally using Firefox or Chrome... If that doesn't solve it, you can still pay by transfer.

Let's see what the payment form looks like: 

1 - this field is set to NIF by default. You can set it to the document type of your choise by using the drop-down menu.

2 - use only numbers in this field, the system adds the right format.

3 - the calendar will apply the Spanish date format.

4 - use this if you need to pay more than one fine at the same time.

5 - proceed to the second step, where the system applies the reduction.

The fields you need to fill are the following,

1. Identification type: either Passport or Other (i.e. Driving Licence). 
2. Identification number: your passport / driving licence or ID number.
3. Name / Business name: the card holder's first name. 
4. Surname: the card holder's middle name.
5. Additional Surname: the card holder's last name.
6. Email: the e-mail address will be used to send the payment confirmation.
7. Document number: in Spanish 'expediente', in French 'dossier', in Italian 'pratica', in Portuguese 'processo'... The record number MUST have 12 digits (you won't have to use the punctuation marks).
8. Amount (with no discount): the total amount (100, 300, 400...). The site applies the reduction on the second step.
9. Notification date (DD/MM/YYYY): the date when you received the notification (you can use the calendar). 

You will need a debit/credit card to complete the operation. For some reason AmEx cards are NOT accepted.

Traffic fines in Europe

The European Commission has passed the EU Cross Border Enforcement Directive, so that traffic offences will be pursued throughout Europe even when you are driving your own car abroad. If you plan to travel to Spain by car, you better have a look at the following links before it is too late:

1. Going abroad - Spain: quick overview of the main Spanish traffic regulations; though "the Commission does not assume any liability for their content or their accuracy", I have confirmed that the information is trustworthy. 
2. EU Crossborder Enforcement Directive FAQ: check out number 4, "Which traffic offences are covered by the Directive", and number 5, "Will the level of the fines be the same as in the driver's own country" (spoiler: NO). 

This blog was meant to provide useful information about speeding fines in Spain, and to my surprise it is receiving more and more visits from all around the world, and specially from almost every European country. Here is my view of the question as of today, 

• If you are caught speeding you will receive a fine (this is 99% true). If so, pay immediately, and do not hesitate to call the help line if you have any problem doing so (Spanish, English, French and German spoken). If you don't pay, after about a month, the fine amount will double.
• Speeding fines in Spain are regulated by the Spanish law. Do not expect an image of the driver, nor of the car. You can request it when you get the fine if it is not included, but even in those cases it is not mandatory that the driver is recognizable. If you appeal requesting an image of the driver, you will lose the 50% discount for early payment!
• When and how to appeal: if the car in the image isn't yours or if you returned the rental car before the time of the offence, do not hesitate to appeal. The DGT operators will be able to confirm whether you are right or not over the phone, and, most important, can in certain cases take immediate action without you having to post or fax any documents. So again, use the help line, it will save you time and money.

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.

100 eur fine for speeding in Spain

The letter that the Spanish authorities are sending abroad to car owners in France, Germany, the Netherlands or Belgium is the one you can see below.

It is usually a fine for speeding, and the amount varies from 100 eur to 600 eur. Spanish law offers a 50% reduction for early payment (20 days), so my advice would be to pay as soon as possible.

You can pay by transfer (usually paying a transfer fee) or by card (check DGT's site for details, as there are ongoing updates on the English site).

As I speak a little Spanish, I have called their contact phone number a couple of times on behalf of someone else. To my surprise they have English speaking operators, and the lady was really helpful both times. A call to Spain is pretty cheap, and it can save you around 40 GBP (even more for higher fines). The last time I called the site insisted that I paid 100 euro, but I told the lady on the phone that I had only just received the letter and after closing the browser and trying again there was my reduction.