How to identify the driver

If you are the owner of a car that has been caught speeding in Spain you will receive a letter with a requirement to identify the driver and some details of the offence. Individuals can choose to pay the fine straight away, unless they are Spanish residents and the driver identification is mandatory (fines with points deduction). Companies will usually choose to identify the employee / client who was driving. Here is a sample identification form that might be useful (I have omitted the head). I would attach a copy of the driver's driving license and fax it to the 0034902512151 (yes, they still use a fax).

Driver identification

Dossier: 111111111111

The driver at the time of the offence was,

Name: Mr. John Smith

Birth date: DD/MM/YYYY

Driving license nr:

Address: 123 Street
Hereandthere
A12 34B Charming Village

-------------------------

You can also fax a copy of the requirement, though the dossier or expediente number is the only thing they need.

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.