Car hire and administrative fees

I am convinced that administrative fees sum up to 80% of car hire companies' benefits. They will charge your credit card without prior notice, send you an e-mail informing about the fine and wash their hands. 

Is there anything we can do? Nothing, but paying for the fine. 

It is not clear why such a fee should be charged, given the fact that identifying the driver is their legal duty to do so! They are charging you and me for something they are obliged to.

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As the list of spots controlled by radar is updated monthly, radar than providing an information that will be outdated in a matter of weeks, I think it's more useful to provide the link where the information will always be up-to-date: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

Disputing a Spanish fine is pretty easy, you just need to send a letter or a fax quoting the reference number and the reason(s) to dispute it. The appeal can be written either in Spanish or in English.

By disputing the fine you agree to pay the full amount if your appeal is dismissed.

Identifying a driver is not considered a dispute, and the reduction for early payment applies to the identified driver.

My insurance company called to say I have a pending fine

When DGT or other issuing authorities can't reach the car owner at their registered address, the fines are notified through the TEU, an online platform at the Official State Gazette or BOE. The TEU service is not available in English, but some insurance companies check it daily in case their clients appear in the public announcements. If that is the case you will receive a call and they will provide basic information about the fine. The most important information you must request is:

1. Reference number: this number is mandatory to pay for the fine or to gather further information. DGT reference numbers, por example, have 12 digits. 
2. Date of the offence: the date is useful to pay for the fine. 
3. Amount to pay: the total amount can be reduced up to a 50% in the early payment window (20 days after the notification). 
4. Issuing authority: you will have to contact them for full details. 

Fines get published at the TEU when the recipient of the letter cannot collect it at the post office or when the address is not updated. In Spain DGT uses their own database to send fines, and to complicate things further they have two databases, the Driver Registry and the Car Registry, so if you buy a new car and provide an updated address, they do not update the driver's address!!! It sounds crazy, but you need to request that the address be updated for notification purposes if you don't want to get a call from your insurance company. 

If you have been living in Spain long enough and your land line number remains the same, you are likely to get a call from a company that will offer disputing the fine for about 40 euro. Do not hire their service, for they will send an automated writing that has no effect and you will have to pay the fine in full afterwards.

Got a Spanish ticket from September, October or November? Get the 50% reduction!

You were in Spain for a couple of weeks last September, October or November and you get a ticket in January... Hm, 100 euro, maybe 300 euro... Oh, there seems to be a reduction for early payment, but you got the letter too late! 

Ok, no worries on that respect. As far as we have confirmed (and so have our readers), you can still get the reduction. All you have to do is making a call to the Spanish Traffic Authority (DGT or CTDA, depending on the type of fine) and inform them that you have only just received the ticket. 

The number you should dial is 0034 902 508 686. This number is valid from the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Norway, France, Portugal... And there are always English and French operators available (just wait until a person answers in Spanish and let them know that you want to speak either English or French, you will be transferred immediately). 

For further information, check our FAQ.

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.