Traffic fines are from now on more expensive: offenders are now paying themselves …

“This additional administrative fee is part of the Program Act of June 21, 2021,” according to FPS Justice. This states that society as a whole cannot and should not bear the administrative costs of handling fines, but rather the offender himself. From now on, anyone who commits a violation will also be responsible for the additional costs associated with it. Including sending the report.

Additional cost

“Each fine letter will make it clear in a transparent manner that the amount to be paid consists of the fine itself plus additional file administration fees,” explains Sharon Bevis of FPS Finance.

The degree of violation shall not be counted in determining those administrative costs. From now on, €8.84 will be added for immediate collection or friendly settlement. Regardless of whether it is a lighter or greater fine. Or €25.32 for a file that develops into a payment order, according to FPS Finance.

In concrete terms: anyone who is stopped because, for example, they are not wearing a seat belt or were not using a hands-free phone, they are now subject to a fine of €116. Plus 8.84 euros, bringing the total to 124.84 euros. If you do not leave your car unlocked or sound its horn unnecessarily, you risk a fine of €58 plus €8.84 additional administrative costs.

For a payment order or a conviction by a police court (for example, a dangerous speeding ticket or drunk driving), you now pay €25.32 in administrative costs plus the fine.

15 million euros

The new surcharge should bring the treasury another 15 million euros this year. After that, the income is estimated at 43 million euros annually.

Another thing: no one gets away with extra costs. Not even who, for example, was stopped by the traffic police on the highway and paid the fine on the spot.

“If the fine has lapsed, when the prosecution has accepted a dispute of facts, the additional administrative fee will also lapse. The offender will no longer have to pay the extra fee or will be refunded with the amount already paid,” says Sharon Beavis of FPS Finance.