Italian Traffic Fine (Verbale): Speeding, Parking and How to Pay

An Italian traffic fine comes as a verbale — a verbale di contestazione when the police stopped you, a verbale di accertamento when a camera or a warden recorded the offence: speeding, a red light, parking, a bus lane. It is issued by the Polizia Stradale, the Carabinieri or a town's municipal police (Polizia Municipale or Locale).

Months later, by post

A verbale that was not handed over on the spot must be notified within 90 days to someone living in Italy and within 360 days to someone living abroad (art. 201 of the Highway Code). For a hire car the rental company first gives your details — and usually charges an administrative fee under the contract, which is not the fine — so the period is often counted from then. A verbale notified too late can be challenged.

Pay or appeal

• Within 5 days of receiving it: pay with 30% off the minimum (not for offences that carry a licence suspension).
• Within 60 days: pay the minimum plus costs (art. 202), or appeal to the Prefetto (art. 203).
• Instead of the Prefetto: appeal to the Giudice di Pace within 30 days — 60 if you live abroad.

Unpaid and not appealed, the fine rises to half the maximum and is collected by enforcement — in Italy often by a cartella esattoriale; within the EU it can be passed to the authorities of your own country. Enter the day you received the verbale on this page and the site counts the last day.

Collection agencies and scams

Towns often send fines abroad through a collection company such as Nivi and its EMO (European Municipality Outsourcing) division. These letters are usually real, but check the town, the date, the plate and the verbale number with the police named on it, and pay only to the accounts in the verbale — never through a link in a text message or an e-mail.

Unpaid motorway tolls

A missed toll is not a fine at first: the motorway operator issues a rapporto di mancato pagamento pedaggio, which Autostrade per l'Italia lets you pay online within 15 days without extra costs; later, costs are added. For a camera fine in an old town see a ZTL fine. A lawyer for speeding fines can check the verbale and appeal in Italian within the period.