How to pay a speeding ticket?

[jja]

Rather unfortunately, I got a speeding ticket over the weekend when driving through Romania. The police officer that gave me the ticket told me I could definitely pay at Romanian customs when leaving the country (he spoke pretty good English so there was really no language barrier).

 

I brought the ticket (a pink slip titled Proces-Verbal) to the customs officer at the Romanian-Bulgarian border. The Romanian customs officer, however, told me it was impossible to pay with him no matter what the police officer said. Then I was told by him and the Bulgarian customs officer (they share the same room at the border) that the easiest thing to do is to forget about this ticket and take no further action. Both of them were positive that this would not prevent me from driving through the border again in the future and that if the Romanian traffic police pulls me over again they wouldn't even know I have this unpaid ticket. They said there is no system to keep track of these tickets in Romania.

 

Thus, I am pretty confused now. Are these tickets really untrackable? Why would the police officer bother to give me one and misinform me that I can pay at the customs then? Honestly, I'd prefer to just pay the ticket and be done with it but I was told that the only way to do that I have to show up in any Romanian municipality during business hours which is impossible for me.

 

So what do you guys think? Is there a way to pay the ticket without showing up in person (bank transfer or something)? Or do I have to avoid driving in Romania if I don't pay the ticket? Is there really no way for the traffic police to know that I have a ticket pending?

[silviud.]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

1. Even if they do know, they don't care. In what regards the Romanian Police you have nothing to worry about. The only problem would have been at the border, but if the border police says nothing, then that's that.

 

2. Contact a lawyer and have him pay for you. Transfer the money to him/her and they will pay in your name. They will also need a copy of the "Proces Verbal" and your ID documents. Passport or perhaps something else. Have them check first with the local authority IF they can pay for you.

[pmstancu]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

Hi mate.

My honest suggestion is to go ahead paying the fine albeit you heard different stories from different persons (particularly those coming from "well trained authorities" that suggested you as they did!!). We all live in such a small world after all and you'll never know when same can came back to you.

With bit of help from someone (don't know if even brother Google translate can help you) you can access ghiseul.ro and pay the fine online with your credit/debit card.

Otherwise, it's up to you!

[jja]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

Hi mate.

My honest suggestion is to go ahead paying the fine albeit you heard different stories from different persons (particularly those coming from "well trained authorities" that suggested you as they did!!). We all live in such a small world after all and you'll never know when same can came back to you.

With bit of help from someone (don't know if even brother Google translate can help you) you can access ghiseul.ro and pay the fine online with your credit/debit card.

Otherwise, it's up to you!

 

Yeah as I said I'd really prefer to pay but I cannot do it in Romania in business hours. Thank you very much for pointing out the ghiseul.ro thing. It almost worked but at the end I got "CNP/CUI-ul persoanei pentru care se face plata este invalid!" message. The ticket has my Bulgarian ID number filled in that place and the site will not accept it. I see no way around this really.

[jja]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

1. Even if they do know, they don't care. In what regards the Romanian Police you have nothing to worry about. The only problem would have been at the border, but if the border police says nothing, then that's that.

 

2. Contact a lawyer and have him pay for you. Transfer the money to him/her and they will pay in your name. They will also need a copy of the "Proces Verbal" and your ID documents. Passport or perhaps something else. Have them check first with the local authority IF they can pay for you.

 

As ridiculous as it sounds lawyer might be my only option fro paying. Sad. Or I bite the bullet and rely on the system failures to avoid punishment for not paying the fine.

[jja]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

Actually here's another question. I was never shown the radar readings for my speed although I explicitly asked the police officer to see these. The police office told me that the law in Romania prohibits them showing the radar readings to me and they can only show these in a court of law. Is that true?

 

In Bulgaria if they use a radar they apply a printout with the radar readings to the ticket. Otherwise it is invalid. This is done to reduce the chance of police fraud (sadly Bulgarian police is infamous for tricks like this).

[silviud.]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

Actually here's another question. I was never shown the radar readings for my speed although I explicitly asked the police officer to see these. The police office told me that the law in Romania prohibits them showing the radar readings to me and they can only show these in a court of law. Is that true?.

 

YES. It's true.

 

Having been in Romania i imagine that there are Romanian people you know. Ask them to help you with the ticket, as to contact the local authorities and ask how they can pay the fine for you.

[jja]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

YES. It's true.

 

Having been in Romania i imagine that there are Romanian people you know. Ask them to help you with the ticket, as to contact the local authorities and ask how they can pay the fine for you.

 

The only person I know in Romania is the police officer that gave me the ticket :D

 

I guess it's lawyer or nothing then.

[silviud.]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

Ok. Here goes:

 

According to Law no. 5 from 08.01.2014, article 17, paragraph 2, the ticket you got must be payed in cash OR from your banking account to the State Treasury.

 

The above shown law may be found HERE but it is in Romanian.

 

Information about the State Treasury may be found HERE yet in Romanian, again. :(

 

The LIST of accounts available for payment should be found on THIS list, and I think (but i don't know for sure) that the account you're looking for is at page 39, the 7th from the top down.

 

There are also other accounts available on that huge list, but I honestly have no clue which one it really is.

 

You may also try and call the numbers found on the second link above and see if someone speaks English and is willing to help you out.

 

L.E.

 

Google translate, of the above quoted article, says:

 

Article 17

(1) The breaches of public roads perpetrated in Romania with a vehicle registered in another Member State or in a participating State, which, by law, constitute offenses and sanctions offenses are made under the terms of this chapter, where the vehicle was driven by a national of a Member State other than Romania, a national of a State or a Romanian citizen or foreigner residing or, where appropriate, resident or resident in that State .

(2) The fines imposed on citizens of Member States other than Romania, citizens of a State or Romanian citizens or foreigners with residence or, where appropriate, resident or resident in these countries for violations committed under the terms of par. (1) which, by law, are contraventions, are revenues to the state budget and is payable in cash at any branch of the State Treasury or by transfer to the respective income account of state budget opened at the Treasury and Public Accounting Bucharest City tax identification code encoded with the Directorate-General of Regional Public Finance Bucharest.

(3) The fines paid by bank transfer in para. (2) may be used any means of payment, such as postal services, banking and financial institutions and electronic payment instruments and national electronic system of online payment of taxes using the bank card.

Edited November 28, 2016 by silviud.

[Yonutz]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

Good evening,

 

In this case there are two possibilities:

 

1. You can pay directly in person into the account of the Romanian province where you took the penalty to one of their bank officers (romanian post or some banks with special accounts use to do it for you).

2. You and send money to someone who sits in Romania, in that province where you took the penality with your copy of passport and a copy of that penalty to pay directly.

 

There is no other way to pay the penalty in your case. The bank accounts of the Romanian state can be credited only from some similar accounts (we called that treasury bank account) if someone want to do a payment "bank to bank".

 

There is no possibility to make payment from personal account to Romanian state bank account. That payment cant be done from one country to another.

 

Maybe what I say does not make sense but that's unfortunately the law in Romania. If you will not pay the penalty will not have problems, but the next entry in Romania definitely going to have trouble when you'll have crossing the border again in Romania.

[georgei23]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

I don't think the job of Frontier Police is to collect speed tickets.....I would be very surprised to find out this!

Their job is to control if one would cross the border without proper papers and to arrest the ones which would have an international arrest warrant issued on their name....which I don't think it is the case for a speed ticket.

 

The only way to collect it would be through a private collection company, which would buy it from Romanian government and try to collect it in Bulgaria. It is the same risk/approach like you would have not paid your telephone bill in BG...

 

So.....if they want the money they will look for you in BG, which is very unlikely IMO...If they want to collect it in BG they will indicate it how to pay......so, RELAX ...

Edited November 28, 2016 by georgei23

[jja]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

I don't think the job of Frontier Police is to collect speed tickets.....I would be very surprised to find out this!

Their job is to control if one would cross the border without proper papers and to arrest the ones which would have an international arrest warrant issued on their name....which I don't think it is the case for a speed ticket.

 

The only way to collect it would be through a private collection company, which would buy it from Romanian government and try to collect it in Bulgaria. It is the same risk/approach like you would have not paid your telephone bill in BG...

 

So.....if they want the money they will look for you in BG, which is very unlikely IMO...If they want to collect it in BG they will indicate it how to pay......so, RELAX ...

 

I am not really concerned with this thing reaching BG. I will definitely handle it if it does. What bothers me is the whole thing catching up with me the next time I drive through Romania. If the traffic police has instant access to tickets database (say they have tablets or something) and I get detained or if they take my drivers license away because of this unpaid ticket it will be a lot of hassle. What's the chance of this happening?

[Astral]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

I am not really concerned with this thing reaching BG. I will definitely handle it if it does. What bothers me is the whole thing catching up with me the next time I drive through Romania. If the traffic police has instant access to tickets database (say they have tablets or something) and I get detained or if they take my drivers license away because of this unpaid ticket it will be a lot of hassle. What's the chance of this happening?

 

None at all !

 

Those tickets are registered only in the taxes personal account from Finance Ministery and police has nothing to do with it !

[georgei23]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

I am not really concerned with this thing reaching BG. I will definitely handle it if it does. What bothers me is the whole thing catching up with me the next time I drive through Romania. If the traffic police has instant access to tickets database (say they have tablets or something) and I get detained or if they take my drivers license away because of this unpaid ticket it will be a lot of hassle. What's the chance of this happening?

Don't worry! They don't have! They are like in the stone age! In Romania if they catch and fine me and I don't pay spot to the policeman I have to send a copy of the payment receipt to the police station where the policeman that fined me belongs, otherways although I have paid the fine they don't know and will start forced collection process.......So, stay relaxed and don't worry to face again Romanian police.

 

Or, to put it differently the job of police is to fine you for the speed....they don't look after collection.

If I don't pay or don't send the payment receipt to the police they will send the fine to the tax authority where I have a property and the tax office will take over the collection process....

After police sends the claim to tax office their job is finished in this regard.

There are people driving on streets with tens speed tickets filed with their tax office and they drive without any problem in Romania.

 

Again...the role of the police is to fine you for speed! They can not stop you in the street because you have not paid the fine. This is not a crime to have an arrest warant issued for it.....It would be against your free moving right....which is a basic human right....

Edited November 28, 2016 by georgei23

[rbr]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

just a thought: you might get better answers in a Bulgarian forum (from Bulgarians that got a speeding ticket in Romania)

[jja]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

just a thought: you might get better answers in a Bulgarian forum (from Bulgarians that got a speeding ticket in Romania)

 

Yep I already did that research. There are quite some people that got the same kind of ticket and could not pay it. They drove in Romania after that and had no problems crossing the border but none of them got pulled over a second time. So, it was not really clear what happens in this case.

 

Besides I really wanted to register in this forum, too. I am planning to do some offroading around Romania next year and this looks like a good place to get more information :grin:

[ccristi27]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

Yep I already did that research. There are quite some people that got the same kind of ticket and could not pay it. They drove in Romania after that and had no problems crossing the border but none of them got pulled over a second time. So, it was not really clear what happens in this case.

 

Besides I really wanted to register in this forum, too. I am planning to do some offroading around Romania next year and this looks like a good place to get more information :grin:

 

Well, since you are not the first foreign citizen getting a speed ticket in RO, don't worry!

However if you opened this topic on our forum maybe you could share some useful information how can we pay speed tickets in BG because you know we travel a lot in BG especially during holidays. We know some workarounds with BG police but sometimes we don't speak the same language, if you know what it means:wink:

Greetings,

[Yonutz]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

Even if now the situation is unclear with penalties in romania in the future who knows what can happen?! The legislation changes from year to year and at one point left unpaid penalty may hurt when we do not expect.

 

 

Daia ne scuipa toti peste tot unde mergem si suntem pielea p**i, sclavi culegatori ca capsuni, strangatori de gunoaie, caratori de cacat. Vrem sa traim cat mai bine dar nu muncim, suntam legea ori de cate ori putem si mai rau decat atat, asa ii invatam si pe altii. La cenusa in cap si pisat pe gardul vecinului suntem campioni mondiali ...Mentalitatea tot la nivelul epocii de mult apusa a ramas. Si noi odata cu ea poate inca vreo 20 de generatii de acum incolo.

[jja]

Re: How to pay a speeding ticket?

 

Well, since you are not the first foreign citizen getting a speed ticket in RO, don't worry!

However if you opened this topic on our forum maybe you could share some useful information how can we pay speed tickets in BG because you know we travel a lot in BG especially during holidays. We know some workarounds with BG police but sometimes we don't speak the same language, if you know what it means:wink:

Greetings,

 

I'll gladly return the favor.

 

So, the chances are nothing really happens if a foreigner doesn't pay their BG tickets. However, since the beginning of 2016 Bulgarian traffic police got tablets installed in some police cruisers and started taking away drivers licenses for expired ticket payments (they return them upon payment but not surprisingly the process takes time). However, it is unclear whether they have access to the national or just to the regional tickets database. It is also unclear whether the tickets issued to foreigners are in the database at all. So it's a game of chance but now the chance that a foreginer loses their license over unpaid ticket is greater than 0.

 

So should you want to pay...paying in BG might be easier. You can use this - https://www.epay.bg/pay/kat/. You can also transfer money to these accounts directly - http://www.nap.bg/page?id=549 but you have to provide all the necessary info in the transfer reason/comments and there is a chance it won't be interpreted correctly and the ticket won't be marked as paid.

 

Now we get to the fun part.

 

As you might very well be aware, though, BG traffic police is notorious for taking/extorting bribes. If they don't ask for a bribe (most if not all of the time they do) you can offer one. The best approach is asking whether you can pay the fine on the spot (officers are explicitly forbidden to collect fines in BG so if you pay something on the spot that is definitely a bribe). So asking this is pretty safe thing to test their willingness to be bribed. Also, if you get asked what your job/occupation is this means they are trying to get a bribe from you. It's like a secret code just that everybody knows it :D

 

Now, we get to the even funnier part.

 

Quite often (especially for foreigners and luxury vehicles) BG police will fake a problem to try make you bribe them. The really common scenario involves the use of speed radar. They will try to convince you that you were speeding. In BG they HAVE TO show you the radar reading. They also have to give you a printout with your speed and a TIMESTAMP (older radars take no photos of reg. plates they just record time of measurement). The printout is integral part of your speed ticket. There are a couple of scenarios they use to fake speeding:

 

• Fake Timestamp - They shot another speeding car that passed by before you. They took the bribe from the other guy but now they have to issue a ticket to somebody 'cause they can't clean radar memory. A foreign guy is a good option. So, check timestamp and compare to the time you got pulled over.
  
• Fake Reading - You get pulled over and they show you a number (pretty high) on the radar back screen claiming this was your speed. Usually that is some radar setting (more often than not the speed above which the radar beeps) and not your actual speed. Ask for photo with your plates and speed or timestamp.
  
• Fake Radar - They have an old out of use radar that might or might not be modified to show higher than actual readings. They also have an official radar in the car but they use the other one so that they don't put stuff in the official one's memory (they can't erase it). It's hard to tell whether this is the case. You can just bite the bullet and let them write the ticket. If they used a fake radar they'll find a reason not to.
  

 

Last but not least in BG only the Traffic Police can issue tickets. Security Police can pull over cars and search them but they can't issue tickets. They can make you stay there and call the Traffic Police in to issue the ticket. They act as witnesses then. In reality Security Police pulls over vehicles and tries to extort bribes from drivers on actual or faked traffic law violations. So when you get pulled over read the signs on the officers uniforms (there are signs in English). There should be at least one Traffic Police officer for you to get a ticket. If there is none act calm and don't offer any bribe. Say that you prefer getting a ticket. They'll find a reason not to write one since they really can't. They won't call in Traffic Police, too cause that will expose their activities to their superiors. Don't argue with them though or make them angry 'cause then they might risk in calling their Traffic Police colleagues then. Just act calm and ask for the ticket.

 

So more or less that is it. Good luck on the Bulgarian roads fellow offroaders :)