We have already paid the car rental company.
Car rental companies are not able to collect payment of fines on behalf of the police force. On the basis of what is stipulated in the car rental agreement you signed with the company, the amount paid with your credit card corresponds to the administrative expenses incurred by the car rental company for having transmitted your personal data to the authorities, after which the police took care of sending you the fine for the violation of the traffic code perpetrated by the vehicle in question during the rental period.
What is the ZTL (limited traffic zone)?
The limited traffic zone is an area where the circulating of unauthorised vehicles is not allowed. Only the following vehicles may access this area: vehicles at the service of the disable and vehicles with special permits issued by the city council. Normally the accesses in the larger cities are controlled by cameras which take photos of the unauthorised vehicles as they enter. All entrances to the ZTL recorded by the camera are considered as distinct and separate violations due to being dynamic violations and therefore every single fine is regular and cannot be attributed to one and the same violation. In the smaller towns the zone is controlled directly by the traffic police. The ZTL is indicated with vertical no-entry signs.
I was staying in a hotel right in the centre of the ZTL. Was I authorised?
In some Italian municipalities, the Guests of incoming structures may enter the ZTL with their cars to reach the structure they are staying at. The hotel must register the licence plates of the vehicle with the Municipal Police. If this registration was not made and you have received a fine for accessing the ZTL you must send us a document proving you stayed in the hotel (invoice or declaration from the hotel).
In other Italian municipalities, the Guests of hotels may enter the Limited Traffic Area (Z.T.L.) with their cars only and exclusively on the day of their arrival and/or departure for unloading/loading their luggage. At the moment of check-in and/or check-out, the hotel have to communicate the licence plate number of the vehicle to the Municipal Police. If the license plate number was wrongly entered into the Municipal Police website used for the registration of license plate numbers, you need to send us a copy of the hotel receipt and statement from the hotel confirming their mistake.
Can I access the ZTL if I have a parking permit for the disable?
Vehicles carrying a disabled person may enter Limited Traffic Areas (Z.T.L.) and use public trasport reserved lanes. Unfortunately, these areas and lanes are usually controlled by an automatic control system which is not able to recognise the disabled parking card displayed on the car.
Was I authorised to enter the ZTL to park the car in a private pay garage inside the same?
Clients of a private garage located inside the Limited Traffic Area (Z.T.L.) can access the restricted zone only and exclusively for parking the vehicle. Every time the vehicle enters the garage, the staff have to communicate the licence plate number of the car to the Municipal Police. If the license plate number was not forwarded to the Municipal Police, please contact the garage and request a statement confirming that they did not communicate the license plate number to the Municipal Police. Then, in order to have your case reconsidered, you need to lodge an appeal to the competent Prefect within 60 days from receiving the official notification of the infringement by registered post with return receipt, enclosing a copy of the statement from the garage.
What is a preferential lane?
A preferential lane is a lane reserved only and exclusively for public transport (buses, taxis), emergency vehicles and the police. The preferential lane is indicated with vertical no-entry signs. The controlling of access to these lanes is carried out either by cameras or by police officers.
Why wasn’t I immediately stopped by the police?
The following are the cases in which the violation is not notified immediately:
- When it is not possible to stop the vehicle due to its excessive speed
- In the event of crossing an intersection against a red light
- In the event of overtaking where not permitted
- In the absence of the perpetrator and/or the owner of the vehicle
- In the event of telematic control of the accesses and no-entry to unauthorised vehicles (ZTL, preferential lanes, etc.)
- In order to prevent blocking the transiting of other vehicles
- Finding of infringement by means of special detection equipment directly managed by the Police bodies that allow the determination of the offense only later (Article 201 bis, paragraph 1 letter e) traffic laws).
- Assessment made with devices installed in a fixed location and automated referred to in Article 4 of the Decree-Law of 20 June 2002, n. 121 (Article 201, paragraph 1 bis letter f) C.d.S).
Why didn’t I find a fine on the windscreen of my car?
The fine is always issued and attached under the front or rear windscreen wipers of the vehicle in the event of a no-parking area or no-entry to the ZTL when not monitored by an electronic device, even though this is not foreseen by the traffic code, and therefore, not compulsory. It is not possible for the police to know the reason why you did not find the fine; nevertheless this does not mean that the fine sent to you by post is not regular or valid. Whenever the police send the fine to your address of residence, according to the traffic code you are also responsible for paying the postage, ascertainment and notification expenses (art. 201 c. 4).
Can I request a reduction in the amount of the fine?
No, the amounts of the fines are established by law and therefore no reductions are applicable.
What’s the difference between the Payment Notice before the Notification and the Notification?
The Payment Notice is a kind of courtesy letter that the police send by priority post to the owner to inform them of the violation perpetrated. In the event of payment not being made within 60 days after receipt of this Notice, the police then send the owner an official notification via registered letter with proof of receipt. After receipt of the Notice the user must either pay the fine or advance an appeal by and no later than 60 days. One this term has expired, the police then send the notification with the amount increased, as indicated in the same.
When is it possible to advance an appeal?
An appeal may only be advanced by and no later than 60 days after receipt of the Notification.
Is it possible to advance an appeal after receipt of the Payment Notice before receiving the official Notification?
Absolutely NOT. The appeal can only be lodged after receipt of the official Notification. If the appeal is lodged before the official Notification it will not be taken into consideration
Can I lodge an appeal in my own language?
Absolutely NOT. If the appeal is lodged in any language other than Italian it will not be taken into consideration.
How should I lodge an appeal?
Only in the case of the payment not having been made, the user may submit an appeal to the Prefect or a justice of the peace by and no later than 60 days after receipt of the Notification.
The appeal to the Prefect consists of an administrative appeal that must be submitted in Italian by registered mail with proof of receipt. In order to forward this appeal it is necessary to fill out a specific form and enclose all documentation which is useful and valid for assessment of the appeal by the competent Prefect. The form and the address can both be downloaded from our website. Please note that the reasons for the appeal must be well founded. If the appeal is not accepted, the Prefect will then issue an injunction requesting payment from you of a sum which is at least double the original amount.
The appeal to the justice of the peace is a judicial appeal as an alternative to the appeal to the Prefect. It must also be submitted in Italian and sent by registered mail with proof of receipt. In order to present this appeal it is necessary to fill out a specific form and enclose all documentation which is useful and valid for assessment of the appeal by the competent justice of the peace. The form and the address can both be downloaded from our website. Please note that the reasons for the appeal must be well founded. Once the justice of the peace receives the appeal he/she fixes a hearing at which the claimant or his/her legal representative must be present.
Why did the fine arrive so many months after the date of the violation?
According the Italian Traffic Code the police have 360 days after the date of the violation or identification of the owner of the vehicle within which to notify fines to foreigners. In the event of rented vehicles, the 360 days start as from the date of identification of the holder of the rental agreement at the time of the violation, or from the date of receipt of the personal data sent by the car rental company.
Tolerance applied to the detecting of the speed.
Whenever the police calculate the speed of a vehicle via the use of detection instruments, a tolerance of 5% is detracted from the speed measured, and in any case the detraction is never less than 5 km/h.
I was not driving the vehicle in question.
The owner or holder of the car rental agreement is always liable for any violations committed by the vehicle in question, and as such is always responsible for paying the fine.
The photograph of the violation at the site fails to show the driver, only the rear section of the vehicle.
In observance of the law on privacy (Legislative Decree 196/2003) the Police are not allowed to photograph the people inside the vehicle. For this reason the photo only shows the rear section of the vehicle. The licence plates are sufficient for identifying the perpetrator of the violation.