The authorities are obliged to try to notify you of a fine, but not to succeed. If the attempt fails, the law allows them to publish it on an official notice board and carry on. For anyone driving in Valencia or anywhere else in Spain, the consequence is the same: you can lose the discount, the deadline to appeal and, where applicable, your licence points, without opening a single envelope.
How the Traffic Office notifies you
If you are stopped and handed the ticket, you have been notified. If not, the DGT sends the notice to the address it has on record, which is the one on your driving licence or on the vehicle's registration document. If you have moved and not told them, the letter goes to your old home. Changing your address with the Traffic Office is free and compulsory, and takes minutes through the app or the online office.
If you have activated the electronic address for traffic matters (DEV), the notification arrives there and not by post. For private individuals it is optional; for companies and professionals, compulsory. Once activated, an alert that you have a notification arrives by email or text message, and it is best not to ignore it: the notification is deemed served after ten days even if you never open it.
The official notice board
When the attempt at notification fails, the fine is published on the single official notice board of the Spanish Official Gazette (BOE). From that moment it is deemed notified for all purposes. Nobody tells you that you are there. The deadlines run just the same, and when they expire the penalty is final and goes to enforced collection, with a surcharge and, if needed, garnishment.
"A fine published on the official notice board is a notified fine. Not having seen it does not stop it."
The 50% discount, and what you lose by losing it
If you pay the fine within twenty calendar days of notification, it is halved (article 94 of the Traffic Act). In exchange you give up the right to contest it and the procedure ends there. If notification was made through the notice board and you never knew, those twenty days pass without you noticing and the full fine is collected. The same goes for licence points: they are deducted when the penalty is final, even if you never read the notice.
How to check whether you have outstanding fines
- In the miDGT app or the DGT online office, with a digital certificate, Cl@ve or the app itself. DGT fines at any stage appear there.
- On the BOE's single official notice board, searching by your ID number or the number plate. It also includes fines from town councils and other authorities.
- At the town council if the fine is municipal: the DGT does not handle those.
If you know you have spent a while with an out-of-date address, it is worth checking before a garnishment appears.
If one has just arrived
- Check the notification date and count twenty calendar days from there.
- If the fine is fair and you want to close the matter, pay with the discount.
- If it is not, or the notification is defective, file an appeal within the deadline. You lose the discount, but you keep the right to contest it.
- If it is already final and you believe the notification was defective, it can still be reviewed, but it takes longer and is best done with help.
If you are selling or buying a car, also look at what the DGT vehicle report says before signing: the vehicle's fines appear there.
Frequently asked questions
Can a fine I never received become final?
Yes. If the attempt to notify you at your address fails, it is published on the BOE's official notice board and deemed notified. The deadlines run just the same.
How long do I have to pay with the discount?
Twenty calendar days from notification. The discount is 50% and means giving up the right to contest.
Where do I check whether I have fines?
In the miDGT app or the DGT online office for Traffic Office fines, and on the BOE's official notice board for all authorities. Municipal fines, at the town council.
Is the electronic traffic address (DEV) compulsory?
For companies and professionals, yes. For private individuals it is optional, but once activated notifications arrive only there.