Possibly one of the biggest concerns when we get our hands on the wheel—in addition to avoiding having an accident—is the possibility of getting a traffic ticket. Whether for speeding, improper parking, failure to respect traffic signs or any other infraction, traffic fines involve a financial penalty with the consequent loss of points on your driving license. If we do not comply with current regulations, the competent traffic authorities must notify us of the fine. However, fines are not eternal and have a time limit. And then they prescribe. Do you know what deadlines it has? Do you know when a traffic ticket expires?
The Administration has a period of time to notify you of the infraction committed as well as the relevant sanction. Once that period has expired, the traffic fine expires. The Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE) ensures that the “seriousness of the infraction” depends on whether a fine expires sooner. In other words, depending on the type of violation, it will prescribe sooner or later. “The statute of limitations begins to run from the same day on which the acts were committed.” Following what is detailed in the RACE, if the infraction is minor, the fine has a statute of limitations of 3 months and if the infraction committed is serious or very serious, it has a maximum of 6 months. Of course, you must keep in mind that the prescription of the fine can be interrupted if there is an “action or performance of the sanctioning body recorded in the file and notified to the accused” as indicated by the Legalitas law firm. We advise you that if you have doubts about the prescription process you seek legal advice.
If you are sure that you have committed an infraction and you are waiting to be notified of the traffic fine, the body in charge of sanctioning may be the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) or City Councils or Autonomous Communities in this matter such as Catalonia, the Basque Country and Navarre. To know in real time the violations associated with your vehicle and driving license, you can directly access your DGT app 'miDGtT' in the "My fines" section. You can also register with the Road Electronic Directorate (DEV), a channel through which notifications are communicated through an electronic mailbox on traffic matters.
