How Do I Pay or Cancel a Parking Fine?

If issued by Policia Local, go to Town Hall for information, unless you have received a notification with payment details.

If issued by Guardia Civil de Trafico, fines will be processed by Trafico and you can pay either at post offices with necessary equipment to read the bar-code on the notification, or with a credit card through the DGT website.

If issued by a traffic warden for outstaying the permitted time on parking ticket obtained from parking meter, you might have the chance to have the fine annulled. Check the parking ticket and the parking meter for options for ´anular multa or sanción´. You have to enter your licence plate number and for a fee of three euros you will receive a receipt for the annulment and an envelope. You will have to place both original ticket and annulment receipt in the envelope and place in slot in parking meter. Respond time: one hour in excess of the time originally paid for at parking meter,  and as stated on your ticket. Some cities offer different windows and different amounts to pay depending on situation: whether you outstayed the time you paid for or not bought a parking ticket at all.

If you fail to respond within the windows indicated on the notification slip to annul the fine, then the definite fine will be issued by the relevant authorities and you should receive notification at the address your vehicle is registered at.
For tourists: please check for a telephone number on the parking meters. When you call that, they can provide you with an email with barcode that you can print to pay at one of the banks from the list on the email.

Some cities, like Madrid, have refined this system, as the above described way will render you without proof whatsoever. The machines there only require you to enter your licence plate, a receipt for the paid annulment fee will come out and you will be able to safeguard that plus the original parking ticket in case something goes wrong and you will still receive a notification of the fine in the mail. Respond time: one hour after the fine has been issued.

Please note: The information provided is based upon our understanding of current legislation. It is not legal advice but is provided freely to enable you to be properly informed. We recommend that if you are considering taking action, you should seek professional advice.