# Paying Fines (non Toll) In Portugal



## Mike0753 (Apr 29, 2010)

Can anyone advise me how one pays traffic fines for offences committed in Portugal when back in Britain. I was in Portugal for a month last December and January and I hired a car for a week. I have today received a notification for a fine imposed for an offence committed on the 6th January. the notification is all in Portuguese so i have no idea what I have supposed to have done. however it is obvious that the amount payable is 120 euros! The notice mentions that I can pay at a CTT post office or at a multibanco ATM machine but being back in Britain neither is feasible? Anybody any ideas?


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## Scattycat (Mar 29, 2011)

If they spoke english, try contacting the company you hired the car from.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Presumably they obtained your name and address from the hire company and have contacted you via that route....

In that case the fine may have already been paid on your behalf if you gave them a credit card impression as that is one of the main reasons why they take such a thing.

I would start by contacting the hire company and checking with them (a) what it is for and (b) whether they have already paid it and this is just a notification,

after that you can pay via a bank if you have the full details needed for the recipient (IBAN number) or via credit card over the phone if you can find someone who speaks English, but do ensure that the fine is genuine and does relate to where you were and when you were there........ it is not unknown for such things to relate to someone else's offence (if indeed there is one).

If it is a motoring offence they (Portugese authorities) can use the DVLA to trace you and send summons via that route - but either way check out what. where, when and why before simply paying. Bear in mind that if it is a civil matter rather than a criminal matter the chances of it going much further a much less...... e.g. overstayed car parking charges 

DO NOT SIMPLY IGNORE IT THOUGH......

Good luck,

Dave


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## Mike0753 (Apr 29, 2010)

Thanks Penguin (Dave) for your advice. I did contact the agency (Economy car hire) in Britain who I arranged the car with over the internet. They got hold of the local agents in Portugal (Lagorent) and arranged with them for the fine to be paid in a local cash machine. They sent their bank details (IBAN etc.) to me and I arranged via globalwebpay to tranfer €120 to them - came to just over £100. Oh, by the way - the person at Lagorent told me in an email that the fine was for not stopping at a pedestrian crossing. I have no recollection of such an incident however I was driving on the road stated in Olheo at the time stated on the form so maybe i missed something. Thank god i didn,t cause an accident so maybe I deserve a fine. Lagorent also told me they didn't debit my credit card because it would have cost more??? Don't know what that means but in reality I suspect they had lost the card details. The alleged incident took place in january and I received the ticket from portugal in April which is quite a time delay. maybe Lagorent had deleted all details think it was safe to do so. I was tempted to ignore the fine for a fleeting moment but the thought of being on a wanted list in Portugal and liable for arrest and being detained in a portuguese jail at some time in the future made me think twice. 
I have received a receipt from Caixa banking in Portugal via Lagorent which I will keep with me prior to returning to Portugal next winter.


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

Do what the Portuguese do when they are in our country.. Forget it..

ray.


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