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Traffic · Spain

Multa de tráfico (DGT): the notification of a traffic fine and its two tracks

This is the official notification of a traffic offence accusation — speeding, phone use, parking, ITV expired — with the fine and, where applicable, licence points to deduct. Spain runs a two-track system from this letter: pay within 20 calendar days at half price and the case closes, or contest it within the same 20 days.

How serious: routineAlso called: multa de tráfico, denuncia de tráfico, multa de la Jefatura de Tráfico, notificación de la DGT, multa de radar

The letter states the infraction, the fine amount, and any driving-licence points to be deducted. Paying with the 50% reduction ends the procedure; contesting keeps the case open at the risk of paying full price.

If the car has several possible drivers, the same letter may require identifying the driver within 20 days — a demand with its own separate consequence for silence.

City councils (ayuntamientos) issue their own fines under the same law for urban infractions like parking or low-emission-zone breaches, so the sender may be a town hall rather than the DGT.

Who sends it

The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) via the Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico — the national traffic authority. Ayuntamientos issue their own fines for urban infractions (parking, low-emission zones) under the same law.

Header of the DGT / Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico, or of the ayuntamiento for municipal fines; the words 'notificación de denuncia' and 'expediente sancionador'. It states the infraction, article, place, date and vehicle plate; shows the full fine and the 50%-reduced amount ('pago con reducción del 50%'); mentions '20 días naturales' for pago reducido or alegaciones. It may arrive via the Dirección Electrónica Vial (DEV) or appear in the Tablón Edictal (TESTRA/BOE) if postal delivery failed.

The deadline

20 calendar days from the day after notification: either pay with the 50% reduction or file alegaciones (RDL 6/2015, arts. 93.1, 94 and 95.1); the same 20 days apply to identifying the actual driver if demanded

20 calendar days from the day after notification: either pay with the 50% reduction or file alegaciones (RDL 6/2015, arts. 93.1, 94 and 95.1). The same 20 days apply to identifying the actual driver if the letter demands it. In the DEV, 10 calendar days without accessing the notification counts as rejection and the notification proceeds (art. 90.2).

If you do nothing

For most fines — all minor ones; serious ones without points not notified on the spot; serious or very serious ones notified on the spot — no payment and no alegaciones within 20 calendar days makes the denuncia itself the final resolution ('surtirá el efecto de acto resolutorio del procedimiento sancionador', art. 95.4) at full price: the 50% discount is gone, and the sanction becomes enforceable 30 calendar days after the notification (art. 95.4-95.5).

How it escalates

  1. 01Day 21: the 50% discount is lost; in the art. 95.4 cases the denuncia becomes the final sanction without further letters.
  2. 02Day 30 after notification: the sanction is enforceable (art. 95.5).
  3. 03Once firm, a final window of 15 calendar days to pay the full fine (art. 110.1).
  4. 04Unpaid after that, collection passes to the vía de apremio under tax rules — the DGT explains unpaid fines are passed to the AEAT with a 20% surcharge (art. 110.2 and the DGT page).
  5. 05If the letter demanded driver identification and silence follows, the vehicle owner faces a separate fine for failing to identify the driver: double the original fine if the originating infraction was minor, triple if it was serious or very serious (RDL 6/2015 arts. 77.j and 80.2.b).

Your options, procedurally

  • Payment within 20 calendar days with the 50% reduction (online at sede.dgt.gob.es, by phone, in banks) ends the procedure, waives alegaciones, and closes the administrative route — only the contencioso-administrativo remains (art. 94).
  • Alegaciones with evidence can be filed within 20 calendar days (art. 95.1); this forfeits the discount if the case is lost.
  • The actual driver can be identified within 20 calendar days when the letter requires it (art. 93.1).
  • Against the final resolución sancionadora: an optional recurso de reposición within one month (art. 96.2); it does not suspend execution unless suspension is granted (art. 96.3); one month of administrative silence means rejection (art. 96.5), leaving the contencioso-administrativo route.
  • The points balance and the fine's status can be checked in the DGT sede or the miDGT app; fines notified edictally appear in the TESTRA/BOE.

Common questions

How does the 50% discount work?

Paying within 20 calendar days of notification closes the case at half price. It also waives the right to alegaciones and ends the administrative route — only the contencioso-administrativo court route remains (art. 94).

What happens after the 20 days pass in silence?

For most fines the denuncia itself becomes the final resolution at full price (art. 95.4), enforceable 30 calendar days after notification. Once firm, there is a final 15-calendar-day window to pay; after that, collection passes to the AEAT with a 20% surcharge.

The letter asks to identify the driver — what if nobody answers?

The vehicle owner then faces a separate fine for failing to identify the driver: double the original fine if the originating infraction was minor, triple if it was serious or very serious (RDL 6/2015 arts. 77.j and 80.2.b).

Does contesting the fine keep the discount?

No. Filing alegaciones forfeits the 50% reduction if the case is lost — that is the trade-off of the two-track system.

Sources

Facts verified against the sources below on 28 August 2026.