Do you have to pay a parking ticket from outside?

Norwegians vacationing abroad sometimes come home with unwanted souvenirs in their luggage.

It’s about a notice, a fine or a bill for a flat fee in baggage, but does it have to be paid?

Basically, of course, everyone has to settle themselves whether the unwanted bill is due to misfortune and ignorance or if you take a chance, but what happens if you toss the fine, notice or fee bill in the trash and you don’t pay?

Collection

Raising money from people who have left the country is often complicated and expensive. Therefore, many tourists will find that they do not receive reminders or debt collection claims for pending claims abroad.

At the same time, there are companies whose business model is to raise funds on behalf of public agencies and publicly owned companies. Usually these are toll companies, national road companies, public authorities, etc.

These collection companies should not be confused with debt collection companies. So they don’t usually work with exorbitant fees.

Car Rental

If you have used a rental car in the respective country, it is smart to pay the bill by the deadline.

Because otherwise, the rental car company will post to you and then demand a refund often with a hefty fee as an additional cost. The car rental company may have your credit card information and may charge it directly.

If you rent a car, the rental company often reserves the right to bill any unpaid fees and parking fines, sometimes for an additional fee, says attorney and consumer expert Thomas Iversen of the Consumer Council to DinSide.

card or cash

In some cases, you may find that you have to pay with cash or card immediately before you can proceed.

This often applies in situations where they fear that a claim will not be met because the debtor is traveling abroad, and pursuing a claim is complex and costly.

– If you receive an overseas pass fee, you will usually have an opportunity to be compensated. Either by being able to settle directly, for example, at a mobile payment terminal, or by getting an invoice and payment information on the vehicle, or by having the invoice and payment information sent to you afterward, says Anita Jesback, department manager, collection department. At the Swedish Tax Agency.

Scandinavian cooperation

Within the Nordic countries, there are reciprocal agreements that lead to the possibility of compulsory collection across national borders. We help Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland collect the fines and court costs that Norwegians charge in these countries. Among other things, speeding fines and certain types of parking fines.

If you receive a fine in one of these countries, the prosecuting authority in the relevant country sends the claim to the Norwegian Collection Centre, and then begins collecting against you.

– Compilation is carried out according to Norwegian rules. Thomas Iversen says that claims from other countries outside the Nordics are made according to the rules in the country where the violation occurred.

Follow Norwegian rules

If the state collection center does not collect all the money, they return the case to the Scandinavian country that created the claim, before the claim becomes outdated.

If you wish to apply for a waiver or file a complaint about the imposition of the claim, the person who sent you the original claim should decide on the inquiry. So the request or complaint should be sent there.

Be aware that collection will not stop while the application is being processed until the National Collection Center receives further information from the prosecuting authority in the country concerned.

Commitments

– The morally correct thing is that you pay for crossing and parking fees when you are outside, same goes for parking fines if you are not lucky to get one.

Legally, too, these are the obligations you have to pay in the beginning, and if you don’t pay the first bill, it can be very costly when the reminders come, says Thomas Iverson.

Very fast

When it comes to the speed of violations and other things that are considered legal punishment, the process will depend on the country in which the violation occurred.

There are companies that specialize in collecting tolls and parking fines across national borders.

I do not agree to the claim

If you do not agree to the claim, you can seek help to clarify its validity.

– The reason for rejecting the claim is that many companies abroad are trying to send the invoice from Spain, for example, to the Norwegians who left the country. But then you must first partner with the debt collection agency in that country so that they can manage the debt collection issue in Norway. You cannot enforce a debt collection case from Spain under Spanish laws, says Geir Grindland, Inkassopartner’s general manager for DinSide.

difficult matters

– There are also many debt collection agencies that are not willing to take on such cases. Therefore, it is difficult for many private parking companies abroad to bring in money in Norway.

There are many who have objections to the claim, and the claim must be dealt with under Norwegian law. If you have an objection, it must be brought to the conciliation board so that it can be clarified whether the claim is valid or not. There, it’s usually processed without a fee, Grindland says.

Other forms of fees such as parking fees or non-payment fees in toll systems are usually collected by private debt collection companies. The tax authorities do not have agreements that enable us to help them. Anita Jesback says the IRS does not provide information to foreign companies in this context.