Spanish Parking Fine

[doonhamer]

Has anyone had a similar experience?

In Feb I was moved off La Marina beach (30 km south of Alicante) by the Guardia Civil - they were extremely pleasant about it and gave us a couple of hours grace. They did however take photos of my passport and car papers. I was surprised because there are no signs prohibiting camping cars or parking and I had parked at this spot in previous years and the patrolling local police had taken no notice.

Today I received a three page letter by recorded delivery from the "Servicio Provincial de Costas en Alicante" advising that I had infringed several sections of some1988 Reglagento General and that the penalty was 30,03 euros per metre and as most vans were 8 m the fine was 240,40 euros.

The letter is now in the bin and I will be giving Alicante a wide berth in the future.

[BGD]

That's a bummer.

 

 

Two comments: about cause, and effect.

 

Cause: Spain's Public Sector is virtually bust. Everyone knows it; we all know it here in Spain.

They are now actually trying very hard to reduce spending and thus debt; the national and local budgets for all Public Sector spending are being slashed by at least 10% this year....in many cases much more.

The word has gone out from the national Politicians to the Guardia Civil, and from town mayors to the Policia Local, that they have to pay their way, or more, in order not to get culled. So both forces are now unashamed tax collectors....they have weekly cash collection targets to pay for their costs. The argument is that the law abiding shouldn't have to subsidise them so much during such hard times, so those who break the law should pay more; and if you don't break the law (speeding/parking etc) then you won't get any of these nasty fines.

 

Effect: unfortunately (for you), you got done by the Guardia, not the local Policia.

Difference may be significant, as Guardia is National, and the fines that they dish out go onto the National Traffico computer system (the Policia Local little yellow parking tickest do not, as the Ploica Local are only employed by the town hall in their own town/village).

The ticket/.letter that you got will have given you "X" days to pay, or else you'll lose any discount for prompt payment that they offered; and more importantly, your details will go on to the "unpaid fines" section of their database.

This is not fantastic news, as interest on that unpaid fine continues to rack up indefinitely, and any future roadside check by other Guardia Traffico cops anywhere in Spain will flag that you had a fine but didn't pay it. This can and increasingly (according to press reports) is resulting in vehicle impounding until/unless you cough up the money plus interest.

 

Thus I'm afraid that it will not be just in Alicante province that you will be at future risk of impounding, if stopped/checked whilst driving the same vehicle (the fine is with the vehicle, not the person).............but anywhere in Spain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note to others: you CAN park a MH in Spain in the day or overnight anywhere that other vehicles can legally park (note: PARK, not Camp...ie, don't get all your kit and caboodle out, but simply park the mh and sit/sleep inside it). You CANNOT legally park your mh anywhere where other vehicles are not legally allowed to park.

There is a national Ley de la Costas ( law of the coasts) in Spain which seeks to protect coasts/beaches, and (amongst other things) forbids development/parking etc within "X" metres (20?) of the seas edges unless the local town council has agreed something different and provided official parking. I guess that's the law that you got caught by.....historically very rarely enforced, but now it would seem being more enforced; particularly as the winter is now over and tolerance by locals/Police of MH's parked up all over their beaches disappears.

 

I have NOT personally heard of people getting done for beach camping in remote beach areas through the winters here.....indeed we often do it.

But I've heard of lots being done, or at least moved on, as soon as the tourist season begins - say beginning of June through to end of October.

When we say tourists here, it should be remembered that maybe 90% of tourists who visit the Med coasts of Spain are not actually Brits/Germans/French etc, but are in fact Spanish...who have come down from the big northern/central cities such as Madrid, for their holidays.

 

 

[Porky]

My son lives in Florence and recently had a fine for driving in an area where only local cars were allowed. He can't remember seeing any sign and it seems Italy is going the same way as Spain in trying to raise income. A friend in Oxford tells me that although they were the first to remove the film from speed cameras the local authority have been told they can now keep the money. So guess what the films are going back' and I suspect this could now be repeated elsewhere.

Give me a portable camera and the half the fines and I could make a comfortable living >:-)

 

Roy Fuller

[Syd]

 

We were advised that speed limmits in Spain are now being enforced more rigidly than usual the last time we were there (June)

 

Same everywhere I expect.

[duetto owner]

BGD

 

good read, what about buying 2nd hand MH where prev owner run up some heavy traffic fines are you liable or do you just show the reg doc to prove your a recent new owner

[BGD]

duetto owner - 2011-06-22 8:39 PM

 

BGD

 

good read, what about buying 2nd hand MH where prev owner run up some heavy traffic fines are you liable or do you just show the reg doc to prove your a recent new owner

 

 

 

 

 

David - The answer is yes.

The law in Spain is very different in this regard to English law.

You are indeed liable for any previous owner debts/fines associated with that 2nd hand vehicle.

Just being the new owner means nothing.... the "property" and thus the debts associated with it, are now yours.

 

In Spanish law, debts/fines are associated with the "property"....if associated with the use of a vehicle, they stay with the vehicle, even if that vehicle then changes hands.

The same is true for houses...if you buy a house, you also buy any unpaid debts associated, or attached, to it.

 

 

 

That is why, if buying a Spanish reg'd vehicle, you should ALWAYS check the Trafico website for outstanding fines on it, and check all paperwork very carefully to ensure there's no outstanding HP etc.

Also if it is a local vehicle, you should check with your town hall to see that there are no local parking tickets etc outstanding on it too.

 

Lots of ex-pats and lots of Spanish people don't do all this checking themselves - they either use a Spanish Abogado (lawyer) or a Spanish "Gestor" (a sort of semi-legal administrator) - they pay them to do the checks and also to do the paperwork associated with a change of ownership (which is VERY involved in Spain and can take a couple of months to all be put to bed...it's NOT like simply filling in a "change of ownership slip on a V5 and posting it off).

It also costs you money and a official fee, based upon the then value of the vehicle according to official tables, to do the transfer paperwork, and this cost usually (unless you both agree to the contrary) falls upon the buyer.... perhaps a couple of hundred euros or more for a vehicle worth 10,000 euros.

 

 

 

If you ever buy from a dealer in Spain, he'll often offer to do the "transferencia" (all the transfer of ownership and paperwork, and fees) for you in the sale price.

That's fine, but ALWAYS demand written proof that as part of that process the vehicle is completely HP-clear, and that there are no Trafico fines outstanding. because regardless of who you buy it from, if there are debts/fines due, they will pass to you.

 

 

 

[hymer1942]

Hi BGD, what a fantastic out line of the situation, do you think this will have an impact on how the Spanish police view the "A" Frame towing. I was pulled in Murcia 18 months ago and asked for 600plus Euros when I said I would not pay but would follow them to the police station they did me 96 euros for not wearing a seat belt, but still insisted the "A" Frame was illegal in Spain. And let me go after 1 hour. Regards Barrie.

[starvin marvin]

doonhamer - 2011-06-21 10:23 PMHas anyone had a similar experience?

In Feb I was moved off La Marina beach (30 km south of Alicante) by the Guardia Civil - they were extremely pleasant about it and gave us a couple of hours grace. They did however take photos of my passport and car papers. I was surprised because there are no signs prohibiting camping cars or parking and I had parked at this spot in previous years and the patrolling local police had taken no notice.

Today I received a three page letter by recorded delivery from the "Servicio Provincial de Costas en Alicante" advising that I had infringed several sections of some1988 Reglagento General and that the penalty was 30,03 euros per metre and as most vans were 8 m the fine was 240,40 euros.

The letter is now in the bin and I will be giving Alicante a wide berth in the future.

I've camped several times at La Marina (2 days max, not my favourite place) and fortunately have never been turned off, however a friend of ours was caught in a very similar fashion to yourself at La Marina 2 years ago, he never paid his fine either and has been to Spain since. La Marina has had its problem with folks staying for sometime, and also parking too close to the cafe where the local dog walkers like to park. How long had you stayed there? and had you been asked to move previously from La Marina? They always appear to clear the free campers prior to New Years Eve, so the locals can use it.Our friend was moved off from La Marina and a couple of days later went back and was "ticketed" in the sense that it arrived at his home when he was back in England.