Fixed petty fine order – the amount of a fixed petty fine is not affected by your income
A fixed petty fine order is a fine given by a police officer, customs official, border guard or game and fisheries warden. It can include a forfeiture in addition to the fixed petty fine.
The amount of a fixed petty fine depends on the violation. The income of the person fined does not affect the amount of a fixed petty fine. Forfeiture can also be ordered in connection with a fixed petty fine.
In certain cases, a prosecutor or court can also impose a fixed petty fine.
Paying a fixed petty fine
Pay the fixed petty fine and any forfeiture ordered in connection with it by the due date. Use the reference number indicated in the fixed petty fine order.
If you fail to pay the fixed petty fine order by the due date, the Legal Register Centre (LRC) will send you a reminder for payment.
Pay the reminder by the due date, or the matter will be moved to enforcement authority. The matter will then be managed by the enforcement authorities, and you will no longer be able to apply for payment time from the LRC. So be prompt!
How can I appeal a fixed petty fine order?
You can appeal against a fixed petty fine order. Submit a written appeal to the district court of the place of the violation indicated in the order. Appeals must be lodged within 30 days of being served with the order. An appeal does not suspend enforcement unless the court orders it to be suspended.
If enforcement has not been suspended, pay the fixed petty fine order by the due date.
You can pay the fixed petty fine order in any event. If the fixed petty fine order is amended or lifted due to your appeal, the LRC will refund the overpaid amount to the payer with the possible interest accumulated on it.
Can I get more payment time?
You can apply for more time for paying the fixed petty fine when the matter is listed in the electronic service or the LRC has sent you a reminder for payment. Payment time will only be granted for a justified reason.
Read more about applying for and granting payment time .
Fixed petty fine violations after 1 June 2020
Fixed petty fines are no longer imposed for road or water traffic violations after the entry into force of the new Road Traffic Act and Waterways Traffic Act on 1 June 2020. Traffic penalty fees are now imposed for traffic violations instead of fixed petty fines.
However, there are pending summary penal fees imposed for traffic violations that the LRC will be enforcing them until at least 2025.
Fixed petty fines can still be imposed after 1 June 2020 under acts such as the Fishing Act, Public Order Act, Waste Act and Alcohol Act.
Further information:
Act on the Imposition of Fines and Fixed Petty Fines (754/2010) (in Finnish)
Published 7.6.2024