Paying the traffic penalty fee and filing a claim for a revised decision

If you have been imposed a traffic penalty fee, pay it by the due date. Not guilty of the violation? Do not pay the fee, but file a claim for a revised decision with the authority that imposed the fee instead.

What is the traffic penalty fee?

Fixed petty fines are no longer imposed for traffic violations on roads and waterways. The penalty for such violations is called the traffic penalty fee. It can be imposed by the police, Customs or Border Guard.

A person's income does not affect the amount of the traffic penalty fee. A traffic penalty fee is not a fine, but an administrative sanction for illegal conduct.

Traffic penalty fees must be paid within 30 days. Use the indicated reference number to ensure that the fee is allocated correctly. Note! If you are filing a claim for a revised decision on the traffic penalty fee, do not pay the fee. Read more below under “How can I claim a revised decision on the traffic penalty fee?”

What is the vehicle-specific traffic penalty fee?

A vehicle-specific traffic penalty fee is a fee imposed based on the vehicle used in the violation. It is imposed for traffic violations detected by automatic traffic surveillance (camera post) or otherwise without stopping the vehicle.

The vehicle’s registered owner, holder or temporary user, or the person in charge of the vehicle’s use is liable for the traffic penalty fee. You will receive the vehicle-specific traffic penalty fee as a Suomi.fi message if you have adopted the service. If you are not using Suomi.fi messages, the police will send the traffic penalty fee to you by post.

If you consider that you are not responsible for the vehicle-specific traffic penalty fee, you can file a claim for a revised decision.

How can I claim a revised decision on the traffic penalty fee?

  1. Do not pay the traffic penalty fee if you are filing a claim for a revised decision.
  2. File the claim with the authority that imposed the fee. The Legal Register Centre (LRC) cannot revise the decision. More information is available in the instructions on filing a claim for a revised decision. They are enclosed with the traffic penalty fee.

If you appeal the decision issued on your claim for a revised decision in the Administrative Court, it can suspend the enforcement of the traffic penalty fee. Otherwise, pay the traffic penalty fee.

If the traffic penalty fee is lifted due to your appeal, the LRC will refund the overpaid amount to the payer with the possible interest accumulated on it.

Reference number of the revised traffic penalty fee

If you have paid the traffic penalty fee and claimed a revised decision after that, the fee's enforcement code or reference number may have changed due to the revised decision.

If you have paid the fee with the original details, the payment will not be automatically allocated to the revised traffic penalty fee decision.

Contact the LRC's customer service to clear the matter up.

Received a reminder for a traffic penalty fee? Pay the fee immediately

The LRC will send you a reminder for payment if you have not paid a traffic penalty fee imposed on you by the due date. Pay the fee by the due date on the reminder. Use the reference number indicated in the reminder for payment.

If you fail to make the payment by the due date, the traffic penalty fee will be transferred to the Enforcement Authority. The matter will then be managed by the Enforcement Authority, and you will no longer be able to apply for payment time from the LRC. So be prompt!

Can I get more time for payment?

You can apply for more time for paying the traffic penalty fee 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.

Further information:

Published 4.6.2024