20 km/h over the limit in Germany: a formal notice, still no point
Between 16 and 20 km/h over, you get a formal fine notice with fees, but nothing goes on your Flensburg record yet.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
The last band without a point
Total including fees
€98.50
| Excess after tolerance | 20 km/h |
| Points | 0 |
| Driving ban | none |
| Probation | not relevant |
Driving a car 16 to 20 km/h too fast in Germany costs €70 in a built-up area and €60 outside towns under table 1 c of the fine catalogue. Both amounts exceed the €55 limit for a simple warning, so you receive a Bußgeldbescheid, the formal fine notice. Section 107 of the Administrative Offences Act adds a fee of five per cent with a minimum of €25, plus €3.50 for delivery. The bill therefore reaches €98.50 in town and €88.50 outside. No point is added, because annex 13 of the Driving Licence Ordinance only lists car speeding from more than 20 km/h over. Nothing is entered in the Flensburg register and new drivers on probation face no extra measures. One more km/h changes that: at 21 km/h over in town the fine is €115 with one point.
The jump from a warning to a formal notice
For drivers new to Germany, this band is often the first time a speeding letter looks official. Up to 15 km/h over, you get a warning fine with no extras. From 16 km/h, the fine passes the €55 line, the authority must issue a formal Bußgeldbescheid, and fees appear. What does not appear yet is a point. The Driving Licence Ordinance lists car speeding in annex 13 only from more than 20 km/h, so this is the most expensive band that leaves your record clean. It is also the last one: the page on 21 km/h over shows what one more km/h brings.
What the bill adds up to
Under Section 107 OWiG, every formal notice carries a fee of five per cent of the fine, at least €25, plus €3.50 for formal delivery. Five per cent of €70 is only €3.50, so the minimum applies and the extras come to €28.50. The comparison shows how the totals move across the bands around this line:
| Over the limit | In town | Total in town | Outside towns | Total outside | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 km/h | €50 | no fees | €40 | no fees | 0 |
| 16 km/h | €70 | €98.50 | €60 | €88.50 | 0 |
| 20 km/h | €70 | €98.50 | €60 | €88.50 | 0 |
| 21 km/h | €115 | €143.50 | €100 | €128.50 | 1 |
The step from 15 to 16 km/h roughly doubles what you pay in town, the steepest relative rise anywhere in the table.
The old "60 euros means a point" rule
Expat forums often repeat that any fine of 60 euros or more brings a Flensburg point. That is only half the rule. Section 28(3) of the Road Traffic Act requires both a fine of at least 60 euros (or a driving ban) and an offence listed in annex 13. Outside towns, this band costs exactly €60, so the amount is reached, yet it scores nothing because the band is missing from the list. The rules for the points that do apply are on the page about Flensburg points.
How the letters arrive
A camera offence usually starts with an Anhörungsbogen, a hearing form, sent to the registered keeper. It shows the place, time, measured speed and the speed after tolerance. You must give your personal details; anything about the offence itself is voluntary. The formal notice follows in a yellow envelope with the delivery date printed on it. From that date you have 2 weeks to lodge an objection (Einspruch) under Section 67 OWiG. After that, the notice is final. If you moved house in the meantime, register your new address promptly: German authorities send notices to the address in the population register, and the deadline runs from delivery there. The anatomy of a notice is explained on the fine notice page.
Close to the line: checking the tolerance
Because 21 km/h scores a point, it is worth checking the arithmetic. Readings up to 100 km/h lose 3 km/h, so in a 50 zone a reading of 73 km/h means 20 km/h over and 74 km/h means 21. On an Autobahn section limited to 120 km/h, the three per cent rule applies: a reading of 144 km/h becomes 139 km/h, 19 km/h over, costing €60. Enter the measured figure in the fine calculator and it applies the deduction for you.
Towing changes the picture
The point-free band only exists for cars and motorcycles. With a trailer or caravan, or in a lorry over 3.5 tonnes, table 1 a applies: the same excess in town costs €160 and scores 1 point. A van under 3.5 tonnes counts as a car, but many expats tow a rented trailer for a house move without knowing the stricter table exists.