The German fine catalogue in 2026: what applies and what is new
Fine amounts in 2026 are the same as since late 2021; what changed is the limitation period and a ban on trading points.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Common offences under the 2026 catalogue
Amount due
€30
| BKat number | 100 |
| Points | 0 |
| Driving ban | none |
Germany's fine catalogue, the Bußgeldkatalog, is the annex to a federal ordinance (BKatV) whose current version was last amended by Article 4 of an ordinance of 12 August 2026 (Federal Law Gazette 2026 I No. 236). That amendment did not touch the everyday amounts drivers care about. In 2026 you still pay the rates introduced in November 2021: 115 euros and one point for 21 to 25 km/h over the limit in a built-up area, 90 euros and one point for a red light, 100 euros and one point for using a phone at the wheel. The real changes came on 1 July 2026 through an amendment to the Road Traffic Act. Traffic offences now become time-barred after 6 months instead of three months before a fine notice, and a new Section 4c bans paying someone to take your points, with fines of up to 30,000 euros. The cannabis limit of 3.5 ng/ml THC has applied since 2024.
Where the catalogue comes from
There is no single traffic code with prices in it. The amounts sit in the annex to the Fine Catalogue Ordinance (BKatV) of 14 March 2013, which the federal transport ministry amends from time to time. The version in force in October 2026 was last amended on 12 August 2026 (Federal Law Gazette 2026 I No. 236), by an ordinance about professional driver qualification. Police forces, city offices and courts across all sixteen states apply the same catalogue, so a red light costs the same in Hamburg as in Munich.
We read every entry of the official annex. Its structure in figures:
| Range | Number of entries |
|---|---|
| up to €55 (warning fine) | 325 |
| over €55 to €100 | 139 |
| over €100 to €250 | 38 |
| over €250 | 32 |
| of which carry at least one point | 166 |
| of which carry a standard driving ban | 41 |
| All entries with a fixed fine | 534 |
Most entries stay at warning-fine level, which means no fees and no points. The highest fixed amount is €2,000, for repeat driving under the influence of both cannabis and alcohol.
Change one: a six-month limitation period
The Fifth Act amending the Road Traffic Act of 12 May 2026 rewrote Section 26(3) of that Act with effect from 1 July 2026. The authority now has 6 months from the offence to take its first step, such as sending a hearing form, before the case lapses. Before July, the rule had two stages: three months until a fine notice was issued, six months afterwards. Some websites still repeat the three-month figure, so treat it with caution. The page on limitation periods explains how the clock is interrupted and restarted; the provision itself is Section 26 StVG.
Change two: point trading is banned
For years, some websites offered to find a person who would claim to have been driving and accept your points for a fee. Since 1 July 2026, the new Section 4c of the Road Traffic Act prohibits deceiving the authority about who committed an offence that carries points, offering such a deception and arranging contact with someone prepared to carry it out. Section 23 of the Act makes this an administrative offence with a fine of up to €30,000. The legal ways to reduce your total are on the page about removing Flensburg points.
The amounts you pay in 2026
The last big round of increases took effect on 9 November 2021, when speeding fines and penalties for parking on pavements and cycle paths rose sharply. Those amounts still apply. A selection calculated with the catalogue engine behind this site:
| Offence | Fine | Points | With fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 to 25 km/h over, built-up area | €115 | 1 | €143.50 |
| 21 to 25 km/h over, outside towns | €100 | 1 | €128.50 |
| 31 to 40 km/h over, built-up area (1-month ban) | €260 | 2 | €288.50 |
| Red light (no. 132) | €90 | 1 | €118.50 |
| Phone at the wheel (no. 246.1) | €100 | 1 | €128.50 |
| No emergency corridor (no. 50) | €200 | 2 | €228.50 |
| No winter tyres in icy conditions (no. 5a) | €60 | 1 | €88.50 |
| Low-emission zone without sticker (no. 153) | €100 | 0 | €128.50 |
| Parked on the pavement (no. 52a) | €55 | 0 | €55.00 |
| No seatbelt (no. 100) | €30 | 0 | €30.00 |
Every speed band is listed in the overview of speeding fines in Germany, and the fine calculator works out the total for any other entry.
Cannabis since 2024
When Germany partly legalised cannabis in 2024, Section 24a of the Road Traffic Act gained a THC limit: driving with 3.5 ng/ml or more of THC in blood serum is an offence. The catalogue treats it like the 0.5 per mille alcohol limit, so a first offence under number 242 costs €500, 1 month without driving and 2 points. Combining cannabis with alcohol falls under number 243a with higher amounts. New drivers on probation and anyone under 21 face a total ban under Section 24c, punished under number 243b with €250 and 1 point. If you come from a country where cannabis is legal, note that the German limit applies however long ago you consumed; the page on cannabis and driving goes into detail, and the wording is in Section 24a StVG.
Fees: some calculators are out of date
The catalogue gives only the fine. Section 107 of the Administrative Offences Act adds a fee of five per cent, at least €25 and at most €7,500, plus €3.50 for delivery. A few online calculators, including at least one run by a police force, still show a minimum of €23.50 in total. Under the current wording the minimum is €28.50. From a fine of €500 upwards the minimum no longer matters, because five per cent is then higher.
The tolerance deduction still applies
Speed fines are based on the speed held against you, not the raw reading. A margin reflecting the error limits of the measuring devices comes off first: 3 km/h for readings up to 100 km/h, 3 % above that, always rounded in the driver's favour. A reading of 74 km/h in town becomes 71 km/h; 150 km/h on the Autobahn becomes 145 km/h. The Brandenburg police note that the exact deduction depends on the measuring method. None of this changed in 2026, and neither did the speed bands in the table.
Foreign licences and foreign plates
The catalogue applies to everyone who drives in Germany, whether the car carries German plates, a rental company's plates or plates from your home country, and whatever licence you hold. The amounts do not depend on nationality. Offences that carry points are stored in the Flensburg register against the person, whatever licence they hold. If you are about to exchange a non-EU licence, remember that a foreign licence is valid in Germany for 6 months after you take up residence; the page on exchanging your licence explains the rest.
How we keep the figures current
Every amount on this site is read from the official version of the ordinance and its tables, together with the points list in annex 13 of the Driving Licence Ordinance, and recalculated whenever the official text changes. Changes to fees or deadlines outside the ordinance are updated in the same way. When another website quotes a different figure, check the date it gives: the number often predates November 2021 or uses an outdated fee.
What is not new, whatever the headlines say
Every year, social media posts announce supposedly new penalties. Several rules that keep resurfacing have applied for years: the driving ban for persistent speeding after two offences of 26 km/h or more within twelve months (Section 4(2) BKatV), the doubling of fines for intentional offences (Section 3(4a) BKatV) and the €55 ceiling for warning fines. A simple test for any headline: if the BKatV has not been amended after 12 August 2026, the catalogue amounts are the ones in the table above. What follows once a letter arrives is a separate topic, covered in our guide to the German fine notice.