The German fine notice: steps, costs and deadlines
Above a 55-euro fine, Germany swaps the quick warning slip for a formal procedure with its own fees and deadlines.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
What the notice adds on top
Total amount
€128.50
| Fee (5%, at least €25) | €25 |
| Delivery | €3.50 |
| Procedure | fine notice |
A Bußgeldbescheid is the formal fine notice a German authority issues for a traffic offence, usually after sending you a hearing form (Anhörungsbogen). It is used whenever the fine exceeds 55 euros or a warning fine went unpaid. On top of the catalogue fine, Section 107 of the Administrative Offences Act (OWiG) adds a fee of five per cent, at least 25 and at most €7,500, plus €3.50 for formal delivery. A 100-euro fine for using a phone at the wheel therefore costs €128.50. You have the right to lodge an objection (Einspruch) within 2 weeks of delivery, in writing or in person at the issuing authority (Section 67 OWiG). Otherwise the notice becomes final and payment is due two weeks later. Offences that carry points are entered in the Flensburg register only once the notice is final.
From the camera flash to the letter
For most expats the first contact is not the fine notice but a letter asking questions. German procedure follows a fixed order, and knowing it makes each envelope easier to place.
- Hearing form (Anhörungsbogen). Section 55 OWiG only requires that you are given a chance to comment. The form names the offence, the date and place, and asks for your personal details.
- Witness questionnaire (Zeugenfragebogen). If the authority assumes the keeper was not driving, for example because the photo shows someone else, the keeper is asked who was.
- Fine notice (Bußgeldbescheid). The formal decision, delivered in a yellow envelope with a delivery record.
- Final decision. After 2 weeks without an objection, the notice becomes final (rechtskräftig) and enforceable.
Small offences up to €55 usually stop at a warning fine (Verwarnungsgeld) that you pay without fees. Only if you leave it unpaid, or the amount is higher, does the formal route begin.
What the notice must contain
Section 66 OWiG lists the contents: your details, the offence with time and place, the legal provisions applied, the evidence, the fine and any additional consequence such as a driving ban. It must also tell you three things: that it becomes final and enforceable if you do not object, that an objection can lead to a less favourable decision, and that you must pay within two weeks of it becoming final, failing which coercive detention (Erzwingungshaft) can be ordered. The notice does not have to give further reasons.
German authorities write in German only. If your German is still basic, translate the key lines, especially the date of delivery on the envelope and the paragraph on the deadline. Comparing every line with what you remember, from the number plate to the measured speed, takes ten minutes and avoids paying for someone else's car.
How the fees are calculated
The fine comes from the catalogue in the Fine Catalogue Ordinance. The costs of the notice come from Section 107 OWiG: five per cent of the fine as a fee, at least €25 and at most €7,500, plus €3.50 for each formal delivery. Up to a fine of €500 the minimum fee applies.
| Offence | BKat no. | Fine | Fee | Delivery | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No winter tyres in icy conditions | 5a | €60 | €25.00 | €3.50 | €88.50 |
| Phone at the wheel | 246.1 | €100 | €25.00 | €3.50 | €128.50 |
| No emergency corridor | 50 | €200 | €25.00 | €3.50 | €228.50 |
| 0.5 per mille, first offence | 241 | €500 | €25.00 | €3.50 | €528.50 |
| 0.5 per mille, with a prior entry | 241.1 | €1,000 | €50.00 | €3.50 | €1,053.50 |
Further expenses can arise, such as expert costs or €12 for posting the case file if you ask to see it and it is not sent electronically. For parking cases where the driver cannot be identified, the keeper pays a flat €20 fee but no fine.
Why the amount can differ from the catalogue
Catalogue amounts assume a careless offence in ordinary circumstances. The notice can be higher for four reasons:
- Intent. Section 3(4a) BKatV doubles any standard fine above €55, so €115 for 21 km/h over in town becomes €230.
- Danger or damage. Table 4 of the appendix raises fines where this is not already built in: €100 becomes €120 if someone was endangered and €145 if property was damaged.
- Several offences in one act. Only the highest standard fine applies under Section 3(5) BKatV, and it may be raised appropriately.
- No driving ban. If the authority exceptionally waives a standard ban, Section 4(4) BKatV says the fine should be raised appropriately, without naming a figure.
The fee is then five per cent of the higher amount, still with the €25 minimum.
Filling in the hearing form
The personal details on a hearing form are compulsory: name, address, date of birth. Giving false personal details is itself an offence. Comments on the accusation are voluntary, and silence is not treated as an admission. The form is not yet a fine and creates no duty to pay, but it does matter for timing: notifying you that proceedings have begun interrupts the limitation period, which then starts again.
The right to object
Every recipient may lodge an Einspruch. It must reach the authority that issued the notice within 2 weeks of delivery, in writing or recorded in person there (Section 67 OWiG). No reasons are required by law, and the objection can be limited to particular points, such as the amount or the driving ban. The authority then reviews the case. If it maintains its decision, the file goes via the public prosecutor to the local court (Amtsgericht). As the notice itself warns, the outcome can then be worse than the original decision, and court proceedings carry their own costs. This page describes the procedure only; it does not assess any individual case.
Paying, and what happens if you do not
Once the notice is final, payment is due within two weeks to the account stated. Fines are paid by bank transfer quoting the file reference (Aktenzeichen); without it, the payment may not be matched. If you cannot pay, tell the enforcement authority in writing within that period and ask for instalments. Ignoring the notice altogether can lead to coercive detention under Section 96 OWiG, which does not cancel the debt. A final fine cannot be enforced forever: Section 34 OWiG sets three years for amounts up to €1,000 and five years above, counted from the date the decision became final, with the clock paused during instalments.
Points, bans and your licence
If the offence appears in annex 13 of the Driving Licence Ordinance, which in practice means fines from €60, the authority reports the final decision to the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg. The deletion period starts on that date, two and a half years for one point. The register stores the person, so this applies whatever licence you hold; the guide to Flensburg points explains the stages, and a free extract shows your record (checking your points). A driving ban in the notice starts only after it becomes final; for a first ban in two years you get a 4-month window, described on the driving ban page.
The notice and the limitation period
Since 1 July 2026, traffic offences become time-barred after 6 months under Section 26(3) StVG. Issuing the notice interrupts that period if it is delivered within two weeks; otherwise delivery itself interrupts it (Section 33(1) no. 9 OWiG). The period then starts again. Details, including the absolute upper limit, are on the page about limitation periods for fines.
Worked example: 21 km/h over in town
A camera records 74 km/h in a 50 zone. After the tolerance deduction, 71 km/h is held against you, 21 km/h too fast. The catalogue sets €115 and 1 point. The notice adds €25.00 as a fee and €3.50 for delivery, €143.50 in total. Without an objection it becomes final two weeks after delivery, payment is due two weeks after that, and the point is recorded from the date it became final. You can check other cases with the fine calculator.