10

I traveled to Italy to study abroad 2 years ago and recieved a bus fine in the middle of my trip. I belive it was ATAF, the local city bus. I was confused on how to pay and got on expecting to pay on there. Once I realized there was nowhere to pay we were already off. The next stop a ticket agent came on to check out tickets and took me off the bus. They handed me a fine and told me to pay by a certain date. Upset of course, I tore it up and threw it away. I left Italy not thinking much of it but now I want to go back and I am unsure what would happen if I did. Would they detain me? Would I go to Jail? Would they charge me 1,000 euros to enter and cover my fine? Just looking for answers, I am having a hard time finding much on this.

Improve this question
3
  • 3
    did they take your ID, out of interest?
    – Mark Mayo
    Dec 16, 2021 at 23:00
  • @MarkMayo my educated guess is that by take you didn't mean confiscate the paper ID, but rather demand the offender to show the ID to take note of the offender's identity
    – usr-local-ΕΨΗΕΛΩΝ
    Jan 4, 2022 at 13:54
  • To the OP: it is worth disclosing your nationality, to tell whether you are EU or non-EU/non-Schengen. EU countries cooperate to abroad credit collection up to a certain point, but if you are a US citizen it's very unlikely that credit collectors will pursue you in your home country. And if you are a Schengen national, there is no such concept of detained at the border unless you are a fugitive killer
    – usr-local-ΕΨΗΕΛΩΝ
    Jan 4, 2022 at 13:57

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
4

Normally when you get fined for fare evasion the fine is an administrative one. So they will send you a bill to your home address, and if you do not pay, a reminder.

If you do not do that they may, or may not, decide to take this to court. Some countries take this more seriously than others. (In Switzerland for example they will not just drop this). If you do not appear on your day in court then they will make in entry in the Schengen Information System, and you will be in trouble the next time you enter Europe (not just Italy).

Being detained at the border for an outstanding fine does actually happen. It is what the Schengen Information System is there for.

Improve this answer
2
  • The part about SIS is incorrect. At this link you can find that "SIS only contains alerts on persons... under one of the following alert categories". Traffic enforcement does not fall into this. Also, it is not expected to issue a European arrest warrant for a few euros violation. Which is still a violation.
    – usr-local-ΕΨΗΕΛΩΝ
    Jan 4, 2022 at 14:01
  • However, I can't find an exact source but I recall, to my best judgement, that indeed countries like Switzerland will enforce traffic violation until forever, but more likely you would have to be stopped at a random check by police. Especially for vehicle-related violations (speeding the most dreadful violation in Swiss culture) I recall that Swiss authorities will likely use ANPR cameras at the border to prevent a vehicle from leaving the Swiss territory, and confiscate it until the offender pays the fine. I don't recall the source for this.
    – usr-local-ΕΨΗΕΛΩΝ
    Jan 4, 2022 at 14:04
3

All the previous answers seem legitimate, except the question itself is rather curious to me: however I will still attempt to clarify your doubts.

No jail, no 1000 euros, no court, no SIS, no ECHR (which was made to protect those who owe tens of thousands, not for a 30 euro bus fine), no prison. If you really can't find peace, then give a call to ATAF instead of asking here.

Improve this answer
2
  • 2
    Yes, the simplest answer is that the OP writes a letter to ATAF in Florence and ask how to pay the fine (however belatedly).
    – Mark Johnson
    Dec 19, 2021 at 23:39
  • 2
    If people are very worried, they could send an SIS data subject request and check if they are on the list. The chance is very very slim, although not out of range of possibilities. Personally I wouldn't worry about it too much and bother with it.
    – xngtng
    Dec 20, 2021 at 11:46
0

The European Convention on Human Rights in 1950 banned debtors prisons. The border guard is not dealing with traffic fines. Chasing a minor fine like this internationally is simply not worth attorney's fees. You are good to go.

Improve this answer
6
  • 4
    Debtors prison has nothing to with this. If you do not pay a fine you can still go to prison.
    – Krist van Besien
    Dec 19, 2021 at 6:20
  • @KristvanBesien that really requires some source.
    – user4188
    Dec 20, 2021 at 5:47
  • "No one shall be deprived of his liberty merely on the ground of inability to fulfil a contractual obligation." In many countries, fare evasion is an administrative or civil offence, in addition to breach of contract; however, each country or operator has their own way of determining which cases to send to the public prosecutors and which ones to proceed via private civil means.
    – xngtng
    Dec 20, 2021 at 11:43
  • @chx Source: Ersatzfreiheitsstrafen: A substitute custodial sentence [Ersatzfreiheitsstrafe] is a custodial sentence that is carried out if a fine imposed by the court (in Austria also by an administrative authority) is not paid. If multiple fare evasion fines are not paid voluntary, the court can order it. If it is then not paid, the amount divided by the average daily income would determine the amount of days that the court can order to be served.
    – Mark Johnson
    Dec 20, 2021 at 12:12
  • @chx Source: 2021-12-11: Berlin setzt Ersatzfreiheitsstrafen wegen Corona aus | rbb24: It is about offenses such as fare dodging or minor shop thefts. Most recently, 385 people were imprisoned on a replacement sentence.
    – Mark Johnson
    Dec 20, 2021 at 12:26

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .