Portugal Parking Fine (1 Viewer)

[StanandShirley]

Just received after one year a parking fine for staying overnight on a large car park which advised overnight parking for Motorhomes. Not to boar you with the whole story but gist is we payed for an overnight stay then in the morning we along with twenty or thirty vans many French were given papers from the police. We drove to Faro to the police station to be told we had to go to Silves to complain. After speaking to a nice Gent he told us we would have to write in Portuguese to Appel. Having a friend who lives in the USA who is Portuguese he translated a letter for me. Not receiving any notice I thought that was the end of it until yesterday. So now I will send of my appeal and see what happens. The fine is for 150 to 200 euros. Anyone out there had anything like this and what was the result.

 

[Richard n Ann]

A Greek copper once issued me a fine for not wearing a helmet on a quad bike. I was told by an English copper that because they had not seen my passport they couldn't pursue me at home. That was 2010 and not heard anything since.
Let's face it, I don't think they're going to get Interpol involved for a parking fine

 

[chaser]

Not with motorhome, or overnight, but we got a parking ticket in albufiera in an hire car, and feared the worst with all this Portuguese writing about £150 or £200 fine so went to the post office to pay it and found that if you paid within so many days , all you had to pay was a full days parking fee which for us turned out to be 8 euros, we thought that was very fair, sorry no help to you I know but just our experience.

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[The Nomad]

Ignore it.
There is no mechanism for chasing this local debt beyond the Portuguese border.

 

[JJ]

Was that at Armação de Pera by any chance?

JJ

 

[GWAYGWAY]

No problem Just go to Austria a come back with a few Thousand in fine for just being a foreigner and daring to visit.

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[chaser]

Ignore it.
There is no mechanism for chasing this local debt beyond the Portuguese border.

Well obviously if they have sent him a letter to his home address there must be.

 

[The Nomad]

Well obviously if they have sent him a letter to his home address there must be.

No.
You are mistaking communication for enforcement.
There is no legal mechanism for the Portuguese local Authorities to pursue this debt in an English court.

 

[iandsm]

No problem Just go to Austria a come back with a few Thousand in fine for just being a foreigner and daring to visit.

What did you do to incur a few thousand in fines, must have been fairly serious and or repeated,it would be useful to know so others can avoid it.

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[BMM]

No.
You are mistaking communication for enforcement.
There is no legal mechanism for the Portuguese local Authorities to pursue this debt in an English court.

True but should he ever want to return to Portugal in his Motorhome things could get very interesting.

 

[chaser]

No.
You are mistaking communication for enforcement.
There is no legal mechanism for the Portuguese local Authorities to pursue this debt in an English court.

Just of a matter of interest , how have they got his address, just off his number plate or did he give his details to someone.?

 

[buttons]

Was that at Armação de Pera by any chance?

JJ

Do tell why JJ you now have us all wondering......

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[chaser]

From our experience I would have thought if he had just paid the fine instead of appealing it wouldn't have been much at all, and probablyjust for the next days parking, nothing to do with the night he had payed for.

 

[Gaston aires]

No problem Just go to Austria a come back with a few Thousand in fine for just being a foreigner and daring to visit.

We too were in Austria, just passing through. Our van was over 3.5 tonnes so a go box was needed to go on motorways. As we approached the border 7 km the police had closed the road and diverted us on to the motorway, we had no choice but to comply. At the border we were detained, along with 3 other vans, presumably awaiting the same fate.
The police knew they had done this and still fined us 300€ laughing all the way. I wrote to the Austrian embassy in London about this and never even got a reply.
Austria can go to hell as far as Im concerned, I will never go back to their poxy country.
Phil

 

[The Nomad]

Just of a matter of interest , how have they got his address, just off his number plate or did he give his details to someone.?

I assume he included it for a reply to the letter he sent them (as per his description of events in the Original Post above)

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[chaser]

I assume he included it for a reply to the letter he sent them (as per his description of events in the Original Post above)

Don't think he sent them anything , he is just now saying about sending it in.

 

[JJ]

I can assure anyone interested that the Portuguese authorities can now get a Brit's address from the number plate of the van.

This is not an opinion... it is a fact.

JJ

 

[elamessa]

I can assure anyone interested that the Portuguese authorities can now get a Brit's address from the number plate of the van.

This is not an opinion... it is a fact.



JJ

Not just Portugal also works the same way in Spain as my brother found out to his cost.

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[The Nomad]

I can assure anyone interested that the Portuguese authorities can now get a Brit's address from the number plate of the van.

This is not an opinion... it is a fact.

JJ

Nope.

Prior to 6th May 2017, the Portuguese, and any other mainland European Authorities could ONLY get the VEHICLE details (ie VED, MOT and Insurance status) from the internet...as a can anyone else as it is publically available data online.
This was because the UK (and Ireland and Denmark too) had specifically opted out of the EU Cross-Border Information Exchange system, on the basis that they were unhappy with the (lack of) data security of many other countries systems that would have been allowed to interface with the DVLA one.

But that opt-out only lasted until 5th May 2017.

For CERTAIN road traffic offences committed since 5th May 2017 by British registered vehicles elsewhere in the EU, there is now in effect a mechanism for that countries Police/Law enforcement officials to request the registered keeper details and home address associated with that British registered vehicle concerned.

BUT, that right to ask for owner details ONLY applies with respect to certain road traffic offences committed from 6th May 2017 onwards:-

Speeding
Drink/drug driving
Failure to wear seatbelt/crash helmet
Jumping a red light
Driving in a forbidden lane, and
Mobile phone usage offences.

Any offences committed elsewhere in the EU prior to 6th May 2017 do not entitle a foreign Authority to be given the UK owner/keepers name or address (except in the case of really serious criminal investigations when a specific Interpol information request can be sent).
In addition, parking offences are NOT one of the specific grounds for DVLA release of driver data even if committed since 6th May.

 

[JJ]

I am well past the stage where I disagree with people on the internet...

It is simply not worth it...

JJ

 

[2657]

I am well past the stage where I disagree with people on the internet...

It is simply not worth it...

JJ

Where's the fun in that

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[maxi77]

There have been reports of people in Portugal driving foreign vehicles being pulled over for either a minor item or just a document check, being hit with their unpaid fine backlog and obliged to pay before being allowed to proceed.

The police in Portugal do have a target fine income and most locals are wise to this now so the more difficult foreigners are now likely to be targeted, especially as they have a socialist government intent on spending to grow but not allowed to borrow.

 

[SMB]

I am well past the stage where I disagree with people on the internet...

It is simply not worth it...

JJ

I disagree that you disagree with people on the internet, for instance when you reassured me more than once that Sunderland wouldn't get relegated and I disagreed

 

[JJ]

But Sunderland won't get relegated young man...

JJ

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[makems]

But Sunderland won't get relegated young man...

JJ

Hopefully not this season!

 

[StanandShirley]

Got a reply from my friend in the USA he tells me the paper work is telling me that I can appeal and have twenty days to submit also to appoint a lawyer plus a whole load of legal crap. I will send back today with my appeal letter and see what happens. Watch this space, may take another year?

 

[Langtoftlad]

Just of a matter of interest , how have they got his address, just off his number plate or did he give his details to someone.?

Much more mundane I suspect than cross border authority co-operation:
"Having a friend who lives in the USA who is Portuguese he translated a letter for me."
The OP wrote to them so I presume he put a return address on his letter

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[chaser]

Much more mundane I suspect than cross border authority co-operation:
"Having a friend who lives in the USA who is Portuguese he translated a letter for me."
The OP wrote to them so I presume he put a return address on his letter

Sorry I just can't be bothered with this , but yes he had a friend in USA who did a letter for him but he hasn't sent it to Portugal yet.

 

[buttons]

Sorry I just can't be bothered with this , but yes he had a friend in USA who did a letter for him but he hasn't sent it to Portugal yet.

When you start these interjections then you have to follow them through chaser bothered or not.....

 

[Langtoftlad]

Sorry I just can't be bothered with this , but yes he had a friend in USA who did a letter for him but he hasn't sent it to Portugal yet.

Terribly sorry for bothering you Mr Chaser
But the way I read the OP was that this letter, the appeal, was written a year ago when the alleged offence took place. He heard nothing more until receiving notice yesterday - but I accept the post is ambiguous.

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