When you’re on the road or you’re travelling around the city, if you get distracted or are talking and suddenly in the rear-view mirror you see a speed camera, you are always unsure as to whether it has flashed or not. That is why we want to cover this issue in this article, how do I know if I have a traffic ticket ?
Some people believe that by not receiving a notification or by not worrying about whether or not there is a pending fine, it will simply expire. However, the truth is that the sanctioning bodies publish the notifications in the official gazettes and, from there, the administrative process runs its course.
How do I know if I have a traffic ticket?
It is currently very easy to check. All you need is a smartphone, tablet or computer and an internet connection. From there, there are three procedures to be able to view the fines:
- Through the Edictal Sanctions Board or TESTRA
- By email.
- Through an SMS.
Edictal Sanctions Board (TESTRA)
The Edictal Sanctions Board is an electronic board where you can see if you have any kind of pending sanction or notification.
The DGT (Directorate General of Traffic) provides all citizens with free and rapid consultation. All you have to do is access the official TESTRA website. There you will already have access to the sanctioning procedures of the DGT, more than 900 town councils and the traffic services of the Basque Country and Catalonia.
You can view the sanctions record through your vehicle’s registration number, with your name and surname or national ID number.
Email: Road Electronic Address (DEV)
You can receive the notifications of fines from the DGT or other administrations to your inbox, as long as they are registered with TESTRA and have sanctioning powers in traffic.
The Road Electronic Address or DEV is a voluntary service and free of charge for any individual. When you sign up for it, you will receive a notice in your email if you need to be notified. Afterwards, you must enter DEV and download the corresponding notification.
You can unsubscribe or register at any time, except if you are pending delivery of any notification. You will also be able to modify your contact details whenever you wish. But you should know that, if you register, you will only receive communications by this way.
Among the requirements that you need to register with DEV are the smart card reader for your electronic ID or the installation of your digital certificate in the browser.
SMS
If you choose this option, you do not need to be pending to access the TESTRA, as you will only have to register with DEV and activate DGT notifications or communications through SMS to your mobile phone.
Companies and legal entities must register with DEV for any vehicle they register.
How can I request that my data not be shown publicly on TESTRA?
If you do not want your personal data to be made public to any user who consults TESTRA, you can request registration on the so-called ‘list of excluded’. This way, only you as the interested party or the people you authorise will be able to view it.
In order to be able to request both the registration and the cancellation of this list you will need authentication and identification through the electronic DNI or the digital certificate.
In short, since 2009 all the sanctioning bodies with a TESTRA registration have been publishing there and any user has been notified. You can view fines for parking improperly, speeding or running a red light, among other sanctions.
Related reading
Photo: Taken by the uploader, w:es:Usuario:Barcex, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
