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DRIVING

What happens if you don’t pay a fine in Spain?

Whether it be a fine from the traffic, tax or town hall authorities, there are several steps (and repercussions) that could follow if you don't pay a 'multa' in Spain.

Published: 27 February 2024 09:28 CET
Updated: 2 March 2024 17:05 CET
What happens if you don't pay a fine in Spain?
These are the consequences of not paying the different types of fines in Spain. (Photo by MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP)

In Spain, not paying a fine can have some financial, even legal consequences. What exactly this involves depends on the type of fine you receive.

The Local takes a look at the three main types you could theoretically get if you live in Spain: a traffic fine, a tax fine, or some kind of sanction from the town hall.

Traffic fines

If you accidentally break the speed limit, jump a red light or commit any other driving infraction, a few days later receive a letter from the DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico) will no doubt arrive informing you that you’ve got a fine.

In Spain, you are given a window of 20 calendar days (from the date you got the letter) during which you can pay it off with a 50 percent discount (this is sometimes referred to as ‘prepago‘ in Spanish). Taking this option does mean you lose your right to challenge the fine, however.

Once this window passes, a second period of 25 calendar days begins during which the fine can be paid without surcharges but for the full amount.

Once those total 45 days have elapsed, Spain’s State Tax Administration Agency (AEAT) takes control of the fine, and applies a 20 percent surcharge.

If you still don’t pay it, AEAT can seize assets in order to recoup the payment.

Tax fines

Fines directly from AEAT are usually given to self-employed people in Spain. Fines may be given for failure to file a tax return on time, for example, or not declaring all your income.

READ ALSO: What are the penalties and prison sentences for tax evasion in Spain?

As with traffic fines, there’s also a voluntary period for paying off tax fines without any surcharges. If payment is not made, the enforcement procedure begins, in which you can pay the fine with a reduced surcharge of 10 percent.

If the fine is still not paid, the surcharge is upped to 20 percent. And if you still don’t pay it off, as with traffic fines AEAT takes over the outstanding amount and can seize your assets, starting with money in accounts opened in credit institutions, then bank accounts and so on.

Town hall

You can also get fines from your local town hall, most often parking fines. It can depend on the specific municipality, so it’s always better to check with your local authority, but generally speaking in Spain you’ll be given a period of 60 days to pay. You appeal within the first 30 days should you wish to. Like with traffic fines, there’s also usually a ‘prepago‘ period that allows you to reduce the fee.

After 60 days, a surcharge of 5 percent is applied to the amount of the fine. After that, the fine is passed on to the AEAT, which will first apply a 10 percent surcharge and then a 20 percent surcharge.

As with traffic fines, if it remains unpaid AEAT could seize your assets to recover the value of the fine.

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SPANISH TRADITIONS

Everything you need to know about Mother’s Day in Spain

Here's how and when in May Mother's Day is celebrated in Spain, and why it owes its roots to religion and a Valencian poet.

Published: 3 May 2024 13:37 CEST
Everything you need to know about Mother's Day in Spain

This year, Mother’s Day (El Día de la Madre) is celebrated in Spain on Sunday May 5th. It’s always celebrated on the first Sunday of the month of May.

On this day, young children in Spain give their mothers manualidades (crafts) they’ve made at school as a token of their love.

Husbands and older sons and daughters may buy their wives/mothers a present to say thanks for all that they do as matriarchs, which usually takes the form of a detalle (smaller present than for a birthday or Christmas), and will come accompanied by a message such as te quiero, mamá (I love you, mum).

According to experiences website Aladinia, the average Spaniards spends €65 on gifts on Mother’s Day. 

Other mums may send out text messages to wish each other ¡Feliz Día de la Madre! (Happy Mother’s Day!).

As it’s always celebrated on a Sunday, many shops will be closed but you can expect plenty of restaurants to be open for lunch and perhaps dinner. 

Depending where you’re from, the first Sunday of May may or may not be when you’re used to celebrating Mother’s Day in your home country.

Around the world over 100 countries celebrate Mother’s Day (or Mothering Sunday, more on the difference below) – 77 in May, 13 in March, and 14 at other times during the year.

Some countries, like the UK, celebrate Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday during Lent, meaning that the date changes each year. This is because Mothering Sunday was originally a Christian holiday in some European countries.

READ ALSO: How a female teacher campaigned for Spain to have a Father’s Day

Spain, however, like in the United States, celebrates Mother’s Day on the first Sunday in May each year, meaning that it doesn’t have a fixed date either. But it wasn’t always like that in Spain.

The history of Mother’s Day in Spain

The first Mother’s Day in Spain was celebrated in Madrid all the way back on October 4th, 1926. Much of the impetus for establishing a day to celebrate mothers came, rather fittingly, from a poet.

Julio Menéndez García, a Valencian poet and public servant, pushed for a special day to celebrate mothers. Spanish newspaper La Libertad published a short section on Garcìa’s efforts in October 1925:

“A Levantine poet, Julio Menéndez García, has had the happy initiative that in Spain and in the Spanish-speaking nations a day should be consecrated to extol the love of mothers. The establishment of Mother’s Day is something tender and sympathetic, which deserves to be welcomed by governments, the press and public opinion, as it involves the highest tribute to women in their most august representation.”

After the Civil War, the church moved the date to December 8th to coincide with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a key holiday among Catholics. 

Civil War-era poster urging Madrid mothers to leave the Spanish capital with their children before the arrival of Franco’s troops. (Photo by AFP)

But it wasn’t until 1965 that Mother’s Day was celebrated in May in Spain. The reason for this change of date was to separate the celebrations (both were considered important enough to have their own day) but also the influence of other countries, namely the United States.

The campaign for a Mother’s Day was originally started by Anna Jarvis, an American wanting to honour her mother, in 1908. By 1914, US President Woodrow Wilson officially signed it into law, establishing the May date. 

However, for many years in Spain department store El Corte Inglés maintained the date of 8th December, meaning that Spain Mother’s Day was celebrated twice a year for a while, commercially speaking at least.

In 1936 a local council in Breña Baja, on the Canary island of La Palma, became the first in Spain to move Mother’s Day to May.

However, in 1965 the church authorities officially decided to move Mother’s Day to May, a month consecrated to the Virgin Mary. May is also the month of female gods in the classical world, and in Catholicism is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Interestingly, Jarvis herself later campaigned against the day, arguing it had become overly commercialised, something Spaniards often bemoan about other imported American customs like Halloween and Valentine’s Day. 

READ ALSO: How a female teacher campaigned for Spain to have a Father’s Day

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