paying a fine from the US

There should be some instructions on the ticket for direct contact. Call and ask. Someone will speak English.

Yet another posting about ZTL violations. Renting a car in Italy is a fraught issue. I'm not sure that the OP understands the ZTL issue.

Have the OP received communications from the rental car company? If not, that will be coming, with another fine.

Hopefully the OP did not enter other ZTLs
Chances are not good

I've never had to pay anything like a traffic fine in Europe, but when this sort of issue has come up in the past, other posters have reported using Wise (formerly "TransferWise") to transfer funds. The fee is reportedly very low (as opposed to the extortionate charges of US banks). See whether a wire transfer is one of the options for paying the fine.

Could you post more details about the correspondence you received?
1. Sender
2. Contents in Italian

We will translate.

I haven't been in this exact situation, but once when I was unable to get my credit card accepted for a payment to an Italian government site, I was still able to pay using my PayPal account. If that is an option, maybe try that.

I appreciate your help very much.
Let me give a little backstory.
I was in Verona in May, had just picked up rental car and did not even know I had made a violation. Several weeks after returning, I got an email from the rental company requesting payment for transferring my information, which I payed after doing some research into Italian regulations, etc. They told me I would receive the actual fine in a few months.
It came several days ago, by registered mail. It’s a notice from the city of Verona, in English, telling me how to pay the fine by credit card. I went to the website
https//.Verona.multeonline.it
as directed (took many tries to get it to work), clicked on the link which took me to the form, filled out all the info, which took me to the PagaPa page to enter payment, which I did. My credit card company sent me a confirmation code to enter, which I did. But the payment was rejected. I tried repeatedly over the week, but it will not go through. My card company has no record of an attempted payment. Twice I have written to the email address given in the letter for questions about technical difficulties, but have received no reply. I have no clue about what I am doing wrong, and just want to resolve it.
Any suggestions much appreciated.
Joy Cooke

More than likely it is being rejected at Verona's bank for whatever reason. We have had this happen a couple of times where the hotel's or tour company's network will not complete the transaction for sone unknown to everyone. Try two things; 1. try paying in another currency, if your trying to pay in $s switch to euros or 2. use a different credit card from a different banking institution. Let us know.

This is a shot in the dark, but I remember that someone reported solving a gnarly problem like this (not for traffic fines, I don't think) by changing the time zone on a smartphone or tablet to match Italy's time zone. That would be a simple thing to try. I don't have a clue about changing the time zone on a PC, though.

If you are trying to pay through PagoPA using a U.S. bank card it’s not going to work. PagoPA is an Italian digital payment platform used by Italian government agencies (national and local) to receive payments. A more detailed description of it is in the first link below (in English). Only banks adhering to the system can make payments through PagoPA. The list of the adhering banks is in the PagoPA website (second link). It’s a long list and all Italian banks are part of it, but I don’t think there are any non Italian banks, and every time I need to make a payment to Italian government agencies (I do so often) through PagoPA I have to use my Italian bank app (Intesa San Paolo Bank), which, being the second largest Italian bank, is part of the list.
I know that my Italian friends in Italy can also pay via PagoPA also using the PayPal app, since PayPal has partnered with Mooney Bank (an Italian bank adhering to the PagoPA circuit) to make payments via PagoPA using the PayPal app, however I’ve never used PayPal for that purpose since I prefer to use my Italian bank app, and frankly I don’t know if it would be available to a PayPal user in the US, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.
If that doesn’t work, then you need to write to the City of Verona (maybe you have an email) and see if they can suggest an alternative method of payment.

If all else fails, and they don’t even bother to reply (very likely) then forgetabboutit! Tell them to send a couple of Carabinieri to collect the money at your house in the US.

https://n26.com/en-it/blog/pagopa-how-does-it-work

https://www.pagopa.gov.it/it/prestatori-servizi-di-pagamento/elenco-PSP-attivi/

I am going through the same dilemma. Same type of ticket and same problem paying!! Do you know if this has been resolved??
Any insight would be appreciated.
Thank- Lisa

Italian government agencies must adhere to PagoPA platform mandatorily to make payments, however that is not necessarily the only method a local government entity (usually a City) might choose. It is possible for a City to allow other forms of payment, like a Bank Transfer (or "bonifico bancario" in Italian). In order to pay through a bank transfer you will need the entity's 16-digit IBAN, which is what is used in the European Union, and I don't know if in the communication you received they gave that information.

If you really want to pay, but don't have that IBAN, try PayPal. Not sure it will work from the US but currently no US banks participate to the PagoPA platform, an Italian payment platform used by all government agencies in Italy. PayPal in Italy has partnered with a participating Italian bank and might work, although I haven't tried myself from the US.

If you can't pay, then too bad for that City. If they want money from overseas they should provide an IBAN. There would be no consequences for you, a resident abroad, if you don't pay that fine, which also they make impossible to pay.

Yes, after many attempts, and not willing to pay bank transfer fees, I have let it slide. I made a serious effort to pay the fine, and feel that their system has been the problem. Just waiting for the traffic police to show up at my door. Too bad. I was all set to give them my money.

We had a ticket and paid through PayPal, just an FYI.

Yes with PayPal. I also had trouble paying Italian government charges in another case via credit card. But it worked fine with PayPal.

The topic of traffic fines in Italy is not unusual. Out of curiosity, what if you did not pay the fine? What happens? What are the realistic consequences?
It seems most people make a good faith effort to pay these fines, but are snarled in the how to do it aspect. Seems you have to waste a lot of time and effort in order to even attempt to pay.
Is there anyone here who has experience in not paying and what happened?

Some Italian jurisdictions assign the debt to Italian collection agencies which are part of an international network. The most famous is Nivi company based in Florence, which for a 33% commission fee, tries to collect money from violators overseas on behalf of Italian municipalities.

So it is possible that in the future a US based collection agency might try to collect from you a debt (inflated by huge additional fees, a profit for the collection agency) which is basically unenforceable in any US court. Traffic fines aren't even no longer reportable to the Credit Bureaus when issued in the United States.

Nevertheless collection agencies are in the business of trying to shake down people, and some people get intimidated and pay. That is why the practice continues and those collection agencies are in business.

If the debt collector does not disappear after your ignoring of their letter, you can tell them to stop contacting you by writing the following letter (send registered mail) to the debt collection agency:

Dear [Debt Collection Agency's Name],
I am responding to your contact about a debt you are attempting to collect. You contacted me by [phone/mail], on [date]. You identified the debt as [any information they gave you about the debt].
Please stop all communication with me and with this address about this debt.
Record that I dispute having any obligation for this debt. If you forward or return this debt to another entity, please indicate to them that this debt is disputed.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Once a debt collector receives your letter requesting they stop contacting you (request to 'cease or desist), they’re not allowed to communicate with you again except to:
- Tell you there will be no further contact
- Advise you that they or the creditor may take other specific actions they’re legally allowed to take, such as filing a lawsuit against you
(Chapter 805(c) of the FDCPA)

Keep in mind that if you want them to stop contacting you, it’s important that you respond to the debt collector in writing and that you clearly state that you dispute the debt.

The debt collector will likely disappear in this case, because they know they have no chance to collect. They will not threaten legal action, because this is a debt with a foreign agency that is not enforceable in US courts. Threatening to take any legal action against you that they cannot legally take (or intend to take) – including filing a lawsuit, seizing or putting liens against your property, or garnishing your wages, is a serious violation of the Chapter 807 of the FDPCA and would entitle the debtor to legal action against the collection agency. A debt collector must first sue you and obtain a judgment from the court before they can do these things.

PS: I used to audit debt collection agencies on behalf of the hospital chain that engaged them to collect debts from our patients.

The line hasn't been crossed yet, but I'm getting reports as to how close we are to breaking Guideline #7 regarding breaking laws (or not paying your tickets). Thanks to everyone for keeping this thread on the up and up.

Also, regarding Roberto's post (preceding this post), many thanks to you for what may be very helpful advice. Also, this is a reminder for everyone that this is a travel forum and we (Rick Steves Europe, Rick Steves, all staff members) are not liable for any free advice provided in this forum, particularly if any advice given reaches toward medical or legal advice. The responsibility is your own.

Thanks, everyone.

Since this came up when searching for my issue for paying a parking ticket in Munich, you can pay it with Wise, but it seems like the transaction does not work if you select to pay with euros, you have to pay with dollars, which is annoying, otherwise the card gets declined. Hope this helps someone in a similar situation as I struggled with it for quite a while.

We received a traffic ticket 11 months after visiting Trento, Italy. It looks legitimate; however, the login did not work to pay the fine. When I send an inquiry to [email protected], which was listed on the citation received, an email from "[email protected]" was received, which appears sketchy. Help?

@ gibson.eydie

To me it sounds also sketchy that an email address for the Municipality of Trento would ask you to email to an address in English ([email protected]).

The Municipality of Trento, like all public entities in Italy, requires payments of fines via the PagoPA circuit, using a CBILL payment. That is not something you could do, unless you have an Italian bank (or maybe only via PayPal, which has partnered with an Italian bank part of the PagoPA circuit).

For all inquiries related to fines, the Municipality of Trento asks you to email at the agency (a vendor) to which they outsources the collection of fines called Trentino Riscossioni S.p.A. (S.p.A. is the Italian equivalent of INC. used for US corporations). The email address cited in the City of Trento page is [email protected] not the one you said, which to me sounds a lot like a scam by someone who's trying to illegitimately trying to earn some bucks at the expense of foreign tourists. Don't log on there. I'll write you a private message with my email. Scan the letter you received and send it to me, and I'll take a look.

I have been having issues with paying traffic fines for the last 5 months on tickets that were issued in Italy from last January through June. Two were speeding violations of about 5 km over the limit in speed traps, and the other was a limited traffic area that was not marked and could only be found on maps of the city. The problem I am having is payment of these fines, because I am now living in Italy, and the traffic fines are all directed to payment from the US. It is a real problem finding out how to pay your fine when you are still in Europe. The traffic fines are set up only for international money transfers, often without an Italian account listed. Even when you go online to try to get information on how to pay the fine. You get no response. I have taken to using the local solution which is going to Poste Italiane, and paying fines there. I have now paid my speeding tickets at the local Poste Italiane, which is able to take direct payment for deposit to an account. The problem with all of these fines is the the method of payment varies greatly, some are international money transfer, some are credit card. I have found that the ticket cost is usually tremendously inflated for Americans. I found that a ticket in the town of Ferandina in southern Italy, which the US collection company was going to charge over $120 was actually less than 55 euros...or $60. It is a clear extortion racket, because they know that there is no way that an American, once you are in the US can check to see what the original cost of the infraction was. Soooo, beware. If you have a means of contacting the local Polizia Locale, try it and you may be able to pay much less than what the collection company is demanding. Ciao Tutti