Hello all, I am almost sure that I have a couple of unpaid parking tickets from 2021 in Italy. I tried paying them years ago but had no luck. I am going this December and need a rental car. Has anyone had a similar experience?
I will be with my two boys and want to understand if I will have problems ahead of time.
I get that I should have paid them before anyone starts lecturing me. I just want to know if anyone has a story like mine and what happened, please.
TIA Everyone!!
I have 2 or 3 outstanding traffic citations in Italy and have returned a few times with no repercussions. And yes, I have attempted to pay them with no luck. Don’t worry about them, just drive carefully - watch your speed and the ZTL’s! In March of this year, a speed camera caught me in the small town of Cepagatti in Abruzzo. Very easy to pay using Wise.com to transfer the euros.
Thank you Phillip, where you able to rent a car?
Recent discussion
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/how-to-find-traffic-fine-information-from-violation-in-florence-2-years-ago
Make sure all drivers have an IDP and US drivers license and you should have no problem renting a car
We had problems because we didn’t get an international driving licence. We didn’t need it anywhere Caribbean, we didn’t need it in Portugal either. But oh gee, for an extra ridiculously high insurance fee, they rented to us anyway. What a scam. We looked up how to get the intl licence in Canada…basically another money grab through CAA, where they charge you to say yep you got a valid licence. Why is a licence not a licence? The drivers are crazy here anyway!
Since when does something required by law equal a scam?
deanna.rozon
The following European countries do require International Driver’s Permits in conjunction with valid United States’ driver’s licenses:
Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain.
Portugal is not one of them, and that is why you didn't need it.
I always bring an International to any country, better to have it than not and so simple to get.
I have some outstanding tickets from 2022 on the mainland, rented through Hertz. Went to Sicily in 2023 and rented through Hertz with no issues. I don't think the rental companies care, they are collecting their absurdly high fees anyway. You should be fine.
Since when does something required by law equal a scam?
Does the term "speed trap" ring a bell?
We have speed traps in America too. They take the form of cops hidden on top of freeway ramps and overpasses (or behind bushes) from where they record your speed using a radar gun. If you drive between San Francisco and Sacramento on the I-80 you'll find plenty of those. The only difference is that in America they chase you and pull you over after you violate the law, whereas in Italy they mail you the ticket later without any interaction with a human cop. The advantage of the camera system is that there are no police killings in Italy at traffic stops, the disadvantage is that since cameras cost little, Cities and other jurisdictions can afford to place hundreds of them on lots of roads and collect fines with little payroll costs compared to having a cop chasing people each time. By the way I prefer the American way (fewer chances of being caught since there aren't enough cops).
