Question about a speeding ticket in Germany

Richard: I too just received a certified letter from the Venice police asking for $82 in speeding finesfor less than 5 mph over the speed limit. A radar/camera caught me on a causeway going into Venice. Hertz was supposed to have paid the fine last July, and they charged my Visa. A $44 administrative fee was charged separately. AutoEurope cannot help me without copies of the rental agreement, including agreement numbers. I cannot find my year old documents.
I do not know how to contact Hertz' Rome office that handled the fines, as all their FAQ info in the internet is in Italian.

Hi Richard, Without posting whole text it is going to be hard for anyone to figure out what is going on....

Here is the full text, in German: da Sie bisher trotz verschiedener Zahlungsaufforderungen die Geldbuße nicht bezahlt haben, wird die Zentrale Bußgeldstelle nunmehr Antrag auf Erzwingungshaft stellen. Mit freundlichen Grüßen Zentrale Bußgeldstelle that's it!

Hi, The text in German says this: Since you have up to now not paid the fine in spite of various requests for payment, the Zentrale Bußgeldstelle (Central Fine Office) will now file for an application for "coercive/forced detention." With friendly greetings...standard ending for formal correspondance nowadays. Does that speeding ticket (Strafzettel) show an address or phone number?

The ticket should have come with a bank invoice. Take this to your bank and wire the money to the specified account.

Just to support the others, this does need to be taken care of now. They will not dismiss it. Yes there should be a card portion at the bottom of the letter with a bunch of squares on it or somewhere on it that says "BLZ" "KONTO" with a bunch of numbers after it. That is the banking information. If you have one of those take it to the bank and wire the money. BUT your most recent letter may not have the bank card if you've neglected (purposefully or accidentally) it so long they stopped sending the card and now are just sending the warning letter (which probably still has the banking info on it-just in tiny print at the bottom or elsewhere). This happened to my American neighbor for a fine in Switzerland. First off, I concur you should call whomever sent the letter TODAY to get it sorted. Keep asking for someone who speaks English and be patient. Good luck.

Perhaps someone can suggest the German translation for "I want to pay a traffic fine" for your phone call? If they are seeking such a severe penalty you might be refused entry on your next visit. Or worse.

Yes, it does list a phone number, but when I call, it is all in German and then hangs up, so I can't get someone on the line. The number it gives me is: (09942)952-580. It also has an email address that is bouncing back:
[email protected] There is no "card" that says how to pay, as far as I can tell, though I do appear to have a case number.

Hi, I assume you are dialing these numbers exactly: 011-49-9942-952-580.

Yes, I dialed: 011 49 9942952 580
I only heard a recording, followed by a hang-up. I called at 9am CST, which would be 3pm I believe, so I don't expect that they'd be closed...

It's the Easter weekend! In Germany, Good Friday and Easter Monday are statutory holidays. Most likely, the office is closed and you won't reach anybody till Tuesday.

Hi, Of course the informational recording is going to be in German. Since they are 7 hrs ahead of TN, call when it's 7 or 8am for you. They close at 16:000.

Because I'm such a sucker, I just called for you. It says they are closed. Surprise...it's like a twilight zone episode out there right now, everything is closed until Tuesday. Also this weekend Europe goes to Daylight Saving Time, so the time difference will change accordingly. The message says they're closed, open Monday through Thursday 0800-1600 and Friday 0800-1700.

THANK YOU Kathy. That was very kind of you to go out of your way for me. I appreciate it. I will try again next week.

I'm really surprised they have taken it this far. We have been notified on two separate occasions that we had tickets in Germany by Avis and that they were charging our credit card an administrative fee for providing the officials with our information. We NEVER received anything from any German official either time. We have been back to Germany several times since the last incident and nothing has ever happened. Maybe they have changed how they handle these matters. Unsure how they would handle "coercive detention" when you are thousands of miles away. They seem to be spending a whole lot of time and money just to collect 103.50 EUR from a foreign tourist.