help, being prosecuted in Belgium
Discussion
Hello, I need some advice, from anyone who knows, what happens as a UK CITIZEN if you're prosecuted for speeding/motoring in Belgium? Anyone know? Flashing an unmarked police car out of the fast lane, at over 212kph, then road block was set up by the police. Felt a bit like Police, Camera, Action Video 2. They took my licence and sent it back to me in the UK 2 weeks later, that all happened in July 05. Now, about 3 weeks ago I got a recorded letter in the post saying I have to go to the Magistrates court in Brussels... do I stay or do I go??????
well, my mother already signed for the letter to me (as my license is still registered at her address) and she then got a confirmation slip back from them, so they knew it had been delivered ok... gosh they are so EFFICIENT in Europe. I even got a letter from the German police saying I had paid 5 euros too much in an on-the-spot fine and were asking for my bank details so they could send it back to me. This, by the way, was all in the course of Cannonball Run... :-)
I don't mind not going to Belgium for say the next 6 months, but just wondering if one day I forgot about this, say in a few years time, one day on the way to the Nurburgring or something if I was stopped, would I be arrested if I don't turn up in court in May?
I don't mind not going to Belgium for say the next 6 months, but just wondering if one day I forgot about this, say in a few years time, one day on the way to the Nurburgring or something if I was stopped, would I be arrested if I don't turn up in court in May?
Road Angel A said:
but just wondering if one day I forgot about this, say in a few years time, one day on the way to the Nurburgring or something if I was stopped, would I be arrested if I don't turn up in court in May?
If you are stopped , or if you fly into belgium and they run you passport number i would say
True story;
A guy worked on a sub-contract in Hollend for the Euro Space Agency. He was a Brit and he never paid any income tax. The Dutch authorities contacted him to demand the money, but he immediately skipped the country back to the UK and never intended going back to Holland. He owed, I think, about £24,000 in unpaid Dutch tax.
All was fine until one Friday evening whilst returning from a new job in Germany his aircraft was forced to land at schipol because of bad weather at Gatwick and because all other UK airports were overloaded. When he went to pass through passport control to go to the hotel he was arrested and told that he would not be released until the outstanding tax was paid. His wife had to raise that amount to get him out of the Dutch 'nick'. In hindsight, he should have stayed 'airside' at the airport until the next day, but maybe he couldn't do that.
It's a bit different from a minor speeding matter really.
Just be aware, that's all.
A guy worked on a sub-contract in Hollend for the Euro Space Agency. He was a Brit and he never paid any income tax. The Dutch authorities contacted him to demand the money, but he immediately skipped the country back to the UK and never intended going back to Holland. He owed, I think, about £24,000 in unpaid Dutch tax.
All was fine until one Friday evening whilst returning from a new job in Germany his aircraft was forced to land at schipol because of bad weather at Gatwick and because all other UK airports were overloaded. When he went to pass through passport control to go to the hotel he was arrested and told that he would not be released until the outstanding tax was paid. His wife had to raise that amount to get him out of the Dutch 'nick'. In hindsight, he should have stayed 'airside' at the airport until the next day, but maybe he couldn't do that.
It's a bit different from a minor speeding matter really.
Just be aware, that's all.
My own story about the continentals and bloody minded cross-border administration concerns Customs and Excise.
I was doing a long continental trip covering various countries and had on board certain goods which had to be covered by a carnet.
The carnet had been stamped at exit UK and entry NL, but when we got to the NL/BE border we drove into the customs post to get it stamped. However I think because we were in an estate and all the other traffic were heavies the local power that be waved us away. I waved the carnet at him and asked 3 times in reasonable French, German and finally English that I needed the carnet stamped. Anyway the response got more and more irritable and finally the twonk started to get his metaphorical cuffs out and made it very plain that we should go forth and multiply.
The problem this wart gave us on the rest of the trip was unbelievable because all the later border controls couldn't figure out how to deal with this paperwork because clearly we had not exported these goods from Holland, despite the said equipemnt being before their very eyes. In the end I tore the offending page out of the carnet and carried on, after that nobody seemed to notice the missing stamp on the back page.
Some time (months/years??) later, the next thing I heard about this was getting a letter from Dutch customs basically giving me the option of attending court in NL or paying a humongous import duty. Bit like a conditional offer except the sum was = 0.5 years salary.
In the end UK HM C&E were utterly brilliant, partly because they had stamped the carnet to say the goods had been re-imported into UK. An excise guy inspected the equipment, which fortunately we still had in the stores, checked all the serial numbers and wrote back to Dutch customs telling THEM to go forth etc.
We were even supposed to be in the EU then but the rules are different these days so less likely to happen.
>> Edited by Flat in Fifth on Tuesday 18th April 17:37
I was doing a long continental trip covering various countries and had on board certain goods which had to be covered by a carnet.
The carnet had been stamped at exit UK and entry NL, but when we got to the NL/BE border we drove into the customs post to get it stamped. However I think because we were in an estate and all the other traffic were heavies the local power that be waved us away. I waved the carnet at him and asked 3 times in reasonable French, German and finally English that I needed the carnet stamped. Anyway the response got more and more irritable and finally the twonk started to get his metaphorical cuffs out and made it very plain that we should go forth and multiply.
The problem this wart gave us on the rest of the trip was unbelievable because all the later border controls couldn't figure out how to deal with this paperwork because clearly we had not exported these goods from Holland, despite the said equipemnt being before their very eyes. In the end I tore the offending page out of the carnet and carried on, after that nobody seemed to notice the missing stamp on the back page.
Some time (months/years??) later, the next thing I heard about this was getting a letter from Dutch customs basically giving me the option of attending court in NL or paying a humongous import duty. Bit like a conditional offer except the sum was = 0.5 years salary.
In the end UK HM C&E were utterly brilliant, partly because they had stamped the carnet to say the goods had been re-imported into UK. An excise guy inspected the equipment, which fortunately we still had in the stores, checked all the serial numbers and wrote back to Dutch customs telling THEM to go forth etc.
We were even supposed to be in the EU then but the rules are different these days so less likely to happen.
>> Edited by Flat in Fifth on Tuesday 18th April 17:37
dcb said:
Flashing an unmarked police car out of the fast lane, at over 212kph,
Oh dear. Just the 92 kmh over the limit, then ?
That's 57 mph over in real money.
I'd go back.
Suggest take a lot of Euros with you and your overnite bag.
In Germany i got 587 Euro fine for 182 in a 120kph limit ,no idea how the Belgies work it but it may not be as bad as you think
Marki said:Belgium nominally introduced a very harsh, "zero-tolerance" anti-speed regime about 18 months ago. It was a political stunt that was widely mocked. Enforcement was impractical, and the police said the same, but there may be vestiges of it remaining.
Flashing an unmarked police car out of the fast lane, at over 212kph,
Oh dear. Just the 92 kmh over the limit, then ?
That's 57 mph over in real money.
I'd go back.
Suggest take a lot of Euros with you and your overnite bag.
In Germany i got 587 Euro fine for 182 in a 120kph limit ,no idea how the Belgies work it but it may not be as bad as you think
In a lot of these countries they will ban you if you've gone more than 40 clicks over. Fortunately the bans tend to be brief by UK standards.
flemke said:
In a lot of these countries they will ban you if you've gone more than 40 clicks over. Fortunately the bans tend to be brief by UK standards.
I just had another 128 in a 100kph zone near Munster that was 75 Euro i was told i was lucky as i was under 30kph over , it was 132 kph before tolerance
Sweden and Denmark work on a 30 kph over and you lose it also
monkeyhanger said:
Write back informing them that they'd be living under the rule of Herr Hitler's Grandson if it wasn't for the Brits, that their roads suck and Poirot is crap 
Yes that exact thought had crossed my mind. Dam fools, I seriously cannot go back. I heard someone was fined 30,000 euros in Belgium for speeding. If I can't pay I will be put in jail and I can't be put in jail as Im too busy currently. They want to make an example out of me for the next cannonball run entrants... does anyone have an international motor lawyer in their family???
xx
road angel a said:
Write back informing them that they'd be living under the rule of Herr Hitler's Grandson if it wasn't for the Brits, that their roads suck and Poirot is crap
Yes that exact thought had crossed my mind. Dam fools, I seriously cannot go back. I heard someone was fined 30,000 euros in Belgium for speeding. If I can't pay I will be put in jail and I can't be put in jail as Im too busy currently. They want to make an example out of me for the next cannonball run entrants... does anyone have an international motor lawyer in their family???
xx
Dont forget they will keep it on the books and will add interest and aditional fines as time goes on , i know it hurts but if its say 2-3,000 Euros now it is better to get it over with
yes but where are you from, Germany? How do you know the law? It is true that UK people don't get extradited from the UK to foreign countries. I will just have to avoid Belgium. What happens if I have to pay 15,or 20,000 euros? You're saying I should go and pay this? then get put in jail for a few days whilst my family try and get the money toghether for me?
road angel a said:
yes but where are you from, Germany? How do you know the law? It is true that UK people don't get extradited from the UK to foreign countries. I will just have to avoid Belgium. What happens if I have to pay 15,or 20,000 euros? You're saying I should go and pay this? then get put in jail for a few days whilst my family try and get the money toghether for me?
I am English , and no you will not get extradited for a speeding offence , your call mate but would you rather pay 1000 2000 now or 10,000 in 5 years , who knows what laws will be changed or made in Greater Europe in the next 5-10 years
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