Can one be arrested entering Germany for unpaid fine?

[User33678888]

As the title says really. A friend of mine was given a large fine and short ban a few of years ago by the German authorities for allegedly exceeding the speed limit by about 50%. He did not pay the fine. The German system allows one to choose when the ban is taken - this is done on the same form as one would pay the fine with. As he did not pay the fine...

Can he be arrested at the airport if he goes back? (or forced to pay?)
He's basically of the opinion that he had gotten away with it scot free, other than the £20 admin charge from the hire car company. Given the way fines can escalate and have late fees and interest added in some countries, he's now naturally anxious about returning to Germany.

Ta muchly.

[mygoldfishbowl]

Probably arrested & escorted to stalag 17


bump.

[XCP]

The last time I went to Germany, no-one even checked my passport. ( By train from Brussels).

[agtlaw]

Cooler, two weeks!

[User33678888]

kapiteinlangzaam said:

User33678888 said:

Can he be arrested at the airport if he goes back? (or forced to pay?)

Being forced to pay CAN happen (I have colleagues with direct experience), but 9/10 you will slip through the net.

Id chance it, but be prepared (and able) to pay the fine.

Thanks for the reply. Do you know if the ban would cause problems hiring a car again for him?
I suggested he go back but not drive at all. You seem to have more insight, so wonder what you think.

[Pip1968]

Crikey, if I was him I would try the German embassy and offer to pay the fine. Who wants to be anywhere wondering if you are going to get a knock or be stopped from leaving the country. Imagine that, just when you think you had got away you are banged up and then have to go to court.

Surely the fine cannot be that much?

Pip

[terenceb]

What ever the fine was it will a lot more now! Over here, if the fine is not paid on time it gets added too by around ten-fifteen Euros for the first missed payment but then starts to get very expensive the more time goes by.
Personally I would think twice about coming back.Perhaps a phonecall to the British Embassy to ask for clarification?

[SLCZ3]

Quite a few years ago, I was working in Holland, and when I went back 5 years later on holiday at the departures desk in Schipol, I was obliged to pay a fine for some motoring offence that I knew nothing about-it turned out after some queries with guys I used to work with in Holland, that there was a speeding fine attributed to me by another guy who was there at the same time.
Not bumped into him yet!!!

[Lost soul]

User33678888 said:

As the title says really. A friend of mine was given a large fine and short ban a few of years ago by the German authorities for allegedly exceeding the speed limit by about 50%. He did not pay the fine.

I thought they took payment on the spot , they certainly did with me €568

[Mr Taxpayer]

Given the presence of the European Arrest Warrant, if he was a wanted man he'd already be back in Germany.

I'd worry less about the German authorities than being blacklisted by the hire car company.

[sherbertdip]

If he's really worried then all he has to do is enter Germany from another Shengen signatory country, not direct entrance from UK.

[SteveScooby]

Mr Taxpayer said:

Given the presence of the European Arrest Warrant, if he was a wanted man he'd already be back in Germany.

.

Doubtful for a low level motoring offence

[MagneticMeerkat]

Could he not go to another country: France, Holland or Belgium; hire another car there and re-enter Germany at some little policed land border?

If they have number plate readers in force all they'll do is flag up a rental car registered to Enterprise or whoever has entered Germany. It isn't like they're going to care. Additionally the borderlands round Alsace are completely ignored.

[Mr Taxpayer]

MagneticMeerkat said:

Could he not go to another country: France, Holland or Belgium; hire another car there and re-enter Germany at some little policed land border?

If they have number plate readers in force all they'll do is flag up a rental car registered to Enterprise or whoever has entered Germany. It isn't like they're going to care. Additionally the borderlands round Alsace are completely ignored.

Schengen agreement means there NO policed land borders. I used to drive from north Germany to Calais regularly via Holland and Belgium. The only I stopped for was McDonalds at Venlo and a piss in Belgium.

[terenceb]

Where better?
I got stopped a month ago near Nurburg.87kph in a fifty.The fine came through yesterday and being that we live here thought it best to find out when it needs paying by.Friendly local cop advised it was fouteen days from receipt.
Over that and a reminder comes through with added ten/fifteen euros for lateness.Longer it gets left the higher the charges become.For instance, six months will see it double, so chances are that for this particular case it will be bloody expensive.
OP, just how long ago was the fine supposed to have been paid by " your friend".?

[User33678888]

I'm unsure on the exact dates. I'll ask him. I believe it to have been two to three years ago, and the fine was about 250EUR.

Thanks for the help chaps. It sounds like it's a hell of a gamble. If the fine has doubled a couple of times it could end up costing more than the holiday. That said, if Kambites is right the the alternative to coughing up when leaving is being refused exit, for 1000EUR he could take a train out of Germany and then fly home with lots of change. That'd obviously be deeply immoral, but rather satisfying.

I just wonder, and this may be verbal diarrhoea, but can they actually stop an EU national LEAVING an EU country? Whatever happened to free movement of people and goods?

[Hugo a Gogo]

yes you can get stopped at the airport coming in, yes you will get stopped at the airport on the way out

yes if you get stopped by the cops at the side of the road you can get made to pay it

been there, done that

[Pip1968]

User33678888 said:

I just wonder, and this may be verbal diarrhoea, but can they actually stop an EU national LEAVING an EU country? Whatever happened to free movement of people and goods?

I am no expert but they do stop people in France and elsewhere for motoring offences. Freedom of movement allows EU members to travel Europe wide without the need for visas et al but that does not mean you can commit crimes and then tootle off waving your EU passport.

I would not be happy with a foreigner failing to pay his due and think that the Germans are a little more efficient unlike give away meal ticket Britain. Saying that even DVLA are supposed to be tightening up on foreign untaxed/MoT vehicles.

Pip

[Bluebarge]

Given that he's passing through 2 border control checks where his passport will be electronically scanned, my faith in German efficiency would be shaken to its core if his name wasn't flagged.

[terenceb]

Last year we made a little more than thirteen trips to here from the uk.Admittedly by ferry/train but our passports were only ever checked on crossing the uk boarder.There are no other boarder crossings on that trip.