How To Pay Pisa Traffic Violations
Tags: fines, Pisa, speed camera, violations, ZTL
Many have been caught out once, if not twice, by Pisa’s poorly signposted honey-trap restricted traffic zone or ZTL/TZV.
Seeing as people seem to be having problems understanding just how to pay these fines, and the Pisa authorities are not helping matters since they have not yet got round to translating sections of their site into English. Really, they have no incentive to seeing as they are making a small fortune out of fining tourists.
This is an attempt to help out all those who have commented on my Speeding, and other traffic fines in Italy post. There are two methods shown. The first is very easy, but may leave you wondering if things are legitimate.
Try the first method first, and then if you want to double check, then use the second method. You should see the same photos.
OK, here goes.
The (Much) Easier Way
The company which manages the collection of the Pisa fines is called S.E.Pi. and those who have been caught on camera can go to the S.E.Pi. collection agency site to see the photos mentioned in the fine notification.
Instructions below:
- Click here, or paste this url into your browser: https://secure.comune.pisa.it/tzv/Login.jsp
Then fill in this info:
- Numero verbale: ‘Offence number’ (solo il numero senza lettere) ‘(only the number without letters)’
- Anno: ‘Year’
- Targa: ‘Car Licence/Registration Plate number’
- Data violazione (gg/mm): ‘Date of violation day/month (dd/mm)’
…and you should see those incriminating photos. As a matter of interest, those who have waded through the complex system below might like to use this system to see if the same photos come up.
Try not to be put off by the fact that the S.E.Pi. site looks a little as though it was thrown together by a geeky teenager with a garish sense of colour. Although the site looks rather amateurish, it is official.
excellent post – thank you! Have not been caught there, yet, but you never know.
Fern
Thanks Fern and welcome to Blog from Italy.
I hope this post proves useful to one or two people.
And I do hope you do not end up joining this unhappy band.
All the best,
Alex
hi, so i get to see a photo of a car number plate, but what i realy need to know is,how do i pay the fine. i typed in the web address on the esteroinfo@sepi-pisa.it . but all i got was your site supposedley telling me how to pay the fine, but it doesent does it.
and as for italy it sucks , i will never go back there.
Hi Chris,
“i typed in the web address on the esteroinfo@sepi-pisa.it …”
You got to this site?? Which web address did you type in?
“..but all i got was your site supposedley telling me how to pay the fine, but it doesent does it”
Did you do the ‘Registering with the Pisa e-gov Site’ thing? That should get you into the Pisa system so you can pay – but I have not got that far – not been fined, but the Pisa site does say you can pay via the online service.
Sorry not to have been more help,
Alex
Thanks for this.
I’ve been caught out with this screw-the-tourist revenue raising scam. My photo doesn’t come up but if I do get it I’ll let you have a copy.
My resolution: never to go back to Pisa.
Hi Nicolas,
Glad you found it useful, and sorry to hear about yet another Pisa victim.
Please do send in those photos – when you manage to see them that is…
Cheers,
Alex
I have been caught by this “Pisa scam” It took them 15 months to send me notice of ‘circulation in restricted trafic zone on the Via Roma. Agree, never go go to Piza. Now I must pay the fine of E 113,00 in US dollars……..Date of offence-11/05/2007. Notice sent to me in US on Aug.29,2008. Mary
You don’t need to go thru this to see your photos of the offence please see the following post and website for further info
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187895-i68-k2226761-o20-Pisa_Restricted_Zone_Traffic_Fine-Florence_Tuscany.html
Many thanks Mr/Ms Shafted,
I’ll adjust the post above to reflect the alternative method of looking at the photos.
The only slight problem is that the SEPi site does not look convincing.
Still, it is much quicker than the method I posted about above.
All the best,
Alex
We just received a bill for 113E for a violation we supposedly committed last year; however we cannot view the picture. My Italian friend thinks that because a year has passed, the gov’t has simply removed the photo from their site. Aargh! To compound the problem, a few months after our trip, there was a $50 Visa charge from my rental company with no explanation. I contested it with Visa, but now I have received a bill for $70 from Milan for the $50 plus $20 in fees for not paying the first bill (that I never received an invoice for)! Apparently this $50 charge is standard when a rental company has to research your info and give it to the gov’t.
Heather – Aargh!
Read the small print on the car rental company rental form. These admin charges are mentioned I believe – but no one ever reads the small print, or does not think fines will be a problem.
Driving in Italy can turn out to be expensive.
Still waiting for more info on this.
Sorry to hear about yet another victim.
All the best,
Alex
These photgraphs do not prove that you were on a particular street, let alone a particular area. They dont show where you are. Those photographs could have been taken anywhere. It is nothing but a scam. Let’s keep on fighting!
Hi Diane,
I agree that the photos do not show a fat lot. They could have been taken just about anywhere too. I know that the street/area name is given – but a camera identification number is not – and all the info could be added with Photoshop.
As to how you might go about proving that these images cannot be used as valid evidence, I do not know. That’s well and truly (Italian) lawyer territory. I imagine that these cameras are registered and certified somewhere.
If someone down in Pisa could check the location, that would be good. There is a manhole cover which could be used to help establish if this camera is where it is supposed to be.
Let’s see what others think.
I’ll see if I can track down someone blogging from Pisa and ask them to take a look, and some photos, if possible.
As you say – keep hammering away.
Cheers,
Alex
Has anyone simply not paid the ticket? What are the consequences of going back to a different area of Italy?
Ann, if you check out my horribly long post and the comments here:
http://www.blogfromitaly.com/speeding-fines-in-italy/
You will see that this has been covered. Basically, it is not really known what the consequences of not paying will be. There is, however, a remote possibility that your passport will be flagged, and seeing as your passport details are theoretically passed on to the police whenever you stay in Italy, this might result in you receiving a visit from the Italian police the next time you come to Italy. From what I understand passport details are held on record for 10 years – although theoretically nothing can be put on computer without you having first given authorisation – at least this is the case for Italian residents.
As to whether you pay or not – that is up to you.
All the best,
Alex
We always seem to get a traffic ticket in Italy. The last one came 10 months after our last trip to Italy. We finally paid it via a cousin who came to the states to visit us and he took the papers back to Italy and paid it for us. Signs are confusing and especially in parking places. Once we saw someone exit a parking place. We quickly got in that spot. When we returned there were orange cones around the area and you guess it a parking ticket. What a bummer. Since we hope to travel to Italy again we paid the tickets. Next time we will use just public transportation
Jane Mantini
I’ve just received ANOTHER fine from Italy – from April 07. We’d already paid two fines from Milan via the car rental company who charged it from my credit card. Now I receive this fine from Pisa authorities over 18 months later! Signposting is hopeless, how are we tourists supposed to understand, for instance, what an empty red circle means? Restricted zone – restricted by/for/to what? Talk about welcoming. All this crap means is we won’t be going back to Italy. The money grabbing I’ties can get stuffed. Plenty of safer places to drive in the world – like Iraq, Afganistan!
Received my Pisa ZTL violation last week. They sure have this system down pat (other than the time delay)! I contested a charge on my credit card from the rental card company several months ago – now I assume it was the fee to provide my information to the police.
How do I attach the photo of my car?
An informative site, but you don’t answer the question that it’s named for: HOW do I pay?
1.5 year after the fact I received the two fines translated by the municipale police of Pisa.
two remarks:
-the cost of the fine has increased from 92 euros to 115 euro each (ZTL related)
-The car agency (auto europa) has charged my CC 60 euros for each fine.
in it intersting to note that in my rental contract it is specifically indicated” Service Delayed charged: I acknowledge and accept from now on all expenses (fuels, deductibles/excesses, fines, dammages, extra) detected or found after the drop off of vehicule and I authorize the car rental company to charge them on my credt card” and I signed this document..
The weird things is: since this rental company (Auto europa) charged me on my CC 60 euros per fine to forward the fines to the police who sent me 1.5 year later the translated version what happen If I dont pay, can they really charge my CC again??
Since I signed this document why wouldn’t they have charged the full amount of the two fines initially?
it sounds that multiplying the “communication” between the local autorities increases artificially the cost of this whole scam….
francois
Hi
I also got a traffic fine from Pisa , after I recieved one from Florence which i paid, no question asked then, but this time after almost a year
it,s a much higher amount like 115 Euros, I followed your prompts and saw my number plate picture, it could have been taken anywhere in Pisa. I have no idea what traffic violation I commited. it looks to me like a scam.
I am from Australia and don’t speak italian and certainly will never go back to Italy again.
I will try to send you the picture of the car
Michael thanks for all the info….
@Marc,
Sorry to hear about your problems paying this pesky fine – at least you are trying.
I’m surprised to hear that you cannot make a direct credit card payment – for other areas of Italy this is possible. And I know that wiring money is horribly expensive.
Presumably after getting into the Pisa system, there was know indication of online payment methods. I have not got into the system, so I really do not know what people see. Perhaps if someone could send me some screen shots, I could extend this and make the post more useful. Just an idea.
Best,
Alex
@Michael Klave
If you saw the picture, then they got you for something, I’m afraid.
As I have written elsewhere on this blog, Pisa is one of the few Italian local authorities to bother fining foreigners. Trouble is, they do seem to have put in place a system to make it easy to pay these fines. Credit card payment, the logical choice, does not seem to exist.
Back to the photo. You should see a street name on the picture, as in the example shown above. This may help you remember if you went along that street.
After having written about all this for sometime, I’ve concluded that it is probably not a scam, although heaven knows where the fine payments end up. Fiddles are legion in Italy.
Shame to hear that you won’t return to Italy – but this is understandable.
For all – do not take a car into Pisa – park outside the city, or even better, take the train there from a town nearby – if this is practicable.
Best,
Alex
I received a notice of violation last week – circulating in restricted traffic zone without authorization (3 Via Roma, Pisa) – that occurred on May 20, 2008, nearly a year ago. I check out the http site give with a photo of the license plate. Yep, that was the car I rented and was in Pisa on that day.
I corresponded with the Pisa Municipal Police Station by e-mail – esteroinfo@sepi-pisa.it – the e-mail address that was on the “Infringemens of the Itallan Highway Code” document I received (I hope the info in the document is legitmate!) and was given instruction to wire payment (EUR 115.00) to . I was given the following instructions:
“You can pay by bank deposit using the coordinates written on your fine (Iban Code and Swift Code). You must write on the reason of your payment the number of form, so we’re able to identify your payment.
It’s the surest and quickest way.
If you have problems you can send a cheque (it’s better if it’s in Euros) payable to Polizia Municipale and you must send it to Polizia Municipale
- Piazza dei Facchini 16 56125 Pisa Italy(please send in attachment a copy of your fine).
At your disposal for further information
Best Regards
Further information about our bank:
• the name and the address of our bank are :
CASSA DI RISPARMIO LUCCA PISA LIVORNO
AGENZIA 1 – CORSO ITALIA 4 -56125 PISA
• Account number is 77
• the name and the address of the recipient are:
SEPI SPA COMUNE DI PISA SANZIONI AMMINISTRATIVE PIAZZA DEI FACCHINI 16, 56125 PISA
• INTERNATIONAL COORDINATES:
IBAN IT64G0620014021000000000077
- BIC (swift code): BPALIT3LXXX”
I chose to bank transfer (wire) the funds. Then e-mailed a copy of the wire as a PDF file to the e-mail address above.
Definitely a ripoff! But may want to go back to Europe some day and don’t want to worry that I a warrant will be waiting for me when I go thru passport control.
John
Hi John,
Many thanks for having taken the time to provide this information. I’ll build it into the post above – others should find the information very useful. If nothing else, they will be able to see whether they have been asked to pay their fines into the same bank account.
Checking the photo is a very good idea – a few times I have heard of people receiving fines when they were nowhere near the area in which the alleged offence was committed. So do take the time to look at the photo, and to cross reference it with car hire/rental documentation.
Note to others: The information above only refers to traffic offences committed in the Pisa council area, although the company SEPI mentioned above does collect fines for areas around Pisa too.
If another bank account is mentioned, then people may be right to be suspicious and to fire off an email.
Thanks again.
Kind regards,
Alex
I live in Italy and have from time to time got fines for parking, speeding etc. My 21 yr old son is actually an expert on getting hauled up.
It would be convenient to pay by credit card particularly from abroad but there are 2 problems.
1. This facility does not exist, cetainly in Lombardia where I live.
2. This point is important because each Italian region has it’s own system.
Therefore the most suitable way is wire transfer using Swift and IBAN references. It is important as the contributors have done to check diary, photos to be sure it was you. And if possible verify the communcation is not a scam.
Consider that my wife received a demand for a fine for parking in a banned spot in Rome, when she was taking the kids to School near Milan. My eldest son was apparently involved in hit and run on his motorbike in Verona when he was at school (And we did check the register) in Monza!!
I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have as an English resident in Italy for 14 years.
Thanks for the offer Chris! Very kind.
If I cannot help out, I hope you can! Two heads are generally better than one!
Sorry to hear about your 21 year old expert though!
Kind regards,
Alex
HI Alex,
would it be possible to get john Lee who posted on 9th may’s email address as I have a fine I want to pay and am still not quite sure how to pay it and do not want to get stopped next time I go to Pisa
Thanks
Caroline Duggan
Hi Caroline,
John Lee kindly granted permission for me to pass you his email address, as you should know by now.
Best regards,
Alex
I was in Italy last year at this time. Six months later, I received a ticket by mail for driving in a restricted area in Florence. The letter was notice that I would receive “official notice” (registered mail?) in the future. I looked at various blogs about the traffic tickets and decided to not pay it. I never heard back on that citation. I don’t have plans to return within several years (not due to this issue), and I felt that it was something of a scam – even if it was officially sanctioned and perpetrated by a governmental office.
A couple weeks ago I received notice of violating a restricted travel zone in Pisa last year. At first, I thought it was a follow-up letter from Florence, but later realized it was a new citation. Interestingly, this was sent registered mail. However, the return receipt on the back of the envelop was in Italian and French so my American postal worker didn’t have me sign anything and he just left it attached to the letter.
Again, I’m not inclined to pay the fine. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never received notice. I consider it a badge of honor to now be able to say I have Italian authorities pursuing me on two criminal charges. It’s a much better souvenir than the cheap t-shirts I bought for my kids. What’s the statute of limitations for traffic violations in Italy anyway?
A few months after my vacation, I did have a charge on my credit card from a rental car company, but it was a different company name and city from the company I used. I disputed the charges because it didn’t match my information. In reading others’ notes, it would appear that the charge was from the government requesting my info from them, but who knows? I never heard back from that dispute and the charges were dropped.
Next time I go, I may have to muddy up my license plates. I’m such a fugitive.
Wishing you the best,
Shawn (I guess I should start using an alias now)
Hi public enemy number one in Italy Shawn,
I think traffic offences are still covered by civil not criminal law in Italy, so you are probably not on Italy’s most wanted list!
“What’s the statute of limitations for traffic violations in Italy anyway?” – not sure – will have to look that up, or ask someone who will know.
Pisa and Florence are fine hotspots in Italy – and other locations will follow.
As to not paying – the choice is yours. While it is unlikely that the Italian police will come knocking on your door, there is a remote possibility that your passport may be flagged, so if you come to Italy again, someone might bring up the subject of unpaid fines. Not heard of this happening yet though.
If you have not signed for a registered delivery letter, then it is difficult for them to prove that you ever received anything, in which case they might send out another notification or simply drop the thing. What will actually happen is anyone’s guess.
“A few months after my vacation, I did have a charge on my credit card from a rental car company, but it was a different company name and city from the company I used. I disputed the charges because it didn’t match my information. In reading others’ notes, it would appear that the charge was from the government requesting my info from them, but who knows? I never heard back from that dispute and the charges were dropped.” – This happens from time to time – cloned number plates, I think, or cloned credit card – beware.
I like the muddied number plates idea! Could be a market for special super sticky mud replacement in fine ridden Italy!
Cheers,
Alex
I have just received 2 of these damn traffic tickets for “circulating in a restricted traffic zone…etc” on Via Roma in Pisa.
2 tickets from consecutive days exactly(!) one year ago. 115Euro each. (187.50 if I dont pay within 60 days – bloody thing took 3 weeks to get to me since they posted it)
So is it legitimate?
I’ve checked out the photos – both subtly different – yet could have been shot anywhere.
I was definitely there on one of the days. Not the other. (How many times do you need to go to Pisa to take that photo pretending to hold up the leaning tower?!)
The IBAN number is the same as the one quoted above by John Lee, but the Swift code is different.
The paper it’s on is cheap copy paper and the print quality is poor.
It’s all well and good giving advice on how best to pay this, but does anyone have any good ideas about how to contest this scam? I’ve looked about on various other forums/blogs. Some say ‘just pay it’ others pride themselves in not paying it.
Cheers,
Nat Fallingforit
I got a ZTL ticket from Levanto. Picture of my plate and, yes, I was there. Actually I turned around immediately after making a wrong turn. This was back in OCT 08. At least fine was not as high as others, 79 Euros.
As to how to pay, they give me a bank name/number — but not sure how to pay. Maybe use American Express International wire (probably another $20 charge!!).
If anyone has paid and knows best way to do so (from the USA), please advise.
As a Gold Card member, I called American Express thinking they would have some easy, less expensive way for me to pay. They merely pointed me to Chase Bank (I have accounts there, coincidentally) to make a wire transfer. Although I went to a local branch, they told me that a person can do the same thing online from home. $45 dollar fee – ouch. At least the Euro is down compared to the dollar!