If You Rent A Car In Another Country & Get A Ticket, Do You Have To Pay It?

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It’s a question that’s come up for decades. If you rent a car in another country and get a ticket for a minor offense, say, speeding, illegal parking, or driving somewhere you weren’t supposed to, do you have to pay the fine after you get back home to the U.S.?

Well, it’s complicated.

It’s All Opinions and Anecdotes

Every person you ask will have a different opinion. And that’s the thing… it’s all opinions and anecdotal stories. This happened to someone’s cousin when they got a parking ticket in Italy. Someone else’s brother had this happen after getting a speeding ticket in Canada. So-and-so had a friend who got TWO tickets in Northern Ireland, 5 years apart and never paid them.

People have suggested that you have nothing to worry about if you never plan to return to that country. Other people have said collection agencies have tracked them down for traffic offenses they committed in other countries. Still other people have said that if you don’t reimburse a car rental company for the fine, you’ll get blacklisted from that company for life. And OTHER other people have suggested that unless payment for traffic violations is in the rental car company’s terms and conditions, you don’t have to pay it.

Why There’s No Universal Rule

There’s no cut-and-dried answer because it depends on a bunch of factors:

• The approach to getting fines paid by foreigners varies from country to country.
• The terms and policies for rental car companies vary by company and country.
• Some countries have reciprocal agreements where points incurred in another country can carry over into your own, some don’t.
• As the owner of the car, the rental company may get hit with the fine for the violation and, depending on company and country, MAY be able to pass it onto you and charge your credit card as well. They also may include a handling charge for the same.
• Did it happen in a developing nation? Countries without as much money may or may not have the resources to follow through with getting payment.

So, what happens if you don’t pay?

That’s the big question, and unfortunately, there’s no definitive answer.

The likelihood of not paying the fine coming back to haunt you increases with each of the following factors:

• You were in a developed nation, especially one with reciprocal links to your home country
• You were in a rental car from one of the big international companies, like Hertz, Sixt, etc.
• The fine was a significant amount (you’d think they’re going to go after someone with a $3000 fine more often than someone with a $30 fine)
• You intend to revisit that country, especially the same state/province/city/area
• You intend to rent a car again from the same company

Should You Pay the Fine Anyway?

Another big factor in deciding whether or not to pay that fine is how much of a risk-taker you are. Is it worth it to you to be able to go back to a country, or rent from whatever car rental company, no questions asked? Or just to feel guilt-free and avoid the worry? If so, then pay the 100 Euros and be done with it. It’s definitely a Your Mileage May Vary situation.

What Would You Do?

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary