Recently, the restructuring law for taxes and other debts approved by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was published in the Official Gazette and came into effect. Under this law, many types of debts are eligible for restructuring, and traffic fines are included among them.
What Does Traffic Fine Restructuring Cover?
Traffic fine restructuring covers all fines issued for traffic violations. Vehicle owners can restructure and pay fines issued for offenses such as speeding, running a red light, improper lane changes, using a phone while driving, operating a vehicle without required equipment, and other similar violations. There is no minimum amount for traffic fines to qualify for restructuring, so all fines are included. This enables especially those with accumulated traffic debts to benefit from restructuring and settle their obligations.
Requests for restructuring the included debts can be submitted to the Revenue Administration. It is important to note that restructuring applies only when the debt is not contested—meaning it is accepted by the debtor. Additionally, traffic debts included in the restructuring must have their first installment paid by January 2021. Debtors who pay the restructured debt in a single installment will receive a discount, and accrued late interest will be removed from the total amount. If restructuring installments are not paid, interest charges will be reinstated.
How to Check Fines Issued to a Driving License?
Traffic fine inquiries are performed through the e-Government portal. The following steps outline the process:
- Log in to the e-Government website using your national ID number and password. Those without a password can obtain an e-Government password at the nearest PTT branch.
- After logging in, open the e-services menu and locate the General Directorate of Security page among the institutions.
- On that page, select the option for Driver’s License and Individual Fines Inquiry.
- The page may request identity verification; if you are not logged in, you will need to sign in again using the required methods.
- The opened page will display information related to fines recorded on the driver’s license. You can view the driver’s name, place where the license was issued, whether it is a new-format license, the license number, and active penalty points. The page also shows license classes and their validity start and end dates. In addition, fines recorded on the vehicle registration document (registration certificate) can also be viewed from this page.
Benefits Offered Under the Restructuring
Traffic fine restructuring offers several advantages to vehicle and license holders. Debts covered by restructuring include: all delays and late interest related to the Motor Vehicle Tax (MTV), the monthly 5% late fee applied to traffic fines, accumulated interest caused by unpaid debts, administrative fines related to road transport and their accumulated interest.
No coefficient is applied to amounts due for the first installment. Under restructuring, a 12.5% discount is applied to the total amount of administrative fines. Half of the amount calculated using the Domestic Producer Price Index (Yİ-ÜFE) is also discounted. In addition, discounts of up to 90% apply to Yİ-ÜFE-related amounts. For fines that are under dispute but still within the lawsuit filing period, for administrative fines related to road transport, and for larger-scale violations, reductions between 50% and 80% may be applied, which can also resolve disputes by agreement.
Restructuring applications can be submitted via the e-Government portal until the end of the year. Alternatively, applicants may visit tax offices in person to request restructuring for traffic fines after calculating their total debt; payment methods are selected during the application process.