Fine of €30,000: Many Croats Are Making This Mistake
Germany has introduced drastic penalties for falsely reporting drivers as of July 1, 2026, and the new rules directly affect Croatian citizens traveling or working in the country.
Germany has introduced drastic penalties for falsely reporting drivers as of July 1, 2026, and the new rules directly affect Croatian citizens traveling or working in the country.
Drivers who for years avoided penalty points and driving bans by falsely reporting other individuals as the responsible party are now facing a completely new reality. As of July 1, 2026, Germany has introduced new provisions of the Road Traffic Act that impose fines of up to €30,000 for this type of fraud. This legislative change is not just a domestic German matter; it directly impacts thousands of Croatian nationals who live, work, or travel in Germany.
The practice known as "penalty point trading" has been widespread for years. Drivers who found themselves on the verge of losing their driving license-which in Germany occurs after accumulating eight points-would use online platforms or intermediaries to find individuals willing to take responsibility for the offense in exchange for money. ADAC, the German automobile club, has long highlighted that this practice undermines the entire sanction system and raises questions about road safety, and has called for it to be legally regulated.
The new law now explicitly prohibits any deception of authorities regarding the driver's identity. Responsibility no longer lies solely with the person who committed the offense, but also with the individual who agreed to falsely assume guilt, as well as any intermediaries in the arrangement. This means that sanctions apply to private agreements within families or among friends, not just organized agencies offering such services.
For Croatian drivers, the situation is particularly serious. Thanks to the European data exchange system (EUCARIS), German authorities can easily identify the owner of a vehicle registered in Croatia and send a notice of violation to their address. If the owner then attempts to falsely name another person as the driver, they will face a penalty that can be significantly higher than the original traffic fine. Although penalty points from Germany are not yet automatically transferred to Croatian records, the offense is recorded in the German system, and the driver may also receive a driving ban in that country.
This move by Germany is part of a broader trend of tightening traffic regulations across the European Union. Rules have already been adopted under which serious driving bans, such as those for exceeding the speed limit by at least 50 kilometers per hour, will be recognized in all EU countries in the future. For example, in France, since the end of 2025, exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/h or more is considered a criminal offense, with a possible penalty of up to three months in prison and a fine of €3,750.
In addition to introducing the strict penalty for false reporting, the amendments to the German Road Traffic Act have also extended the statute of limitations for traffic offenses from three to six months. This change was introduced due to the overload of the responsible offices, and it signals to drivers that a notice of a fine may arrive several months after the offense was committed. The message from German authorities is clear: attempting to circumvent the law is no longer worthwhile, and the penalty in the worst case can reach the value of a new family car.
