Romania: Significant changes to the payment of contravention fines

Among the most important changes brought about by the Law is the possibility to pay half of the minimum fine within 15 days of the date when the contravention minutes are handed over or otherwise communicated. This provision extends the 48-hour period stipulated in the former legislation and will apply to both individuals and legal entities.

Other important changes:

• The introduction of a single payment account for the payment of contravention fines opened with the State Treasury.
   
• The possibility to pay the fines at any office of the State Treasury, at the offices of administrative-territorial units or subdivisions or other entities established by law, irrespective of the person's place of residence.
   
• The use of a unique identification series for the contravention minutes.

The contravention minutes represent both a writ of debt and a payment notice. Thus, the offender will not receive a separate payment notice, as was the case under the former legislation, but only the contravention minutes. If the offender is present at the time when the contravention minutes are issued, he or she will receive a copy of the minutes.

In order to streamline the collection of tax receivables, the Law establishes the electronic writ of debt, which will include a series of data taken over from the contravention minutes, as well as other information according to the Law. The electronic writ of debt is digitally transmitted to the financial institution in charge of collecting the respective tax receivables.