Jason555

I was on holidays in Majorca in 2015 and got into a bit of trouble there. I got arrested and was kept in custody and brought to court and got a fine of almost €2000. I can't remember howlong I got to pay it but I didn't pay it.

Now my sister is getting married in Spain in April. My family don't know anything about what happened but I am worried about what could happen if I go back and just wondering if anybody knows what could happen if I go back.

This happened in Majorca and I would be going to Malaga for the wedding - I don't know if that makes any difference if the systems are linked up?

I was on a lads holiday and was really stupid but the fine was so much.

Any info or advice would be great.

lurchio

Straight answer,its likely theres a warrant out there for non payment, its a good amount of outstanding money so it won't have been forgotten about. Majorca makes little or no difference, it's all part of the same recording system. Again being straight the warrant may also have a term of imprisonment in default of payment, remembering the amount again, plus costs. Its whether you take the chance that your advance passenger information 'ties in' with with the Spanish legal system for a 'non appearance'. It would in the UK, but I don't know about Spain. You could attempt to sort it before flying, but will need the cash plus costs. There will be a Warrants department on the Island, no doubt.

Obviously if you get away with the travel bit but draw attention to yourself whilst in Malaga, you are stuffed.

bobd22

I totally agree with above. Ignoring a fine imposed is never a good idea. Heres a link someone asking same question on another site. I have an outstanding fine that I havent paid from when I

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst myself and BEVS moderate Europe. Please read the Site Rules Site Rules | British Expatriate Community adhere to them so that the site runs smoothly. Moderators are there to ensure that the rules of BE are maintained. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

christmasoompa

Could you contact whoever necessary and pay it back now maybe? Even if just offering instalments? It would be awful if it ruined your sister's wedding, so far better to try and sort it out ahead of that IMO.

Loafing Along

Generally unpaid fines are substituted by prison or community service work calculated on a pro-rata basis. Best to try and get it sorted .

Jason555

Thanks for all the advice. I was just glad to get out of there after it happened. Family don't know about this either. Just need to think about what to do as I just don't have that money. Have been working up to Christmas but looking for another job now.

Do you know how long I could get in prison for non payment of fines? Would it just be a few days or does it depend on the fine?

missile

If you can't pay the fine, don't do the crime.

johnnyone

Unless you can sort this out before the wedding just don't go. It would be far worse for your sister if you took a chance and then got arrested while you were out there.

spainrico

Outstanding fines can have extra penalties added and end up costing a fortune. Best to get it sorted asap.

Fred James

Simple. Pay the fine or stay away.

Whatever you did, and you don’t seem to arguing about the justice involved, you were convicted and fined. If you don’t pay the fine, you deserve to go to prison. If you were convicted in the UK and didn’t pay you would go to prison and deservably so.

Why should Spain treat you differently?

SanDiegogirl

Must have done something pretty substantial to get a fine of nearly 2K euros.

That's nearly $2.5K......

There would definitely be a warrant out for you if you skipped paying a $2.5K fine in the US.

lurchio

Look, if it was only a case of you going on a 'lads holiday' again or on your own and you thought you could 'wing it', fair enough as its your funeral and choice. But its not, is it? Its your Sisters wedding, and you could wreck it. How about that on your plate?


Either try and sort it before you go OR 'Man up' and tell your sister / family the truth now to avoid any further embarrassment and duck out of attending for everyones sake. You may feel its worth keeping quiet and risking it............ Good luck in that case, she / they will never forgive you if it goes wrong, remember that. I would personally kill you if you did that to my daughter.


If the fine and warrant was generated in Majorca, likely that's where you will be shipped to in order to answer the denuncia. The length of time, nobody can say but it will be given on the warrant.


Tangled web........ Sort it out, one way or another!

spouse of scouse

I know it's not the most credible source of information, but there's a thread on Trip Adviser about this. The thread was started in 2013 and ends in 2017. Many posters reported being arrested at either immigration or at their hotel, for unpaid fines issued up to 10 years previously.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTo...elp-Spain.html

The general consensus of the advice given seems to be to contact your embassy in Spain (UK embassy if you're a Brit) and they can apparently check your record/status with the Spanish authorities. I'm a bit dubious that an embassy would perform tasks like that, but I'm no expert so they may do. Or pay the fine before you go, or don't go at all.

avocados

lol, gave me a chuckle this morning.

No, prison is not likely. The spanish system is rubbish. You can almost kill someone and get off without prison. It works like this.........

Provided u haven't committed a crime previously, jail sentences up to to 2 years in length don't require a stay in prison. All u have to do, is fill in a form and request it.

The severity of crime committed to a get up to 2 years is very expansive and accommodating. It's the reason that EVERY spaniard quite openly commits crime!!

If u didn't pay the fine, they should have gone back to court to get some sort of enforcement order. It all depends on how serious it was. After that, a possible warrant for arrest. So it's down to the inconvenience of being arrested at the airport.

Check the BOE for your name and the Boletin for your autonomous region and finally your province. All available online. Your name might appear there.

Goos luck and don't apologise for your"crime". It's all part of the fun of living in Spain. No one bats an eyelid.