unpaid train fines - Netherlands

I got a fine in a train in Netherlands in July 2009 which I decided not to pay because I was going to leave the country soon. I was supposed to pay the fine 35 Euros plus 28 Euros full price ticket. I live in CZ and I never received any letter from Dutch authorities. Next month I am flying from Prague to South Korea but I have to change a plane at the Schiphol airport. What are the chances that they will find out at the airport that I have an unpaid fine? Can they force me to pay the fine immediately? How high can it get? Thanks for answering.

I remember you posted similar questions last year. Apparently you still don't realize that you have to pay for services you use and still haven't paid your fine. In Dutch we call someone who uses services or goods without paying the required price a "thief", but hey, maybe you are better than that. Does that sound harsh? Sorry, but after several price hikes justified in part by the number of train travellers abusing the "honour system" of NS/Dutch Railways, I've lost all sympathy for people who "forget" to pay.

The only way to reassure yourself is to contact NS and see how you can pay this fine. Or be an adult and accept whatever consequences your choice not to pay may have.

No one knows for sure if your unpaid fine is registered and immigration at Schiphol will make you pay. One can only hope they do, but anyway...

i certainly know of people who had to pay outstanding fines when trying to leave the country at Schiphol. Immigration officers often check against a database that contains for example speeding fines and if you have an outstanding one, you're not allowed to leve the country until you've paid the fine and any penalties.

Given that you will be leaving Schengen in NL, it is 100% certain that you will have to go through Immigration at SChiphol to leave NL. Whether your fine is in the database of Immigration I couldn't say. But like Aribo, I have no sympathy for you.

7 months ago you were advised by #24 in this thread to write to NS so you either ignored that advice or didn´t bother to read it. Why should anyone offer you advice now?

In that same thread you said:
I talked to my Dutch friends and they told me that if I don't come back to Netherlands I am safe
So I suggest you talk to those Dutch friends of yours and ask them for their advice.

You then went on to say:
...but if I ever decide to go back and the police checks my passport I might be forced to pay immediately.
So now, after 7 months, you´re worried. I wonder why you didn´t pay the fine.

Edited by: tony_b

As this forum is meant for the pleasure of travel, this kind of posts do not belong here. I’m confident that the Immigration at Schiphol can deal very well with your problem in case it’s showes up.

In fact, you'd better hope there aren't any Dutch immigration officers on this forum reading your post - it's unlikely there'll be many other female travellers from the Czech Republic who transfer from Prague to Seoul at Schiphol in the coming month. Hehehe ;-)

I didn't post a question last year, I was just answering someone's else question at that time. It seems that I can't find anybody who would have an experience with this issue so I will find out next month how it turns out.

I didn't post a question last year, I was just answering someone's else question at that time.
@coccinellefr. In that thread at #22, you wrote:

"I bought a train ticket in Netherlands in 2009 with a discount card but it was already expired. The conductor checked my card and said that I was supposed to pay the fine 35€ and also the full fare 28 €. I made a decision not to pay because I was going to leave Netherlands in a few weeks. I live in CZ and I was afraid that Dutch authorities would ask Czech authorities to execute the money but nothing ever happened. I talked to my Dutch friends and they told me that if I don't come back to Netherlands I am safe, but if I ever decide to go back and the police checks my passport I might be forced to pay immediately. I would like to know how long they are going to keep the fine in their records, I hope that after some years it will be lapsed."

That looked like a question to me and Aribo and to me, especially the bit that goes:
I would like to know how long they are going to keep the fine in their records
it certainly doesn´t look like an answer to the original question. In any case, if you had checked back you would have seen our replies. Obviously you have now.

I don't know how it works with train fines, but speeding fines increase significantly with every term/period that you don't pay...Since this happened in 2009, you may have to pay a lot more than the original ticket!

I was just answering someone's else question at that time
It didn't sound like that to me. But anyway, who cares?

It seems that I can't find anybody who would have an experience with this issue
You may be right - most people are honest and pay for services they use.

"I would like to know how long they are going to keep the fine in their records"

They key word here is 'they'. Think who you mean by 'they', and it may answer your own question.

If you were 'fined' for bringing a Dutch library book back late, would the 'fine' be on Police records and accessed by immigration officers?

Were you fined' by police on the train? Or by NS Dutch railways? Are NS the police?

Usually such train fines are a matter of civil law, i.e. the train company would have to collect the fine in a civil court; just the same situation as if your neighbour would owe you money and you'd try to claim it back from him.

The authorities are usually not interested in civil matters and the police could not care less if you owe NS 100 € or if Mr Hrdlicka from Praha 1 owes you 10000 czech crowns.

BUT: I wrote usually as I have no idea about the Durch legal system, perhaps there's a special law that makes such fines public fines enforceable by the authorities.

So: to answer your question you'd have to hire a Durch lawyer who will probably charge more than the fine's worth. Or find out the hard way.

Pfffff, get over yourself coccinellefr!

It's your own choice: you can be a thief and keep looking over your shoulder in fear of being caught, as you are doing now. But don't come whining about it to us. We didn't ask you to steal from our country. It was your own choice, so deal with the consequences.

Or, option 2, choose to pay the fine and clear your conscience because it's obviously troubling you (if not your conscience, the fear of getting caught). And again: don't come whining to us about it.

Hello Anyone that can help?

My daughter and her boyfriend recently travelled to holland and picked up a fine on the train! Youngsters not listening to advice! Nothing new there!
She is out of the country at moment but she recieved a letter (all in dutch) I want to pay the fine but cannot contact the company who sent the letter! Phone number is a number you call when in holland? I have tried adding international code (0031) and dropping the first 0 etc, but still no luck!
The letter is from "Connexxion" and the address is based in Haarlem.
I need info to assist me in paying the fine!!!!!!
Please help,
Regards,
Leeding

leeding, there are plenty of Dutch speakers here. If you want help eiher write the phone number so we can check if you're dialing it correctly or, even better, post the Dutch content of the letter here and somebody will translate.

if you can't type it, take a picture of the letter and post it on the internet (using Picasa or Flickr or some other photo hosting site) and provide a link so we can read it.

MTL,
many thanks for the reply!
I have managed to fax the company and am awaiting a response?
I will keep you posted,
Regards

Edited by: leeding