In brief

  • Town halls now have the official form that tells you that, if you do not pay a traffic fine within 90 days, you lose the right to drive. It is called Model 2026 ITL 076 and it is issued by the local tax authority.
  • The calculation rule is mechanical: one day of suspension for every 50 lei left unpaid. Fractions of a day are not counted, and at the end of the suspension the fine is written off from the tax records.
  • The 90 day period runs from the moment the offence report is handed over or served, but it stops for the duration of the court case, if you have filed a complaint, until the judgment becomes final.
Act: MDLPA Order No. 825/2026
Published: Official Gazette of Romania (Monitorul Oficial) No. 632 of 30 July 2026
In force from: 30 July 2026

A traffic fine of 1,000 lei left unpaid can turn into 20 days without a driving licence. The Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration has approved, through Order No. 825 of 29 July 2026, published in Official Gazette of Romania No. 632 of 30 July 2026, the model of the payment summons through which town halls notify you of this. It is the administrative piece that sets in motion a mechanism already widely discussed, in a year when the courts also confirmed that a judge cannot shorten the suspension of the driving licence imposed together with the fine.

The form is officially called the Summons regarding the obligation to pay administrative fines for road traffic on public roads, abbreviated S.O.P.A.C. in the implementing instructions. Its legal basis is Article XVII of Government Emergency Ordinance No. 7/2026, developed through the methodological norms approved by Government Decision No. 530/2026.

The order itself has three articles. The first approves the model of the form and states that it is used by local tax authorities. The second places the task of implementation with those same tax authorities. The third provides for publication in the Official Gazette of Romania. All the substance sits in the annex, that is, in the form and its implementing instructions.

What it changes in practice

The first effect is that the mechanism becomes operational. Without a standard form approved by order, local tax authorities had no instrument through which to lawfully communicate the information required by the methodological norms. From 30 July 2026 they have one.

The second effect is transparency of the calculation. The summons contains, in a structured form, everything the recipient needs in order to check the figures alone: the series and number of the offence report, the issuing body, the date it was handed over or served, the date it was entered in the records of the local tax authority, the amount of the payment obligation, the amount still unpaid, the date on which the 90 day period expires and the unique taxpayer record number.

The third effect is the conversion rule itself, written in black and white in the form. If the obligation is not paid in full by the expiry of the period, a suspension of the right to drive motor vehicles, agricultural or forestry tractors and trams on public roads is carried out, calculated as one day for every 50 lei left unpaid. The division is made without taking fractions of a day into account, and the resulting differences are written off once the debt is extinguished through the suspension.

The fourth effect concerns the exact interval of the suspension. The form has separate fields for the starting date, at 00:00, and the ending date, at 24:00. No room is left for interpretation as to the day when you may get behind the wheel again.

The fifth effect is the extinction of the claim. The instructions expressly provide that, on the date the suspension ends, the administrative fine is written off from the tax and accounting records. The suspension is not added to the payment: it replaces it.

The sixth effect is administrative. Every summons is entered in a dedicated register, the Register of summonses, Model 2026, numbered in ascending order, separately for each calendar year. Competence belongs to the local tax authority in whose area the offender is domiciled, and in Bucharest to each district mayor.

What has changed compared with the previous situation

Until now, an unpaid traffic fine followed the classic route of enforced collection: garnishment of income, seizure, enforcement through the tax authorities. An effect on the driving licence did not exist as an administrative sanction linked directly to non payment.

The new mechanism changes the nature of the consequence. Non payment no longer leads only to the recovery of money, but to a restriction of the right to drive, with a duration calculated arithmetically. It is, in fact, a form of extinguishing the debt by enforcement against a right, not against assets.

The second important change is the protection of the person who contests the fine. The form states explicitly that, when determining the 90 day period, the interval between the date of filing the complaint against the offence report and the date on which the judgment becomes final is not taken into account. Anyone who goes to court is not penalised for the length of the proceedings.

The third change concerns the way town halls work. The instructions expressly recommend the electronic format, both for the summons and for the register, with the aim of phasing out paper, and they recommend the use of an electronic signature. Service is carried out in accordance with Article 47 of Law No. 207/2015 on the Fiscal Procedure Code.

The fourth change is one of budgetary context. The whole package, including Article XVII of Government Emergency Ordinance No. 7/2026, has as its declared purpose the strengthening of the financial capacity of administrative-territorial units. Uncollected traffic fines are a direct loss for local budgets, and pressure on the driving licence is the lever chosen to reduce it.

Advantages and disadvantages

What it improves

  • It brings predictability: a standard form, clear fields, a calculation formula anyone can verify with a simple division by 50.
  • It protects the right to a defence, because the length of the court case is not deducted from the 90 days.
  • It closes the debt. At the end of the suspension the fine is written off, so you are not left both without a licence and with the debt still on the books.
  • It imposes a register numbered in ascending order, by year, which makes the summonses issued by a town hall verifiable.
  • It recommends the electronic format and the electronic signature, which cuts costs and delays in service.
  • It helps local budgets collect claims that, in practice, classic enforced collection was not recovering.

What remains a problem

  • The sanction hits unevenly. For a professional driver, the same days of suspension mean loss of income, while for someone else they are a minor inconvenience.
  • The conversion is purely arithmetic. There is no maximum ceiling visible in the form, so large accumulated fines can produce long periods of suspension.
  • The form contains no field for challenging the summons itself, and no mention of the remedies available against it.
  • It depends on the quality of local records. A service date recorded incorrectly shifts the 90 day deadline and, implicitly, the suspension period.
  • Service by email assumes that the address held in the tax records is correct and up to date, which is not always the case.
  • The register and the summons remain at the level of each administrative-territorial unit, with no national system visible in this act, which complicates matters for people with fines in several counties.

Practical advice

  1. Check point 6 of the summons. That is where you find the date on which the 90 day period expires, calculated from the handing over or service of the offence report. It is the date up to which you can still pay without consequences for your licence.
  2. Do the calculation yourself. Divide the unpaid amount by 50 and you get the number of days of suspension. If the figure in the summons does not match, you have a concrete reason to raise the matter with the local tax authority.
  3. If you have filed a complaint, tell the tax authority. The interval between filing the complaint and the judgment becoming final does not count towards the 90 days.
  4. Partial payment helps. The suspension is calculated on the amount still unpaid, not on the initial one, so every 50 lei paid means one day less.
  5. Update your address with the town hall. The summons is served at your tax domicile, and an old address means you find out about the suspension only when the police stop you.
  6. Check the unique taxpayer record number at point 7. It links the summons to your tax file and is the reference point in any discussion with the town hall.
  7. Note the date at point 10. The suspension ends at 24:00 on that day, and from then on the fine is written off from the records.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly does MDLPA Order No. 825/2026 approve?
The model of the standard form of the payment summons concerning the obligation to pay claims arising from administrative fines and the information notice on the suspension of the right to drive, named Model 2026 ITL 076. The form is used by local tax authorities.
How many days of suspension does an unpaid fine mean?
One day for every 50 lei left unpaid. Fractions of a day resulting from the division are not taken into account, and the differences are written off once the debt is extinguished.
When do the 90 days start running?
From the date the offence report is handed over or served. The exact date on which the period expires is set out at point 6 of the summons.
What happens if I have challenged the offence report?
The interval between the date the complaint was filed and the date the court judgment becomes final is not taken into account when determining the 90 day period.
Which categories of vehicles are covered?
Motor vehicles, agricultural or forestry tractors and trams, on public roads. The summons concerns fines applied to a person acting as the driver of these vehicles.
Do I still have to pay the fine after the suspension?
No. The implementing instructions provide that, on the date the suspension ends, the administrative fine is written off from the tax and accounting records.
Who issues the summons?
The local tax authority in whose territorial area the offender is domiciled. The person with these duties is designated by order of the mayor of the commune, town or municipality, and in Bucharest the task falls to each district mayor.
How is it served on me?
In accordance with Article 47 of Law No. 207/2015 on the Fiscal Procedure Code. The instructions recommend the electronic format and the use of an electronic signature.
Is there a record of the summonses issued?
Yes. Every summons is entered in the Register of summonses regarding the obligation to pay administrative fines for road traffic on public roads, Model 2026, numbered in strictly ascending order, separately for each calendar year.
From when does the order apply?
From 30 July 2026, the date of publication in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I. The order does not provide for a later date of entry into force.

Original text of the legal act

The text below is reproduced in Romanian, the official form of publication.

The full text, as published in the Official Gazette of Romania

Official Gazette of Romania no. 632 of 30 July 2026 8 pages PDF, 109 KB

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific situations, consult a licensed attorney or tax advisor.