News

1 February 2023

The compensation fee of BGN 70 or the fine of BGN 300 if the fee is not paid is to be suspended for drivers who misspell the registration number when purchasing e-tickets. The notification of such cumulative countervailing charges and fines to the Road Infrastructure Agency will now take place within three working days. This proposal of Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva, contained in the Road Traffic Act, was unanimously supported by the Members of Parliament at the second reading in the plenary hall today.

It is reminded that in December the Ombudsman submitted a legislative proposal to the National Assembly, which was recognized by Nikolay Nankov and a group of deputies from GERB-SDS.

The reason for drawing up this proposal was the numerous complaints of drivers who were accidentally and very late aware of the numerous compensation charges of BGN 70 imposed on them. In practice, they have been penalised many times for making an inadvertent error when entering the vehicle registration number without even suspecting that they were infringers.

 In order to end this injustice, the Ombudsman insisted that up to three incorrect symbols on the vehicle registration number be corrected and that a symbol be corrected when missing from the vehicle registration number. And the effect of the correction should be from the moment of the initial statement of will.

 The Ombudsman's idea was to find a fairer mechanism for the recovery of unduly paid compensation fees for the correction of faulty vignettes, which she proposed to take place in a shorter period of up to 5 working days, with the amounts being refunded either to the bank account indicated in the correction application by the owner/user of the vehicle or, if not indicated, at cash desks.

Furthermore, the exemption from administrative liability in the event of correction will be automatic, without the person having to take any action to that effect.

The Ombudsman insisted that the amendments to the Road Traffic Act concerning the limitation of the number of violations for driving without a vignette on the toll road network should have retroactive effect in order to address the Prolesha case.

A compensation fee of BGN 70 or a fine of BGN 300 if the fee is not paid is suspended for drivers who misspell the registration number when purchasing e-vignettes.

Notification of such cumulative compensation charges and fines to the RIA will now take place within three working days.

This proposal of Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva to amend the Road Act was unanimously supported by the Members of Parliament at the second reading in the plenary hall.

In December last year I submitted a legislative proposal to the National Assembly, which was recognized by Nikolay Nankov and a group of deputies from GERB-SDS.

The reason for drawing up this proposal was the numerous complaints of drivers who were accidentally and very late aware of the numerous compensation charges of BGN 70 imposed on them.

In practice, they have been penalised many times for making an inadvertent error when entering the vehicle registration number without even suspecting that they were infringers.

In order to end this injustice, I insisted that up to three incorrect symbols on the vehicle registration number be corrected and that a symbol be corrected when missing from the vehicle registration number.

And the effect of the correction should be from the moment of the initial statement of will.  

My idea was to find a fairer mechanism for the recovery of unduly paid compensation fees for the correction of faulty vignettes, which is to take place in a shorter period of up to 5 working days, with the amounts being refunded either to the bank account indicated in the correction application by the owner/user of the vehicle or, if not indicated, at cash desks.

Furthermore, the exemption from administrative liability in the event of correction will be automatic, without the person having to take any action to that effect.

I insisted that the amendments to the Road Traffic Act concerning the limitation of the number of violations for driving without a vignette on the toll road network should have retroactive effect in order to address the Prolesha case.