A letter from the fine office — now what?
A hearing form in the letterbox, a speed camera photo or a police stop after a glance at your phone: sooner or later almost every driver in Germany hears from the fine office. The key question is usually not just how high the fine will be, but whether penalty points in Flensburg, a driving ban or consequences during the probation period are coming. The answer is in the Bußgeldkatalog, Germany's official fine catalogue. At first glance it looks unwieldy, but it follows a clear logic. This guide explains it for the four most common offences: speeding, following distance, red lights and phone use at the wheel. You can work through your own case with the traffic fine calculator.
Where the amounts come from
The legal basis for traffic offences is § 24 of the Road Traffic Act (StVG). The standard fine for each offence is set by the Fine Catalogue Regulation (BKatV). Its annex is the actual fine catalogue with several hundred numbered entries, supplemented by tables — table 1 for speeding, table 2 for distance offences. The last major reform took effect on 9 November 2021 and roughly doubled the rates for speeding. The regulation has been amended several times since, most recently in August 2026. The standard rates described here have not changed as a result.
The key term is standard rate: the amounts apply to negligent offences without special circumstances. If you act intentionally, any standard rate above €55 is doubled (§ 3 (4a) BKatV). Authorities and courts may also go higher or lower if a case differs from the norm.
Caution fee or fine?
Up to €55 it is a caution fee (Verwarnungsgeld). There is no formal fine notice, no fees and no points. From €60 a formal fine notice (Bußgeldbescheid) is issued, and costs are added: under § 107 of the Administrative Offences Act (OWiG) the authority charges a fee of 5% of the fine, but at least €25. On top come expenses — €3.50 flat for formal delivery. For fines up to €500 the surcharge is therefore practically always €28.50. A €115 fine thus becomes €143.50.
Speeding: the bands in table 1
For cars, the catalogue distinguishes between in town (innerorts) and out of town (außerorts). The key bands:
In town: up to 10 km/h €30 · 11–15 km/h €50 · 16–20 km/h €70 · 21–25 km/h €115 and 1 point · 26–30 km/h €180 and 1 point · 31–40 km/h €260, 2 points, 1-month ban · 41–50 km/h €400, 2 points, 1 month · 51–60 km/h €560, 2 points, 2 months · 61–70 km/h €700, 2 points, 3 months · over 70 km/h €800, 2 points, 3 months.
Out of town: up to 10 km/h €20 · 11–15 km/h €40 · 16–20 km/h €60 · 21–25 km/h €100 and 1 point · 26–30 km/h €150 and 1 point · 31–40 km/h €200 and 1 point · 41–50 km/h €320, 2 points, 1 month · 51–60 km/h €480, 2 points, 1 month · 61–70 km/h €600, 2 points, 2 months · over 70 km/h €700, 2 points, 3 months.
Two thresholds are worth knowing: points start at 21 km/h over the limit, and a driving ban applies from 31 km/h over in town and 41 km/h over out of town. A rule that is often overlooked comes on top. Anyone who was at least 26 km/h too fast twice within one year usually gets a one-month ban — even if neither offence alone carries one (§ 4 (2) BKatV). The year counts from the date the first decision became final.
What counts is not the measured value but the speed after the tolerance deduction: 3 km/h up to 100 km/h, 3% of the reading above that. How this works in detail and at which readings it gets expensive is explained in our article on the speed camera tolerance deduction.
Two worked examples
In town, limit 50, measured 76 km/h: after deducting 3 km/h, 73 km/h remain, i.e. 23 km/h over. That means €115, one point and €143.50 including fees.
Out of town, limit 100, measured 148 km/h: a 3% tolerance is 4.44 km/h, leaving a chargeable 143 km/h. At 43 km/h over, that costs €320, two points and a one-month driving ban. Including fees, the total is €348.50.
Following distance: half the speedometer
The rule of thumb: the distance in metres should be at least half the speedometer reading, so 60 m at 120 km/h. Up to 80 km/h the catalogue only has a flat rate of €25, €30 with endangerment and €35 with property damage. Above that, it grades by the fraction of half the speedometer reading you kept. Keeping more than a quarter of the speedometer reading costs €35.
Below that, table 2 applies. Above 80 km/h it ranges from €75 (less than 5/10) to €320 (less than 1/10), each with one point. Above 100 km/h the amounts are the same, but from less than 3/10 there are two points and a one- to three-month driving ban. Above 130 km/h the scale starts at €100 and ends at €400. Example: at 120 km/h and 15 m, you kept 2.5/10 of half the speedometer reading. That costs €160, two points and a one-month driving ban.
Red light: one second makes the difference
For red light offences, what matters is how long the light had been red. Under one second, the simple offence costs €90 and one point. With endangerment it is €200, with property damage €240, each with two points and a one-month driving ban. If the light had been red for more than one second, it is a qualified red light offence: €200, two points and a one-month ban, €320 with endangerment and €360 with property damage.
Phone at the wheel
Under § 23 (1a) of the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO), you may neither pick up nor hold an electronic device while driving. Voice control and a brief glance at a mounted device are allowed. The offence costs €100 and one point. With endangerment it is €150, two points and a one-month ban. With property damage it is €200, two points and a one-month ban.
Points in Flensburg
Annex 13 of the Driving Licence Regulation (FeV) sets how many points each offence brings. For the four offence types, roughly: one point for the middle cases, two points for the serious cases with a standard driving ban. Points add up in the driving aptitude rating system under § 4 StVG. At 4 or 5 points you receive a written admonition, at 6 or 7 points a warning, and from 8 points the licence is revoked. A voluntary driver-aptitude seminar removes one point, but only at a total of 5 points or fewer. One-point entries are deleted after two and a half years, two-point entries after five years.
Probation: the category A offence
The first two years after you first obtain a licence are a probation period. Annex 12 of the Driving Licence Regulation divides offences into serious (A) and less serious (B). Speeding, following distance, red lights and phone use all belong to category A. But the offence only has consequences if it is entered in the driving aptitude register, i.e. brings points. The authority then orders a remedial course at your own expense and extends the probation period by two years (§ 2a StVG). The next category A offence leads to a warning with a recommendation for traffic-psychology counselling; the third leads to revocation. What a fresh start with a new licence costs is shown by the driving licence cost calculator.
During probation and for everyone under 21, a strict zero-alcohol rule also applies at the wheel. How long alcohol stays in your blood can be estimated with the blood alcohol calculator.
Driving ban: when it starts
A driving ban lasts one to three months. If you had no ban in the two years before the offence, you can usually choose when it starts within four months of the decision becoming final (§ 25 (2a) StVG). You then hand in your licence to the authority. In exceptional cases, for example if your job depends on your licence, a court may waive the ban in exchange for a higher fine. There is no entitlement to this.
Deadlines: objection and limitation
You can file an objection against a fine notice within two weeks of delivery (§ 67 OWiG). Since 1 July 2026 a new limitation rule also applies: under § 26 (3) StVG, the period for traffic offences is a uniform six months. The former three-month period until the notice is issued no longer exists. Steps such as the hearing letter interrupt the limitation period, which then starts again.
Conclusion
The German fine catalogue is strict but predictable. If you know the thresholds — 21 km/h for points, 31 km/h in town and 41 km/h out of town for a driving ban, one second at a red light — you can quickly assess a notice. Check your case with the traffic fine calculator. It shows the fine, points, driving ban, probation consequences and total cost including fees. It does not replace legal advice: when a driving ban or your probation is at stake, it is worth consulting a lawyer specialising in traffic law.