From speed camera photo to fine notice
After a traffic offence in Germany, a fixed procedure follows. First there is usually a hearing form (Anhörungsbogen) or, if the authority does not yet know who was driving, a witness questionnaire sent to the vehicle keeper. The fine office then issues the fine notice (Bußgeldbescheid). From that moment you have two weeks to challenge it. This article explains how an objection works and when an offence becomes time-barred.
The hearing form: what you have to state
You must give your personal details — name, address, date of birth. Refusing to do so or giving false details is itself an administrative offence (§ 111 OWiG). On the matter itself, i.e. the accusation, you may remain silent. You do not have to incriminate yourself or close relatives. If the authority cannot identify the driver, however, it may order the keeper to keep a logbook of journeys.
Objection: deadline and form
You can file an objection against the fine notice within two weeks of delivery, in writing or on record at the authority that issued the notice (§ 67 (1) OWiG). No reasons are required. The delivery date noted on the envelope is decisive — write it down.
The objection can be limited to specific points (§ 67 (2) OWiG), for example only to the legal consequences if you admit the offence but want to challenge the driving ban. You can also withdraw the objection.
If you missed the deadline through no fault of your own, for example because you were in hospital, you can apply for reinstatement (Wiedereinsetzung in den vorigen Stand, § 52 OWiG). The application must be made within one week after the obstacle ceased.
What happens after the objection
The fine office reviews the case again. It can withdraw or amend the notice, or pass the case to the public prosecutor, who submits it to the local court. The court decides either by written order without a hearing or after a main hearing. Important: in the written procedure, the court may not deviate to your disadvantage (§ 72 (3) OWiG). After a main hearing, however, a higher fine is possible. If you lose, you also bear the costs of the proceedings.
An objection is mainly worthwhile if there are signs of errors: a wrong speed limit, a wrong in-town classification, a missing tolerance deduction or doubts about the measurement. A lawyer can inspect the measurement file for you. How the tolerance deduction works is explained in our article Caught by a speed camera: how the tolerance deduction works.
Limitation: six months since 1 July 2026
Under § 26 (3) StVG, the limitation period for traffic offences is a uniform six months. Until 30 June 2026, it was three months as long as no fine notice had been issued. Lawmakers have abolished that rule. For offences committed before 1 July 2026, the old legal position may still matter in individual cases. A specialist should check this.
The period starts with the offence. However, certain steps by the authority interrupt it, and it then starts again (§ 33 OWiG). These include notifying you that proceedings have been opened against you — typically the hearing form — and issuing the fine notice, if it is delivered within two weeks. An offence is definitively time-barred at the latest when twice the period, but at least two years, has passed (§ 33 (3) OWiG).
Hoping for the limitation period to run out is therefore rarely worthwhile: the hearing form restarts the six months.
Conclusion
You have two weeks from delivery to object, and since July 2026 the limitation period is six months. Before objecting, check with the traffic fine calculator whether the fine, points and driving ban in the notice match your case. For an overview of all amounts, see the guide to Germany's fine catalogue 2026. This article is not legal advice. If a driving ban or your probation is at stake, it is worth consulting a lawyer specialising in traffic law.