Appeal to the Prefetto against a traffic fine (Italy)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in Italian
The PDF you download is in Italian — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
An appeal to the Prefetto is free, on plain paper and has no set form; many Prefetture and the consumer association Altroconsumo publish free models. This is a ready-made appeal in Italian for the driver or owner contesting a fine under the Italian Highway Code: the ticket's details, your own grounds, a request to be heard and to have the fine dismissed. It must be lodged within 60 days of service, by registered post, PEC or by hand, with the Prefettura of the place of the offence or the police body that issued it, and only if the fine is unpaid.
- Made for use in Italy
- Last updated October 14, 2026
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When to use this document
- You got a speeding fine in Italy and believe the speed camera was not properly signposted.
- The fine came for a car that was no longer yours on the day of the offence.
- The ticket reached you long after the offence and you want to contest it without going to court.
- You want to appeal a traffic fine to the Prefetto before paying anything.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's codice fiscale (Italian tax code)
- Sender's address
- How the letter is sent (printed above the recipient)
- Prefettura with jurisdiction (where the offence took place)
- Prefettura's address or PEC, as it publishes it
- City
- Date
- Ticket series and number
- In what capacity you appeal
- Fines authority (name as on its letter)
- Date of the offence
- Date the ticket was served (or handed over on the spot)
- Registration plate
- Offence described on the ticket
- Amount of the fine
- Grounds of the appeal (facts and reasons, referring to the enclosed documents)
- Whether you ask to be heard in person
- Attachments
Common questions
- When and how is an appeal to the Prefetto against a fine lodged in Italy?
- Within 60 days of the fine being handed over or served (art. 203 of the Italian Highway Code), with the Prefettura of the place of the offence or with the office or police body that issued it, by registered post with proof of receipt, PEC or by hand. It is free and needs no stamp duty. Many Prefetture publish a free form and the consumer association Altroconsumo offers a model; either may be used. In the province of Bolzano German is also accepted, and in the Valle d'Aosta French.
- In Italy, is it better to appeal a fine to the Prefetto or to the Giudice di pace?
- They are alternative routes. The appeal to the Prefetto is free and has 60 days; if it is rejected, the injunction order asks for at least double the minimum fine, and it can be challenged before the Giudice di pace within 30 days of service. A direct appeal to the Giudice di pace must be brought within 30 days of the ticket being handed over or served, with a court fee, and is a court filing this document does not cover. Paying the fine ends any appeal; a request for review to the police body does not stop the time limits.
- How long does the Prefetto have to decide an appeal against a fine in Italy?
- The police body that issued the fine sends the file to the Prefetto within 60 days of the appeal, and the Prefetto decides within 120 days of receiving it. If no decision is made in time, the appeal is deemed upheld (arts. 203 and 204 of the Italian Highway Code). Meanwhile, if the offence carries penalty points, the owner must still give the driver's details within 60 days of service: the appeal does not suspend that duty.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
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