The Romanian Parliament is debating whether foreign drivers who have not paid fines in Romania can leave the country.

A recent legislative proposal in the Romanian Parliament aims to sanction foreign drivers who violate traffic rules, after Romanian carriers complained about unfair competition. They argue that foreign drivers often drive without fear of fines, and ANAF reports that over 35,000 foreign citizens have debts of millions of euros from unpaid fines, most of which are for exceeding the legal speed limit. In 2022, the traffic police fined over 5,000 foreign drivers, but many do not pay the fines, which expire in 5 years. The legislative proposal stipulates that foreign drivers must pay fines on the spot, similar to legislation in Bulgaria, Italy, and Hungary. Eugen Neață, the initiator of the law, emphasizes the difficulties in identifying foreign citizens and the need to amend the law to ensure the recovery of fines. Romanian carriers report significant financial losses due to these practices, and the adoption of the law would require the Ministry of Finance to open a unique collection account for fines paid by foreign citizens.