Collection letter for unpaid toll fees in Italy

Payment

Most motorways in Italy are toll roads. You pay a fee for driving on an Italian toll road. There are several payment methods. 

• Toll gates
  In Italy, there are manned and unmanned toll booths. At a manned toll gate, you pay with cash, your debit or credit card. At unmanned toll booths, you can only pay with your debit or credit card.
• Toll badge
  A toll badge or toll box is placed behind the rearview mirror in the centre of the windshield. The badge or box is linked to your bank account and your car's license plate number. Fees will be automatically debited from your bank account afterwards.
• Electronic toll fee (free flow)
  Some highways do not have toll booths. Instead, cameras record your car's license plate number. This is especially common in northern Italy. You must then register your license plate number and pay the toll within 15 days of driving on the toll road. You can do so on the Autostrada Pedemontana Lombarda website (in English).

Proof of payment

If you have paid the toll, always keep the receipt. You can usually print or ask for a receipt at a toll booth machine. Have you received an unjustified debt collection letter? At least then you can use the receipt to prove that you paid.

Unpaid

Sometimes a barrier goes up before you have paid. This can happen, for example, when you are in the queue for toll badge holders. But it can also happen when you queue up where you are normally supposed to pay. You can sometimes receive a ticket that reads ‘Mancato’ and ‘Toll unpaid’. The idea is then to pay the toll afterwards at a toll office, through the Telepass app  or on the toll company's website. You have 15 days to pay the ticket. If you do not respond in time, you can expect a collection letter at home. In fact, a photo is always taken of the license plate number, even with a rental car.

Collection letter

In any case, if you knowingly or unknowingly fail to pay a toll fee in Italy, the bill will be sent to your home. You will then probably receive this bill from the Italian collection agency Nivi S.p.A. You may not receive the collection letter until months or even years later. Toll fees in Italy do not expire until 10 years after the relevant drive. In addition to the amount you should have paid for driving on a toll road, you often pay:

• Administrative fees
• Fee for the collection agency
• Interest
• Extra fees

If you receive a collection letter from the Italian collection agency, do not wait too long to pay. If you do not pay the bill on time, additional charges may apply. These fees range between €87 and €344. So pay on time and avoid additional charges.

Appeal

Do you believe the bill is unjustified? For example, because you have not been to Italy at all, have already paid the toll, or because you have only driven on part of the toll route and receive a bill for the entire route? Then contact the Italian collection agency Nivi to file an objection. An explanation on how to file an objection is set out in Nivi S.p.A.'s collection letter.

Template letter

Have you received a collection letter from another (Italian) collection agency and you want to file an appeal? Then use our sample letter: unjustified collection of toll fees. Make sure you can prove it is an unjustified bill. You do this, for example, with proof of payment or by showing that you were not at that place or even in Italy at that date and time.

Lawsuit

If you choose not to pay the bill, then it is up to the toll road operator whether to file a lawsuit or not. If the toll road operator files a lawsuit, the lawsuit will subjected to an Italian court of law. Note: Is the collection agency threatening to take the case to court? A collection agency cannot file a lawsuit.