The Act on Amendments to the Misdemeanour Act entered into force on 15 August 2026. For most citizens three changes matter: higher amounts up to which an offence can be resolved without a court, a wider scope for payment at the place of the offence, and the removal of the option to settle a court-imposed fine by paying two thirds of it.
The one-third discount no longer applies once a court rules on the fine
Under Article 152, paragraph 3 of the Misdemeanour Act a fine is still deemed paid in full if the convicted person pays two thirds of the amount imposed within the set deadline. What is new is the exception added to that rule: the discount does not apply to a judgment finding the defendant guilty, nor to a judgment rejecting an objection and confirming the misdemeanour order.
The discount has thus remained tied to decisions taken without a trial, and is lost as soon as a court rules on guilt.
- The discount still applies to a misdemeanour order and a mandatory misdemeanour order, if the fine is paid within the deadline given, and to a decision on an offence issued by a state administration body.
- The discount is gone where a court finds the defendant guilty after misdemeanour proceedings have been conducted.
- The discount is gone where a court rejects the objection by judgment and confirms the misdemeanour order.
Higher thresholds for resolving offences without a court
Mandatory misdemeanour order – up to EUR 1,000.00
The authorised prosecutor is obliged to issue a misdemeanour order for an offence prescribed by statute for which the only penalty prescribed is a fine of up to EUR 1,000.00 for a natural person. The previous threshold was EUR 663.61.
The range in which a mandatory misdemeanour order may, alongside the fine, also impose a protective measure prohibiting the driving of a motor vehicle has been widened as well – it now covers offences for which the prescribed fine is above EUR 265.45 and up to EUR 1,000.00. A driving ban can therefore be imposed without a court in a substantial part of traffic offences.
Payment of half the fine at the place of the offence – up to EUR 390.00
A fine may be collected at the place where the offence was committed in the amount of half the prescribed minimum, or half of a precisely determined amount, for offences for which the only penalty prescribed is a fine of up to EUR 390.00 for a natural person. The previous threshold was EUR 265.45.
If the offender is not in a position to pay at that moment, or was not found at the place of the offence at all, the fine may be paid on the same terms within three days of being stopped or of receiving the notice of the offence, with proof of payment submitted to the body that established the offence.
The consequence is favourable to the offender and is often overlooked in practice: if the fine and the cost of establishing the offence are paid in that way, no misdemeanour proceedings are conducted, the fine imposed is not entered in the misdemeanour records, and the offender is not regarded as a person convicted of an offence.
Written or oral warning – up to EUR 300.00
Where, in the course of supervision, the police establish an offence for which the only penalty prescribed is a fine of up to EUR 300.00, which is of a particularly minor nature and whose offender has not previously committed similar offences, they may issue a written warning or give an oral one instead of collecting the fine. The previous threshold was EUR 132.72.
| Institute | Until 14 August 2026 | From 15 August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Mandatory misdemeanour order (natural person) | up to EUR 663.61 | up to EUR 1,000.00 |
| Payment of half the fine at the place of the offence | up to EUR 265.45 | up to EUR 390.00 |
| Written or oral police warning | up to EUR 132.72 | up to EUR 300.00 |
| Admonition as a misdemeanour sanction | up to EUR 663.61 | up to EUR 663.61 |
A warning is not an admonition
The two institutes are regularly confused in practice. A warning is the police power described above, exercised at the place of the offence, and is not a misdemeanour sanction. An admonition under Article 43 of the Misdemeanour Act is a misdemeanour sanction – a measure of caution imposed by the body conducting the proceedings, for offences for which the only penalty prescribed is a fine of up to EUR 663.61, where, having regard to the offender’s conduct, culpability and the consequence caused, the offence is manifestly of a minor form.
The 2026 amendments did not touch Article 43. The threshold for an admonition remains EUR 663.61; what was raised is the threshold for a police warning. These are therefore two different institutes, and only one of them has been amended.
Electronic communication with the court
The amendments introduce mandatory electronic communication in misdemeanour proceedings before the courts. State bodies, units of local and regional self-government, the state attorney’s office, legal persons, lawyers, and court experts and interpreters are obliged to file submissions and annexes existing in electronic form through the information system, and court decisions and letters are served on them in the same way. For natural persons electronic communication remains voluntary.
The deadline for objecting to a misdemeanour order is very short, and missing it also removes the possibility of challenging the order at all. If you have received a misdemeanour order or a mandatory misdemeanour order, our office is at your disposal to assess the merits of an objection and the prospects of success, to draft and file it within the statutory deadline, and to represent you in the misdemeanour proceedings.