Reykjavík Parking Service FAQ

Here you'll find frequently asked questions and answers about parking, tariffs, and more.

List of questions

What is the difference between fines and charges?

The police are responsible for imposing fines, for example for speed, drunkenness, running a red light, and the like. Infringements with fines are listed in Articles 94 and 95 of Traffic Act No 77/2019.

Charges and parking citations are either extra parking fees (when paid parking has not been paid and they are sometimes referred to as "parking tickets” or “parking fines” but they are fees, not fines) and parking violation charges.

Charges for parking violations are related to stopping and/or parking vehicles, for example on the sidewalk, on a pedestrian crossing, at a junction, in a parking spot for people with reduced mobility. Both the police and parking enforcement officers monitor for parking violations, as outlined in Articles 28 and 29 of the Traffic Act No. 77/2019 and elsewhere.

The earlier Traffic Act (No. 50/1987) imposed fines for a number of offenses related to stopping and/or parking vehicles, for example in driveways, fire hydrants, and in the opposite direction of traffic (i.e. "on a road a vehicle may only be stopped or parked on the right-hand side"). On January 1, 2020, this was changed so that these breaches are now subject to charges and not fines.

How do I pay a parking citation?

  • The charge will appear in the online bank of the vehicle's owner. To pay, choose unpaid invoices in your online bank and pay the same way as you would other invoices.
  • If the payer is not the owner, you can choose to pay as a payment slip. Remember to enter the ID numbers in the invoice reference, not the payer's ID number.
  • Pay at the bank.
  • Pay on the web

    More information here.

  • Please note that it you cannot transfer payments to Reykjavík Parking Service

     

Can I park in my driveway?

No, according to the Traffic Act No 50/1987 and No 77/2019, it is not allowed. The Traffic Act makes no distinction as to whether or not the person concerned is the owner of the driveway, nor is anyone exempt from this provision. There were two amendments concerning this provision in the Traffic Act which entered into force on January 1, 2020, on the one hand, the wording and, on the other hand, the fact that there are no longer fines under this Article of the Traffic Act, but a charge.

Can a charge be transferred between parties?

The imposition of the charge for the parking citation is based on the registered owner/keeper according to the Vehicle Register and the Parking Fund is not allowed to transfer a claim between parties. Others that registered owners/keepers may pay charges in banks, savings banks, and online banks.

If you're not the vehicle owner, you can make a payment in your bank by choosing Payments -> Payment Slips (I. Greiðslur -> Greiðsluseðlar) and entering the claim number (I. kröfunúmer). You can get information about the claim number from the owner/manager or by calling the Service Center at 411-1111. It is important not to change the payer's ID number and entering the claim number as it appears on the parking ticket.

Are commercial vehicles (for example, delivery vans) exempt from charges at the time of their loading and unloading?

There's nothing in the law to exclude delivery drivers from receiving citations for using metered parking spaces, and stopping or parking vans is not permitted where it is generally prohibited to stop or park vehicles.

Paragraph 1(3) of Article 3 of the Traffic Act states that the parking of a vehicle is considered to be “the stopping of a vehicle, with or without a driver, longer than is required to allow passengers in or out or loading or unloading the vehicle”. This point has been used as an argument to justify the permission of parking vehicles that are being loaded/unloaded without any parking violation, but note that where Articles 28 and 29 of the Traffic Act state that vehicles may not be stopped or parked (on a sidewalk, on a pedestrian walkway or at a distance of less than 5 meters from a crossroad, or at a distance of less than 5 meters from the nearest edge of a motorway at a crossroad, in a parking spot for people with reduced mobility, et cetera), the definition of parking a vehicle does not apply.

How can I request a review of a charge? What is a review?

According to the Administrative Procedures Act (Article 24 of Act No. 37/1993), a party to a case can request a review if the decision was based on, among other things, insufficient or incorrect information. That is, the party to the case (the one receiving a charge) can request a review of the charge, if they believe it was incorrectly applied. A review can only be requested on the Reykjavík Parking Service's website.

What's the difference between a review and an objection?

According to Article 13 of the Administrative Procedure Act, an involved party has the right to object before an authority makes a decision in the case. According to Article 24 of the same act, once an authority has made a decision, the involved party can request the case to be reconsidered, which means a review is requested. So, while most people talk about objecting to a fee, the correct term is to request a review.