Goodbye fines for "forgotten license at home"? Senate facilitates digitalization: Drivers verified electronically will no longer be sanctioned
Important news for drivers in Romania: the era of administrative digitalization is taking a step forward in Parliament. The Senate recently adopted a revolutionary bill, according to which drivers who do not present their documents in physical format when checked by the traffic police will no longer be sanctioned, with one essential condition: their data can be verified by agents by accessing official databases.
The bill now goes to the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body in this case.
What the legislation looks like now: Strict sanctions for lack of physical format
Currently, the Romanian Highway Code is extremely rigid in terms of document control. Even if a driver has a valid driver's license and a legally registered car, the simple fact of forgetting their wallet at home attracts harsh penalties.
According to Article 35, paragraph 2 of the current legislation:
"Traffic participants are obliged, at the request of the traffic police officer, to hand over their identity document or, as the case may be, their driving license, the registration or registration document of the vehicle being driven, the documents relating to the goods transported, as well as other documents provided for by law."
Currently, refusal or inability to physically hand over documents is sanctioned with:
- Minor offence fine of between 6 and 8 fine points.
- The complementary sanction of 4 penalty points.
Why is change necessary? The initiators' arguments
The initiators of this legislative project argue that the current regulation is outdated and deeply unfair, punishing a simple logistical omission instead of targeting a real violation of road safety. In an era where the Romanian Police has technology and access to real-time databases, the obligation to present the piece of plastic becomes redundant.
The main arguments in favor of the bill are:
- Contradiction with digitalization: Sanctioning the failure to present documents that can be instantly verified electronically blatantly contradicts the digitalization trend of public administration in Romania.
- Lack of impact on safety: The fine for not physically presenting documents does not protect road safety, but rather represents a bureaucratic measure that can generate abuses and unnecessary sanctions.
- Violation of the principle of proportionality: The initiators invoke Article 53 of the Romanian Constitution, arguing that the current measure is disproportionate to the legitimate purpose of the law. As long as the right to drive exists and can be attested electronically, the sanction no longer serves any purpose.
What's next for Romanian drivers?
If the bill receives the final vote from the deputies and is subsequently promulgated by the president, Romania will align with other European states where verification of identity and the right to drive is done in a modern way, through digital means.
Until the final decision in the Chamber of Deputies and publication in the Official Gazette, the old rules remain in force, and drivers are still required to carry all documents in physical format.