How to appeal a parking fine in the Netherlands (2026)
The deadline, the grounds and the complete step-by-step for objecting to a parking-tax surcharge assessment.
What exactly is a parking fine?
What people call a "parking fine" is usually a naheffingsaanslag parkeerbelasting — a parking-tax surcharge assessment. It is not a traffic fine via the CJIB, but a tax assessment from the municipality because, in its view, you did not pay (enough) parking tax. Increasingly a scan car detects this automatically: it drives past, reads your licence plate and checks whether parking was paid for your car.
The amount has two parts: the unpaid parking tax plus the cost of the assessment. That cost part has a legal maximum set each year — for 2026 it is € 82,00.
Because it is a tax assessment, you file an objection ("bezwaar") against it. And that objection follows strict rules.
The most important rule: 6 weeks
You have 6 weeks to object, counted from the dagtekening — the date printed on the assessment, not the day it landed in your mailbox. If you are late, the municipality will usually declare your objection inadmissible and will not even look at the merits.
So do not wait. Even if you are unsure whether you are right: file on time, the substantiation can be added afterwards. Read more about what to do when the deadline has (nearly) passed.
When do you have solid grounds?
An objection only succeeds with a concrete reason. The most common valid grounds:
- You did pay — via a parking app, on a valid plate, but the payment did not match the scan (wrong plate typed, started just too late, wrong zone).
- You were allowed to stand there — loading and unloading, a permit-holder space for which you hold a valid permit, or a broken meter.
- The assessment is wrong — wrong licence plate, wrong location, or a time when no parking tax applied there.
More examples and how to prove them are in parking fine from a scan car: when is it wrong?
Step by step: how to file your objection
- 1Photograph or scan the assessment. You need the assessment number and the dagtekening.
- 2Gather your evidence. A screenshot of your parking app, a bank statement, a photo of the situation or your permit.
- 3Write the objection. State your name, the assessment number, why you disagree, and that you request the assessment be annulled.
- 4Request a payment deferral. Do this in the same letter, so you do not have to pay while your objection is pending.
- 5File it with the right body — your municipality’s tax officer (heffingsambtenaar) — within 6 weeks.
You can do all of this yourself. Or let MijnBezwaar.nu do it for free: you send one photo, we draft the objection, file it with the right department and follow up.
Do you have to pay first?
In principle a naheffingsaanslag must be paid within the stated term. But if you object, you can request a payment deferral — then you do not have to pay while your objection is pending. State that request directly in your objection.
If you are proven right, the assessment is annulled. If you already paid and win, you get the amount back.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to appeal a parking fine?
Six weeks, counted from the dagtekening (issue date) on the assessment. After that, an objection is usually declared inadmissible.
What does it cost to object?
Objecting with the municipality is free. MijnBezwaar.nu also does it for you at no cost — you pay nothing, even if the objection is rejected.
Do I have to pay while my objection is pending?
Not if you request a payment deferral in your objection. The municipality then suspends payment until a decision is made.
What is the difference from a CJIB traffic fine?
A scan-car parking fine is a municipal tax assessment (naheffingsaanslag parkeerbelasting) that you object to. A CJIB fine is a traffic fine (Mulder Act) with a different procedure.
This information is general and not legal advice. No rights can be derived from this article.