Read the whole penalty notice before responding and find the response deadline in the letter. Accepting it means agreeing to have the criminal case resolved without a trial. It is not simply acknowledging receipt. Clarify anything unclear before signing, and distinguish disagreement with the case from difficulty paying.
What kind of document have you received?
A penalty notice, or forelegg, is an offer to resolve a criminal case without a court hearing. It usually includes a fine but may include other sanctions or claims too.
Politiet, the Norwegian police, explains ordinary and simplified penalty notices. A simplified penalty notice, forenklet forelegg, is used for certain minor offences, such as minor traffic offences. It is not the name for every small fine. Read the document's heading instead of guessing from the amount.
This guide is for adults who have received a penalty notice from the police. It does not cover challenging a parking charge. The rules and services were checked on 2 November 2026.
SamfunnPrep has more explanations of Norwegian services and rights. Here, the task is to understand the document and procedure before deciding how to respond.
What should you check before responding?
Check the account of the incident and every sanction or claim, not just the total. An ordinary penalty notice may include loss of driving entitlement, confiscation or compensation.
Confiscation means money or property is taken from you. Compensation is a claim to cover a loss. These points can make the document important even if the fine itself seems small.
Sections 255–257 of straffeprosessloven, the Criminal Procedure Act, describe the contents and how a penalty notice is accepted. This Act governs the handling of criminal cases. Use this checklist when reading:
| Part of the document | What should you check? |
|---|---|
| Person and incident | Is the letter about you, and are the time, place and account understandable? |
| Legal provision | Which rule do the police say was broken? |
| Sanctions and claims | What does it say about a fine, compensation, confiscation or loss of rights? |
| Response | What is the deadline and how do you send your response? |
| Attachments | Do you have all the pages and guidance referred to in the letter? |
Note anything you do not understand. An error in a name or date does not automatically make the case disappear. Ask the sender to clarify the error and its significance.
Which response deadline applies?
Follow the deadline in your own penalty notice. Do not use a general deadline from someone else's case.
For a simplified penalty notice from a speed camera, the police guidance on automatic traffic enforcement states a deadline of seven days from receipt. For delivery by ordinary post, an additional week is allowed for postal delivery. This guidance concerns that type of case; it is not a shared deadline for all penalty notices.
Write down when you received the document. If the date is unclear, ask the contact person in the letter. If you need more time to understand the case or obtain legal help, ask for clarification before the deadline expires. Do not treat a request as an approved extension.
The same applies to technical problems. If you cannot access the response service, contact the police about how to respond. Keep messages about the problem and the reply you receive.
What does accepting the penalty notice mean?
An accepted penalty notice has the effect of a judgment. You thereby conclude the case in this way even though it has not been heard by a court.
This follows from section 258 of the Criminal Procedure Act. Acceptance is therefore different from confirming that the letter arrived. Read what a button or signature actually means before using it.
If you have already accepted and believe something is wrong, seek legal help quickly. The scope for appeal is limited. Under sections 259–260 and section 310, the appeal deadline is normally two weeks from acceptance. This is not a cooling-off period allowing you to demand a full rehearing simply because you have changed your mind.
Only specific grounds of appeal are allowed. A lawyer can assess whether a relevant ground exists in your case. Bring the penalty notice and explain exactly when and how you accepted it.
What happens if you do not accept?
The case may be sent to court if you do not accept the penalty notice. The court must then decide the case; saying no does not automatically result in dismissal.
The police also state that you may risk a higher fine if the case goes to court. That does not mean a particular increase always follows. Do not use general online stories to calculate the outcome of your case.
Identify what you disagree with. It may be the account of the incident, the legal provision, the amount or another sanction. Write down your questions before speaking with an adviser. This guide does not decide whether you should accept.
Not responding is not a way to obtain confirmation that the case is closed either. Follow the response method in the letter and keep what you send. If you later receive a court summons, you must follow that up separately.
How do you respond and get help?
Use the response method in your own message. For ordinary digital penalty notices, the police refer to the message in Altinn. For simplified speed-camera notices, they refer to a digital mailbox such as Digipost or e-Boks.
If you do not understand the language or contents, say so before deciding. Ask for an explanation you understand. Distinguish practical help from the police from a lawyer's assessment of your interests.
For example, you can ask:
- Which part of the document describes what I must decide on?
- How can I access missing attachments?
- How will you confirm receipt of my response?
- Who can clarify a possible new response deadline?
Do not assume legal help is automatically free. Under section 96 of the Criminal Procedure Act, penalty-notice cases in the district court are an exception to the general rule on defence counsel. The court may nevertheless appoint publicly funded defence counsel where special reasons justify it, under section 100. Clarify both assistance and payment.
What if you cannot pay?
Contact Innkrevingsmyndigheten, the collection authority within Skatteetaten, about payment. It collects the amount on behalf of the police. Questions about the penalty notice itself belong with the police or a legal adviser.
An invoice arrives after the notice has been accepted or the case decided in court. According to Skatteetaten's guidance on payment arrangements, you must have received an invoice before you can divide the fine into instalments. You can apply for instalments or deferred payment.
A payment arrangement does not reconsider guilt or constitute an appeal against the notice. Nor can you freely choose imprisonment instead of paying. Ask for help with payment options and follow up the arrangement you receive.
Keep the penalty notice, your response, confirmations and invoice separately. This helps distinguish the decision from payment. SamfunnPrep's practical tools offer more routes into Norwegian services and terminology.
