Traffic / Car
交通反則金 納付書 (Blue Ticket): How to Read and Pay It
The paper commonly called 青切符 (aokippu, "blue ticket") is formally a 交通反則告知書, a notice of a minor road traffic violation. A police officer hands it to you at the roadside for things like minor speeding, illegal parking, running a red light, or using a phone while driving. It comes with a 仮納付書 (provisional payment slip) for the 反則金 (traffic violation levy). If you do not pay within the short first window, a 交通反則通告書 and a 本納付書 (formal payment slip) are mailed to you later. 反則金 is not a criminal fine (罰金): paying it within the deadline keeps the case out of the criminal process. Not paying does not make the case disappear, it can move the case toward criminal handling instead. Payment and licence demerit points (違反点数) are two separate things. The amount and the date are always printed on your own paperwork; read them there.
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Drivers stopped by police and issued a blue ticket for a violation treated as minor. You receive the 告知書 and 仮納付書 on the spot, and if you do not pay in time, the 交通反則通告書 with a new payment slip is posted to the address registered on your driving licence. Note that an unattended parking case marked by a parking inspector can instead produce a different document, 放置違反金納付書, addressed to the vehicle's registered user.
What to do
- 1Read the fields on your slip showing the type of violation (反則行為の種別), the amount (反則金額) and the payment deadline (納付期限).
- 2If you accept the ticket, take the 仮納付書 to a bank or ゆうちょ銀行 counter before the printed date and keep the receipt (領収証書).
- 3Follow exactly the payment channels listed on the back of the slip, since accepted counters and any cashless option differ by prefectural police.
- 4If the first deadline has already passed, wait for the 交通反則通告書 and 本納付書 to arrive by post, or phone the traffic section of the prefectural police headquarters shown on your paperwork.
- 5If you disagree with the violation itself, understand that not paying sends the case into criminal procedure, and talk to a lawyer (弁護士) before deciding.
About the deadline
The deadline is printed as a date on each slip, in the 納付期限 field. The 仮納付書 given at the roadside allows only a few days, and bank counters will refuse it once that date has passed. A 交通反則通告書 with a 本納付書 and a further date is then mailed to you. If nothing is paid by that final date, the case leaves the 反則金 system and can proceed as a criminal matter, including a summons from the prosecutor's office. Do not simply assume a missed date ends the matter, call the police contact printed on the document.
Common misunderstandings
- If I pay the 反則金, do the demerit points on my licence disappear?
- No. Payment and 違反点数 (demerit points) are separate systems. Points stay on your record for a set period and, once they accumulate, can lead to suspension of your licence. Ask the 運転免許センター (licence centre of your prefectural police) about points and administrative action.
- Can I just ignore it and let it lapse?
- No. The 反則金 system works on the basis that non-payment moves the case to criminal handling. You will be sent a 交通反則通告書, and if still unpaid the case can be referred to a prosecutor and you may be called in. Refusing to pay because you dispute the ticket is a deliberate choice with consequences; ignoring the post is not a way out.
- Is 反則金 the same as a 罰金 (criminal fine)?
- No. 反則金 is an administrative payment that keeps a minor violation out of the criminal courts, and it does not create a criminal record. A 罰金 is a penalty imposed through court procedure. Serious violations get a 赤切符 (red ticket), which goes into criminal procedure from the start.
- I received an SMS or email saying I have an unpaid traffic fine.
- Police in Japan do not ask for 反則金 by SMS, email, or an online form linked from a message. The genuine documents are paper, handed to you in person or sent by post. Do not tap links or call numbers in such messages; look up your prefectural police headquarters number yourself and ask them.
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This page is general information. For your own case, confirm with the office that issued the document, or with a qualified professional.