Traffic penalty points are one of those things most drivers only start thinking about once they get them. How many penalty points can we have? When are they deleted? Can we reduce them through safe driving? What applies to new drivers, and what happens if we collect 18 penalty points?

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What are penalty points?

Penalty points are a sanction for more serious traffic offences, used by the state to monitor and penalise dangerous behaviour on the road. They are not a financial penalty but points entered into an official record and added together. The more we collect, the closer we are to losing our driving licence.

We can receive penalty points for speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, going through a red light and other dangerous traffic offences. The number of points depends on the nature and severity of the offence. For the most serious offences, a single offence can earn us 18 penalty points.

How many penalty points can we have?

In Slovenia, the limit for ordinary drivers is 18 penalty points, while for new drivers it is just 7. A new driver is generally someone under the age of 21 or within the first two years of obtaining their first driving licence. Once a driver reaches or exceeds the prescribed limit, the court orders the driving licence to cease to be valid. That does not mean losing the licence is inevitable in every case, as the law also allows enforcement to be deferred under certain conditions.

When are penalty points deleted?

As a rule, penalty points are automatically deleted two years after the decision imposing them becomes final. Not from the day of the offence, nor from the day we paid the fine. If, for example, we received three points in January 2026 and another five in October that same year, they will not all be deleted at the same time. Each decision has its own two-year period, and the usual deletion also depends on us not having reached the threshold for the driving licence to cease to be valid in the meantime.

How can you reduce penalty points?

Interestingly, we can get rid of four penalty points before those two years are up. If we have at least four and no more than 17 penalty points, we can, subject to the prescribed conditions, take part in an additional safe-driving training programme. The programme consists of 12 teaching hours of theory and six hours of practical driving. Once we have successfully completed the programme and submitted the certificate to the Ministry of Justice, four penalty points can be deleted. We can use this option once every two years.

For new drivers, the upper limit for taking part is six points. Special rules apply to points received for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which may include health counselling or rehabilitation programmes.

How can you check how many penalty points you have?

The easiest way to check your penalty points is through the eUprava portal. We log in via the SI-PASS system using a digital certificate or smsPASS, then find the penalty-points information in the Moja eUprava section. There, we can check our status in the official register. If we also need an official certificate, we can submit an application through eUprava for an extract from the penalty points register kept by the Ministry of Justice.

What happens if we collect 18 penalty points?

Once a driver reaches the statutory limit, the court issues an order declaring the driving licence invalid. However, the law allows the driver to apply for a deferral of enforcement within 15 days of the order becoming final. A medical fitness assessment is also required. If the court grants the application, it sets a probationary period and obligations the driver must meet. If they do not commit a prohibited serious traffic offence during that time and fulfil all their obligations, they can keep their driving licence.

Penalty points are not the same as a fine

Many people still think paying the fine also gets rid of the penalty points. It does not. A fine and penalty points are two different sanctions. We pay the fine, while the penalty points remain on our record until they are deleted.

Although there are ways to reduce them, the simplest advice is probably also the dullest. Follow the traffic rules and we will not get penalty points in the first place. Which is, of course, much easier to write than to do when we are in a real hurry to get somewhere.

Objava Traffic penalty points in Slovenia: when are they deleted and how can you reduce them? originalno objavljena na had blog.