Going back to the Netherlands with outstanding fines?

Question

I am a Spanish citizen that lived in Amsterdam in 2010-12. While I was there I was accused of a crime which the "victim" said she was coerced into saying to the police, and they twisted her words. I spent the night in the jail cell.

They wrote to me (in Dutch - I don't speak Dutch, but someone translated for me), asking for a fine of approximately €450. The person wrote to the Justitie Parket asking them to drop the charges the next day, telling them exactly what I said above. But they wrote back to her saying they cannot do this.

I was leaving the Netherlands a few days later anyway, move back to Spain. But now I want to go back to the Netherlands - maybe to live there again - but at least to go on vacation.

What should I do? Another thing is that I have no health insurance while I was there, and they send me a fine for that, also, while I was living in holland.

The past is in the past and I want to fix this, so please don't judge me.

Answer 1

Your description is quite confusing. You should really get help from a legal professional to better understand the situation and deal with it.

Generally speaking, a fine from 2012 would still be due and it is possible to end up in detention for not paying a fine ordered by a judge (this is called vervangende hechtenis) so all this is definitely serious.

Most countries (Poland is a notorious exception) do not use the European Arrest Warrant system for this type of things (which is why the police station in Spain would have no traces of it) but it could come back to bite you if you go to the Netherlands and especially if you try to register as a resident again.

The ministry of justice also has a website to find out about all open cases/fines against you. As you will need to reveal your address, I am not sure whether it's a good idea to do that without talking to a lawyer first but it could be a way to find out exactly where you stand.