Sometimes 10–20 years old. However, the Greek Ministry of the Interior and the Ombudsman have clarified that these fines must be written off if more than three years have passed since they were issued and not officially recorded for collection (cash certified).

Key Points:

• Municipalities often sent out forgotten parking fines from decades ago, trying to collect money from citizens who were unaware of them.
• According to the law, if a fine is not cash certified (officially recorded for collection) within three years, it is invalid and must be deleted.
• Many municipalities continued to demand payment illegally, sometimes blocking tax documents or freezing bank accounts.
• Citizens often found out too late, unable to dispute the fine or even remember the incident.
• The Interior Ministry, courts, and the Ombudsman now stress that such fines beyond the 3-year window should not be collected.
• Several court rulings confirm that the 3-year countdown starts from the year the violation happened—not when the municipality identifies the offender.
• Many municipalities are now complying and erasing these fines.
• Citizens can no longer be held responsible for old violations if the proper legal steps were not taken within the legal deadline.

If a parking fine was not officially processed within three years of the offense, it cannot be collected. Citizens affected by old, forgotten fines may request their cancellation.