Parking: frequently asked questions

How does number-plate-based parking work?

• Park your car.
• Enter your registration number at the parking meter.
• Please indicate how long you wish to park for.
• Pay for your parking session.
• If you have one, please bring your payment receipt with you; you do not need to display it behind your windscreen.

During a check, only the car’s registration number is checked.

How do we check whether you have paid for number-plate-based parking?

If you enter your number plate at a parking meter or start a parking session via pay-by-phone, this will be recorded in the National Parking Register of the National Road Traffic Authority. This applies to the parking duration you have entered. Enforcement officers check whether you have paid. They do this by scanning your number plate.

What should I do if I have a disabled parking permit?

You can park as you normally would. Place your disabled parking permit behind the windscreen and you do not need to enter your registration number at the parking meter. If parking enforcement officers notice that someone has not paid for parking, they will first check whether a disabled parking permit is displayed.

What should you do if the parking meter isn’t working?

If the parking meter is not working, please call the fault reporting number on 06 52475774. Parking is not free at the moment. Please walk to the nearest parking meter to pay. You can also use a parking app or park elsewhere.

Someone has accidentally entered my number plate. Do you have to pay?

The person who enters the number plate at the parking meter is the one who has to pay. The number plate is not linked to any payment details, so it does not necessarily have to be the car’s owner.

What should you do if you’ve forgotten your number plate?

If you do not know your number plate, you will not be able to pay at the parking meter. This is because your number plate is required in order to park. If you do not enter the correct number plate, you run the risk of being issued with a parking fine. Formally, this is known as a supplementary tax assessment.

How is your privacy protected when using number-plate-based parking?

Apeldoorn City Council complies with the relevant legislation. We use your number plate details, parking start time and duration solely for the purposes of monitoring paid parking and (anonymously) for statistical purposes, such as measuring parking demand. Number plate details are not shared with third parties.

According to the guidelines issued by the Tax and Customs Administration, the data is retained for 7 years.

During a parking check, the inspector only receives a notification as to whether payment has been made for the number plate that has been scanned. There is no link to your personal data. This ensures that your privacy is protected. For further information, please see the privacy statement of the Municipality of Apeldoorn.

How is your data stored?

Number plates entered at the parking meter are stored, together with the parking duration and the zone, in a database maintained by the National Parking Register of the National Road Traffic Authority. In addition to this data, the suppliers of our parking meters also store the transaction details in a database.

Apeldoorn Council monitors parked cars using a scanning vehicle. This vehicle automatically reads the number plates of parked vehicles and checks whether they have a valid parking ticket or permit.

Have you failed to pay or are you parking without a permit in a permit-only zone? If so, you will no longer receive a paper fine tucked under your windscreen wiper. The fine will be sent to your home address or, if you have opted in, digitally via the MijnOverheid message box.

Why does the local council use a scan vehicle?

A scanning vehicle enables us to check more efficiently whether a permit or parking ticket (parking authorisation) is in place. This improves the accuracy of checks and reduces the workload for council staff. In addition, the use of the scanning vehicle makes enforcement of paid parking and parking offences more efficient and straightforward. This helps us prevent you from being wrongly issued with a fine.

How do we handle the privacy of data subjects?

The municipality of Apeldoorn attaches great importance to the privacy of its residents. In doing so, we comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In order to verify parking authorisation, photographs of parked vehicles are taken by the Scanauto. Before the photographs are processed or stored, the number plates of other vehicles and faces are automatically obscured.

How long is personal data retained?

Personal data will not be retained for longer than is strictly necessary for the purposes for which it is collected or subsequently processed. Vehicle registration numbers and associated photographs are automatically deleted once the retention period has expired. The local authority does not use this personal data for any purposes other than checking parking entitlements and tackling illegal parking.

Three retention periods are applied:

1. If no offence has been committed, the number plates that have been scanned are retained for a maximum of 24 hours.
2. If you have not paid for parking and you receive a fine, we will retain the evidence (the registration number and photographs) for as long as is necessary to allow parkers to lodge an appeal.
3. If you receive a fine for illegal parking, for example in a space reserved for permit holders, we will forward the evidence (the registration number and accompanying photographs) to the Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB). You can find out how long the CJIB retains this information on the CJIB website.

What privacy rights do you have?

Under the General Data Protection Regulation, data subjects have certain rights, such as the right to submit a request for access so that they can monitor the processing of their personal data. For further information, please see our General Privacy Statement of the Municipality of Apeldoorn.

Would you like to ask a question or make a complaint?

If you have any questions about the protection of your personal data, please contact us via privacy@apeldoorn.nl.

If you have a complaint about the way in which your request has been handled by the council, you can submit it via the Apeldoorn Council’s complaints procedure. For further information, see the complaints procedure on our website.

You can also lodge a complaint with the national data protection regulator: the Data Protection Authority.

A parking meter may occasionally be out of order. However, even in such cases, you must not park without paying in a ‘paid parking’ space.

To avoid a parking fine, do the following:

• pay at the next parking meter with the same or a higher rate and place this ticket behind your windscreen;
• use pay-and-display parking;
• Park somewhere else where you can buy a parking ticket

If you have paid twice due to a fault with the parking meter, you can claim a refund for the excess parking fee.

To do this, please send an email to gemeente@apeldoorn.nl. Please include the following details:

• your name
• address
• postcode
• place of residence
• The IBAN number of your bank account

Please also enclose a copy of the bank statement (scan or photo) showing the duplicate payment.

Have you received a (parking) fine? If so, you will shortly receive an official notice from the CJIB or the Tribuut Tax Centre.

The notice states the amount of the fine and how you can pay it. It also explains how you can lodge an appeal, if necessary.

You can use the pay-by-phone service at all on-street parking meters (in areas without barriers). The number of the pay-by-phone zone is shown on the sign above the parking meter (for example, 55000).

Apeldoorn has entered into contracts with several parties for pay-and-display parking. On the website of the SHPV You can find out which parties these are.

Vehicles may be towed away if there has been a breach of the Apeldoorn General Local By-law, the Road Traffic Act and/or the Towing By-law.

The most common reasons for towing are:

• The vehicle is parked in a place where this is not permitted, for example a loading bay or a parking space reserved for (special) permit holders.
• The vehicle is faulty or it’s a wreck.
• This refers to a nuisance or dangerous situation, for example where a vehicle is obstructing the passage.
• This refers to a vehicle longer than 6 metres or a trailer that has been parked for a prolonged period within a built-up area.

What should you do if your vehicle has been towed away?

1. Collect your vehicle: Please make sure you collect your vehicle as soon as possible to avoid additional charges. Please bring your ID and vehicle registration certificate with you.
2. Pay the fees: The costs of towing and storage must be paid before you can collect your vehicle.

Where can I collect my vehicle?

If your vehicle has been towed away, it will be held at a towing company authorised by the local authority. For our local authority, this is:

Wolves Car Storage B.V.
Ecofactorij 3B, 7325 WZ Apeldoorn
Telephone: 0546-571801
Emergency number: 06-26899229

Please contact Wolves to find out how to collect your vehicle. Don’t forget to bring valid ID and your vehicle’s registration documents with you.

How much does it cost to have a vehicle towed away?

You will be charged for the cost of towing and storing your vehicle. The costs consist of:

• Towing charges: These are the costs associated with the actual towing of the vehicle. The amount depends on the situation, but is at least €226.73.
• Storage costs: These are the costs for storing your vehicle. The minimum charge is €17.00 per 24-hour period or part thereof.

What happens if you don’t collect your vehicle?

If you do not collect your vehicle on time, the local authority is entitled to sell it or have it scrapped. In that case, the costs of towing, storage and any subsequent sale or scrapping will be recovered from you.

Want to appeal against your vehicle being towed away?

If you do not agree with your vehicle being towed away, you can to object.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions about vehicle towing? If so, please contact the local council on the general enquiry number 14 055. We’ll be happy to help.

I want to apply for or renew a licence. How does that work?

You can apply for a parking permit online via parkeren.apeldoorn.nl.

You’ll need to log in with DigiD to start your application. Please note: make sure your email address has been added to your account details on parkeren.apeldoorn.nl. Without an email address, it is not possible to renew or apply for new permits. We will send you a confirmation email once we have received your application.

Based on your address details (which are filled in automatically), you will be shown a selection of the parking permits that apply to you. The system will guide you step by step through the application process. Where applicable, the system will ask you to provide additional information.

The documents you may need are listed on the ‘Residents’ parking permit’ webpage.

Once you have completed the application process, you can pay for the licence via iDeal. The licence becomes valid immediately upon payment, from the specified start date.

What is the benefit of digital parking permits and visitor schemes?

As a resident or business, you can apply for, amend and cancel your parking permits online. You can also arrange a visitor parking scheme from home, even outside office hours. The permits are then activated immediately.

Another key benefit is that this improves enforcement. As number plates are stored in the National Parking Register, it is possible to deploy automated number plate recognition vehicles. This enables more frequent and accurate checks to ensure that vehicles are parked in authorised spaces.

I don’t have a smartphone, PC or tablet. Is there another way I can sort this out?

It is not yet possible to make an appointment. Please call 14 055 to discuss what options are available in your situation.

It is also possible to deal with certain matters over the phone. These include registering and deregistering visitors and changing the active registration number on the parking permit. For more information, please visit the residents’ parking permit webpage.

I can’t see my licence in the list. What should I do?

If you cannot see your licence in the list, it may have been revoked or suspended. In this case, please send an email to gemeente@apeldoorn.nl Please provide your details. We will then get in touch with you.

My parking permit isn’t linked to my vehicle registration number. How does this work in the new system?

In order to carry out digital enforcement, the permit will need to be linked to one or more registration numbers. Are you the holder of one or more permits on which no registration numbers are listed? You can still provide your registration number.

If there is no registration number on your permit, it may be that the permit was applied for by your owners’ association. In that case, the house number is often stated on the permit. It may also be a business permit for which different arrangements have been made with the local authority.

Where can my visitors park?

The old scratch cards and visitor passes have been replaced by a simple website where you can register a visitor’s number plate.

You can apply for a visitor parking scheme via the website. Applying for a visitor parking scheme costs €10.00. This amount serves as your initial credit and is valid indefinitely. Each time you allow a visitor to park, the cost is deducted from this credit. This is calculated on a per-minute basis.

As a resident, can I see if someone is parked illegally on the street?

You can no longer see that. But we do have the data available. By scanning number plates, we can enforce the rules more effectively. In this way, we aim to tackle illegal parking as much as possible.

Does the parking permit system take my privacy into account?

Since January 2021, Apeldoorn City Council has been using a digital system. All users’ details have been transferred to this system. The Municipality of Apeldoorn attaches great importance to the privacy of its residents, and the new parking permit system complies fully with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Staff at the council or the system provider do not have access to the number plates you have registered.

I have another question – where can I ask it?

Do you have a question that isn’t listed here? If so, please call us on 14 055. You can also send a message via the online contact form.

We will reply to your enquiry as soon as possible.