Read the sign, not the bay
An empty marked bay is not permission. The sign at the entrance to the street or zone sets the hours, the maximum stay and who may park there — the paint on the ground rarely tells the whole story.
Where a sign is in a language you do not read, photograph it and check before leaving the car rather than after.
Colour coding varies by country
Many countries use coloured bay markings — blue for paid, white for free, yellow for restricted — but the mapping is not universal and cannot be assumed from one country to the next.
Residents-only zones are the most expensive mistake, since they often look identical to ordinary street parking.
Paying correctly
Machines
Pay-and-display remains standard. Keep the ticket visible on the dashboard and keep the receipt until the rental is closed.
Apps
Increasingly common and often cheaper, but usually need a local payment method and sometimes a local phone number. Check before relying on one.
Time limits
Many free bays still carry a maximum stay. Overstaying a free bay is fined the same way as not paying at all.
How fines reach you
The authority traces the registration to the rental company, which pays or forwards the fine and then charges you — usually against the deposit — adding an administration fee of its own.
This can happen weeks after the trip. Keep parking receipts until the deposit has cleared, since they are the only way to dispute a charge.
how fines are charged after the rental · how the deposit absorbs charges