Amsterdam Ignores License Plate Ruling; Privacy First Intervenes September 13, 2016 • by Nederlands Juristen Comité voor de Mensenrechten The highest court in the Netherlands has ordered that it is not mandatory to enter your license plate number when you park your car. Nevertheless, the municipality of Amsterdam is still handing out parking tickets, thereby violating the law.

The Dutch Supreme Council ordered on February 26 that it is not mandatory to enter your license plate number when you park your car, but parking machines in Amsterdam (and many other municipalities) still state that entering a vehicle registration number is mandatory.

Those who do not enter a VRN receive a parking ticket. Although the parking ticket can be annulled, it does require cumbersome procedures and costs.

The municipality of Amsterdam is not only violating the law, but is also abusing its power by burdening parkers with unnecessary procedures and costs.

Ignoring the court

For years now, Privacy First has deemed the storage of VRNs for parking legally untenable. And they have been successful: in 2015, Privacy First's chairman, Bas Filippini, won a case against license plate parking. The Supreme Court confirmed the judgment.

Despite the court's ruling, Bas Filippini received a parking ticket again this year after he had refused to give his VRN for privacy reasons. For him, that was the last straw: he had no other option but to start a new procedure to definitively abolish license plate parking.

On September 7, he filed a lawsuit in the municipal court in Amsterdam. Lawyer Benito Boer argued extensively that the municipality of Amsterdam violates the right to privacy with the license plate requirement for parking. Those who want to park anonymously risk an illegitimate parking ticket on a daily basis. This situation cannot continue to exist.

Unconvincing defense

The municipality of Amsterdam did not submit a statement of defense prior to the hearing. During the hearing, the municipality's representation did not make any convincing reply.

On September 21, the written judgment will be published. Privacy First is anticipating a positive verdict with confidence.