Declaration of Parking Charge Notice (Private) on Naturalisation application

Hi all,

I am looking to apply for my naturalisation/ citizenship application as I am eligible. Recently, I received a Parking Charge Notice letter in my name from UK Car Park Management for parking in a private space dated 20 Jan 2022. It is in my name because I am the registered keeper but the parking was done by my wife. She paid it as soon as we received it as we did not want to cause issues with the immigration but we did not pass on the liability to her name officially.

I do not want to cause any issues with my application by either declaring it or not declaring it. The section of the application is Convictions and other penalties.

Please let me know if I need to declare this in my application.
Thanks in advance for help.

You can search for "PCN." Advice from respected gurus tends to vary between "no need to declare" and "declare it for peace of mind but it will not affect your application unless there is a a pattern of behaviour."
As you know, they do not even bother to check who was the actual driver was in the case of PCNs, unlike FPNs. And in this case, you were not the driver.
So it's up to you really. Either way, it will make no difference.
One other small thing. If you tell them that your wife was the driver, rather than simply stating that it was not you, then the authorities will know about it. Which is not a problem. But if your wife is going to apply for citizenship or a visa in the future, she must not forget that they know she has a PCN. So it would be best if she mentions it.

You can search for "PCN." Advice from respected gurus tends to vary between "no need to declare" and "declare it for peace of mind but it will not affect your application unless there is a a pattern of behaviour."
As you know, they do not even bother to check who was the actual driver was in the case of PCNs, unlike FPNs. And in this case, you were not the driver.
So it's up to you really. Either way, it will make no difference.
One other small thing. If you tell them that your wife was the driver, rather than simply stating that it was not you, then the authorities will know about it. Which is not a problem. But if your wife is going to apply for citizenship or a visa in the future, she must not forget that they know she has a PCN. So it would be best if she mentions it.

Thanks for your reply and sorry for the late response.
I did some digging and found that the Parking Charge Notice that was received in my name is different from the Penalty Charge notice [PCN] from council. Both have same abbreviations causing confusion.
The Parking Charge Notice is from a private company and is more like an invoice and not a penalty whereas the Penalty Charge Notice is a fine/penalty from the council. The former becomes an issue and declarable if it is not paid and taken to court. *Just my conclusion from what I found.

I have not declared it to avoid complications when I submitted as it was paid on time. I will update once I know more. Fingers crossed.

Greatexpat wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 09, 2022 1:55 pm

You can search for "PCN." Advice from respected gurus tends to vary between "no need to declare" and "declare it for peace of mind but it will not affect your application unless there is a a pattern of behaviour."
As you know, they do not even bother to check who was the actual driver was in the case of PCNs, unlike FPNs. And in this case, you were not the driver.
So it's up to you really. Either way, it will make no difference.
One other small thing. If you tell them that your wife was the driver, rather than simply stating that it was not you, then the authorities will know about it. Which is not a problem. But if your wife is going to apply for citizenship or a visa in the future, she must not forget that they know she has a PCN. So it would be best if she mentions it.

Thanks for your reply and sorry for the late response.
I did some digging and found that the Parking Charge Notice that was received in my name is different from the Penalty Charge notice [PCN] from council. Both have same abbreviations causing confusion.
The Parking Charge Notice is from a private company and is more like an invoice and not a penalty whereas the Penalty Charge Notice is a fine/penalty from the council. The former becomes an issue and declarable if it is not paid and taken to court. *Just my conclusion from what I found.

I have not declared it to avoid complications when I submitted as it was paid on time. I will update once I know more. Fingers crossed.

PCN's don't need to be declared. You get PCN for almost anything, from forgetting to pay dart charge, to dropping a cigarette butt on the floor. It's a civil offense.
FPN's are the ones you need to worry about and must be declared. Especially if you racked up a lot in a short period. It shows blatant disregard for the law.

I have got my result and it was approved. I didn't mention the Parking Charge Notice.

Ticktack- Thanks for your response. You might be correct here.