Article 19-ter of Decree-Law 152/2021 in cases of non-acceptance of a payment of any amount, made with a payment card, introduced as from 1 January 2023 the administrative fine of EUR 30.00, increased by 4 per cent of the value of the transaction for which the acceptance of payment was refused.
The obligation to accept POS payments, i.e. through debit cards, credit cards, prepaid cards, etc., has been introduced in our legal system since 30 June 2014 by theArticle 15 of Decree-Law 179/2012for persons engaged in the business of selling products and providing services, including professional services; this obligation does not apply only in cases of objective technical impossibility.
However, until now, no sanction had been provided for the breach of this obligation.
The aforementioned Decree-Law 152/2021 has eliminated this loophole, providing for the indicated sanction as from 1.1.2023.