--- description: Diplomats gathered for this week's General Assembly can agree that rules of the road don't apply to them title: Diplomats' Unpaid Parking Tickets Total $16 Million image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1fdabc58427f7cd/6986a4c33617606e2090e011/71920623.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [United Nations](/tag/united-nations/) ## United Nations Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Deadbeat Diplomats Owe NYC $16 Million in Unpaid Parking Fines  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 23, 2014 1:30 PM CUT  Barricades and "No Parking" signs can be seen all around the United Nations on September 18, 2006 in New York City. Barricades and "No Parking" signs can be seen all around the United Nations on September 18, 2006 in New York City.Michael Nagle—Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 23, 2014 1:30 PM CUT Diplomatic staff based in New York City have racked up $16 million in unpaid parking tickets, according to municipal data [obtained](http://online.wsj.com/articles/diplomats-dodge-old-debt-1411438396 "undefined") by the Wall Street _Journal._ Officials from 180 countries, or all but 15 countries on the planet, have accrued debt related to parking violations. Egypt leads the pack with a whopping $1.9 million tab and 17,499 summonses. Diplomats from Nigeria, Indonesia and Brazil have dues ranging from $600 to nearly $900,000\. Much of the debt dates back to the early 2000s, before mayor Michael Bloomberg cracked down on parking violations and unpaid fines. The Wall Street _Journal_ [includes](http://online.wsj.com/articles/diplomats-dodge-old-debt-1411438396 "undefined") a graphic breakdown of the 10 biggest violators as well as a range of evasive responses from the artful to the confused to the undiplomatic, proving that if there’s one thing that the world’s diplomats can agree upon at this week’s United Nations[ general assembly](http://time.com/3421316/united-nations-general-assembly/ "undefined"), it’s that the rules of the road don’t apply to them. \[[_WSJ_](http://online.wsj.com/articles/diplomats-dodge-old-debt-1411438396 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3421587/diplomats-parking-tickets-new-york/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3421587/diplomats-parking-tickets-new-york/"},"headline":"Deadbeat Diplomats Owe NYC $16 Million in Unpaid Parking Fines","datePublished":"2014-09-23T13:30:55.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:21:13.896Z","description":"The price of diplomatic immunity","url":"https://time.com/3421587/diplomats-parking-tickets-new-york/","keywords":["United Nations","Foreign Policy","New York City"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1fdabc58427f7cd/6986a4c33617606e2090e011/71920623.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Dan Kedmey","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1fdabc58427f7cd/6986a4c33617606e2090e011/71920623.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"United Nations Prepares For 62nd UN General Assembly","caption":"United Nations Prepares For 62nd UN General Assembly","creditText":"Michael Nagle—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/united-nations/","name":"United Nations"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3421587/diplomats-parking-tickets-new-york/","name":"Deadbeat Diplomats Owe NYC $16 Million in Unpaid Parking Fines"}}]}] ```