In Estonia with a car

All motor vehicles and their trailers that are used to move on Estonian roads and that have been continuously in Estonia for more than one year have to be registered in Estonia. If a Ukrainian war refugee has received temporary or international protection in Estonia and has been issued a residence permit card connected to that starting from March 3, 2023, the registration process of the vehicle must be initiated within five working days.

• A vehicle is considered to have been in Estonia continuously if its owner or user has had temporary or supplementary protection in Estonia for longer than one year and if it has been issued prior to March 3, 2023.

• The continuous stay of a vehicle is interrupted by a situation where the owner or user has held a residence or working permit in another country in the course of one year.

• The period of one year starts counting from the date the initial supplementary protection or the initial temporary protection was granted.

Vehicles that are not used on the Estonian roads do not have to be registered in Estonia. A Ukrainian vehicle that has not been registered in Estonia may be used only for the purposes of driving back to Ukraine. We would like to point out that § 20 and § 21 of the Road Traffic Act and the land owner's requirements need to be followed when parking a vehicle.

Yes. The validity period of the driver's license depends on the person's status:

• The Ukrainian driver's license of a recipient of temporary protection is valid in Estonia throughout their period of temporary protection. The driver's license continues to be valid also if it has expired (e.g. a 2-year license) or if the person cannot provide a translation or an international license. The Ukrainian driver's license of a recipient of temporary protection will not be exchanged in Estonia (even if the recipient of temporary protection has a permanent residence in Estonia according to the population register).

• The Ukranian driver's licence of a person permanently residing in Estonia (without temporary protection) is valid in Estonia for 12 months starting from when its holder settled in Estonia permanently according to the data in the population register. After that, the licence has to be exchanged at a service bureau of the Transport Administration. More information on exchanging the licence and required documents is available on the web page of the [Transport Administration] (https://transpordiamet.ee/en/foreign-driving-licence)

• The Ukranian driver's licence of a person temporarily staying in Estonia (e.g. those who were temporarily staying in Estonia before 24.02.2022 and have not been able to leave and who do not have temporary protection or a residence permit) is valid in Estonia whole the whole duration of their lawful dtay (the legal grounds for staying in Estonia is provided in subsection 309(14) of the Aliens Act) and is not exchanged. All licences and certificates of competence issued in Ukrain that have expired after 31 December 2021 are deemed valid.

More information about exchanging a driver's license can be found on the web page of the Transport Administration transpordiamet.ee.

Entry or return to Ukraine with an Estonian registration plate depends of the laws and decisions in force in Ukraine, determining how Ukraine regulates the entry with the licence plates of different countries.

Ukrainian citizens who have received temporary or supplementary protection have to pay €192 for the registration and registration plate when they register a vehicle. In addition to this, they have to pay a state fee if the Ukrainian vehicle does not have a European type approval and the vehicle needs to receive an individual vehicle type approval with a state fee of €205.

Additional costs may be stem from the payment of a customs duty and a value added tax (e.g. if the vehicle is not personally owned or in personal use, see the Customs and Tax Board).

No. Vehicles that are not used on Estonian roads do not have to be registered in Estonia. We would like to point out, however, that the Road Traffic Act and the land owner's requirements have to be followed when parking a vehicle.

A Ukrainian vehicle that has not been registered in Estonia can only be used for the purposes of driving back to Ukraine.

If a vehicle with Ukrainian registration plates is not re-registered in time, it is possible to get a fine for operating it in Estonia:

• the penalty for the driver for driving a vehicle that has not been re-registered is a fine of up to €400 according to § 203 of the Road Traffic Act
• the penalty for the owner of the vehicle for permitting to drive a vehicle that has not been re-registered is up to €800 according to § 204 of the Road Traffic Act.

If the car does not have valid motor insurance, then according to § 262 clause 7 of the Road Traffic Act, the fine for driving a vehicle without motor insurance is €80.

• A vehicle is considered to have been in Estonia continuously if its owner or user has had temporary or supplementary protection in Estonia for longer than one year, and if it has been issued prior to March 3, 2023.
• The continuous stay of a vehicle is interrupted by a situation where the owner or user has held a residence or working permit in another country in the course of one year.
• The period of one year starts counting from the date the initial supplementary protection or the initial temporary protection was granted.

1. Submit a customs declaration to the Tax and Customs Board and pay the customs duty and value added tax. More specific information can be found on the web page of the Tax and Customs Board.
2. Once the customs declaration has been submitted and the taxes paid, book an appointment for a pre-registration inspection of the vehicle at the Transport Administration: broneering.transpordiamet.ee. The inspection assesses whether the car is in accordance with the documents presented and the technical requirements in force (read more: www.transpordiamet.ee) At the inspection you must present:

• a customs declaration that has the status of "goods released",
• the certificate of registration of the vehicle,
• an identity document,
• the contract of purchase and sale (if available),
• a letter of authorisation (if the transaction is performed by a representative of the vehicle's owner.

3. Once the pre-registration inspection has been concluded, book an appointment for registering the vehicle at a service bureau of the Transport Administration: broneering.transpordiamet.ee. Bring along all the above mentioned documents to the registration. Take into account that the certificate of registration and registration plates issued to the vehicle previously have to be handed over to the Transport Board when the vehicle is registered.
4. Once the car has been registered it is necessary to go to a roadworthiness test. Find the roadworthiness testing location most suitable for you from the web page of the Transport Administration: www.transpordiamet.ee (in Estonian).

If a person is a recipient of temporary protection, they do not have to do anything: the Ukrainian driver's license of a person receiving temporary protection is valid in Estonia throughout the period of receiving temporary protection. In other words: the driver's license is considered valid even if it has expired (e.g. a 2-year license).

• If a person is a recipient of temporary protection, the lost or stolen Ukrainian driver's license can be replaced at the Transport Administration (see locations of service bureaus. Sufficient evidence of the license and the right to drive must be submitted and, if necessary, the Transport Administration may submit an inquiry to Ukraine. The applicant will receive a driver's licence bearing the code 99.01(06.03.25), which means that it is a driver's license issued under extraordinary procedure valid only while the temporary protection is applied.
• If the person does not have temporary protection, the new driver's license must be applied for from Ukraine.