How to re-register cars with Russian licence plates in Estonia

Here you can find answers to the most frequently asked questions (FAQ) about re-registering vehicles with Russian license plates.

Can a car manufactured for the Russian market be registered in Estonia?

As a rule, vehicles produced for the Russian market do not have European type approval, i.e. they do not comply with the requirements in the European Union. Such vehicles can be registered in Estonia by undergoing an individual type approval procedure for the vehicle. As part of this procedure, it may be necessary to provide documents confirming compliance with maximum requirements for brakes, noise levels, and emissions, which would entail additional expenses for the vehicle owner.

I have a car with Russian license plates, how can I register it in Estonia?

Vehicles from third countries must undergo customs procedures, i.e. the vehicle must have a customs declaration with a mark indicating release of the goods. The presence of a customs declaration is one of the mandatory requirements for registering a vehicle in Estonia, so the Transport Department will not start the vehicle registration procedure without a customs declaration.

If you have the necessary customs declaration, you should contact the Transport Department service desk and submit the vehicle for a pre-registration inspection. As a rule, vehicles produced for the Russian market do not have European type approval, but they can be registered in Estonia by undergoing an individual type approval procedure for the vehicle. This means that additional documents must be provided to demonstrate compliance with requirements for brakes, noise levels, and emissions, as well as their assessment according to established requirements. The assessment of compliance is based on the requirements in force at the time of the initial registration of the vehicle.

You can check the maximum requirements for brakes, noise levels, and emissions on https://www.tuv-nord.com/ee/ru/home/ and Autotest. https://www.autotest.ee/ opens in a new tab

There are two types of individual vehicle approval: standard or approval of an individual type of vehicle for resettlement, and the Transport Department bases the procedure on what is stated in the customs declaration. An individual permanently settling on the customs territory of the European Union from a country outside the European Union is called a resettler. Depending on whether the vehicle owner is a resettler or not, different requirements are applied to the type approval procedure, meaning that a resettler can register a vehicle without documents confirming emission and noise levels.

If the pre-registration inspection of the vehicle is successful, you are required to present a registration certificate from the country of origin of the vehicle and documents confirming ownership, such as purchase documents or other proof of continuous ownership of the vehicle. Ownership can also be confirmed if the owner of the vehicle is listed as the owner in the registration certificate from the country of origin.

What should be my first step in registering a car?

The first thing you need to do is go through the necessary customs procedures to obtain a customs declaration.

How much will it cost me to register such a vehicle?

The state fee for registering a vehicle is 130 euros, plus a state fee for registration plates of 62 euros. The state fee for individual type approval of a vehicle is 205 euros, to which additional expenses may be added depending on the vehicle, such as checking the brakes, noise levels, and emissions. It is also necessary to consider possible expenses related to customs procedures.