Registering Ukrainian Vehicles

A vehicle is considered to have been continuously in Estonia if its owner or user has had temporary or additional protection in Estonia for more than one year and it was issued before 3 March 2023. The continuous stay of the vehicle is interrupted if the owner or user of the vehicle has had a residence or work permit in another country within one year.

The calculation of the period of the year starts from the date of receiving primary additional protection or primary temporary protection.

Before registering the vehicle, a customs declaration must be submitted to the Tax and Customs Board and customs and VAT must be paid. Persons with temporary protection and other persons changing their permanent residence can apply for customs and VAT exemption for the vehicle. More information on the Tax and Customs Board webpage. If you have questions, please contact tollinfo@emta.ee.

After customs procedures and tax payment, the vehicle must be taken to the pre-registration inspection of the Estonian Transport Administration. You can book an appointment here.

The vehicle applicant must bring the following documents to the pre-registration inspection:

• customs declaration with the status “goods released”;
• the vehicle registration certificate;
• an identification document;
• purchase and sale agreement (if you have it);
• letter of attorney (if the process is requested by a representative of the vehicle’s owner).

If you pass the pre-registration check positively, you must go to the service bureau of the Estonian Transport Administration with the above-mentioned documents to register the vehicle and you can book an appointment here.

When registering a vehicle, the registration certificate and registration plates previously issued to the vehicle must be handed over to the Estonian Transport Administration.

State fees payable upon registration:

• Single vehicle type approval €205 (if there is no European type approval);

• Registration and registration plates €192.

After registration, the vehicle must be submitted for technical inspection. Technical inspection points can be found here.

All motor vehicles and their trailers are subject to registration.

If a person specified in § 4 subsection 3 of the Act on the Granting of International Protection or a person specified in the order of the Government of the Republic issued on the basis of § 52 subsection 3 who has arrived in Estonia from Ukraine and received additional protection or temporary protection in Estonia wishes to register a vehicle registered in Ukraine, they are considered a migrant person and the property brought with them or the vehicle registered in Ukraine that is legally in their possession is considered to be the vehicle of a migrant.

If a person who is not a migrant wants to register a vehicle registered in Ukraine, or the migrant's vehicle cannot be considered the property of the migrant, and if the vehicle does not have European type approval, type test certificate(s) must be additionally submitted during the pre-registration inspection and upon registration.

Vehicles that are not used on Estonian roads do not need to be registered in Estonia. A Ukrainian vehicle not registered in Estonia may be used only for the purpose of driving back to Ukraine. Please note that § 20 and § 21 of the Traffic Act and the requirements of the land owner must be followed when parking the vehicle.

The driver of an unregistered vehicle will be punished with a fine of up to €400 based on § 203 of the Traffic Act. The owner of an unregistered vehicle will be punished for allowing it to be driven with a fine of up to €800 based on § 204 of the Traffic Act. Driving a vehicle without traffic insurance is punishable by a fine of €80 on the basis of § 262 p. 7 of the Traffic Act.

Estonia does not recognise documents (registration certificate, driver's license) or registration plates issued by Russia in the territories occupied/annexed by them (Luhansk, Donetsk, Crimea, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria). These vehicles will not be registered or issued a customs declaration and it is not allowed to use these vehicles in traffic. Their use is sanctioned with a fine.