Estonian ship registers and registration of ships

The national flag of Estonia may be flown by seagoing vessels, the owner or charterer whereof is

• an Estonian citizen;
• a legal person in private law registered in Estonia.

A seagoing vessel in shared ownership may fly the national flag of Estonia if the greater share of the seagoing vessel is owned by an Estonian citizen or a legal person in private law registered in Estonia.

The right to fly the national flag of Estonia extends also the citizens of the Contracting States of the European Economic Area and legal persons in private law registered pursuant to the laws of the Contracting States whose seat and business establishment is in a Contracting State provided that they:

1. have a business establishment in Estonia (the ship is not deemed to be one) or
2. are responsible persons with a business establishment in Estonia (§ 42 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act).

Laws governing the registration of ships, entries in the ship registry and maritime safety:

• the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act governs the registration of ships.
• the Law of Maritime Property Act governs entries in the ship registry.
• the Maritime Safety Act governs maritime safety.

You can find more maritime legal instruments from the website of the Estonian Transport Administration.

A foreign ship may be entered in the first register of bareboat chartered ships and the ship may fly the national flag of Estonia if:

1. the ship has a responsible person with a business establishment in Estonia;
2. the ship has been chartered bareboat for use in the charterer’s own name;
3. the shipowner consents to the exchange of flags;
4. the law applicable to the ship does not prohibit flying the national flag of Estonia.

A certificate of nationality is issued for up to two years.

This requires the existence of a company compliant with the ISM Code since the responsible person must have a business establishment in Estonia. The ship herself is not deemed to be a business establishment (subsection 5 of § 42 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act).

A responsible person is a person who is responsible for compliance with the technical, social and administrative requirements applicable to ships in Estonia, and who complies with the requirements established for an operator within the meaning of the Maritime Safety Act if:

• they have completed maritime safety auditing and have a valid document of compliance (DOC) specified in subsection 12 of § 6 of the Maritime Safety Act, issued by the Estonian Transport Administration, or
• they submit a written confirmation regarding their compliance with the requirements if holding the document of compliance (DOC) is not required according to the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea of 1974.

Appointment of a responsible person shall be certified by a notarised power of attorney

State fees

The State Fees Act governs the state fees applicable to the first register of bareboat chartered ships.

The state fee must be paid to the account of the Ministry of Finance:
SEB Pank EE891010220034796011 (BIC/SWIFT: EEUHEE2X)
Swedbank EE932200221023778606 (BIC/SWIFT: HABAEE2X)
LHV Pank EE777700771003813400 (BIC/SWIFT: LHVBEE22)
Luminor Bank EE701700017001577198 (BIC/SWIFT: NDEAEE2X)

Remember to include the reference number 2900082993

Upon payment of the state fee, it must be indicated for the benefit of whom the fee is paid (shipowner) together with the name of the relevant action (e.g.: entry of OÜ Eesti Reeder’s ship Kihnu Jonn in the register).

A foreign ship may be entered in the second register of bareboat chartered ships and the ship may fly the national flag of Estonia if:

1. the ship has a responsible person;
2. the ship has been chartered bareboat for use in the charterer’s own name;
3. the shipowner consents to the exchange of flags;
4. the law applicable to the ship does not prohibit flying the national flag of Estonia.

A certificate of nationality is issued for one year.

A company which complies with the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code) may be located outside Estonia because the responsible person may have their business establishment outside Estonia.

Appointment of a responsible person shall be certified by a notarised power of attorney

A responsible person is a person who is responsible for compliance with the technical, social and administrative requirements applicable to ships in Estonia, and who complies with the requirements established for an operator within the meaning of the Maritime Safety Act if:

• they have completed maritime safety auditing and have a valid document of compliance (DOC) specified in subsection 12 of § 6 of the Maritime Safety Act, issued by the Estonian Transport Administration, or
• they submit a written confirmation regarding their compliance with the requirements if holding the document of compliance (DOC) is not required according to the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea of 1974.

Registry fees

The Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act governs the registry fees of the second register of bareboat chartered ships.

Corresponding charges apply to additional surveys and additional audits (subsection 3 of § 924 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act).

For entry of a foreign ship in the first or second register of bareboat chartered ships together with the issue of a certificate of nationality, the charterer or their representative under a power of attorney must submit the following documents and data to the Estonian Transport Administration:

1. a free-form application in writing or with a digital signature;
2. the name and former names of the ship;
3. the main material of the hull, the type of main engines, and the type of the ship according to its purpose;
4. the port of registry;
5. the name of the builder, and the place and year of build;
6. the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number if it is in the tonnage certificate or other corresponding document;
7. the results of official measurement and the output of the main engines according to the official tonnage certificate;
8. the Safety Management Certificate (SMC) or interim Safety Management Certificate (interim SMC) for a ship for which the Safety Management Certificate is required, or documents certifying the seaworthiness of a ship for which the Safety Management Certificate is not required;
9. the classification certificate issued by a recognised organisation for a ship for which the classification certificate is required and which is not a ship specified in subsection 1 of § 1 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act;
10. the charter party and in case of sub-charter, the sub-charter party;
11. the consent of the state of initial registration for registration of the ship in the Estonian register of bareboat chartered ships;
12. the notarised or digitally signed consent of the shipowner for registration of the ship in the register of bareboat chartered ships, if the consent of the shipowner is not set out in the charter party;
13. the call sign of the ship;
14. at the request of the registrar, a document certifying that the charterer is a citizen of a Contracting State or a legal person in private law registered under the law of a Contracting State, whose seat and business establishment are in the Contracting State, unless the registrar can obtain these documents free of charge from a respective register of the other Contracting State within a reasonable period of time;
15. the name, personal identification code or date of birth in the absence of a personal identification code of the owner or shared owners, charterer and responsible person of the ship; in the case of a legal person, its registry code or registration number;
16. the contact details specified in subsection 6 of § 47 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act of the owner or shared owners, charterer and responsible person of the ship;
17. the document certifying the authorisation of the responsible person, and the digitally signed or notarised consent of the responsible person for being entered in the register of bareboat chartered ships as a responsible person, unless the functions of the responsible person are performed by the shipowner or charterer;
18. the number of the document or the confirmation specified in subsection 2 of § 42 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act;
19. the written confirmation of the charterer that the responsible person has a business establishment in Estonia; Please note! If the charterer wishes to enter the ship in the second register of bareboat chartered ships, clause 19 need not be complied with;
20. the written confirmation of the charterer that as far as they know there are no circumstances specified in clauses 2-4 of subsection 2 of § 961 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act.

A translation certified by a notary or a sworn translator must be attached to all foreign language documents (apart from English). Documents issued by an official agency of a foreign country must be submitted in legalised form.

If a copy is submitted instead of the original document, the registrar may additionally request from the charterer the original document or its notarised or officially certified copy, and issue a provisional certificate of nationality of a bareboat chartered ship until the receipt of the said documents which meet the formal requirements.

If a ship has not been measured in Estonia, the submission of a tonnage certificate issued abroad is sufficient.

Before making an entry in the register of bareboat chartered ships, a state fee must be paid in accordance with the rates provided in the State Fees Act.

After registration, a certificate of nationality of a bareboat chartered ship is issued.

A ship performing state administrative duties is a ship owned by the state which has been given to the use of governmental authorities and meant for performing administrative duties imposed on governmental authorities.

Ships which perform state administrative duties need not have a responsible person.

To be entered in the database of ships performing state administrative duties, the shipowner (or a person authorised by the shipowner under a power of attorney) shall submit a free-form application to the Estonian Transport Administration (info@transpordiamet.ee).

The following documents must be added to the application:

• the applicant’s certificate of registration in the register of enterprises, agencies and organisations of the Republic of Estonia;
  legal grounds for gaining ownership;
• ship’s technical and safety documents (form, tonnage certificate);
• water craft’s station licence.

A ship’s letter is issued for a ship performing state administrative duties.

A ship owned by or a bareboat chartered ship chartered by the Republic of Estonia, a local authority or other legal person under public law is required to fly the national flag of Estonia.

The Law of Maritime Property Act and also the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act govern entries in the ship registry.
Entry in the ship registry is allowed for ships, which owner is:

1. an Estonian citizen, or
2. a legal person in private law registered in Estonia.

A seagoing vessel in shared ownership may fly the national flag of Estonia if the greater share of the seagoing vessel is owned by an Estonian citizen or a legal person in private law registered in Estonia.

The right to fly the national flag of Estonia extends also the citizens of the Contracting States of the European Economic Area and legal persons in private law registered pursuant to the laws of the Contracting States whose seat and business establishment is in a Contracting State provided that they:

1. have a business establishment in Estonia, the ship is not deemed to be one, or
2. are responsible persons with a business establishment in Estonia (§ 42 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act).

If the owner of a ship entered in the ship registry does not have a place of residence or business establishment in Estonia, the responsible person of the ship must have a business establishment in Estonia (subsection 6 of § 42 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act).

A company which complies with the International Safety Management Code (ISM Code) may be located outside Estonia, provided that:

1. the shipowner has a place of residence in Estonia, or
2. the shipowner has a business establishment in Estonia.

Ships entered in the ship registry which have been chartered out need not have a responsible person (clause 5 of subsection 4 of §42 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act).

A responsible person is a person who is responsible for compliance with the technical, social and administrative requirements applicable to ships in Estonia, and who complies with the requirements established for an operator within the meaning of the Maritime Safety Act if:

• they have completed maritime safety auditing and have a valid document of compliance (DOC) specified in subsection 12 of § 6 of the Maritime Safety Act, issued by the Estonian Transport Administration, or
• they submit a written confirmation regarding their compliance with the requirements if holding the document of compliance (DOC) is not required according to the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea of 1974.

Ownership, maritime mortgages, usufructs, prohibitory notations and restrictions are entered in the ship registry.

A notary is needed for entering a ship in the ship registry.

The notary certifies the shipowner’s signature on application for the first registration of a ship. A notary shall also notarise agreements for the transfer of ownership and agreements for the establishment or a mortgage and usufructs concerning ships entered in the ship registry.

Data in the ship registry are public and have legal force.

Transactions with a registered ship take effect after entry in the ship registry.

The Estonian Transport Administration or a notary office will issue a certificate of nationality for the ship.

Recommendations regarding the ship registry can also be found here.

Maritime mortgage and notaries

A notary shall assist in advising on the establishment of a maritime mortgage, combined mortgage and/or usufructs.

Information on establishing a maritime mortgage can be found here and a list of notaries operating in Estonia can be found here.

Documents in a foreign language shall be submitted together with a translation prepared by a sworn translator or a notarised translation.

Estonia has joined the International convention on maritime liens and mortgages.

Ship registry entry fees

A state fee must be paid for entries when registering seagoing vessels, inland vessels or non-propelled floating vessels in the ship registry.

There are no separate registry fees.

Making of entries and notations in the ship registry

Detailed information on fees can be found here.

The state fee must be paid to the account of the Ministry of Finance:
SEB Pank EE891010220034796011 (BIC/SWIFT: EEUHEE2X)
Swedbank EE932200221023778606 (BIC/SWIFT: HABAEE2X)
LHV Pank EE777700771003813400 (BIC/SWIFT: LHVBEE22)
Luminor Bank EE701700017001577198 (BIC/SWIFT: NDEAEE2X)

Remember to include the reference number 2900072738.

Upon payment of the state fee, it must be indicated for the benefit of whom the fee is paid (shipowner) together with the name of the relevant action (entry of OÜ Eesti Reeder’s ship Kihnu Jonn in the ship registry).

Registration of ship in ship registry (ship register entries and entries in register of ships under construction)

Registration applications and documents for the ship registry can be sent electronically to the email address of the registry department laevad@kohus.ee or through the notary or the Estonian Transport Administration.

Forms for electronical entry applications can be found on the website of the Ministry of Justice.

After registration, a certificate of a seagoing vessel or a certificate of an inland vessel, and, at the request of the owner, also a certificate of nationality is issued for a ship.

The following documents shall be submitted to the land registry department for the entry of a ship in the ship registry:

1. in the case of a ship registered in Estonia for the first time, a form (see the pre-registration survey of ships) is submitted for the initial technical survey of the maritime safety of the ship;
2. a tonnage certificate is submitted for seagoing vessels;
3. in the case of a ship deleted from the Estonian ship register or the Estonian ship book, a certificate of the Estonian Transport Administration is submitted on re-registration of the vessel in the ship registry;
4. for a ship to be entered in the Estonian ship register for the first time or a ship which is set to change its name, a certificate of the Estonian Transport Administration on the approval of the name will be submitted;
5. for a fishing vessel to be registered in Estonia for the first time, a certificate of the Estonian Transport Administration on the assignment of an external registration number will be submitted;
6. for ships carrying equipment emitting radio frequencies, the water craft’s station licence issued by the Estonian Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority will be submitted.

Information submitted for the registration of seagoing vessels:

1. the name, number or other mark of identification of the ship;
2. the type of main engines of the ship, the type of the ship according to its purpose, and the main material of the hull;
3. the port of registry;
4. the place and year of build and the name of the builder;
5. the call sign;
6. the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number if it is evident from the tonnage certificate or other corresponding document, the results of official measurement and the output of the engines;
7. data on the owner or shared owners and the size of the shares in the shared ownership, and in the case of a ship of the state, also information about the administrator of state assets and authorised body, if the latter has been appointed;
8. in case a responsible person exists, their data and contact details, the document certifying the authorisation of the responsible person together with the number of the document or confirmation specified in subsection 2 of § 42 of the Law of Ship Flag and Ship Registers Act, a written confirmation that the person has a business establishment in Estonia, unless the owner of a seagoing vessel, including a shared owner, has a business establishment in Estonia, and the digitally signed or notarised consent of the responsible person for being entered as a responsible person in the ship registry, unless the functions of the responsible person are performed by the shipowner;
9. the legal basis for acquiring ownership, which shall be certified;
10. proof of the right to fly the national flag of Estonia;
11. the manager in the case of a ship co-operative;
    documents which certify that the ship complies with the safety requirements for ships established in the Republic of Estonia;
    the provisional certificate of nationality if issued;
    receipt regarding payment of the state fee.
12. If a ship has not been measured in Estonia, the submission of a legalised tonnage certificate issued abroad is sufficient.

Information submitted for the registration of non-propelled floating vessels:

1. the name, number or other mark of identification of the non-propelled floating vessel (it shall be indicated that the vessel is a non-propelled floating vessel);
2. the location;
3. the place of build;
4. information about the owner (ownership shall be certified), and in the case of the state, also information about the administrator of state assets and authorised body, if the latter has been appointed;
5. the basis for the creation of ownership, which shall be certified;
6. documents which certify that the non-propelled floating vessel complies with the safety requirements established in the Republic of Estonia;
7. receipt regarding payment of the state fee.

Information submitted for the registration of inland vessels:

1. the name, number or other mark of identification of the ship;
2. the main material of the hull;
3. the port of registry;
4. the place and year of build and the name of the builder;
5. the overall length of the ship and the output of the engines;
6. information about the owner (ownership shall be certified and in the case of several owners the percentage of each owner’s share shall be indicated), and in the case of the state, also information about the administrator of state assets and authorised body, if the latter has been appointed;
7. the legal basis for acquiring ownership, which shall be certified;
8. documents which certify that the ship complies with the safety requirements for ships established in the Republic of Estonia;
9. receipt regarding payment of the state fee.

Registry entries of ships under construction

Registration applications and documents for the ship registry can be sent electronically to the email address of the registry department laevad@kohus.ee or through the notary or the Estonian Transport Administration.

Forms for electronical entry applications can be found on the website of the Ministry of Justice.

The following documents shall be submitted to the land registry department for the entry of a ship under construction in the ship registry:

1. certificate of the Estonian Transport Administration on the principal dimensions of the ship under construction;
2. certificate of the Estonian Transport Administration or a classification society on the laying of the keel which is permanently marked with a name or number;
3. certificate of the Estonian Transport Administration on the approval of a name for a ship under construction, which hull is 75% completed, or after the name of a ship under construction has been changed.

Information submitted for the registration of seagoing vessels under construction, inland vessels under construction or non-propelled floating vessels under construction:

1. the name, number or other mark of identification of the seagoing vessel under construction, inland vessel under construction or non-propelled floating vessel under construction;
2. the place of build and the name of the builder;
3. information about the owner (ownership shall be certified), and in the case of the state, also information about the administrator of state assets and authorised body, if the latter has been appointed;
4. documents which certify that, with regard to technical characteristics, the seagoing vessel or inland vessel will be eligible for entry in the ship register upon completion;
5. receipt regarding payment of the state fee.

If the owner of a seagoing vessel under construction, an inland vessel under construction or a non-propelled floating vessel under construction is not the builder of the vessel, a notarised confirmation from the builder concerning the circumstances under which another person became the owner shall be submitted for registration of the vessel.

Pilot project

The Estonian Transport Administration and the land registry department of Tartu County Court have launched a pilot project aimed at making it possible for shipowners to book an appointment for making an entry in the ship registry through the ship supervision unit of the Estonian Transport Administration.

Before submitting documents to the court, the shipowner can agree on a date for making a register entry and submit the documents or draft documents for preliminary examination. Preliminary examination allows the court to assess the correctness of the documents and give feedback; by booking an entry time, shipowners gain the opportunity to plan for a smoother process regarding the operations related to the registration of the ship.

To make a booking, e-mail the ship supervision unit of the Estonian Transport Administration at laevaregister@transpordiamet.ee.

In the case of a ship registered in Estonia for the first time, a form for the initial technical supervision of the maritime safety of the ship must be submitted to the registrar. The form is issued by the Estonian Transport Administration. A free-form application for the issue of the form and execution of technical supervision must be sent to ljo@transpordiamet.ee.

If the ship has all the applicable maritime safety certificates issued by a classification society authorised by Estonia, the Administration may dispense with the pre-registration survey of the ship and issue the form based on the ship’s maritime safety certificates.

The decision will be based on the ship’s safety history in different ship survey databases.

A state fee is paid in accordance with the rates provided in the State Fees Act for the pre-registration survey of ships and the issuance of the form.

An authorised classification society will execute technical supervision and issue the necessary certificates on maritime safety for ships with a gross tonnage of 500 and over.

The Minimum Safe Manning Document and certificates issued under the ISM, ISPS codes and the MLC constitute an exemption.

Ships with a gross tonnage of up to 500 may, regardless of the type of the ship and the navigation area, be subject to full technical supervision by the Estonian Transport Administration.

Approval of name

If a ship has not been previously registered in Estonia or changes its name upon re-registration, a free-form written application must be submitted to the Estonian Transport Administration. The application can be digitally signed and sent to info@transpordiamet.ee.

The application should preferably include reference documentation on ownership to confirm the accuracy of the data.

The owner or charterer of a ship may submit an application to the Administration to keep the ship’s name in its name; the name of the ship will be kept for up to three years from the date of approval.

Assignment of an external registration number (for fishing vessels with an overall length of over 10 metres which have previously not been entered in a register in Estonia)

A free-form written application must be submitted to the Estonian Transport Administration. The application can be digitally signed and sent to info@transpordiamet.ee.

The application should include reference documentation on ownership to confirm the accuracy of the data.

The Administration has agreements with the following classification societies for the certification and issuance of corresponding certifications of ships flying the national flag of the Republic of Estonia:

1. Lloyd´s Register  (LR);
2. Bureau Veritas (BV);
3. DNV AS ;
4. American Bureau of Shipping  (ABS);
5. Registro Italiano Navale  (RINA).

The classification societies authorised by Estonia meet the requirements of Regulation 391/2009/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. In total, a written agreement has been concluded with six classification societies in accordance with the terms and conditions provided for in Article 5(2) of Directive 2009/15/EC. These classification societies may issue certificates in accordance with international conventions on behalf of Estonia.

Estonia has ratified various UN, IMO and ILO conventions and protocols, the full list of which can be found here.