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LexorCorp Global Order

Guide

Cadastral Surveying and Land Readjustment Licence in Estonia

In Estonia, cadastral surveying and simple land readjustment work may be done only by a person who holds an activity licence for land readjustment works (maakorraldustööde tegevuslitsents).

LexorCorp Global OÜ · published 11 November 2026

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Eesti

In short

In Estonia, cadastral surveying and simple land readjustment work may be done only by a person who holds an activity licence for land readjustment works (maakorraldustööde tegevuslitsents) 16 8 . The right belongs to a natural person holding the licence 16 ; the licence is issued by the Estonian Land and Spatial Development Board (Maa- ja Ruumiamet) for five years 11 . This page explains what the activity covers, who needs the licence, what the applicant must have and file, the state fee, and what LexorCorp Global OÜ can prepare.

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In Estonia, cadastral surveying and simple land readjustment work may be done only by a person who holds an activity licence for land readjustment works (maakorraldustööde tegevuslitsents)168. The right belongs to a natural person holding the licence16; the licence is issued by the Estonian Land and Spatial Development Board (Maa- ja Ruumiamet) for five years11. This page explains what the activity covers, who needs the licence, what the applicant must have and file, the state fee, and what LexorCorp Global OÜ can prepare.

Information as of 11 November 2026. Every numbered statement of this page was checked in the official text named below and re-checked by a second reviewer on 2026-11-11. The page is general information, not legal advice; the authority decides on every application.

What the activity is

Cadastral surveying (katastrimõõdistamine) means determining, marking, measuring and showing on the ground the boundaries of a cadastral unit, the parcel of land recorded in the Estonian land cadastre1. Under the Land Cadastre Act, its purpose is to determine, mark and measure the boundaries of a land unit in nature and, where needed, to survey the situation on the ground; a survey is also needed to restore a boundary mark2. The act calls the person entitled to do it a land surveyor (maamõõtja)3.

Land readjustment (maakorraldus) is work that creates the conditions for more practical use of an immovable or its part4. The Land Readjustment Act lists the operations: readjustment (re-plotting) of land; exchange of parts of immovables; change of a boundary; division; merger; determination of a boundary; and identification of restrictions on ownership5. All of these except readjustment are "simple land readjustment operations", carried out at the owners' request (§§ 12–15 of the act)6.

On the basis of conditions issued by the cadastre keeper, the owner orders the survey from a land surveyor, who submits the survey data electronically and is responsible for its correctness and legality7. Re-plotting is not covered by the licence: it needs a valid level 6 or 7 land readjuster professional qualification8.

The legal act and the authority

  • Land Cadastre Act (maakatastriseadus), version in force from 15 May 2026: § 16¹ governs the licence9.
  • Land Readjustment Act (maakorraldusseadus), version in force from 1 January 2025: § 4 links simple land readjustment operations to the same licence8.
  • Procedure for Forming Cadastral Units (katastriüksuse moodustamise kord), regulation of the Minister of the Environment of 14 August 2018 No 30, version in force from 1 January 2025: application, test surveys, issue and renewal10.

The licence is issued by the Maa- ja Ruumiamet on the proposal of an expert committee formed at the board11. The committee has five to seven members, including representatives of the board and at least two members named by the Estonian Association of Geodesists (Eesti Geodeetide Ühing)12. Maa- ja Ruumiamet is also the cadastre keeper13 and supervises the legality of land readjustment14. Licence holders are entered in the list of land surveyors published on the board's website15.

Who must apply

The right to carry out land readjustment works and cadastral surveying belongs to a natural person holding the licence and to the cadastre keeper; when the cadastre keeper does the work, its suitably skilled employee has the rights and duties of a licence holder16. The licence cannot be transferred or used by another person11.

A person with a foreign professional qualification may also do the work if the qualification is recognised under the Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications Act and a licence has been issued; Maa- ja Ruumiamet is the competent authority for that recognition17.

Requirements for the applicant

  • Professional qualification: a valid land readjuster (maakorraldaja) qualification under the Professions Act18.
  • Two test surveys: the applicant must pass two cadastral survey test works18. They are not needed if two cadastral surveys by the applicant were registered in the cadastre within two years counted from applying for the licence18. The committee sets the tests within two months of the application, and they are done at the applicant's own cost19. An applicant who fails them must complete at least eight academic hours of further training in land readjustment before applying again18.
  • Grounds for refusal: false information, failed test surveys, no qualification, unpaid state fee, or revocation of an earlier licence on certain grounds within the last two years20.

Whether further requirements apply is specified for the client's situation. If the qualification expires, the licence is suspended21. The holder must report changes in the facts on which the licence was issued without delay22. At renewal, the board may refuse a foreign holder who has no Estonian residence permit or right of residence23.

Documents filed with the application

The applicant files a written application with the expert committee24. It states24:

  • first name and surname;
  • personal identification code, or date of birth if there is none;
  • e-mail address, postal address and telephone number;
  • a reference to the two cadastral surveys already registered, if the applicant relies on them instead of test surveys.

Attachments25:

  • a copy of the land readjuster certificate, if it is not entered in the professional register;
  • proof of payment of the state fee;
  • a digital document photo of the applicant;
  • for a foreign national, a copy of the residence permit card or the Estonian identity document.

A renewal application with the same content is filed at least two months before the licence ends26.

State fee and processing time

The state fee is EUR 260 for an application for the licence and EUR 132 for an application to extend it (State Fees Act § 235⁴, version in force from 1 November 2026)27.

Time limits that the regulation itself sets:

  • the committee assigns the two test surveys within two months of the application19;
  • the decision is sent to the applicant's e-mail within three working days of being made28;
  • the licence is valid from the date of the decision, for five years29.

The committee may ask the applicant questions about the test surveys and set a deadline to correct shortcomings30. These are the law's time limits, not a promise of a result or a date.

What LexorCorp Global OÜ does and how to order

LexorCorp Global OÜ offers this as its general service "Activity licence application documentation", from €3,500, one-time. This is our professional fee. LexorCorp Global OÜ is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added. The state fee and other third-party costs are paid by the client.

Within that service we:

  • set out the requirements of the acts for this activity from their official text;
  • prepare the written application and the list of attachments for the expert committee;
  • follow up in writing on the committee's or board's questions.

We do not carry out surveys or the test surveys, do not provide the land readjuster qualification, and give no legal, tax or audit advice. We cannot promise the licence, a date or the authority's decision: the licence is issued by Maa- ja Ruumiamet on the committee's proposal. Under the regulation, the application is filed with the expert committee24.

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Sources

  1. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 2 p 1 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  2. Maakatastriseadus § 17 lg 2 — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  3. Maakatastriseadus § 2 p 31 — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  4. Maakorraldusseadus § 2 lg 1 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 04.12.2024, 17)
  5. Maakorraldusseadus § 2 lg 2 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 04.12.2024, 17)
  6. Maakorraldusseadus § 10 lg 1 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 04.12.2024, 17)
  7. Maakatastriseadus § 16 lg 1–2 — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  8. Maakorraldusseadus § 4 lg 1 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 04.12.2024, 17)
  9. Maakatastriseadus § 16¹ (heading); header — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  10. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord, header — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  11. Maakatastriseadus § 16¹ lg 2 — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  12. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 3 lg 1 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  13. Maakatastriseadus § 3 lg 1 — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  14. Maakorraldusseadus § 3 lg 2 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 04.12.2024, 17)
  15. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 6 lg 4 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  16. Maakatastriseadus § 16¹ lg 1 — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  17. Maakatastriseadus § 16¹ lg 1¹ — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  18. Maakatastriseadus § 16¹ lg 3 — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  19. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 5 lg 1 and 4 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  20. Maakatastriseadus § 16¹ lg 4 — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  21. Maakatastriseadus § 16² lg 1¹ — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  22. Maakatastriseadus § 16² lg 7 — text in force from 15.05.2026 (RT I, 12.05.2026, 17)
  23. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 8 lg 2 p 3 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  24. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 4 lg 1 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  25. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 4 lg 2 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  26. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 8 lg 1 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  27. Riigilõivuseadus § 235⁴ — text in force from 01.11.2026
  28. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 6 lg 1 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  29. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 6 lg 3; Maakatastriseadus § 16¹ lg 2 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)
  30. Katastriüksuse moodustamise kord § 5 lg 5 — text in force from 01.01.2025 (RT I, 28.12.2024, 55)

Official sources

The laws this article names, each linked to its official text, as read on 9 October 2026. For the Estonian acts we read the English translation in Riigi Teataja; the legally binding text is the Estonian one.

Sources in the text are named without links; the official texts are linked under Official sources. To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.

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We prepare the application documents and manage the process; the authority decides. Not legal advice.

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