Road transport operator licence in Estonia

An Estonian company that carries goods by road for payment with heavier vehicles needs a Community licence and, for each vehicle, a certified copy of that licence¹². The licence is granted when the company meets four conditions set by EU law: real establishment in Estonia, good repute, financial standing and professional competence through a qualified transport manager⁵. Paid carriage of passengers by bus is licensed in a similar way, but under a different Estonian act⁸¹⁶.

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

Road transport means carrying goods by a motor vehicle or a vehicle combination, or carrying passengers by bus, together with the empty runs linked to that carriage¹. Carriage is paid ("for hire or reward") when done for payment and "on own account" when no payment is received².

Not covered by the goods licence: a business carrying its own goods with its own vehicles and staff as an ancillary activity (own-account carriage under the conditions of Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009)³, and taxi services⁴.

The legal act and the authority

Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 on the conditions for pursuing the occupation of road transport operator (consolidated version of 21 February 2022, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2020/1055) — the four conditions and the transport manager⁵.
Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 on access to the international road haulage market — the Community licence and its certified copies⁶.
Road Transport Act (autoveoseadus, AutoVS) — the Estonian rules for paid carriage of goods⁷.
Public Transport Act (ühistranspordiseadus, ÜTS) — paid carriage of passengers, under Regulation (EC) No 1073/2009⁸.

Under the Road Transport Act, the licence and its certified copies are issued, on the authority of the Ministry of Climate (Kliimaministeerium), by the Transport Administration (Transpordiamet) or by a non-profit association to which the task has been given by an administrative contract⁹. Today the Community licence for carriage of goods is issued by the Estonian International Road Carriers Association (Eesti Rahvusvaheliste Autovedajate Assotsiatsioon, ERAA)¹⁰. The issuer enters the carrier and its transport manager in the Register of Economic Activities (majandustegevuse register, MTR)¹¹.

Who must apply

A licence and a certified copy are required for paid carriage of goods by a vehicle or combination with a maximum permissible mass over 3,500 kg and a design speed over 40 km/h¹². For paid international carriage, the threshold is lower: from 21 May 2022, over 2,500 kg¹³. The applicant must be entered in the Estonian Commercial Register or the register of non-profit associations and foundations¹⁴.

The main exemptions named in the acts are:

the types of carriage listed in Article 1(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009, such as carriage of mail as a universal service, carriage of damaged or broken-down vehicles, carriage by vehicles up to 2.5 tonnes, own-account carriage that meets the listed conditions, and carriage of medical supplies in emergency relief³;
certain national carriage listed in AutoVS § 6(2), for example snow and ice removal, waste transport, carriage by concrete mixer, and carriage of agricultural products by the producer within 65 km¹⁵.

For passengers, paid carriage by bus (other than trolleybus) and, with limited exceptions, paid carriage by a car with up to nine seats other than taxi service require a Community licence and a certified copy under the Public Transport Act¹⁶.

Requirements for the applicant

Establishment. The company must have premises in Estonia with access to the originals of its core business documents, be registered and taxed there, have vehicles at its disposal once authorised, run its operations effectively and continuously from Estonia, and ensure that vehicles in international carriage return to an Estonian operational centre within eight weeks¹⁷. After the licence is granted, the carrier must obtain a certified copy for at least one vehicle within six months¹⁸.

Good repute. The company and the person entitled to manage it (the executive manager) must be of good repute; AutoVS § 7(4) lists the offences that exclude it, such as a first-degree crime or an intentional second-degree crime¹⁹. The transport manager's good repute is assessed separately under AutoVS § 8(3)²⁰. The applicant may not have unscheduled tax arrears above the threshold of the Taxation Act, and may not have been declared bankrupt²¹.

Financial standing. In Estonia this is checked when the certified copies for vehicles are applied for²². Under Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009, the company must show, on the basis of annual accounts certified by an auditor or a duly accredited person, capital and reserves of at least EUR 9,000 for the first vehicle, EUR 5,000 for each additional vehicle over 3.5 tonnes and EUR 900 for each additional vehicle between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes. A company that uses only vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes needs EUR 1,800 for the first and EUR 900 for each additional vehicle²³. A bank guarantee, insurance or other binding document may be accepted instead, and a newly registered company without certified accounts may use such a certificate²⁴.

Professional competence (transport manager). The company must designate at least one transport manager of good repute who effectively and continuously manages its transport activities, has a genuine link with the company and is resident in the EU²⁵. The manager must hold a certificate of professional competence, obtained after the training and a written final examination²⁶. For an external manager acting under a contract, the contract must list the tasks and responsibilities; one external manager may serve up to four undertakings with a combined fleet of at most 50 vehicles²⁷.

Other areas. Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 sets the four conditions above for the occupation²⁸. Whether a separate share capital, anti-money laundering (AML/CFT) or IT requirement applies is specified for the client's situation.

Documents filed with the application

For the licence (AutoVS § 13(1), in addition to the general data under § 19(2) points 1–4 of the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act, MSÜS)²⁹:

the data and documents listed in AutoVS § 13(1).

For each certified copy (AutoVS § 13(2))³⁰: a written application; the vehicle's registration number; and the financial standing documents under Article 7(1), (2) or (2a) of Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009, unless they are available electronically from the Commercial Register.

State fee, processing time and validity

The State Fees Act sets a state fee of EUR 210 for an application for a Community licence and EUR 18 for a certified copy³¹. Where a non-profit association issues the documents, no state fee is paid; the association may charge a fee that, without VAT, does not exceed the state fee³². ERAA states its fee as EUR 254.20 with VAT (EUR 205 before VAT) for the licence and EUR 22.32 for a certified copy³³.

Under the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act, a licence application is decided within 30 days, counted from the date when all required data have been submitted; the authority may ask for missing data, suspend the time limit for up to 30 days while a defect is remedied, and extend it once by up to 30 days³⁴. If the time limit passes, the licence is not deemed granted³⁵. Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 sets an outer limit of three months from receipt of all necessary documents, extendable by one month³⁶. These are the law's time limits, not a promised date.

The licence is issued for ten years and each certified copy for ten years, but not beyond the licence, the vehicle's use contract or a financial guarantee³⁷.

What LexorCorp Global OÜ does and how to order

LexorCorp Global OÜ prepares the application for the road transport operator licence (and the Community licence for international carriage), together with the evidence of establishment, good repute, financial standing and professional competence, and manages the filing. It is sold on the licensed companies page at a fixed €3,500, official fees stated as included. For an external transport manager, the add-on "Transport manager contract" (€350) prepares the contract between the operator and the manager, with the duties and number of vehicles within the regulation's limits; it does not include finding a transport manager or the certificate of professional competence.

The company itself must have the premises, vehicles, capital or guarantee and a qualified transport manager. LexorCorp Global OÜ gives no legal or tax advice and carries out no audits. The decision is always the issuing authority's; no licence, date or outcome is promised.

Order: order form.

Sources

AutoVS § 2(1) — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 2(3)–(4) — text in force from 2026-10-01
Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 Art. 1(5)(a),(b),(ca),(d),(e); AutoVS § 6(1), § 11(2) — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
ÜTS § 39(1) — text in force from 2026-04-01
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 Art. 3, 4; EUR-Lex consolidated 02009R1071-20220221 — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
Regulation (EC) No 1072/2009 Art. 4 — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
AutoVS § 1(1), chapter 2 — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 1(2); ÜTS § 39(1) — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 14, § 47(1) — text in force from 2026-10-01
ERAA, Ühenduse tegevusluba veoseveoks (issuing body under AutoVS § 47(1)) — text in force from page as published, read 2026-11-11
AutoVS § 48(1) — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 5(1) — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 5(1¹) [RT I, 22.03.2022, 2 - jõust. 21.05.2022] — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 7(2) — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 6(2) — text in force from 2026-10-01
ÜTS § 41(1)–(2) — text in force from 2026-04-01
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 Art. 5(1)(a)–(g) — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
AutoVS § 7(10) — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 7(4) — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 8(3) — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 7(13) — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 9(1), § 13(2)(4) — text in force from 2026-10-01
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 Art. 7(1) — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 Art. 7(2), 7(2a) — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 Art. 4(1); AutoVS § 7(8) — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
AutoVS § 8(7) — text in force from 2026-10-01
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 Art. 4(2)(b)–(c) — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 Art. 3(1); AutoVS §§ 7–9, 13 (read in full; no such requirement) — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
AutoVS § 13(1) points 1, 1¹, 2–6; MSÜS § 19(2) points 1–4 — text in force from 2026-10-01
AutoVS § 13(2) — text in force from 2026-10-01
Riigilõivuseadus § 120⁴(1), § 120⁵ — text in force from 2026-11-01
AutoVS § 13(7), § 47(4) — text in force from 2026-10-01
ERAA pages: Menetlustasu; Veoseveo dokumentide menetlustasud — text in force from page as published, read 2026-11-11
MSÜS § 20(1)–(3), applied by AutoVS § 15(1) — text in force from 2025-09-01
AutoVS § 15(1) — text in force from 2026-10-01
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 Art. 11(3) — text in force from 2022-02-21 (consolidated; last amendment Regulation (EU) 2020/1055)
AutoVS § 17(1),(2),(4) — text in force from 2026-10-01

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.

Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 — EUR-Lex
Regulation (EU) 2020/1055 — EUR-Lex
Road Transport Act — Riigi Teataja, English translation
Taxation Act — Riigi Teataja, English translation
State Fees Act — Riigi Teataja, English translation

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.

Road transport operator licence in Estonia (Community licence)