Vehicle roadworthiness testing and gas-system checks

In Estonia, a company that runs a vehicle inspection station does so under an administrative contract with the Transport Administration (Transpordiamet)⁸¹³, signed only after the authority has checked the finished station²⁷. Checks of a vehicle's "special systems" are separate: a company files a notice of economic activities in the Register of Economic Activities¹².

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 2026-11-10. The page is general information, not legal advice; the authority decides on every application.

What the activity is

Roadworthiness testing (tehnonõuetele vastavuse kontroll, usually called tehnoülevaatus) checks whether a motor vehicle or trailer meets the technical requirements in force. If it does, the next test date is set. When that date passes, the vehicle no longer counts as meeting the requirements¹. Motor vehicles and trailers used in traffic must pass this test on time². Testing is done at an inspection station (ülevaatuspunkt): the rooms, site and equipment a contracted company uses for testing³¹.

The Traffic Act also has a second, separate check for a vehicle's "special system" (erisüsteem). This is a system that may be dangerous to people or the environment and is impractical to check in the ordinary test, because checking it requires removing parts, skills an ordinary inspector need not have, or premises and equipment a station need not have³. A special system must be checked at least once in ten years and not more often than once in twelve months⁴. The responsible minister lists them in a regulation⁵. This page treats checks of the gas equipment of gas-fuelled vehicles under this heading. Whether a specific gas installation is on the current list, and how often it must be checked, is specified for the client's case.

Not covered here: pre-registration testing (only partly, see below), type approval, and tractors and mobile machinery, which have their own inspection regulation⁶.

The legal act and the authority

Traffic Act (liiklusseadus, LS), version in force from 1 October 2026. Its main sections on this activity are § 73 (testing), § 74 (inspectors), § 74¹–74² (special systems), § 75 (supervision of testing), § 75¹ (supervision of special-system checks), § 191 (administrative contracts) and § 192 (requirements for the company).
Regulation No. 77 of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications of 18 July 2011, "Mootorsõiduki ja selle haagise tehnonõuetele vastavuse kontrollimise tingimused ja kord" (conditions and procedure for testing), version in force from 27 October 2025⁶.
Authority: the Transport Administration (Transpordiamet) organises roadworthiness testing and supervises how it is carried out and how good it is⁷. A test result is decided by Transpordiamet or by a company that holds an administrative contract with it⁸. Transpordiamet also supervises special-system checks⁹.
Where it shows: test results are recorded in the traffic register², and so are special-system results¹⁰. Transpordiamet publishes the list of inspection stations¹¹. A special-system notice is filed in the Register of Economic Activities (majandustegevuse register, MTR)¹².

Who must apply

Inspection stations. The responsible minister may authorise Transpordiamet to conclude administrative contracts (haldusleping) with companies to test motor vehicles, trams, their trailers and off-road vehicles. The contract must state the company's duties and liability, the fee for the test, reporting to Transpordiamet, and how the contract is amended and ended¹³. Whether an activity licence or a state fee applies to the company itself is specified for the client's situation.

Special-system checks. A company that checks special systems must file a notice of economic activities in the Register of Economic Activities, following the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act (majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus, MSÜS)¹². Under MSÜS, the notice is filed before the activity starts¹⁴.

Exemption the Act names. A company that only does pre-registration testing does not have to meet the LS § 192 requirements on premises, equipment, staff and quality assurance (§ 192(1) points 5–9)¹⁵.

Requirements for the applicant

The company (inspection station), LS § 192(1)¹⁶:

it is reliable (usaldusväärne);
no member of its management or supervisory board has a criminal conviction that is still on record;
it has not materially breached earlier testing contracts. It is not bankrupt or in liquidation;
it has no unscheduled arrears;
its premises, site, equipment and quality-assurance arrangements meet the minister's regulation, and its staff meet LS § 74.

The company must keep testing objective, safe, environmentally sound and of high quality¹⁷. No contract is concluded or extended if the company does not meet these requirements. The same applies if an earlier contract with it was ended for its own breach in the two years before¹⁸.

Premises and equipment. The station and its equipment must meet Annex 2 of Regulation No. 77. Equipment must be used as its manufacturer requires¹⁹. The interval between calibrations of measuring instruments may not exceed set periods, for example 24 months for brake-force meters and 12 months for smoke-opacity meters²⁰. Transpordiamet may use technical means to watch and record testing in the testing room. Recordings are kept for at least one month and at most one year²¹.

Inspectors, LS § 74²²:

higher, vocational secondary or vocational education in the car or tractor field, or an equivalent qualification;
at least three years of relevant practical knowledge, training and experience;
the right to drive the category of vehicle tested;
no court-imposed business ban and no intentional-crime conviction still on record;
training, practice and an exam organised by Transpordiamet, and certification by Transpordiamet. The certificate is valid for three years²³.

Special-system companies, LS § 74²²⁴: the company must meet the requirements of LS § 74²(2)–(6) and (8), which include recording the checks. Recordings are kept for at least six months and at most one year.

Changes after signing. Transpordiamet's consent is needed for a merger, division or transformation, or a transfer of the business; it must be told of share transfers and new board members²⁵.

Capital, seat, AML/CFT. Whether minimum capital, seat rules or anti-money-laundering (AML/CFT) duties apply is specified for the client's situation.

Documents filed with the application

Transpordiamet's page asks the company's authorised representative for²⁶:

an application;
proof that no criminal proceedings are pending against board members or other managers and that they have not been convicted;
proof that the company has qualified staff;
confirmation that it owns the land for the station or has long-term use of it;
a layout drawing of the rooms (at least a sketch), traffic-flow schemes and a detailed plan or drawings of the station;
confirmation from the Labour Inspectorate (Tööinspektsioon) that the rooms meet occupational health and safety rules.

The building's intended use must be a vehicle-service building, with a use permit (kasutusluba) by the time the contract is signed. Transpordiamet then checks the finished station. If it complies, the contract is signed electronically and a certificate to carry out tests is issued. If not, Transpordiamet makes a written decision not to conclude the contract²⁷.

For a special-system notice, the general data of MSÜS § 15 apply. These include the company's name, registry code and contact details, the field of activity, and the place of business²⁸.

State fee and processing time

The State Fees Act (riigilõivuseadus) sets fees for inspectors' exams: €30 for the theory exam and €80 for the practical exam²⁹. Whether a state fee applies to concluding the contract or to the special-system notice is specified for the client's situation. Test fees charged to vehicle owners stay within maximum rates set by the minister³⁰.

The time needed to conclude the contract is specified for the client's situation. Any time frame is the authority's and the law's, not a promise.

What LexorCorp Global OÜ does and how to order

LexorCorp Global OÜ (registry code 12233761) offers this work under its row "Activity licence application documentation", from €3,500 for the standard scope. LexorCorp Global OÜ is not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added. State fees are paid by the client.

We set out the requirements of the act for the activity from its official text. For an inspection station, we prepare the document set listed above for Transpordiamet and handle the written follow-up of the authority's questions. For a special-system check, we prepare the notice in the Register of Economic Activities. We do not give legal or tax advice. We do not design or build the station, do no audit, and do not train or certify inspectors. We cannot promise a contract, a notice outcome, a date or any decision of Transpordiamet.

Order or ask for a price: order form

Sources

LS § 73(6) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 73(2) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 74¹(1) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 74¹(2) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 74¹(7) p 1 — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
Regulation No. 77 (18.07.2011) § 1(1)–(3) — text in force from 27.10.2025 (RT I, 24.10.2025, 6)
LS § 73(3) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 73(4) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 75¹(1) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 74¹(3), (5) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
Transpordiamet, Sõidukite tehnoülevaatus — text in force from page checked 10.11.2026
LS § 74²(1) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 191(1) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
MSÜS § 14(1) — text in force from 01.09.2025
LS § 192(2) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 192(1) p 1–8 — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 192(1¹) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 192(3) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
Regulation No. 77 § 4(1) — text in force from 27.10.2025 (RT I, 24.10.2025, 6)
Regulation No. 77 § 4(3) p 1, 3 — text in force from 27.10.2025 (RT I, 24.10.2025, 6)
LS § 191(3) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 74(1), (1¹) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 74(4)–(6) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
LS § 74²(2)–(6), (8) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
Transpordiamet, Ülevaatuspunkti rajamine — text in force from page checked 10.11.2026
Transpordiamet, Ülevaatuspunkti rajamine — text in force from page checked 10.11.2026
Transpordiamet, Ülevaatuspunkti rajamine — text in force from page checked 10.11.2026
MSÜS § 15(1), (3) — text in force from 01.09.2025
Riigilõivuseadus § 142⁸³(1)–(2) — text in force from 01.11.2026
LS § 73(5), (12¹) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 45)
Regulation No. 77 § 2 p 19 — text in force from 27.10.2025 (RT I, 24.10.2025, 6)

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.

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.

Vehicle roadworthiness testing and gas-system checks in Estonia