If you wish to start operations in the field of driver training, then you need to apply for an activity licence.
The activity licence is issued without a term by the Ministry of Education and Research.
Legal bases
The economic activity of driver training providers is regulated by the following legislation:
- Traffic Act;
- General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act;
- Regulation No. 54 of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications “Requirements for teaching aids, practice areas and vehicles for driving practice of the driver training provider”.
Requirements for the applicants
An activity licence is granted, if the applicant has:
- study premises (buildings, furnishings and other property) or the possibility to use such premises;
- a practice area or the possibility to use a practice area;
- vehicles for driving practice, which comply with the requirements provided by law or the possibility to use such vehicles;
- instructors who comply with the requirements set out in subsection 1 of § 118 of the Traffic Act and first aid instructors of drivers of power-driven vehicles who comply with the requirements set out in section § 119;
- training plans and training documentation for the category being taught, which comply with the requirements set out in subsections 6 and 8 of § 100 of the Traffic Act;
- the methodological and audio-visual teaching aids and accessories that are specified in the training plans;
- first aid teaching aids specified in the training plans.
Professional qualification of employees
If you wish to employ a driving instructor, who has received his/her qualification abroad or has professional (vocational) work experience abroad, the employee must have his/her professional qualification recognised in Estonia.
Contact the competent authority of your area of activity to receive additional information and have the professional qualification of an employee recognised.
Cross-border operation
If an undertaking has been established in another contracting state of the European Economic Area but also wishes to provide continuous services in Estonia, the undertaking must act in accordance with the present guidelines.
Completing and submitting an application
An application (in Estonian) with the following information and documentation must be submitted for the grant of an activity licence:
- an application for an activity licence which indicates the contact details of the applicant and the vehicle categories for which the training is to be provided under the activity licence that is being applied for, and a document verifying the payment of the state fee;
- existence of or documents certifying the right of use of the premises, practice area and vehicles for driving practice;
- a training plan and training documentation;
- a list of audio-visual and other teaching aids;
- data about the compliance of the driving instructors with the requirements of section 118 of the Traffic Act and written consents for being employed;
- data about the compliance of the first aid instructors of drivers of power-driven vehicles with the requirements of section 119 of the Traffic Act and written consents for being employed.
You can submit your application:
- electronically via edu.ee; (authentication is required)
- by digitally signed e-mail to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected];
- by sending a signed copy by regular mail to the Ministry of Education and Research on the address Munga 18, Tartu 50088.
NB! Please pay the state fee before submitting your application.
Payment of the state fee
A state fee of €100 for each category applied must be paid to the account of the Ministry of Finance with reference number 2900073546 for reviewing an application for an activity licence for driver training providers:
- SEB – EE891010220034796011
- Swedbank – EE932200221023778606
Processing of an application
The Ministry of Education and Research will review the application for the licence within three months. The time limit for processing the application will start to run from the moment of submission of all the required information and documents. The Ministry of Education and Research will provide initial feedback on the submitted application within three working days. From the Ministry, the application is sent to the Transport Administration for a substantive assessment and the issuance of a preliminary administrative act (i.e. expert opinion). A representative of the Transport Administration shall contact the applicant if necessary. The time limit for processing the application is suspended if the applicant is given a deadline for eliminating any deficiencies in the documents. During the processing period, it is possible to suspend the running of the time limit for the processing of the application for up to 30 days. The time limit for the processing of the licence will resume running after the deficiencies have been eliminated or the deadline for eliminating the deficiencies has passed. The Chancellor of the Ministry of Education and Research decides on the granting of the licence based on a prior administrative act of the Transport Administration. The Chancellor’s directive on the granting of the licence will be communicated to the applicant via e-mail. The information on the licence will be entered into the Estonian Education Information System by the Ministry of Education and Research.
Suspension of an activity licence and termination of economic activities
If you wish to terminate activity in the chosen field, then please submit a notice of termination of economic activities to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected].
If you wish to renounce economic activities temporarily, then please state the date of renouncement and re-commencement of economic activities on a notice of temporary renouncement of economic activities to be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected].
Revocation of an activity licence
An activity licence is revoked on the following grounds:
- intentional submission of incorrect information by an undertaking upon application for an activity licence, which affected the grant of a licence, provided that, if such information had not been submitted, the grant of an activity licence would have been denied;
- renouncement of economic activities by an undertaking;
- validity of a relevant prohibition on economic activities imposed by a court judgment or arising from law in a relevant area of activity in respect of an undertaking, except for validity of a prohibition on economic activities imposed pursuant to the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act.
An activity licence may be revoked on the following grounds:
- failure to commence economic activities within two years as of the issue of the activity licence or failure to pursue economic activities within two years, and in the case of provision of services of general interest, failure to commence economic activities within 12 months after issue of the activity licence or failure to pursue economic activities within 12 months or failure to commence economic activities within the term prescribed by a secondary condition of the activity licence;
- material violation of the conditions of an activity licence;
- a significant damage or danger caused to public order by the activity permitted by the activity licence, which did not exist or was not known at the time of granting the activity licence and which overrides the interest of the undertaking in continuing the activity on the current conditions and which can be eliminated by amendment of the activity licence;
- changes to the secondary conditions of an activity licence.
Supervision
Governmental and administrative supervision over driver training providers is exercised by:
- the Ministry of Education and Research;
- the Transport Administration that exercises supervision over the fulfilment of the requirements specified in subsections 100 (6) and (8) and of the Traffic Act, with the right to involve, if necessary, officials of the Health Board in exercising state and administrative supervision over the first aid training of drivers of power-driven vehicles.
Contact details
Substantive information
Evelyn Saul, Ministry of Education and Research, tel: +372 735 0117, e-mail: [email protected]
Registry information and technical questions
Estonian Education Information System, tel: +372 765 5050, e-mail: [email protected]