A handling permit must be applied for if a company wishes to install, repair, maintain, or service refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases or fire protection equipment containing certain fluorinated greenhouse gases, carry out a leakage test of such devices, and/or gather gas from such devices. The employees carrying out such operations must be certified.
In Estonia, employees are certified on the basis of the Professions Act. The certifiers are the Estonian Refrigeration Association and the Association of Estonian Security Companies.
Legal bases
Handling of products, equipment, and systems containing fluorinated greenhouse gases is regulated by:
- The Atmospheric Air Protection Act
- The General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act
- Regulation No. 70 of the Minister of the Environment ‘The specified procedure for the application and amendment of a handling permit concerning the products, equipment, and systems containing fluorinated greenhouse gases, specified requirements for the handling permit and the application of the handling permit’
Requirements for applicants
A handling permit is issued to a company whose employees have a personnel certificate or professional or partial professional certificate specified in section 194 of the Atmospheric Air Protection Act and who implements the tools and methods required for handling products, equipment, or systems containing fluorinated greenhouse gases in their economic or professional activities. Thereat:
- the employee performs the handling operations applied for in the volume of 1,900 hours per year;
- the employee performs up to 100 leakage tests of a product, equipment, or system containing fluorinated greenhouse gas per year;
- the applicant for the permit has at least one set of tools per one employee (the list of necessary tools in handling refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump equipment depends on the handling operations for which the handling permit is applied).
Cross-border operation
Based on the principle of mutual recognition, Estonia recognises the handling permits, professional certificates, and certificates issued by other EU Member States.
If an entrepreneur has a handling permit issued in another EU Member State or a document issued in another Member State is to be used for entering the person to the handling permit application, they must register themselves with the Environmental Board.
For that, a respective digitally signed application and the pertaining documents (certificate, etc.) must be submitted to the Environmental Board ([email protected]).The documents must be translated into Estonian or English, unless the document is in English. The document must be translated by a sworn translator or be notarised. After registration of the handling permit or a document confirming professional training, the maintainer is entered into the public electronic register maintained by the Environmental Board.
Employee:
For handling stationary refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump equipment, the certified employee must have a certificate issued in some other Member State corresponding to Regulation (EU) No. 2015/2067 of the European Parliament and the Council. For stationary fire protection systems, the certified employee must have a certificate issued in some other Member State corresponding to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 304/2008.
Sole proprietor or legal person:
For the installation, maintenance, repair, and decommissioning of equipment containing fluorinated greenhouse gases, companies are required to possess a relevant company certificate or attestation of competence of an employee of another Member State, issued in accordance with Regulation (EU) No. 2015/2067 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
For the installation, maintenance, repair, and decommissioning of fire protection systems containing fluorinated greenhouse gases, companies are required to possess a relevant company certificate or attestation of competence of an employee of another Member State in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No. 304/2008.
Filling in and submission of an application
In order to obtain the handling permit, an application must be submitted to the Ministry of the Environment, preferably via the register of economic activities.
You can submit an application:
- by entering the register of economic activities (authentication is required);
- by sending the digitally signed application (using the forms presented in Annex 1 (in Estonian) or Annex 2 (in Estonian) to Regulation No. 70) to the e-mail address [email protected];
- by sending the signed application via mail (using the forms presented in Annex 1 (in Estonian) or Annex 2 to Regulation No. 70) (in Estonian) to the address of the Environmental Board at Roheline 64, 80010 Pärnu.
The application must contain the following data (in addition to those set out in subsection 19 (2) of the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act):
- information about the handling operations for which the handling permit is applied;
- information about the volume of work, which shows that the applicant for the permit possesses sufficient number of employees certified in accordance with the European Commission regulations specified in subsection 194 (2) of the Atmospheric Air Protection Act to carry out the handling operations that require a handling permit within the described volume of work;
- list of tools available to the applicant for the permit;
- descriptions of work methods of the applicant for the permit;
- date of submission of the application.
Please note! Pay the state fee before submitting an application.
Payment of state fees
A state fee of 270 euros is to be paid for the assessment of the handling permit application.
A state fee of 40 euros is to be paid for the amendment of the handling permit.
States fees are paid to the current account of the Ministry of Finance with the reference number 2900081693:
- Luminor Bank EE701700017001577198
- SEB Pank EE891010220034796011
- Swedbank EE932200221023778606
- LHV Pank EE777700771003813400
Processing of the application
The Environmental Board will make its decision on granting or rejecting the handling permit within two months as of the submission of the application that meets the requirements and all the documents to be enclosed to it and the data additionally requested from the applicant.
If the information in the application is insufficient, you will be notified thereof. You will be provided an opportunity to correct the deficiency, after which you must resubmit the application. In this case, the application for the handling permit is deemed submitted as of the elimination of deficiencies.
If the applicant for the permit has not eliminated the deficiencies by the specified term or presented additional data or documents, the Environmental Board returns the handling permit application in connection with the impossibility of continuing the proceedings due to a deficiency in the application materials.
You will be notified of the issuance of the handling permit by e-mail or regular mail. The handling permit is issued electronically. The issued handling permits are available from the register of economic activities.
The handling permit is issued without a term.
Please note! A handling permit must be amended if a re-attestation of the employee’s certificate is required.
Amendment of the terms and conditions of the activity licence
Changes in the circumstances of economic activity shall be reported pursuant to the procedure prescribed in section 30 of the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act.
If you wish to amend the handling permit (e.g. add/remove an employee, update the certificate data of an employee, etc.), you will have to submit to the Environmental Board an application for amending the activity licence, preferably through the register of economic activities (authentication is required). You may also submit a signed application using the forms presented in Annex 1 or Annex 2 ( in Estonian) to Regulation No. 70 at the e-mail address [email protected] or at the address Roheline 64, 80010 Pärnu.
Suspension of the operating licence and renouncement of economic activity
In order to revoke/suspend the handling permit, an application must be submitted to the Environmental Board, preferably via the register of economic activities (authentication is required). You may also submit a signed application at the e-mail address [email protected] or at the address Roheline 64, 80010 Pärnu.
The application must state the reason for suspension/termination of the handling permit and the date from which the permit is to be revoked/suspended.
Revocation of an activity licence
The Environmental Board may revoke a handling permit if the person does not have employees possessing a personnel certificate or professional or partial professional certificate specified in section 194 of the Atmospheric Air Protection Act for handling products, equipment, or systems containing fluorinated greenhouse gases and who do not implement the tools and methods required for handling products, equipment, or systems containing fluorinated greenhouse gases in their economic or professional activities.
Supervision
State supervision is carried out by the Environmental Board.
Contact details
Substantive information
Environmental Board, phone: +372 662 5999, e-mail: [email protected]
Register information and technical issues
Register of Economic Activities, tel: +372 668 7080, e-mail: [email protected]