Estonia recognises driving licences issued by member states of the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation (EEA and Switzerland) by the 1968 Vienna Convention and the 1949 Geneva Convention. Your driving licence issued in a foreign country is usually valid for 12 months from the date of settling in Estonia (receiving a residence permit and registering an address). If you want to continue driving, you must exchange your driving licence during this time. Click the link to the Transport Administration’s website to get an overview of how long and under which conditions the driving licence issued in that country is valid in Estonia and how to exchange it for an Estonian driving licence.

The special and temporary measures applied to driving licences and certificates of competence issued in Ukraine to persons who are recipients of temporary protection are derived from the 18 July 2022 regulation (EU) 2022/1280, which can be seen in the EU Publication Office document.

You will be granted the right to drive a power-driven vehicle and a provisional driving licence provided your permanent residence is in Estonia, your age and state of health comply with the valid requirements, and you have obtained the qualifications of a power-driven vehicle driver.

In short, to get a driving licence, you must:

• Request a health certificate from your family doctor;
• Take courses at a driving school;
• Apply for a driving licence at the Transport Administration and pass a theory and practical test.

An Estonian driving licence can be applied for by a person who has lived in Estonia for at least 185 days during the calendar year or who can prove that they have studied in Estonia for at least six months and whose right to drive has not been suspended, withdrawn or revoked in the state that issued the driving licence or Estonia. Permanent residence is proven by population register data. The person is required to prove that they permanently reside in Estonia.

One option is to choose a driving school based on the statistics of exam passes (only shown in Estonian).

Another option is to search for licensed driving schools. The page is in Estonian, but you can change to another language using the translation service available in your web browser.

To search, select "Type: Operating licence of a motor vehicle driver training institution” and choose your location and vehicle category: B. The result is a list of all driving schools that train category B motor vehicle drivers. Then you can find the contacts for your chosen school.