EMAS registration requires the submission of complete documentation to the competent authority demonstrating the organisation's compliance with EMAS requirements. Required documents include:

• Certified EMAS environmental statement (in electronic or printed form) by the verifier;
• a declaration signed by the verifier (in accordance with Annex VII of the EMAS Regulation);
• a copy of the certificate of an accredited verifier;
• 3-year verification scheme;
• a completed application form in the official language of the Member State in which registration is sought (in accordance with Annex VI to the EMAS Regulation). The application form in Estonian can be found here.

The competent authority verifies the documents submitted and their compliance with EMAS requirements. To register, the following conditions must be met:

• the certification of the verifier and the preparation of documents are correct;
• the application form and additional documentation comply with EMAS requirements;
• there is no evidence of a breach of environmental legislation;
• There are no unresolved complaints or proceedings with interested parties.
  
  Once all the requirements are met, the competent authority will issue the organisation with an EMAS registration number and the registration will take effect.
  
  At least 1 month after registration, the environmental report must be made publicly available.

As a general rule, the final decision on EMAS registration  is taken by the competent authority within 3 months of the submission of a successful application, but in more complex cases, the final decision may take much longer. 

The overall duration of the assessment depends not only on the workload of the competent authority, but also on the contribution of the company itself, in particular on the speed with which the applicant submits additional documents, corrects deficiencies or responds to additional questions. In practice, the competent authority tries to stay within 3 months for substantive proceedings, but the final processing time depends on the readiness of each company and the content of the application.

Regulation (EC) No 1221/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the voluntary participation by organisations in a Community eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS)

Annex I of the EMAS Regulation (Environmental Review)

Annex II of the EMAS Regulation (Environmental Management System Requirements)

EMAS Annex III (Internal Environmental Audit)

Annex IV of the EMAS Regulation (environmental reporting)

Annex V of the EMAS Regulation (EMAS logo)

Annex VI of the EMAS Regulation (information requirements for registration)

Annex VII of the EMAS Regulation (verifier's declaration of verification and validation)

Annex VIII of the EMAS Regulation (correlation table)

Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Management System Act

Regulation of the Minister of the Environment “List of data included in the registration certificate of the environmental management and audit system and the form of the certificate”

Ministry of Climate

Environmental Agency

European Commision