Can you leave a bought car in the seller's name?
You cannot — a sale contract does not change the owner in the register. The new owner must submit the application to change the register data within five working days of the ownership change. The contract proves the transfer, but the register entry still has to be made, and in an online transaction ownership changes only once the buyer completes the procedure. The state fee is €55 online or €71 at a service bureau. And here is the lever sellers know too little about: if the seller reports the transfer and the buyer does not complete the change within five working days, the vehicle is temporarily removed from the register — and it returns to registered status only once the ownership change is formalised. Driving an unregistered vehicle carries up to €800.
📋 The rules
- Register within 5 working days
- State fee: €55 online
- At a bureau: €71
- After a seller's report: temporary removal
- Driving unregistered: up to €800
🔓 Exceptions
- The vehicle need not usually be presented merely because the registered owner changes
- Buying the vehicle from the leasing company at the end of a lease is exempt from the registration fee
- Acquisition by inheritance is also exempt from the vehicle-specific registration fee
⚠️ Penalties & fines
An unfinished transaction hits your wallet from two directions. First the fine: driving a vehicle that should have been registered or re-registered carries up to 100 fine units, €800. Then the tax: Estonia's annual motor vehicle tax is assigned using the traffic-register position — so a transaction left unfinished over the new year can leave the tax notice with the seller, who no longer owns the car. And third, the registration fee: since 1 January 2025, the first ownership change of a passenger car or van can also trigger the vehicle-specific registration fee, where it has not previously been paid. That is not the same as the €55 or €71 state fee — they are two separate payments, and they are constantly confused in classified-ad threads.
📎 Official sources
- Riigi Teataja · Traffic Act →
- Transport Administration · Changing register data →
- Transport Administration · State fees →
❓ Frequently asked
How quickly must ownership be registered?
The application to change the register data must be submitted within five working days of the ownership change. The sale contract alone does not change the owner in the traffic register.
What is the state fee?
Transferring ownership of an ordinary vehicle or trailer costs €55 online or €71 at a service bureau. A separate vehicle-specific registration fee may come on top of that.
What if the buyer does nothing?
If the seller reports the transfer and the buyer does not complete the change within five working days, the vehicle is temporarily removed from the register until the change is formalised.
Who receives the tax notice?
Motor vehicle tax is assigned using the traffic-register position. If a transaction is left unfinished over the new year, the seller who no longer owns the car may receive the notice.
Is the registration fee always payable?
Not always. The vehicle-specific registration fee does not apply when a lessee buys the car at the end of a lease, or on acquisition by inheritance — but the register entry must still be updated.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “change of car owner estonia five days”
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