Land registers in EU countries

Estonia

This section provides you with a brief overview of Estonia’s land register.

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Estonia

What information does the Estonian land register give?

The Estonian Land Register is a record of proprietary interests and restricted rights, providing third parties with information about registered immovable property.

The land register focuses on both legal and factual circumstances. All property is entered into the land register, unless otherwise provided for by law. Each individual property has an independent entry and is given a unique number (registered property number).

The register has four parts.

Part 1 contains the following information on each registered property:

  • land-register reference;
  • specific purpose;
  • location;
  • restricted rights established for the registered property;
  • area (size);
  • mergers and divisions;
  • amalgamation with another registered property, or severance of part of the property.

Part 2 contains the following information on each registered property:

  • the owner;
  • if the property is in joint ownership, details of such; whether the property is in joint ownership or common ownership; the owners’ names;
  • notional size of the co-owners’ shares (common ownership);

Part 3 contains the following information on each registered property:

  • restricted rights encumbering the property (except mortgages);
  • restrictions on ownership;
  • notes concerning such restrictions;
  • restrictions on the owner’s right of disposal;
  • other notes concerning ownership (including restrictions on the disposal rights of the persons concerned), and any amendments to or deletions of the abovementioned entries.

Part 4 contains the following information on each registered property:

  • the mortgage holder;
  • monetary value of the mortgage (outstanding sum);
  • notes concerning the mortgage;
  • amendments to entries;
  • deletion of entries.

The various parts of the land register are publicly available and can be accessed by anyone. Where there is a legitimate interest, the file for a given registered property can be consulted. Property owners, notaries, bailiffs, the courts and supervisory authorities do not need to prove the existence of a legitimate interest.

Is access to the Estonian land register free of charge?

The land register is kept electronically.

The various parts of the land register and files for registered properties can be consulted at a notary’s office or via the search engine. There is a charge for consulting the land register at a notary's office or via the search engine.

The following may consult the electronic land register free of charge:

  • owners of immovable property – whether a natural person or a legal person representing an owner of immovable property
  • legal representatives and guardians of the owners of immovable property
  • owners of apartments connected with immovable property and representatives of apartment associations.

The information contained in the land register can be accessed via the online search engine provided by the Centre of Registers and Information Systems. Use of the search engine is free of charge. The search result displays all the information entered in Part 1 of the land register (land-register reference, specific purpose, area and address). A fee is charged for access to more specific information in the land register.

The charge is €1 for each search of a search item and €3 for access to view the whole part of the register.

A search item is any of the following information in a land register part opened for any registered property:

  1. digital data in Part 1 (‘Composition of the property’);
  2. digital data in Part 2 (‘Owner’);
  3. digital data in Parts 3 (‘Encumbrances and restrictions’) and 4 (‘Mortgages’).

The search fee includes access to opened property files and issuing the documentation they contain.

Detailed information for register parts can be consulted in line with the service fees listed here. These fees are not subject to VAT.

How to search the Estonian land register

You can search the database using the following search criteria:

  • address;
  • land-register reference;
  • name of owner;
  • personal identification number/registry code;
  • property number.

It is also possible to search for information on non-valid owners and authorised persons.

History of the Estonian land register

The electronic version of the land register contains information dating back to 1994. The change-over to the electronic version began in the summer of 2010. Since 1 January 2015, all land files have been electronic.

Last update: 13/12/2021

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