Need a car?

**Alex** · Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2008 12:41 am Post subject: Need a car?

Here's where I found mine.

Auto24

Kind of like the Autotrader in the States.

You'll need to register the car and if you're from outside the EU, you'll need to get an Estonian drivers license as well.

Do that here:

Eesti Riiklik Autoregistrikeskus

If you get a car at a new or used lot, they'll usually take care of all the paperwork for you.

You'll need insurance as well to get it on the road. I use IF insurance but there are other places, though I'm not familiar with them.

IF Kindlustus
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Flasher T · Joined: 05 Feb 2008 Posts: 33 Location: Tartu

1) If you're not a permanent resident of Estonia - that is, if you do not have an <i>isikukood</i> assigned - you will need to have what's called a responsible user (vastutav kasutaja). Much like putting another driver on your registration, and your insurance premiums are calculated based on that driver's record.

2) You can buy a car with a purchase contract - there are samples available online and standard forms printed out at the ARK offices, but you can just write it out freehand (in Estonian, obviously). A purchase contract and the car's registration - the green strip of paper - is enough to get the car signed over to your name at the ARK. You don't need the previous owner with you.

3) That said, if the seller is married, the purchase contract must have the signature of the spouse as well. The car is considered joint property.

4) Insurance can be bought online at e-kindlustus.ee - they're an insurance broker that will find the best deal for you. There are two types: Liikluskindlustus is the mandatory third-party liability insurance, Kaskokindlustus is what pays for your own car if you crash it and it's your fault. The latter is optional and usually only worth it for newish and expensive cars (and you need to have it if you're buying the car on credit).

5) Estonian liability insurance entitles you to get a Green Card (European liability insurance) for free. You need a Green Card to drive across the border. The Green Card isn't included by default - you have to ask the insurance people for it. If you've bought the insurance online, you can either use the chat-to-a-representative function to have them mail you the Green Card, or go to your ARK office where there should be an e-kindlustus booth. Or go to your insurance company's office if that's closer.

6) You need to keep the insurance policy and the registration (green strip) in your car at all times. Cops can ask you for it when they stop you. Most often they won't - they can see on their screens if the car's plates match up, if it has a valid technical test, if it's insured, and who is registered to drive it.

7) You can have anybody drive the car in Estonia with just a freeform piece of paper saying "this person can drive my car". In practice, as long as the car is not reported stolen, the cops are unlikely to care who's driving it. The liability insurance will cover the car, not the driver.

Cool

After you buy the car, you can drive it while still being covered by the previous owner's insurance for about five days. That's what the insurance companies like to see. The law errs on the side of more coverage and less of the company's financial interests, but you'll want to sign over the insurance to your name as soon as you can. The e-kindlustus people at the ARK can do that for you.

9) If the previous owner still had some time left on their liability insurance, you can have that prorated against your own insurance, but only within the same company (which might not be the cheapest you can get) and you get the money, not the time.

10) If you're buying a car without a valid technical test, it cannot be signed over to you until it has passed the test, even though actual ownership goes over to you with the purchase contract. So buying fixer-uppers can be tricky.