At today’s sitting, the Riigikogu concluded the second reading of the Bill that aims to reduce the number of vehicles unaccounted for and to direct end-of-life vehicles to appropriate destruction.

The Bill on Amendments to the Waste Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (461 SE), initiated by the Government, is connected with the Motor Vehicle Tax Act which also provides for taxation of vehicles the registry entry for which has been suspended but which cannot be deleted from the register in certain cases under the current regulation.

The Bill will create the possibility of deleting from the register vehicles that no longer exist or are unaccounted for. In 2025, the deletion of such vehicles from the register will be free of state fee, while a state fee of EUR 15 will have to be paid in 2026. In 2025 and 2026, vehicles the registry entry for which has been suspended can be deleted from the register in this way. As a result of an amendment made in the second reading, a vehicle that has been temporarily deleted and that has not passed a roadworthiness test for at least the last two years can also be deleted from the register in this way until the end of 2026. From 2027, the state fee for deleting a destroyed or unaccounted-for vehicle from the register will be EUR 800. If a vehicle is handed over to a waste handler, the vehicle will be deleted from the register free of charge on the basis of a certificate of destruction.

From 2025, registry entries for vehicles will no longer be automatically suspended. The aim is to nudge owners to decide what to do with a vehicle that is not being used – whether to transfer it, take it to a scrap yard or temporarily delete it from the register in order to put it back into service later.

In the course of the second reading, the Riigikogu added to the Bill an additional basis for towing, according to which it will be possible to tow a parked vehicle from a public road if it does not have a registration plate, if the vehicle has not been registered for more than three months or if the vehicle is not complete, i.e. if it is a “scrap vehicle”. In addition to the right of the police and local authorities to tow vehicles the Transport Board will also be given the right to tow vehicles on national roads.

The Bill was also amended by adding an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Tax Act concerning the taxation of vehicles that are temporarily deleted and the registry entry for which is suspended. Such vehicles will be subject to a transitional period until the end of 2026 during which they will not be taxed. An amendment specifies that if a temporary deletion is terminated or a registry entry is reinstated, the motor vehicle tax will be due from the date of entry of the vehicle in the active part of the motor register. The Bill was also amended by adding a provision under which vehicles temporarily deleted from the motor register will be exempted from motor vehicle tax starting in 2027, in order to exempt from the tax burden persons who are not using their vehicle for a longer period due to it being restored, for example. If the temporary deletion is terminated during the tax period, the tax is due for the entire year.

As of 1 November 2026, vehicles the registry entry for which has been suspended for more than seven years as of July 1 of the same year will be automatically deleted from the register. If the owner knows the location of the vehicle, they will have to have a roadworthiness test for the vehicle and insure it, temporarily delete the vehicle from the register or hand it over to a waste handler for destruction. A fine will be provided for failure to perform the act. In order to organize the register, the Transport Administration will have the right to temporarily delete vehicles from it if at least one year has elapsed since the death of the owner or at least one month has elapsed since the owner who is a legal person was deleted from the register.

Since temporarily deleted vehicles are deemed to be unregistered vehicles and their use in traffic is not allowed, this should motivate the users and owners of such vehicles to update registry entries more quickly. The Bill will create the possibility for over-30-year-old vehicles with historical value to be deleted for up to five years, and vintage vehicles for the entire period of recognition as vintage vehicles. The status of a vintage vehicle will have to be renewed every 12 years. During the second reading it was specified that vehicles of historical value will have to be stored in facilities with a rainproof and impermeable surface to avoid environmental disturbance.

End-of-life vehicles that have been deleted from the motor register will have to be handed over to a waste handler holding an environmental protection permit who has a contract with the producer or a producers’ responsibility organisation.

Anti Allas from the Social Democratic Party Group, Andres Metsoja and Urmas Reinsalu from Isamaa Parliamentary Group, Igor Taro from Estonia 200 Parliamentary Group, Rene Kokk from the Estonian Conservative People’s Party Group and Mart Võrklaev from the Estonian Reform Party Parliamentary Group took the floor during the debate.

Isamaa Parliamentary Group moved to suspend the second reading of the Bill. 23 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and 45 voted against. Thus, the motion was not supported, and the second reading of the Bill was concluded.

Another Bill passed the second reading

The Bill on Amendments to the Identity Documents Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (497 SE), initiated by the Government, will transpose the directive aimed at enhancing cooperation in consular protection for European Union citizens  in the third countries in which the Member State is not represented.

The Bill will transpose the conditions and procedure for issuing the emergency travel document to unrepresented EU citizens in third countries. The EU Emergency Travel Document is a single-journey document allowing a person to return home in the event that their documents have been lost, stolen, or destroyed during travel.

In addition, according to the Bill, the  EU Emergency Travel Document will be issued to Estonian citizens and aliens who reside in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit and who hold an alien’s passport, a temporary  travel document, or a travel document for a refugee or who are received by the country on the basis of a treaty. The new travel document will be replacing the current certificate of return and permit of return in such cases.

After arriving in Estonia, the emergency travel document will have to be returned to the Police and Border Guard Board which will forward it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for destruction. In order to keep records of returned emergency travel documents and to improve the efficiency of the procedure, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may process their data in the database of professional acts of a consular officer and diplomatic passports.

A Bill was dropped from the proceedings

The Riigikogu rejected at the first reading the Bill on Amendments to the Status of Members of the Riigikogu Act (528 SE), initiated by the Estonian Centre Party Parliamentary Group. It was intended to link the payment of remuneration and allowances to members of the Riigikogu to their participation in parliamentary work.

The lead committee moved to reject the Bill. 40 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of the motion and ten voted against. There was one abstention. Thus, the Bill was dropped from the legislative proceedings.

Verbatim record of the sitting (in Estonian)

Video recording will be available to watch later on the Riigikogu YouTube channel.

Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
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