Public documents

Estonia

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Estonia

Article 24(1)(a) - languages accepted by the Member State for the public documents to be presented to its authorities pursuant to point (a) of Article 6(1)

Estonia accepts documents in Estonian.

The various Estonian registry offices (local authorities and Estonia’s foreign missions) also accept documents in English or Russian or translated into those languages.

Article 24(1)(b) – an indicative list of public documents falling within the scope of this Regulation

Birth certificate registered at an Estonian registry office;

Death certificate registered at an Estonian registry office;

Marriage certificate registered at an Estonian registry office;

Divorce certificate registered at an Estonian registry office;

Change of name certificate registered at an Estonian registry office;

Certificate of no impediment;

Extract from the Estonian population register;

Extract from the criminal records database, stating that there is no entry in the criminal records database.

Article 24(1)(c) – the list of public documents to which multilingual standard forms may be attached as a suitable translation aid

Birth certificate registered at an Estonian registry office;

Death certificate registered at an Estonian registry office;

Marriage certificate registered at an Estonian registry office;

Certificate of no impediment;

Extract from the Estonian population register confirming that a person is alive;

Extract from the Estonian population register confirming civil status;

Extract from the Estonian population register concerning residence;

Extract from the criminal records database, stating that there is no entry in the criminal records database.

Article 24(1)(d) – the lists of persons qualified, in accordance with national law, to carry out certified translations, where such lists exist

In Estonia, the persons qualified to carry out certified translations are sworn translators.

List of sworn translators

As of 1 January 2020, only sworn translators are authorised to produce official translators. Besides translations produced by Estonian sworn translators, the Estonian authorities are also required to accept translations of documents which are certified by a foreign sworn translator, notary or other duly authorised official.

Article 24(1)(e) – an indicative list of types of authorities empowered by national law to make certified copies

Administrative bodies that are authorised to issue official documents or that keep documents in their archives may also issue copies or extracts of those documents and officially certify their authenticity.

Notaries have the power to issue notarised copies.

No certified copies are made of civil status documents, and translated forms are issued only for original documents.

Article 24(1)(f) – information relating to the means by which certified translations and certified copies can be identified

Certified translations

Certified translations can be identified by the signature and stamp of the sworn translator. A translation by a sworn translator may also be produced in digital form. In that case, the sworn translator’s signature and stamp are replaced by his or her digital signature.

Officially certified copies

In order for the authenticity of a copy to be officially certified, a note concerning the certification must be added at the end of the text and this must include:

1) the issuer of the document, the date of issue and a reference to the location of the document in the register;

2) confirmation that the copy is identical to the original;

3) if the original was not issued by the administrative body certifying the authenticity of the copy, a note that the copy has been issued solely to be submitted to the administrative bodies referred to in the note;

4) information on any gaps in the document, text that has been struck through, insertions, illegible text, traces of text having been erased, other factors indicating changes to the original content of the document, or the fact that a document of several pages has been unbound;

5) the place and date of certification, the name and signature of the person certifying the copy, and the stamp of the administrative body.

Signed criminal records database notices are issued in hard copy from the criminal records database.

Notarised copies

In order to provide notarial confirmation of a fact, a notary makes a notarial attestation, which must include a statement from the notary concerning the facts he or she has established and bear the notary’s signature and ink stamp. The date on which and the place where the attestation was made must be indicated. A notarial attestation may also be in digital form. In that case, the notary’s signature and ink stamp are replaced by his or her digital signature. Digital attestation may only be provided for a digital document.

When certifying the authenticity of a copy, the notary writes the word ‘ärakiri’ [copy] at the top of the first page of the document. This requirement does not apply to notarial attestation in digital form.

Last update: 15/06/2022

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