Car enthusiasts from all over the post-Soviet space know that it is possible to buy a car in Estonia at an affordable price. Loyal financial conditions are explained by a well-established system of purchasing cars that are delivered from European car markets to Estonian territory.
Advantages of buying a car in the Republic of Estonia
Buyers looking to buy a used car in one of the European countries are mainly considering options from Poland and Lithuania. Meanwhile, vehicles for sale in Estonia have their advantages:
- It is very unlikely to buy a car, for example, in Lithuania from its first owner: there are mainly dealers here. That is, most of the vehicles are driven from other states. Accordingly, you should not count on a liberal price tag.
- There is an open vehicle base in the Republic of Estonia. Therefore, before buying in this country, you can easily find out the whole history of the car, for example, whether it was involved in an accident and how regularly
- Maintenance was carried out.
- Buying a car in Estonia provides an opportunity to enter several people in the documents for it.
Ways to buy a car in Estonia
You can buy a car of any brand on the territory of the Republic of Estonia, from budget to the most prestigious options. Let's take a closer look at how this can be done.
Purchase without intermediaries
Having found out that the prices for used cars in Estonia are quite acceptable, many Russians decide to start purchasing on their own. For this procedure to be successful, it is recommended to be guided by the following rules:
- You need to conclude a sales contract in 2 copies. This document must contain information about the car, its condition and additional equipment, the mileage traveled, as well as the seller's personal data. He must give the buyer the originals of the registration certificate and technical passport of the vehicle.
- The origin and history of the machine must be verified. If it has been on sale for a long time, it is possible that there are some problems associated with it.
- It is better to pay for the purchase by bank transfer. Then there will be a financial footprint of the transaction, and it will be much easier to resolve possible disputes later.
It should be noted: a private person who bought a car in Estonia, which the seller, in turn, acquired in another EU country, is not required to pay tax. But this only applies to used vehicles with a mileage of more than 6 thousand km.
If you bought a car with a lower speedometer, you will have to pay tax to the Estonian treasury.
Purchase through an intermediary firm
Another option for acquiring a car from Estonia is to order a car from a company that specializes in providing such services. This approach to solving the transport problem has its advantages:
- The specialists of the intermediary company will check everything: the condition of the interior, protectors, wear of parts and assemblies, transmission, power unit, suspension, chassis, body. When performing this inspection, photo and video filming is carried out. Based on these materials, the buyer will be able to study the car in absentia and make a more informed decision.
- The employees of the intermediary company will take care of all the formalities:
- will prepare the PrEP;
- take out insurance;
- will count the money and confirm the implementation of mutual settlements between the parties to the transaction.
- The likelihood of buying a car that has been in a serious accident is reduced to zero. The intermediaries simply will not accept such a car for sale.
- The legal purity of the vehicle is guaranteed.
There is actually only one drawback of such a scheme for buying a car in Estonia - the need to pay for the services of an intermediary company, which will increase the final cost of the car.
An additional disadvantage of cooperation with Estonian intermediaries for motorists from Russia is that the agreement is drawn up in Estonian. And in order not to sign under unacceptable conditions, this document will need to be translated and carefully studied.
Purchase over the Internet
Estonian car sales sites have firmly occupied a niche in the corresponding segment of the car market. Let's consider the features of the most popular ones.
- E-autopood.ee - specializes in the publication of advertisements for the sale of used cars from Estonian car owners.
- Auto24.ee is the largest specialized automotive website in Estonia. It is visited by about 100 thousand people every day. Provides the ability to select a car on the basis of a set of individual characteristics. Separate sections on companies involved in the purchase and sale of vehicles have been implemented. These pages contain all the necessary data of sellers and, in addition, a thematic forum, visitors to which will be able to get answers to their questions.
- Okidoki.ee - the site appeared in 2007. And in October 2021, it began to function in Russia. About 160 thousand users visit the portal every week. It is a free platform for placing ads on universal topics, including the sale and purchase of vehicles.
All of these sites have photographs of the cars for sale. But, before contacting the owner of a suitable copy, you need to determine the risks of the technical condition of the car. This is done by visiting the website of the Estonian Highway Administration and then going to the page "Vehicle inspection".
After entering the VIN number, the monitor will display information about:
- The date of the end of the validity of the inspection.
- The term of travel insurance is an analogue of the domestic OSAGO. If it is valid, it means that the vehicle is in use.
- Problems identified during technical inspections. Their list serves as a source of information on the quality and timeliness of the carried out vehicle maintenance. In addition, this information will help you to roughly determine the amount that may be required for the purchase of spare parts.
Also, the monitor will display information about the number of owners and the date of import of the car into the territory of the Republic of Estonia. For many, these data are critical when deciding whether to buy a car.
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What documents are drawn up
Paperwork is an important point in the context of the question of how to drive a car from Estonia. The basic kit includes the following items:
- contract of sale;
- technical certificate;
- registration certificate;
- diagnostic card;
- a document confirming the ecological class of the vehicle (cars of Euro-5 and higher class can be imported into the Russian Federation);
- insurance.
VAT refund is carried out according to the document, which is drawn up by the seller. This is usually an invoice. It must indicate two prices - net and gross.
The buyer pays gross, and the difference between the amount paid and the value of the net price is returned to the account. But this will only happen if the buyer decides to purchase a car from a legal entity. When dealing with a private person, the tax is not indicated in the monetary policy.
Customs clearance of a car from Estonia
Before going through the procedure for registering a car imported from the Republic of Estonia with the traffic police, it must be cleared through customs. To do this, the buyer will have to follow these steps:
- Make a deposit to the r / s of the Federal Treasury or make advance payments in the amount not less than the cost of customs clearance of the car purchased in Estonia, and receive a customs receipt.
- Provide customs officers at the border with the documents listed below.
- Place the car in a temporary storage warehouse while customs inspectors check a set of documents.
- Get PTS.
- Register the car with the traffic police.
Documents required for customs clearance of a vehicle import into the Russian Federation:
- sales contract, technical passport, environmental safety certificate;
- passenger customs declaration in the form of TD-6;
- a receipt confirming the deposit;
- insurance policy for the car.
Conclusion
In Estonia, as in many other EU countries, you can buy a car yourself at car markets, in car dealerships, through specialized sites, or by resorting to the services of intermediary firms. The final cost of the car largely depends on the option chosen.
It should also be borne in mind that you will need the costs of diagnosing the vehicle (if you buy it yourself), purchasing an insurance policy and paying customs duties. Buying through an intermediary firm is costly, but it may well save you a lot of problems.
