From 1 January 2018, Road Use Fee To Be Paid In Estonia
From 1 January 2018, there is an obligation to pay road use fee for trucks with full load of 3.5 tons that are driving on Estonian public roads. What does this fee mean and who should pay it?
In Estonia, the fee has been established as a time-based fee, which means that if the road use fee has been paid for a truck, the truck has the right to drive on Estonian roads during a certain time period. The fee is applicable for vehicles registered in Estonia as well as those registered abroad.
What is the amount of the road use fee?
The amount of the road use fee depends on how heavy the vehicle is and for which period the right has been purchased. For vehicles up to 12 tons, the same fees apply irrespective of the exhaust gas class and the amount of fee depends only on for which period the right has been purchased. From 12 tons, the fees differ based on the number of axis and exhaust gas classes.
For example, in the case of a 12-ton vehicle the daily fee is 9 euros, 30-days fee is 50 euros and 365-days fee is 500 euros. For vehicles over 12 tons, the daily fee is 10-12 euros, 30-days fee is 60-130 euros and 365-days fee is 600-1,300 euros.
The calculation of the road use fee is based on the data of the traffic register and if there are no data in the traffic register, the data submitted by the person who pays the road use fee will be taken as the basis. This means that if there are no data in the traffic register, the driver has to prove on the road the data on which the road use fee rate is based with a registration certificate or with the data of the manufacturer, its official representative or importer. Attention should be paid to the fact that if the exhaust gas class of a truck cannot be established, the road use fee will be calculated according to the truck exhaust gas class EURO 0.
Who pays and who is responsible?
The obligation to pay the road use fee is on the owner of the truck. If an authorised user of the truck has been entered into the traffic register, the obligation to pay the road use fee lies with the authorised user. The driver does not have to carry the document that verifies the payment, because the payment of the road use fee can be checked from the road use fee webpage. However, the driver has the obligation to check before commencing the trip that the fee is paid. Otherwise the authorities have the right to punish with a financial penalty.
Where should the payment be made?
The road use fee can be paid in the road use fee portal 24/7 via a bank link or credit card. Additionally, it is possible to pay the road use fee at the service centres of the traffic register; cashiers of the Narva, Luhamaa and Koidula border points; service centres of the Tax and Customs Board and at the Luhamaa and Koidula terminals of the Collade Customs Agency. The list is constantly updated. However, in the case of these locations it should be checked if the payments can be made in cash or card and if the respective payment card can be used. After the payment, the road can be used immediately and there is no additional time required to process the payment.
If the road use fee has not been paid, the Police and Border Guard Board, and the Tax and Customs Board have the right to remove the driver from driving and impose a penalty on the driver of the truck as well as the owner or user of the truck, if the authorised user has been established in the traffic register. In such case, the driver’s penalty is up to 160 euros and the penalty for a legal entity for allowing the vehicle to be driven is 1,800 euros.
In certain situations, there is the right to request refunding of the road use fee from the Road Administration. Such situations are, for example, change in the owner or authorised user of the truck or omission of the truck from the traffic register. The prerequisite of refunding is also the fact that the road use fee has been paid for the 90- or 365-day rate.
See more:
Traffic Act