Vital Statistics Procedures

County town local governments register births and deaths, divorce marriages, make entries concerning the change of gender, issue data and certificates from the Population Register, etc.

All the local governments register births and issue initial birth certificates. City- and Municipality Governments register births and deaths, contract and divorce marriages, issue Population Register data, certificates, etc.

The Estonian foreign missions issue repeat certificates for vital statistics procedures, certificates of legal capacity to contract marriage, and extracts from the Population Register as well as enter data concerning vital statistics events in the Population Register on the basis of foreign documents.

Notaries contract and divorce marriage and issue extracts from the Population Register.

Ministers of religion contract marriages.

Estonian national and local government authorities and other executors of public law functions can use the data entered in the population register and do not require individuals to submit paper copies of such information.

Therefore, when communicating with national and local government authorities, individuals do not have to have a document certifying his or her vital statistics data.

If an individual requires a certificate for a private person or foreign state, the corresponding certificates or extracts can be issued to them. On applying for a certificate or extract, an individual has to specify which family event or certification of data the extract is required as proof of. Upon this data official can decide on which document and in which language to issue.

Estonia has concluded several international agreements on how certificates/extracts are to be issued according to a simplified procedure - no further certification in the form of apostils, legalization or translation is required.

If there is a need to acquire a document on a family event retroactively, after the registration of the event (the event must have taken place after 1 July 1926), a corresponding request must be submitted to a local government of the county center, the Tallinn Vital Statistics Office, an Estonian foreign mission or using an e-service on the population register portal.

A state fee of 10 EUR must be paid for issuing a duplicate of a birth, death, marriage or divorce certificate on paper. The fee for issuing an electronic duplicate is 5 EUR. Notaries issue extracts from the population register, ministers of religion cannot issue duplicate certificates.

Vital statistics documents

Vital statistics procedures are certified by the data in the population register or extracts issued on the basis of these data. On registering date of birth and certifying marriages and divorces, the first certificate is issued free of charge on the request of the applicant.

Registration of births

The birth of a child is registered in Estonia if the child is born in Estonia, one of the child’s parents was born in Estonia, or both of the child’s parents are Estonian citizens.

read more

Registration of a death

A healthcare service provider or a doctor prepares and death statement electronically, instead of on paper, and forwards the data concerning the death to the Population Register where the death is automatically registered. 

read more

Change of gender

If a person is undergoing the medical process of change of gender and he or she has been issued a decision of a medical expert committee on a change of gender, his or her legal data in the Population Register are also changed.

read more
Contraction of marriage

In Estonia, marriage is contracted by a local government of the county center (in Tallinn, Vital Statistics Office) official, a minister of religion or a notary.

read more

Divorce

A marriage can be divorced if both spouses agree to the divorce in a joint written petition to the local government of the county center, the Tallinn Vital Statistics Office or a notary if the place of residence of both spouses according to the population register is in Estonia.

read more

Foreign documents

The CIEC certificate, divorce certificates to EU Member States and document legalization requirements.

read more

Last updated: 08.02.2023