Calculation of the notary fee

Notarial acts subject to a fixed fee

Notarial acts subject to a fixed fee are, for example:

• authentication of a will – €40,36;
• authentication of an application for commencement of succession proceedings – €79,24;
• authentication of an application for accepting succession – €80,79;
• authentication of a power of attorney granted to receive a pension or maintenance support – €3,96;
• authentication of other power of attorney of a natural person – €31,62;
• authentication of a power of attorney issued by a legal person – €61,01;
• preparation of a draft application to be submitted to the land registry or registration department of a court, the certification of the signature of the applicant and the issue of a digital copy of the application – €44,33.
• certification of a signature – €15,81;
• certification of a copy or extract of a document, as well as a printout – €3,96 per page, but not more than €39,62 in total;
• fee for the contraction of a marriage or confirmation of a divorce – €79,36. It is worth noting that if the couple wish to get married outside a notary’s office and outside the notary’s office hours, the fee is subject to agreement.

Hourly rate for work carried out outside the office

An additional hourly fee must be paid for some notarial services. This applies where a notarial act is carried out outside the notary’s office or outside the notary’s working hours (working hours are 9–18 on working days). In such cases, a fee of €4,71 per hour will be added for the time spent on the act.

The client must ensure the necessary transport. If a notary uses their own vehicle, a fee of €4,71 per hour must also be paid for this.

In addition to the notary fee, any reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the act, such as those for long-distance calls, faxes and postage, must also be reimbursed.

Notary fee for notarial services

The fee for notarial services provided by a notary is agreed between the parties.

Exemption from the notary fee

A person may be exempted from paying the notary fee if, due to their financial circumstances, they are unable to pay for the notarial act or if, after paying the fee, they would not have sufficient funds left to cover their day-to-day living expenses. In such cases, the Chamber of Notaries pays the notary fee on the person’s behalf.

An exemption may only be requested in respect of the procedures specified in the Notary Fees Act. These include the certification and revocation of powers of attorney granted by natural persons, procedures relating to wills and inheritance, and the issue of apostilles.

The request must be submitted to the county court of the person’s place of residence within 10 days of receiving the invoice from the notary. If the requestor does not have a permanent place of residence in Estonia, the request may be submitted to the county court within whose territorial jurisdiction the requestor is staying. The request must be submitted in writing in Estonian.

The following must be stated in the request for exemption from the fee:

• the requestor’s name, personal identification code (if none, date of birth), address and contact details;
• description of the issue, explaining why the requestor needed the notarial act and what benefit the requestor will derive from it;
• the extent of exemption from payment of the notary fee being requested (whether to the extent of the full amount of the notary fee or a part of the fee);
• the reason why exemption from the notary fee is requested;
• the requestor’s signature and the date.

The following must be enclosed with the request:

• invoice for the notary fee;
• a copy of the notarial instrument;
• a statement signed by the requestor regarding their financial circumstances;
• where possible, other proof illustrating the financial situation.

The decision on exemption from the notary fee is made by a county court or an assistant judge, and the exemption may be full or partial.

If a person knowingly provides false information in a request for exemption from the notary fee and would not have been exempted from the fee in whole or in part had the correct information been provided, the Chamber of Notaries may reclaim from that person the costs associated with the exemption. In addition, the Chamber of Notaries may charge interest at a rate of 6% per year on any outstanding notary fees and costs relating to notarial acts, calculated from the date on which the Chamber of Notaries paid the fee and reimbursed the costs to the notary.