This guide is the checklist behind an Estonian bid: each document and step in the order a tender asks for it, and who may lawfully handle it. For how Estonian procurement works overall (the 1 November 2026 reform, thresholds, evaluation, payment and challenges), see How to bid for public tenders in Estonia.
Before you bid
1. Open an account in the public procurement register (riigihanked.riik.ee). One free register carries notices, electronic tenders, questions, results and contract signing; the State Shared Service Centre (RTK) has run it since 2024.
- Cost and time: free; the same day. The account stays open.
- Who does it: your company’s main user (ettevõtja peakasutaja) registers and then adds an adviser as a bidder representative (pakkuja esindaja) to the team of a specific tender. The main user and a representative can both compile and submit the tender, each signing in with their own credentials.
- From abroad: an EU member-state eID works; without one, e-Residency is a route.
2. Make sure each person has an eID. The register and other Estonian e-services use the ID card, Mobile-ID, Smart-ID, the e-Residency digital ID or an eIDAS signature for login and digital signing. The Act itself doesn’t require a digital signature on the tender, but buyers may ask for one. ID cards and e-Residency come from the Police and Border Guard Board, Smart-ID from SK ID Solutions. Each person, you and your adviser alike, uses their own.
- e-Residency: a €150 application fee, about 30 days for the identity check, then 2–5 weeks for delivery. A non-EU director can apply.
With your bid
3. The hankepass (the ESPD). Where the buyer uses it, you file one for your company and for each company whose capacity you rely on. You upload it in the register, and the most recently uploaded file is the one that counts.
- Cost and time: free; 1 day. Valid: for that procedure only.
- Who does it: an adviser prepares it, with RTK’s filling guide to hand; you confirm the declarations on exclusion grounds, sanctions included.
4. References. Comparable contracts prove technical capacity. They are free, take days to draft from your records, and you confirm them. Foreign references are valid.
5. A volikiri for anyone who isn’t a board member. A power of attorney (volikiri) lets a person who isn’t a registered management-board member represent and sign for the company. Digitally signed by a board member, it is free, ready the same day and valid for what it states. Signed on paper abroad, it needs notarisation or an apostille.
6. The language. Expect Estonian unless the buyer’s documents allow another language (s.77). A sworn translator (vandetõlk) prepares translations within days.
7. Tender security, if the buyer asks for it (pakkumuse tagatis). It is optional, at most 1% of the estimated value and the same for every bidder: a guarantee from a bank, financial institution or insurer, or a cash deposit, valid for the tender’s validity. The buyer decides which issuers it accepts. You apply, and a bank or insurer issues it within days. A demand for more than 1% can be challenged.
8. Compile and submit in the register. Questions go through the register. Your representative fills in the tender data, uploads the hankepass and documents, and uses Moodusta pakkumuse dokumendid to preview the tender documents. The main user or a representative submits before the deadline, and a tender can be withdrawn and resubmitted until then.
If you’re the intended winner
The buyer now checks the evidence behind your hankepass.
| Evidence | Issued by | Who can get it for you | Valid for | What only you do |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate on absence of tax arrears | Maksu- ja Tolliamet (EMTA) | Your accountant, with permissions on your e-MTA account, or with a valid authorisation | — | Grant the permissions or authorisation |
| Criminal-record extract and tax or insolvency certificate, foreign companies | Your home-country authorities, or a notary for a sworn or notarised declaration where none is issued | No one else orders them, as they are identity-bound | For that tender | Obtain the extracts or swear the declaration |
The tax certificate is generated at once in e-MTA (Register and inquiries → My inquiries → Compilation of certificates), or within 5 working days through the online form. It is issued when you have no tax arrears, or arrears below EUR 100, or are keeping to an instalment plan, and your returns are filed; the absence-of-arrears data is public. A tax debt can be cured in at least 3 working days during the procedure, and from November 2026 only once per procedure. A foreign company gives its home-country tax certificate or a sworn or notarised declaration.
Then the contract. It is often signed in the register, by your authorised signatory with their own eID.
Before the work and the first invoice
- MTR notice for construction, design and supervision. Firms doing construction that needs a building permit, design, owner’s supervision and similar work file a notice in the Economic Activities Register (MTR), run by TTJA, naming a qualified competent person. Foreign qualifications are recognised. An engineer can prepare it; your company’s representative files it with their eID.
- Construction-site worker register at EMTA. On larger sites, those running over 30 working days with 20 or more workers at once or over 500 person-days, the site, the subcontracting chain and the workers are registered, foreign subcontractors included. Free; your accountant or site administrator does it with e-MTA rights you grant, using worker data you supply.
- Performance guarantee (lepingu täitmise tagatis). The law sets no cap; about 10% appears in sample construction notices. A bank or insurer issues it for the contract; you apply.
- Structured e-invoicing (EN 16931). Invoices to the public sector have had to be structured e-invoices in the European standard since 2019, and cross-border ones go through Peppol. An accountant or e-invoicing operator sets it up within days; you choose the operator.
- An Estonian branch, only if you want one. A foreign company that will operate permanently may register a branch in the e-Business Register (Äriregister), kept by RIK. A lawyer or notary files it under your authorisation; you sign. You don’t need one to bid.
Who does what
| Step | Who can do it | What only you do |
|---|---|---|
| Register account | Your main user registers | Hold the main-user role; add the adviser to each tender |
| eID or e-Residency | — | Each person uses their own |
| Hankepass | Prepared by an adviser | Confirm the declarations |
| References | Drafted from your records | Confirm them |
| Volikiri | Drafted for you | A board member signs |
| Translations | A sworn translator | — |
| Tender security | A bank or insurer | Apply |
| Compiling and submission | Your bidder representative | Confirm the content, or authorise submission by volikiri |
| Tax-arrears certificate | Your accountant with e-MTA permissions | Grant the permissions |
| Home-country evidence (foreign companies) | A notary for declarations | Obtain the extracts or swear the declaration |
| Contract | — | Sign with your own eID |
| MTR notice | An engineer prepares it | File it with your eID; name the competent person |
| Construction-site register | Your accountant or site administrator | Grant e-MTA rights; supply worker data |
| Performance guarantee | A bank or insurer | Apply |
| E-invoicing | An accountant or operator | Choose the operator |
| Branch (optional) | A lawyer or notary | Sign the application or authorisation |
The professionals involved
| Professional | Licensed or regulated by | What they do for a bidder |
|---|---|---|
| Vandeadvokaat or advokaat | Eesti Advokatuur (Estonian Bar Association) | Is added by your main user as a bidder representative on a tender and compiles and submits it; reviews compliance with the Public Procurement Act, the hankepass answers and contract terms; files challenges with the Public Procurement Review Committee, in Estonian |
| Raamatupidaja or vandeaudiitor (accountant or sworn auditor) | Audiitorkogu (Estonian Auditors’ Association, under the Auditors Activities Act) | Applies for EMTA tax-arrears certificates with a valid authorisation; handles VAT and non-resident registration and the construction-site worker register; an auditor confirms financial data where required |
| Hankekonsultant (procurement consultant) | Unregulated | Acts as a bidder representative on the tender team; compiles the tender and hankepass; runs questions and deadline monitoring |
| Bank, financial institution or insurer (tagatis) | Finantsinspektsioon | Issues the tender security (at most 1% of the estimated value) and performance guarantees |
If your company is from abroad
You don’t need an Estonian entity to bid: no Estonian registration is required, though some construction work needs a register notice before it can be performed. Who may bid from abroad is covered in How to bid for public tenders in Estonia. For the paperwork:
Log in to the register with an EU member-state eID; if you have none, e-Residency is a route. Your hankepass is the same and foreign references count. Instead of the EMTA certificate, give your home-country tax certificate, and add a home-country criminal-record extract and insolvency evidence, or a sworn or notarised declaration where these aren’t issued. A volikiri signed on paper abroad needs notarisation or an apostille, and translations are the key risk. Foreign subcontractors go into the construction-site worker register, and an Estonian branch stays optional.
Pitfalls
- Never hand over your ID-card, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID PINs. An adviser works as a named representative with their own eID.
- Add your adviser to the specific tender team from your main user’s account; without that they can’t work on it.
- Screen for sanctions before bidding. Exclusion is mandatory if an award would breach a sanction, and companies from countries without an EU procurement agreement may be refused.
- Watch the 1 November 2026 reform: new thresholds, and a tax debt can be cured only once per procedure.
- Tender security can’t exceed 1%. A higher demand can be challenged.
- Start e-Residency early if your director needs it: the identity check and delivery together take weeks.
- An adviser can represent only one bidder per procurement. Make sure yours isn’t already on a competing bidder’s team.
Doing it with askTender
In Estonia, your askTender Partner is added as a named user on your company’s account on the Public Procurement Register and works under their own login. You keep your own login and sign only what the law reserves to you: the main-user role and each tender-team addition, the hankepass declarations, the volikiri, e-MTA permissions, eID filings for construction notices, and the contract. The askTender Desk prepares the hankepass and references and assembles the tender; askTender Partners, such as a vandeadvokaat, a hankekonsultant or a vandeaudiitor, do the steps their licence or authorisation covers.
Questions
Can an adviser submit my tender in the Estonian register?
Yes, if your main user (ettevõtja peakasutaja) adds them to that tender’s team as a bidder representative (pakkuja esindaja). Both the main user and a representative can compile and submit, each logging in with their own eID. A representative who isn’t a registered board member acts under a volikiri, and by default you confirm the content before it goes in.
How do I get the Estonian tax-arrears certificate?
From the Tax and Customs Board (EMTA). Anyone with permissions on your company’s e-MTA account generates it immediately; with a valid authorisation, the online form takes up to 5 working days. It is issued if you have no tax arrears, or less than EUR 100, or keep to an instalment plan, and your returns are filed. If you have a tax debt, you get at least 3 working days to cure it.
What can a non-EU director use to log in and sign?
An EU member-state eID works in the register. A non-EU director can apply for e-Residency, which gives a digital ID card: the application fee is €150, the identity check takes about 30 days and delivery 2–5 weeks, so start early.
Which documents go in with an Estonian bid?
The hankepass where the buyer uses it, for you and each company whose capacity you rely on; references; a volikiri if someone other than a registered board member signs; translations unless the buyer allows another language; and tender security if it is required, at most 1% of the estimated value. Buyers may also ask for a digital signature.
What does a construction company need before work starts?
For building-permit work, design or owner’s supervision, a notice in the Economic Activities Register (MTR) naming a qualified competent person; foreign qualifications are recognised. On larger sites, the site, the subcontracting chain and the workers, including foreign subcontractors, go into EMTA’s construction-site worker register.
Sources
- Public Procurement Act, version from 1 November 2026 (Riigi Teataja)
- RTK: questions about the public procurement register
- RTK: register user guides
- Tax and Customs Board: applying for certificates
- Tax and Customs Board: registration in the field of construction
- e-Residency: becoming an e-resident
This guide explains the rules in plain English; it isn’t legal advice. Procurement rules change, and each tender document sets its own conditions — it always prevails.