Driving with a supervisor in Estonia: what to know

Checked against the law on 23 September 2026. Sources are at the end of the page. A reference such as LS § 109(2) means the Traffic Act (liiklusseadus, LS), section 109, subsection 2.

Driving with a supervisor in Estonia (õppesõit juhendajaga) is supervised driving: a learner driver from a driving school practises driving in a private car while a driving supervisor (juhendaja) sits beside them. The supervisor can be a parent or, for an adult learner, also a friend or acquaintance. The law calls this driving practice (sõidupraktika). To supervise, you need a supervisor’s right from the Estonian Transport Administration (Transpordiamet). In Estonian it is called juhendaja õigus or juhendaja tunnistus, and Transpordiamet’s English pages call it a supervisor’s licence. It costs 13 € in the e-service and 20 € at a service bureau, is valid for 12 months and can list up to three learners.

A supervisor does not replace a driving school. Only someone who is studying at a driving school or has finished the course may drive with a supervisor and, according to Transpordiamet, only once the school has allowed them onto public roads. Below you will find the requirements, how to apply, the rules on the road and how a supervisor and a driving school can work together.

A foreign driving licence does not rule you out. A foreign national with a foreign licence applies in person at a Transpordiamet service bureau, not online, and must carry that licence on every drive. The details are in the section on supervisors with a foreign driving licence.

What is driving with a supervisor, and what is driving practice?

The Traffic Act uses two terms. A training drive (õppesõit) is a drive with a driving instructor at a driving school (LS § 109(1)); driving practice (sõidupraktika) is a drive with a supervisor (§ 109(2)). In everyday Estonian people say õppesõit for both, and the law itself is not fully consistent on this.

The supervisor is not just a passenger: during driving practice the supervisor also counts as a driver (LS § 2 clause 19), so a driver’s duties apply to them too. The alcohol ban for supervisors is also written directly into the law (LS § 109(2¹)). The supervisor sits in the front seat next to the learner (Transpordiamet).

Supervisor requirements: who can be a driving supervisor in Estonia?

What the law requires of a supervisor

• Five years with a licence. The supervisor must have held a category B driving licence for at least five years. Time on a provisional first licence counts, and the law does not require the licence to have been held without a break (LS § 109(2) clause 1).
• Not a first-licence holder. A supervisor’s right is not issued to the holder of a provisional first licence (§ 109(4)).
• No penalties of certain kinds in force. What stands in the way is a penalty in force for driving while intoxicated or over the alcohol limit, or for an offence that is punishable by withdrawal of the right to drive or for which the right to drive has been withdrawn (§ 109(2) clause 2). A fine for an offence that is not punishable by withdrawal of the right to drive is no obstacle.
• A valid health certificate. Your driver’s health certificate (tervisetõend) must be recorded in the traffic register (liiklusregister); otherwise the e-service will not accept the application. How to get a driver’s health certificate: first fill in a health declaration in the Health Portal (Terviseportaal), then see a family doctor (perearst), an occupational health doctor (töötervishoiuarst) or a traffic medicine commission (liiklusmeditsiini komisjon). The doctor’s decision reaches Transpordiamet automatically.
• No exam or course. The supervisor does not have to pass an exam or take a course (LS § 109, Regulation No 55).

When does a penalty stop being in force? Data on a misdemeanour (väärtegu) are deleted from the criminal records database one year after both the main and any additional penalty have been served (Criminal Records Database Act, karistusregistri seadus, § 24 and § 25). Driving in a state of intoxication (joobeseisund) is a criminal offence (Penal Code, KarS § 424). Data on a criminal offence committed as an adult are deleted 3 or 5 years after the sentence has been served, depending on the sentence.

Supervisor for a learner under 18

A learner under 18 can only be supervised by their legal representative (seaduslik esindaja; LS § 109(5); Family Law Act, perekonnaseadus, § 120 and § 179): a parent with custody (hooldusõigus) or a guardian appointed by a court (eestkostja). A grandmother, aunt or family friend can supervise a minor only if a court has appointed them as guardian. A parent without custody is not a legal representative. An adult learner can be supervised by anyone who meets the requirements.

A driving instructor as supervisor

A person with a valid driving instructor’s licence (mootorsõidukijuhi õpetaja õigus) may supervise without a separate supervisor’s right (LS § 109(3)). As a supervisor they do not fill in the study card, and for a learner under 18 the legal-representative rule applies to them too.

Supervisor with a foreign driving licence

This is the part that matters most if you have moved to Estonia with a licence from another country. A foreign national with a foreign driving licence can become a supervisor on these terms:

• Service bureau only. The application is made only at a Transpordiamet service bureau (teenindusbüroo), not in the e-service, so the bureau fee of 20 € applies.
• Your data must be in the register. Your foreign driving licence and a valid driver’s health certificate must be entered in the Estonian traffic register.
• The same conditions as everyone else. You must have held the licence for at least five years and have no penalties of the kinds listed above in force.
• Carry the licence. A supervisor who has no Estonian driving licence must carry the valid foreign driving licence during driving practice (LS § 88(9)). An identity document alone is not enough.

The under-18 rule applies as well: a parent with a foreign licence can supervise their own child if they are the child’s legal representative.

How do you apply for the supervisor’s right?

The e-service (e-teenindus) is cheaper, and the right is granted as soon as you have paid. Before applying, make sure the learner’s study card carries the driving school’s entry allowing them onto public roads (Transpordiamet advises checking this) and that your health certificate in the register is valid. If you are a foreign national with a foreign driving licence, the e-service route is not open to you: see the service bureau section below.

1. Log in. Open the Transpordiamet e-service and log in with an ID card, Mobile-ID, Smart-ID or EU eID.
2. Choose the application. In the left-hand menu choose “JUHT” (driver) and then “Juhendaja tunnistuse taotlemine” (applying for a supervisor’s certificate).
3. Add the learners. Enter the personal identification codes (isikukood) of one to three learners using the “LISAN” (add) button, then press “KINNITAN” (confirm).
4. Confirm. Check the preview, press “KINNITAN” and then “KINNITA” once more.
5. Pay 13 €. Pay through your online bank (bank link). The right is granted after payment and appears under “JUHT” → “Minu dokumendid” (my documents).

The steps follow Transpordiamet’s guide of 29 November 2024, which describes the Estonian-language menus. Under the regulation, Transpordiamet makes its decision within one working day (Regulation No 55 § 2(2)); in the e-service the right is granted as soon as you have paid.

At the service bureau in Tallinn

Heli tn 6, 12618 Tallinn. Open Mon, Tue and Wed 9–17, Thu 10–17 and Fri 9–16 (as of 23 September 2026). You can book an appointment at broneering.transpordiamet.ee. Booking is recommended but not compulsory. The fee is 20 €, payable by card (except American Express) or bank transfer. Cash is accepted only for fees of up to 10 €, so the supervisor’s fee cannot be paid in cash. For a foreign national with a foreign driving licence, the bureau is the only way to apply.

How much does the supervisor’s right cost?

Since 1 July 2024 the state fee (riigilõiv) has been 13 € in the e-service and 20 € at a service bureau (State Fees Act, riigilõivuseadus, § 142⁷⁸(2)). If you see 12 € and 16 € elsewhere, those were the fees before 1 July 2024, and claims that it is free are wrong.

What documents do you need?

• an identity document;
• your driving licence, only if the traffic register has no data on your valid licence;
• a health certificate, if the data in the register are not valid or your health has changed (not needed if the doctor sent it electronically);
• the personal identification codes of one to three learners;
• payment of the state fee.

With a foreign licence, the data of that licence and of your health certificate must already be in the traffic register (see the section on supervisors with a foreign driving licence).

How long is the supervisor’s right valid, and how do you add a new learner?

The supervisor’s right is valid for 12 months (LS § 109(3¹)). Neither the law nor the regulation provides for extending it: once it expires, you submit a new application and pay the fee again.

Up to three learners can be listed on one right (Regulation No 55 § 2(5)). A new learner cannot be added to an existing right. You can hold only one valid supervisor’s right at a time, and when a new one is issued the old one is revoked, so list everyone you supervise on the new application. The same learner can be listed on several supervisors’ rights, for example on both parents’. For a learner under 18, each supervisor must be their legal representative.

The right is revoked if the grounds for issuing it cease to exist (for example, the supervisor receives a penalty of the kind listed above), if it was issued without grounds, if it has been falsified or if a new one is issued (Regulation No 55 § 3).

When may a learner driver start driving with a supervisor?

Only someone who is studying at a driving school or has finished the course may drive with a supervisor (LS § 109(2)). Three further conditions must be met:

• for category B, the learner is at least 15.5 years old (LS § 103(2) clause 2);
• the study card carries the driving school’s entry allowing the learner onto public roads, or the course is finished and the learner has a training course certificate (koolituskursuse tunnistus; Transpordiamet);
• the learner’s name is on the supervisor’s right (§ 109(2) clause 4).

The school makes the entry once the driving instructor has judged that the learner is ready to drive in traffic on public roads (Regulation No 60 § 11(4)). The law sets no fixed number of lessons, and the theory test does not have to be taken first.

The driving school must give the learner a study card and, after the course, a training course certificate (Regulation No 60 § 48(1) and (1¹)). The card can be on paper or electronic, and it records the date the learner was allowed onto public roads. Neither the law nor the regulations set a validity period for the study card or the training course certificate.

According to Transpordiamet, a person whose right to drive was withdrawn as a main or additional penalty cannot drive with a supervisor; they can take lessons at a driving school. The same applies if a provisional first licence and the right to drive have been revoked and the withdrawal period has not ended.

At Kindel Rool the entry on the study card depends on the learner’s readiness: in practice, a learner can usually start driving with a supervisor after the first couple of driving lessons. On the drives with your supervisor, we recommend repeating what you covered in the lessons, so that it sticks.

What must you carry on the drive?

Source: LS § 88(1)–(3), (8) and (9); Transpordiamet’s e-service guide.

The car and the learner-vehicle sign

A car used for driving practice must display the learner-vehicle sign (õppesõiduki tunnusmärk), visible from the front and the rear (LS § 109(6)). This applies to an ordinary private car too.

The sign’s appearance is described only in Annex 2 to Regulation No 54, which covers driving schools’ training cars. The law uses the same term for the supervisor’s car.

Where should the sign go? The law only requires it to be visible from the front and the rear. However, nothing may be placed in the driver’s field of vision that significantly restricts visibility to the front and sides (technical requirements, Annex 1 code 612). That is why we recommend putting the front sign on the bonnet (with a magnet) or in the lower corner of the windscreen on the passenger side, not in front of the driver.

Extra pedals and an extra mirror. The law does not require them in a private car. A driving school’s training car has extra pedals and an extra mirror.

Rules and liability

Alcohol. During driving practice the supervisor must not be intoxicated or over the alcohol limit: the alcohol content must be below 0.20 mg per gram of blood and below 0.10 mg per litre of exhaled air (LS § 109(2¹), § 69(3)). An owner, possessor (valdaja) or driver must not let anyone drive who has no right to drive, is intoxicated, is over the alcohol limit or whose state of health endangers traffic (§ 90(2)). During the drive the supervisor is also a driver, so this applies to them as well.

Phone. The learner at the wheel must not use a phone without a hands-free device (LS § 33(11)). The law does not say directly whether the ban also applies to the supervisor sitting beside them. We recommend that the supervisor puts the phone away.

Speed. During a training drive the speed must not exceed 90 km/h (LS § 50(2)). The law is not clear on whether this limit also applies to driving with a supervisor. We recommend not exceeding 90 km/h with a supervisor either. The 70 km/h limit that circulates on forums is outdated.

Car parks. Under the law, a road also includes an area that the landowner has designated for traffic (LS § 2 clause 81), so we recommend keeping to all the driving-practice conditions in a supermarket car park too.

Restrictions in Tallinn

Tallinn City Government Regulation No 180 bans training drives at all times in the Old Town and on A. Weizenbergi Street between Poska and Mäekalda streets. On working days from 7:00 to 9:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, training drives are also banned in a large area of the city centre whose boundary runs from Kalasadama Street to Lootsi Street (the boundary streets included). During the same hours they are also banned on certain sections of Narva mnt, Paldiski mnt, Endla Street, Pärnu mnt, Peterburi tee and Tartu mnt, and on Järvevana tee, Toompuiestee, Rannamäe tee and the Haabersti roundabout. The exact boundaries are in the regulation.

The regulation refers only to training drives and does not mention supervisors, so it is not clear whether the ban also covers driving with a supervisor. We recommend following these restrictions with a supervisor as well.

Insurance

Compulsory motor insurance (liikluskindlustus) compensates the injured party regardless of who is at the wheel (Motor Insurance Act, liikluskindlustuse seadus, § 12). The insurer may reclaim the compensation it paid from a driver who had no right to drive, was intoxicated or was over the alcohol limit (§ 53), so check before the drive that all the driving-practice conditions are met. For comprehensive cover (kasko), check your policy.

How much supervised driving is enough, and how do you work with the driving school?

Transpordiamet recommends driving at least 100–120 hours or 3,000–4,000 km with a supervisor before the driving test (“Reminders for a personal driving supervisor”). Transpordiamet’s driver training page sets a slightly different target: about 100 hours in total with the school and the supervisor, 3,000–4,000 km in town and outside built-up areas. The 30 compulsory driving lessons at a driving school are a minimum, not a target.

At our school we say iga kilomeeter loeb: every kilometre counts. Transpordiamet says the same in its own words: “the more driving experience a young driver gets, the safer a driver they will become”.

You do not have to teach perfectly. The supervisor is not a driving instructor and does not need to be one: their job is to give the learner driving experience. If the learner picks up a bad habit on practice drives, we correct it in the lessons. The more you drive, the better.

The supervisor comes to a lesson. Transpordiamet recommends that the supervisor takes part in the learner’s driving lessons and talks to the driving instructor. We strongly recommend it and do exactly that: we invite the supervisor along to roughly the third or fourth driving lesson. We have nothing to hide from the supervisor. They see how we teach and afterwards know better what to focus on during practice drives.

In the same lesson we try out stop words: short words, agreed in advance, that tell the learner to brake at once. A private car has no extra pedals, so the supervisor stops the car with a word. We also explain to the supervisor how to use the handbrake if they ever need to. It is simply an invitation to the lesson; there is no separate service or price for it.

Do not always drive the same route. Drives between home, work, the shop and the gym are a good start, but they are not enough. Transpordiamet recommends driving at different times of day, in the suburbs, in the city centre and on the highway, not just between home and the summer cottage. Our advice: make drives with your supervisor a little game or a mini trip. Lasnamäe today, Nõmme or Pirita next time, then a roundabout you have not tried yet. A new place is more interesting and teaches more.

Transpordiamet recommends teaching in stages:

1. By the end of the first stage, the learner can drive without the supervisor touching any of the controls (not even the air conditioning) or pointing out traffic control devices such as road signs, unless there is real danger.
2. In the second stage the supervisor does not point out other road users either, unless there is danger. The learner notices them on their own.
3. In the third stage the learner plans a route of about an hour that includes a stretch of highway, for example using a map app.

The third stage is the mini trip. Independent driving is one of the main skills assessed in the test (Transpordiamet).

Start on quiet streets. A driving school may not start training drives on a busy road where the learner would endanger or significantly hinder other road users (Regulation No 60 § 11(4¹)). We recommend the same to supervisors. For the first drives, we recommend taking no other passengers. The supervisor should be rested, calm and in a good mood (Transpordiamet).

Supervisor or driving instructor: what is the difference?

To get a driving licence you need to complete a driving-school course (at least 28 theory lessons and 30 driving lessons over at least four weeks) and first-aid training, and pass the theory and driving tests (LS § 100(3); Regulation No 60 § 11(3) and Annex 4). Driving with a supervisor comes on top of this.

A supervisor is not a restricted-licence companion

The restricted right to drive (piiratud juhtimisõigus, LS § 95) is something different. A 16- or 17-year-old can get it after passing the theory and driving tests. It is valid until the age of 18 and only in Estonia. A legal representative, or a person with the representative’s written consent, must sit beside the driver. This companion (saatja) must have held a category B licence for at least two years (time on a provisional or restricted licence does not count) and must be sober. The car carries the beginner-driver sign (algaja juhi tunnusmärk), and no supervisor’s right is needed.

You may drive a category B car on your own, without a companion, from the age of 18. For a provisional first licence, the driving test can be taken no earlier than three months before your 18th birthday (LS § 103(1) clause 7, § 110(3)).

What may change?

The Road Safety Programme 2026–2035 (Liiklusohutusprogramm) says that in future a theory test, a certain number of driving lessons or both might be required to get a supervisor’s right. This is a plan, not law: as of 23 September 2026 there is no bill on it in the Riigikogu (the Estonian parliament) and no date has been set.

Driving lessons before the test

With a supervisor the learner collects kilometres; a driving instructor helps find and correct mistakes. Transpordiamet recommends driving with both.

If the driving test did not go well. Transpordiamet recommends going through the test results with your supervisor and, on later drives, focusing on the weaknesses the test revealed without neglecting other skills. The examiner’s remarks are in the driving test report (sõidueksami kaart), which is available in the e-service for 12 months. You may keep driving with your supervisor as long as the supervisor’s right is valid, because someone who has finished the course may do driving practice. Before the next attempt we recommend a lesson with a driving instructor who goes through the test report with you. According to Transpordiamet, after every third failed driving test you have to complete continued training for category B (jätkuõpe).

If you study at another driving school and want extra lessons before the test, you can take them with us. Your course, the school exam and your register entry stay with your school, and nobody informs your school.

• The first session is two driving lessons in a row (80 €); after that each 45-minute lesson costs 35 €.
• A written plan: which topics we cover and in what order. We do not fix the number of lessons in advance, because every learner is different.
• A mock test on request (two lessons, 80 €): 35 minutes as in the real test; the instructor stays silent, and afterwards we go through the drive together.
• We drive only in the school’s training car, with an automatic or manual gearbox.
• To be clear: our lessons do not replace your school’s compulsory lessons and do not count towards them.

Frequently asked questions

Further reading

• Driving test at Transpordiamet
• Further training before the driving test
• Driver’s health certificate – the supervisor needs one too
• Changing driving school
• First aid course

Sources

Read on 23 September 2026; the links open the version in force. The legal texts are in Estonian.

• Traffic Act (liiklusseadus) – § 2, 33, 50, 69, 88, 90, 95, 100, 103, 109 and 110: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/111072026044?leiaKehtiv
• Regulation No 55 of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, “Mootorsõidukijuhi juhendaja tunnistuse väljaandmise kord” (procedure for issuing supervisor’s certificates): https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/120052015005?leiaKehtiv
• Regulation No 60 – § 11, § 48, Annex 4: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/115012025007?leiaKehtiv
• Regulation No 54 – Annex 2, learner-vehicle sign: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/aktilisa/1280/7202/3004/MKM54_lisa2.pdf
• Technical requirements for motor vehicles and their trailers (Regulation No 42) – Annex 1 code 612: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/aktilisa/1241/0202/5004/KLIM_m63_lisa_1.pdf
• Tallinn City Government Regulation No 180, “Mootorsõidukite õppesõidu korraldus Tallinnas” (training drives in Tallinn): https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/417062015024
• Penal Code (karistusseadustik) – § 424: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/109072026027?leiaKehtiv
• Criminal Records Database Act (karistusregistri seadus) – § 24 and 25: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/118032026030?leiaKehtiv
• Family Law Act (perekonnaseadus) – § 120 and 179: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/107052025017?leiaKehtiv
• Motor Insurance Act (liikluskindlustuse seadus) – § 12 and 53: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/129062024012?leiaKehtiv
• State Fees Act (riigilõivuseadus) – § 142⁷⁸: https://www.riigiteataja.ee/akt/111072026166?leiaKehtiv
• Transpordiamet, personal driving supervisor (4 December 2025): https://transpordiamet.ee/mootorsoidukijuhi-juhendaja-ja-opetaja; in English: https://transpordiamet.ee/en/mobility-and-transportation/driving-licence-and-right-drive/personal-driving-supervisor-or-driving
• Transpordiamet, reminders for a personal driving supervisor (22 May 2023): https://transpordiamet.ee/mootorsoidukijuhi-juhendaja-meelespea; in English: https://transpordiamet.ee/en/reminders-personal-driving-supervisor
• Transpordiamet, driver training (1 July 2025), in Estonian only: https://transpordiamet.ee/mootorsoidukijuhi-koolitus
• Transpordiamet, driving test (7 September 2026): https://transpordiamet.ee/soidueksam; in English: https://transpordiamet.ee/en/practical-driving-test
• Transpordiamet, e-service guide “Juhendaja õiguse taotlemine” (29 November 2024): https://www.transpordiamet.ee/sites/default/files/documents/2024-12/Juhendaja%20%C3%B5iguse%20taotlemine.pdf
• Transpordiamet, state fees and how to pay them (28 April 2026): https://www.transpordiamet.ee/uudised-ametist-ja-kontakt/dokumendid-ja-riigiloivud/riigiloivud-ja-nende-tasumine
• Transpordiamet, service bureaus (21 September 2026): https://www.transpordiamet.ee/teenindusburood
• Road Safety Programme 2026–2035 (Liiklusohutusprogramm): https://www.transpordiamet.ee/sites/default/files/documents/2026-01/Liiklusohutusprogramm%202026%E2%80%932035.pdf