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Divorce

Department of Population Facts
Tiigi 12, 50410 Tartu

Küüni 5, 51004 Tartu
Phone: 736 1140

Opening hours: Mon 9:00–12:00, 14:00–17:30; Tue 12:00–16:00, Wed, Fri 9:00–12:00 and 13:00–16:00; Thu closed

Divorce
Divorce in a foreign state
Refunding of state fee
See also

Submission of application

A marriage can be dissolved upon the mutual agreement of the spouses in the county town local authority if, according to the population register, the residence of both spouses is in Estonia, and Estonian law is applied to the divorce.

In order to divorce, the spouses shall personally submit a joint written application for divorce on the spot at the Population Facts Department of the Tartu City Government (Tiigi 12, Tartu). In order to submit the application for divorce, the presence of both spouses is required. You must bring along identity documents.

Reception times
Mon 9–12 and 14.00–17.30
Tues 12–16
Wed 9–12 and 13–16
Thu Closed
Fri 9-12 and 13-16

To submit an application, please book an appointment in advance online or by calling 742-0632 and, if possible, please submit a pre-filled application for divorce when appearing in person.

Joint application for divorce (in Estonian)
Joint application for divorce (same-sex couples) (in Estonian)
Separate application for divorce (in Estonian)

A document certifying the conclusion of the marriage must be submitted if it has not been entered in the population register. 

When granting a divorce at a vital statistics office, issues of property law or joint child custody are not resolved, only the termination of marriage is formalised.

If at least one spouse is not living in Estonia according to the population register, the marriage shall be dissolved by a notary public.

If the spouses argue about the divorce or the circumstances surrounding the divorce, the marriage shall be dissolved in court.

If a spouse cannot appear with good reason at a vital statistics office in person for submission of a joint application, he or she may submit a separate notarially authenticated application.

Upon accepting an application, a vital statistics official shall determine the date of divorce which shall be communicated to both spouses. It is possible to dissolve a marriage one to three months after submitting the application for divorce.

The application for divorce can be withdrawn or the date of divorce can be changed until the date of the divorce. In order to amend or withdraw the application for divorce, a written application signed by both parties or digitally signed must be submitted.

If the spouses fail to appear at the vital statistics office on the determined date to divorce without giving a reason for their failure to appear, they shall be deemed not to have submitted an application for divorce.

Additional information: Siiri Sinijärv, tel: 742-0632; e-mail:[email protected]
 

READ MORE

About divorce on the website of the Ministry of the Interior

Surname after divorce

In the event of a divorce, the vital statistics office may restore the pre-marital surname of the person on the basis of the application submitted by the person, otherwise the surname held by the person during the marriage will be preserved.

The surname to be restored can be the surname last borne before the divorce, the last last name used before the first marriage or registered cohabitation after which the marriage was concluded.

Divorce

Divorce is possible one to three months after filing the petition for divorce on a specified date.

If the spouses are unable to appear at the vital statistics office on the determined date with good reason, they shall notify the vital statistics office thereof and the vital statistics office shall determine a new date for divorce.

The marriage shall be dissolved in the presence of both spouses.

A divorce may be granted without the presence of one spouse if the spouse cannot appear at a vital statistics office with good reason and the consent of the spouse to the divorce without the presence of the spouse which is authenticated by a notary is submitted.

To certify the divorce, a divorce certificate is issued and a divorce entry is made in the population register.

State fee and the payment thereof

A state fee of EUR 50 must be paid for making a divorce entry, and it must be paid before the application is submitted.

It is possible to pay on the spot using a bank card at the self-service checkout or in the Internet bank.

Recipient: Ministry of Finance
SEB Pank EE891010220034796011
Swedbank EE932200221023778606
Luminor Bank EE701700017001577198
Reference number 10294002000134

When making the payment, indicate in the explanation: divorce entry and the surname(s) of the spouses

Last changed 06.02.2024

If the divorce took place in a foreign state, the person is required to submit to an Estonian vital statistics office the necessary documents for the registration of the data in the population register within 30 days of the change in the vital statistics data.

As a general rule, foreign documents submitted in Estonia to prove a vital statistics event must be legalised or authenticated by a certificate (apostille), depending on the country. Documents from countries that have not joined the Hague Convention must be legalised.

List of countries that have joined the Convention

A document in a foreign language must be translated into Estonian, Russian, or English, unless the document is in Russian or English. The translation shall be done by a sworn translator.

Read more

Detailed information on foreign documents is available from the website of the Ministry of the Interior

Last changed 22.08.2022

If you choose to opt out of the divorce, please submit a digitally signed free form application to the e-mail address [email protected].

If the spouses fail to appear on the determined date to divorce and do not give a reason for their failure to appear, they shall be deemed not to have submitted an application for divorce.

In order to refund the state fee in the event of the withdrawal of the application for divorce, the payer shall submit a digitally signed application.

Application form for refunding of state fee (in Estonian)

The claim to refund the state fee expires two years after the end of the year in which the state fee was paid. When refunding the state fee, the procedural costs involved in reviewing the application will be deducted.

Last changed 22.08.2022