Foreign trade
Considerations for the investor:
All customs clearance procedures are carried through electronically.- Common customs tariff duties are applicable to all goods imported into the EU.
- Large importers may apply for deferred taxation.
- VAT is not imposed on the import of goods subject to immediate tax warehousing on the condition that the recipient of the imported goods is the keeper of the tax warehouse.
- Exporters and importers must have EORI registration.
With Estonia’s export markets (Estonia’s main export partners are, in addition to euro-area members, our neighbouring countries: Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia.) expanding by an average of 6.6% this year, external demand volume, which suffered a rapid fall in 2009, is now back on the growth path. The growth of Estonia’s main trading partners will remain below the pre-crisis average in the next years. Export markets are assumed to increase by 6.3% in 2011 and by 6.6% in 2012.
| Main commodity groups | Exports | Main commodity groups | Imports |
| Machinery and appliances | 19.6 | Mineral products | 20.1 |
| Mineral products | 16.8 | Machinery and appliances | 19.2 |
| Agricultural products and food preparations | 10.0 | Agricultural products and food preparations | 12.7 |
| Base metals and articles of base metals | 8.7 | Chemical products | 9.4 |
| Wood and wood products | 8.6 | Base metals and articles of base metals | 7.7 |
| Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 8.3 | Transport equipment | 6.3 |
| Transport equipment | 6.5 | Articles of plastc and rubber | 5.4 |
| Chemical products | 5.5 | Textile products | 5.3 |
| Textiles and textile articles | 4.0 | Paper and articles of paper | 2.7 |
| Paper and articles of paper | 3.3 | Wood and wood products | 2.6 |
| Articles of plastc and rubber | 3.1 | Miscellaneous manufactured articles | 2.5 |
| Others | 5.6 | Others | 6.1 |
Source: Statistical Office of Estonia
The main export goods are machinery and equipment, wood and paper products, textiles, food products, and metals and chemical products. Estonia also exports approximately 1.5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
The main imported goods are machinery and equipment, fuel and other chemical products, textiles, food products, and means of transport. Estonia imports 200 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.
Source: PricewaterhouseCoopers - Guide to doing business and investing in Estonia
