Administrative reform changes over half a million addresses in Estonia

TALLINN – About 555,000 addresses across Estonia changed as a result of the administrative reform the outcome of which became official with the declaration of the results of the Oct. 15 local polls, including some 300,000 addresses of dwellings and workplaces.

"The changes to addresses brought about by the administrative reform have been entered into the address data system of the Land Board. We depended in this work on the declaration of the results of the municipal council elections, which took until last Friday. In the near future the changes will move on from the address data system to other databases -- the Population Register, the Commercial Register, the Land Register and the Construction Register. Citizens don't have to do anything in this," said Mall Kivisalu, head of the department for address data at the Land Board.

In all about 555,000 addresses had to be changed, of which some 385,000 are addresses of cadastral units, 160,000 addresses of commercial and utility buildings, and 155,000 addresses of dwellings. Hence the addresses of about 300,000 homes and workplaces changed.

Whether or not an address has changed can be checked with an address converter available on the opening web page of the geo-portal of the Land Board.

Particular attention is required from residents of the five towns within towns, or Haapsalu, Paide, Tartu, Parnu and Narva-Joesuu, which now stand for municipalities and settlement units of the same name. This means that in the new official addresses the word "linn," Estonian for town, appears twice, the official said.

As an example, the Land Board brought an address in Tartu city: Tartu maakond, Tartu linn, Tartu linn, W. Struve tanav 1, or Tartu County, Tartu City, Tartu City, W. Struve Street 1. In everyday communication the name of the town usually does not have to be duplicated. In official documents this is necessary, however, because there is now a settlement unit, or town within the town, within the boundaries of the former city of Tartu as a municipality. The world "linn" will also appear in the addresses of some villages.

The mapping apps Google Maps and HERE have said that they will update the Estonian address data in their navigation systems. Hopefully the same will be done by other foreign service providers, the Land Board said.