Survival guide to citizens of Tartu

Survival guide to citizens of Tartu
Dear citizen of Tartu | 1
Contents
Public internet points Public holidays and flag days Phone calls Post
Banks
Legalisation of documents Visas
Identification documents
Accommodation Residence and work permit
Registering your place of residence Health insurance
Birth
Death
Marriage Day care centres and schools Language classes 2
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19
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Public transportation Waste management
Social issues
Consumer protection Income tax declaration
Workers’ rights Pets
Consular offices in Tartu
Libraries
Archives
Libraries
Cultural centres in Tartu
Lost-and-found office Information about cultural events Municipal maintenance hotline
Emergency signal
Important phone numbers
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We hope that the current publication will assist you in dealing with different institutions
and organisations in our city. The phone numbers, addresses and web pages will help
you contact the necessary institutions or individuals.
You can find a lot of useful information on the web page www.eesti.ee, which also has
an English- and Russian-language version. The State Portal is an electronic environment
through which you can do a number of things electronically, which previously required
filling in papers, visiting an office and spending a lot of time. However, the service
environment is only in Estonian.
You are also welcome at the Information Centre of Tartu on the ground floor of the Town
Hall. The information specialist of the City Government can assist you in your dealings
with different public institutions (open Mon 9–18 and Tue – Fri 9–17, phone: 736 1101,
e-mail: infokeskus@raad.tartu.ee). The second counter provides tourist information
(also open on Saturdays, phone: 744 2111, e-mail: info@visittartu.com). You can find
information about our city on the web pages www.tartu.ee and www.visittartu.com,
which have been translated into many languages.
We wish you a great time in Tartu!
Sincerely yours,
Information Service, Tartu City Government
2 | Public internet points
• Information Centre of Tartu (Town Hall)
phone: 736 1101 and 744 2111
In summer Mon 9–18, Tue – Fri 9–17, Sat 10–17, Sun 9–17
In winter Mon 9–18, Tue – Fri 9–17, Sat 10–15
• O. Luts Tartu City Library (Kompanii 5)
Mon – Fri 9–20, Sat 10–16, phone: 736 1379
• Reading Room of City Library (Raekoja plats 11)
Mon - Fri 9-20, Sat 10–16, phone: 748 3012
• Karlova-Ropka Library (Tehase 16)
Mon – Fri 10–19, Sat 10–16, phone: 730 8472
• Tammelinna Library (Suur kaar 56)
Mon – Fri 9–20, Sat 10–16, phone: 746 1035
• Annelinna Library (Kaunase pst 23)
Mon – Fri 9–20, Sat 10–16, Sat 10–15.30, phone: 746 1042
Public internet points | 3
• Finnish Institute (Vanemuise 19)
Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10–16, Wed 10–18, phone: 742 7319
• Anne Youth Centre (Uus 56)
Mon – Fri 15–21, phone: 746 1775 and 5120314
• Digimaailm (Riia 1, Tartu kaubamaja Shopping Centre)
Mon – Sat 9–21, Sun 9–18, phone: 731 5143
• Lõunakeskus Shopping Centre (Ringtee 75)
Mon – Sun 10–21, phone: 730 3852
• Bytehouse Computer Lounge (Vanemuise 21, basement)
Mon – Fri 10–18, Sat 10–15, phone: 742 3443 and 552 6666
Wireless internet access areas can be found on the web page www.wifi.ee. The
number of WiFi areas is growing constantly, and WiFi can be accessed in many
pubs, hotels and public buildings.
Owners of WAP-capable phones can try out the city´s WAP portal: wap.tartu.ee,
which lists useful information.
Public holidays and flag days | 5
4 | Public holidays and flag days
National holiday and a day off:
Days when national flags are raised (flag days):
24 February - Independence Day, Anniversary of the Republic of Estonia
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Public holidays and days off:
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1 January - New Year’s Day;
Good Friday;
Easter Sunday;
1 May - May Day;
Whitsunday;
23 June - Victory Day;
24 June - St. John’s Day (Midsummer);
20 August - Restoration of Independence Day;
24 December - Christmas Eve;
25 December - Christmas Day;
26 December - Boxing Day.
The work day preceding the New Year’s Day, the Anniversary of the Republic of Estonia,
Victory Day and Christmas Eve is three hours shorter than usual work days.
3 January - War of Independence Veterans Day;
2 February - Anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty;
24 February - Independence Day, Anniversary of the Republic of Estonia;
14 March - Native Language Day;
2nd Sunday of May - Mother’s Day;
9 May - Europe Day;
4 June - Estonian Flag Day;
14 June - Mourning Day (flags are decorated with a black ribbon);
23 June - Victory Day;
24 June - St. John’s Day (Midsummer);
20 August - Restoration of Independence Day;
1 September - Knowledge Day;
2nd Sunday in November - Father’s Day;
Election day (parliamentary elections, local elections, elections to the European
Parliament), referendum day.
6 | Public holidays and flag days
Flags have to be raised on residential buildings
on three days only – Independence Day,
Victory Day and Restoration of Independence
Day.
The flag of Tartu is used for the celebrations
of the city of Tartu and in connection with
other special occasions. The inhabitants of
Tartu have the right to raise the flag to mark
family occasions and holidays; enterprises
and organisations may raise the flag of the
city of Tartu during their events and special
occasions.
29 June is celebrated as the Day of the City
of Tartu.
Phone calls | 7
All regular phone numbers in Estonia have 7 digits (most numbers in Tartu start with 7).
For international calls, dial 00, then the country code, area code and phone number.
For dialling from abroad, the country code for Estonia is +372. Use the same country
code when calling from a mobile phone inside Estonia, adding a phone number for
the regular or mobile phone.
Estonia has one of the highest numbers of mobile phones per capita in the world.
Mobile phones can be used for parking, making payments in shops and restaurants,
buying public transport tickets and even for online banking. You can choose between
a contract with a mobile phone service provider or a pre-paid calling card. Calling cards
have no monthly payments, but slightly higher per-minute rates, and can be bought
from petrol stations and news-stands.
In order to call from a phone booth, purchase a phone card from a news-stand. Unfortunately there are no phone books in phone booths. You can consult a phone book
in the post office. Another option is to call one of the phone information numbers:
1182, 1184, 1185, 1188 and 17017. The phone numbers of private individuals and
enterprises can also be found on the Russian- or English-language internet web pages
at www.1182.ee, www.1188.ee.
8 | Post
Tartu Central Post Office (Vanemuise 7, phone: 1661) offers all regular postal services
(including fax). The opening hours are Mon – Fri 9–19, Sat 9–15. You can find conditions
and prices of different services on the web page www.post.ee. If you have received a
notice from the post office informing you about the arrival of a package, you can call
the number 744 0654 and have the package delivered to your home or a post office
convenient for you, free of charge.
The post office also provides the Western Union money transfer service, the speediest way for
transferring money to other countries, with transfers effected within a couple of minutes.
Banks
If you are going to stay here for a longer period of time, you should open an account in
a local bank. This will enable you to use internet banking (which is very common and
convenient in Estonia), get a bank card for cash withdrawals from ATMs, make payments
via ATMs and pay for goods and services in most shops. Western Union services are
handled by, in addition to Tartu Central Post Office, also by Krediidipank (Akadeemia 3,
phone: 742 0563, opening hours Mon – Fri 9–17, web page: www.krediidipank.ee).
The Tavid Currency Exchange Office in the centre of Tartu (Rüütli 2, phone: 1771) �����������
and in Lõunakeskus shopping centre (Ringtee 75, phone: 731 5541) are open seven days a week.
Legalisation of documents | 9
If the documents issued by the agencies of one country are used in another country,
their correctness has to be verified. For that, a document has to be either legalised
or attested by apostil. Legalisation is a longer and more complicated procedure in
which the document has to be presented to an appropriate agency in your home
country (in Estonia the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) which will verify the correctness of
the document and forward it to the relevant government agency (embassy/consulate)
in the other country.
On 1 October 2001, the Hague Convention on the annulment of the requirement for the
legalisation of the public documents of other countries came into effect with regard to
Estonia. The convention aims at making international document communication easier.
The full list of the countries can be found at http://hcch.e-vision.nl.
In order to be used in all the countries that have joined the convention, documents
have to be attested with a certificate (apostil) in a relevant Estonian agency. All documents from other countries that come into use in Estonia have to be attested with a
certificate (apostil) in the country of origin.
Documents do not have to be attested with an apostil if they will be used in one
of the countries with which Estonia has signed an agreement on legal aid (Lithuania,
Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, Russia).
Legalisation of documents | 11
10 | Legalisation of documents
In Estonia the certificates are issued by the following ministries:
3. Ministry of Education and Research
1. Ministry of Internal Affairs
(Tartu, Munga 18, phone: 735 0256; Tallinn, Tõnismägi 11-107, phone: 735 0233, web
page: www.hm.ee)
(Tallinn, Oleviste 1, phone: 612 5170 and 612 5231, e-mail: valentina.laksberg@siseministeerium.ee, web page: www.siseministeerium.ee)
Diplomas, certificates and academic transcripts, including certificates of proficiency
in Estonian.
Certificates ascertaining the absence of circumstances that hinder contraction of
marriage, birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce certificates, death certificates,
name change certificates, certificates of the Citizenship and Migration Board, police
certificates, certificates of the Population Register, certificates and documents of local
governments.
2. Ministry of Justice
(Supervision and Legal Servicing Division,Tallinn, Lõkke 4-328, phone: 683 7560, e-mail:
info.apostill@just.ee, web page: www.just.ee)
Court and notarised documents, notarised copies and translations, documents of
Registration Department and Centre of Registers.
4. Ministry of Social Affairs
(Tallinn, Gonsiori 29, phone: 626 9306, web page: www.sm.ee)
Medical certificates, pension certificates and documents verifying length of employment.
5. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Tallinn, Islandi väljak 1, phone: 631 7478, e-mail: legaliseerimine@mfa.ee, web page:
www.vm.ee) Prior appointments are required and can be made by phone: 637 7440.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests (with an apostil) documents that do not fall within
the purview of other ministries mentioned above.
12 | Legalisation of documents
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also continues to legalise documents which originate
from or are addressed to countries that have not joined the Hague convention. The
Ministry also legalises public documents issued by countries that participate in the
convention prior to 1 October 2001 and public documents legalised in the countries
prior to 1 October 2001.
The above-mentioned agencies receive documents on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays from 10 to 12 and issue documents from 15 to 16 on the same days.
A document will be legalised within five, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within 10
business days.
Starting from 1 January 2010 all Estonian notaries public will attest (with an apostil)
documents that have this far been the responsibility of different ministries (contact
information of notaries public can be found at www.notar.ee). Only the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs will continue to operate as before.
Visas | 13
Visa information is available on the web page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (web
page: www.vm.ee/eng, phone: 631 7440). The nationals of the countries listed in
the section “Who does not need a visa to visit Estonia” may visit Estonia without
a visa. The nationals of other countries have to apply for a visa, generally at a foreign
representation of the Republic of Estonia. The period of stay determined by a visa is
generally not extended.
As of 21 December 2007, Estonia is a part of the Schengen visa area. Although documents
are not checked when one crosses an internal Schengen border, it is still necessary for
EU citizens to carry a passport or an ID card. The relevant authorities (police, immigration
officials) have the right to check a person’s documents, if necessary.
As of 30 July 2009, visa applicants no longer have to present an invitation approved
by the Citizenship and Migration Board or any other form of invitation. In addition, the
hosts in Estonia are no longer required to provide information about their income and
their ability to cover the costs related to the guest’s stay in Estonia.
14 | Identification documents
The ID card is the primary domestic identification document in Estonia and it can be
used to sign documents digitally. The ID card is mandatory for permanent resident aliens.
For permanent resident aliens the ID card also contains residence and, if necessary, also
work permit data. Foreign nationals who have applied for their temporary residence
permits in foreign consulates of Estonia, can now also get their ID cards from there.
You can apply for an ID card in any regional office of the Citizenship and Migration Board
(web page: www.mig.ee). The address of the Tartu office is Liiva 41 (phone: 737 7560,
e-mail: kma.louna@mig.ee).
Foreigners needing a travel document may apply for an alien’s passport in the Republic
of Estonia. An alien’s passport may be issued to an alien who has a valid residence permit in Estonia. As of 29 June 2009 the travel document will incorporate fingerprints.
Fingerprints are taken from all applicants above the age of six. Therefore all applicants
have to go to an office of the Citizenship and Migration Board personally to apply for
the document, give fingerprints and receive the document.
You can find instructions about the application process on the web page www.pass.ee
and can receive additional information by telephoning 666 2722.
If you are not certain how to use the ID card and its digital signature feature, call the
help line of the Certification Centre at 1777. You should use the same phone number
Identification documents | 15
to report the loss of the ID card immediately. As soon as possible, you should also visit
an office of the Citizenship and Migration Board in person and write an application to
request the invalidation of the lost card.
Accommodation
Information about available apartments and houses can be found:
1. in real estate agencies. The largest Estonian real estate listings databases with search
features in Estonian, English, Finnish and Russian can be found on the web pages
www.city24.ee and www.kv.ee.
2. in newspapers;
3. on the notice boards of the lecture halls and library of the University of Tartu.
Note that utility costs as well as telephone, electricity and internet connection bills will
be added to the advertised rent.
Most institutions of higher education have dormitories. The University of Tartu’s eight dormitories that can house the total of 3200 people are administered by Tartu Student Village
(Narva mnt 25, phone: 740 9959, e-mail: info@kyla.ee, web page: www.tartucampus.eu).
16 | Residence and work permit
The web page of the Citizenship and Migration Board, www.mig.ee, has detailed
explanations in English and Russian on how to apply for a work and residence permit,
depending on the reason why you will be coming to Estonia as well as on whether you
are a citizen of a member country of the European Union or of a third country. You can
receive additional information by telephoning 666 2722.
The foreign nationals who intend to work during their stay in Estonia will need a residence permit for employment. Prior to that, the employer will have to have obtained
the permission of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund (www.tootukassa.ee)
for employing a foreign national.
Registering your place of residence
Foreign nationals have to register their place of residence in Estonia in the Population
Register within one month of their arrival. This is a pre-condition for the extension of
their residence permit. In Tartu, this can be done at Küüni 5 (phone: 736 1140). Opening
hours: Mon 9–12 and 15–18, Tue 9–16, Wed – Fri 9–12 and 14–16.
Those who have registered themselves as citizens of Tartu six months before the birth
of their child are eligible for additional child support paid by the city.
Health insurance | 17
A person residing in Estonia with a temporary residence permit is insured similarly to
a permanent resident of Estonia. A person from a member country of the EU who has
come to study in Estonia is insured in their country of origin. When they visit a doctor
in Estonia, they should present the EU certificate issued by their country of origin. The
English- and Russian-language web page of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, www.
haigekassa.ee, lists the people covered and those who have been granted equivalent
rights. The information phone number of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund is 16363
(+372 669 6630 when calling from abroad).
The Tartu Department of the Estonian Health Insurance Fund is located at Põllu 1a,
phone: 744 7430, e-mail: tartu@haigekassa.ee.
As obtaining the residence permit may take some time, you should purchase additional
health insurance for the first few months of your stay.
Since there is a system of family doctors in Estonia, you should choose a doctor for
yourself and enter your name into his or her patient list. The list of family doctors
working in Tartu, their contact information and reception times can be found on the
web page www.tartu.ee (in Estonian).
The family doctor offers general medical help, decides whether the patient needs tests
18 | Health insurance
or consultations from specialist doctors and visits the patient at home, if necessary. In
the case of an acute illness the family doctor will see the patient the same day, otherwise
within 3 working days. You need a referral from the family doctor to visit a medical
specialist. No referral is needed to visit a psychiatrist, gynaecologist, dermatovenerologist,
ophthalmologist, dentist, pulmonologist (for tuberculosis treatment), infection specialist
(for HIV/AIDS treatment), surgeon or orthopaedist (for traumatology). The addresses
and registration phone numbers of the different clinics of the Tartu University Hospital
can be found on the web page www.kliinikum.ee/eng or by calling the 24-hour hotline
of the Tartu University Hospital: 731 8111. The fee for a visit to a medical specialist is
50 EEK.
There are also several private clinics in Tartu.
You can find a dentist on the web page www.hambaarst.ee. The web page also has
an English, German and Russian version. Children below the age of 19 receive dental
treatment free of charge. Adults pay for all their dental treatment. Pregnant women,
mothers of children under one year of age and persons receiving a pension receive a
dental benefit of 450 EEK. Many private dentists offer discounts to students.
Birth | 19
Births, deaths, marriages or divorces can be registered in any Registry Department
in Estonia.
The birth of a child is registered within one month. In Tartu you can do it in the Registry
Department of the Tartu County (Tiigi 12, phone: 742 0960, web page: www.tartumv.ee).
Foreigners residing in Estonia with a temporary residence permit are eligible for the family
support benefits paid by the state of Estonia. The Parental Benefit Act, effective from
1 January 2004, aims to compensate for the income not received as a result of raising a
child. As a rule, the monthly benefit is 100% of the average income of the benefit recipient
for one month of the previous calendar year on which social tax has been paid. Parental
benefit shall be granted as of the date of birth of the child until the day when the child is
18 months old. More detailed information about the family benefits and parental benefit
can be obtained by calling the information phone 16106 or visiting the web page www.
ensib.ee (English and Russian versions available). A resident of Tartu should file a relevant
application at the Tartu Pension Board (Põllu 1a, phone: 744 7436).
Tartu City Government pays additional child support (8000-10 00 EEK) through the district
centres of the Department of Social Welfare until the child will be 2 years old (conditions
and application form can be found on the web page www.tartu.ee). All small citizens of
Tartu will receive a silver spoon with the coat of arms of Tartu from the City Government.
The spoon will be officially presented at a special reception in the Town Hall.
20 | Death
Marriage | 21
If a person dies at home, you should call your family doctor or paramedics who will
formally declare the person dead. In the case of a violent death or an unclear cause
of death, paramedics have to be called and the person will be autopsied. The medical
death certificate will be issued in a medical institution by the family doctor or by the
doctor who performed the autopsy. The official death certificate will be issued on the
basis of the medical death certificate. In Tartu this will be done at the Registry Department of Tartu County (Tiigi 12, phone: 742 0632, web page: www.tartumv.ee). A death
has to be registered within three days.
Marriage applications should be submitted to the Registry Department of Tartu County
(Tiigi 12, phone: 742 0960, web page: www.tartumv.ee) in person, as a joint application.
The Estonian-language web site contains the list of necessary documents for marriage
with a citizen of a foreign country.
You should get in touch with the consulate of the country of origin of the deceased in
the case of the death of a foreign national (contact information can be found on the
web page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: www.vm.ee), who will forward a notice
about the death to the relatives or friends of the deceased. The consulate will also help
the family of the deceased with the transportation of the body to the home country,
including the issuing of the relevant documents and sealing the coffin or urn.
There are 30 municipal and 5 private day care centres. To choose
one suitable for your needs, study the web page of the city of Tartu,
www.tartu.ee, which, in addition to giving contact information, also
describes the language of tuition, form of work (day care for different
age groups), special features (methods of teaching or special considerations for children’s heath), hobby activities, number of vacancies.
Since children have different needs, many special groups have been
established in day care centres. The web page also introduces the procedure of admission into a day care centre or school. Information can also
be obtained at the Department of Education (phone: 736 1425).
You should turn to the municipal cemetery office (Kalmistu 22, phone: 736 1528) with
enquiries about burial places and funeral services. Tartu Crematorium is situated at
Jaama 122 (phone: 748 7108 (24 hours), web page: www.krematoorium.ee).
Ministers of many churches also have the right to perform marriages.
Day care centres and schools
22 | Day care centres and schools
The private day care centre Väike Pauliine (Little Pauliine) (Jakobi 45, phone: 742 1779,
e-mail: lapauliine@hot.ee) has extensive experience with integrating children from
different language environments and helping them acquire Estonian.
Information about the 19 municipal and 5 private schools operating in Tartu can be
found on the web page www.tartu.ee. You should contact the Department of Education (phone: 736 1422), who will advise you on which school is most suitable for
your child. The academic year usually lasts from 1 September until the June of the
following year.
As of September 2009 Miina Härma Gymnasium (Tõnissoni 3, phone: 736 1920) has created special study places for the children of parents temporarily working in Estonia.
Tartu Catholic School (Jakobi 41, phone: 742 1963 and 5556 6363, www.katoliku.edu.
ee) offers English-language education starting from the 1st form. It is also possible to
study French there, starting from the 3rd form. Finnish-language tuition is available for
Finnish children residing in Tartu (phone: 740 0990, www.tartonkoulu.net). The school
teaches forms 1–9.
Tartu International School (Veski 1, phone: 742 4241, web page: www.istartu.ee) teaches
students between the ages of 6 and 15�����������������������������������������������
at its school and 3-5-year-olds at its kindergarten.
Language classes | 23
Many organisations and companies offer different language courses. More information
can be found via phone information numbers and on the Estonian-language web site
www.tartu.ee under the Adult Education section. The University of Tartu offers courses
in Estonian at its Language Centre (Näituse 2, phone: 737 5357) and at its international
Summer University, organised by the Open University (Lossi 24 , phone: 737 5620).
Public transportation
The most thorough source of information about bus traffic
in Tartu is web page buss.tartu.ee, where, with the help of
a map, you can plan your trip from one point to another.
Yellow paper schedules can be found in all bus stops and they list departure times
of all bus lines from the given stop. You can purchase 16 different types of tickets in
the news-stands, depending on the length of your stay in Tartu and on whether you
belong to a category of people who are eligible for discounted fares. You can buy an
hourly or a day pass from the bus driver. The tickets based on the ID card are cheaper
and can be bought, using direct debiting, via an internet bank or using a landline or
mobile phone. Further explanations and information about discounted fares can be
found also in English and Russian on the web page www.pilet.ee.
24 | Public transportation
Public transportation | 25
Some routes are also serviced by minibuses. The minibuses the line numbers of which
start with 3 (31, 32, etc.) have their own ticketing system (single ticket costs 15 EEK, for
schoolchildren and university students 10 EEK), with tickets sold by the bus driver. The
schedules of these lines can be found on the web page www.automen.ee.
The clients of EMT (web page: www.emt.ee), Elisa (web page: www.elisa.ee), Bravocom
(web page: www.bravo.ee) and Tele2 (web page: www.tele2.ee) mobile phone companies
can pay for parking with their mobile phone. You can find instructions on the web pages
of the companies as all service providers have their own procedures.
A trip planner is currently being introduced which enables you to find suitable transportation options within Estonia as well as within certain cities. To use the planner,
access the web page www.peatus.ee, which also has a Russian- and English-language
version, and enter your desired starting point and destination.
Paid and guarded parking can be found at Aardla 116a, Anne 48, Põhja puiestee 16,
Kalda tee 27, Mõisavahe 34b, Tähe 106a.
8 taxi companies operate in Tartu. The price of a kilometre is 8‑12 EEK. The starting price
is 25 EEK. Some taxi companies have discounts for students. Their phone numbers can
be found on the web page of the city of Tartu, www.tartu.ee, or via phone information
numbers.
In Tartu you should separate:
From 8 until 18 Monday to Friday you have to pay for parking in the centre of Tartu. You
should fix the time when you parked your car in writing or with the help of a parking
clock. The first 15 minutes of parking are free but you will have to start paying after
that period of time. The receipt that proves the payment of the parking fee has to be
placed in a clearly visible spot inside the car.
Waste management
1. Packaging
Packaging (glass bottles, plastic bottles, metal cans, clean tetra-pak containers for milk,
juice, paper packaging etc) and should be taken to public glass or packaging recycling
containers or to environmental stations. Owners of private houses have the option of
using the free packaging bag service. Collection cars of Ragn-Sells collect the bags
once and month and replace them with new empty bags. Green bags are intended
for glass and yellow bags for all other packages. You can sign up for the service via
information phone 15 155 or by e-mailing tartu@ragnsells.ee. When you sign up, you
26 | Waste management
will receive the necessary plastic bags, the collection schedule and the instructions
for using the service.
2. Paper and cardboard
Private homes or houses with fewer than ten apartments should take collected waste
paper to an enterprise that purchases paper (Jalaka 60b, phone: 733 3705 and 527 3818,
www.em.ee) or to environmental stations. Larger apartment buildings have paper recycling containers by the building. Those who have signed up for the packaging bag
service will also have waste paper collected from their homes.
3. Hazardous waste
Hazardous waste (car and other batteries, leftover paint and medications, daylight lamps,
etc.) should be taken, depending on the type of waste, to either collection centres in
petrol stations, battery boxes, pharmacies or environmental stations.
4. Biodegradable yard waste
Waste management | 27
Environmental stations are located at Tähe 108 and Jaama 72c. Opening hours:
Mon – Fri 12–18 and Sat 10–16, phone: 1919. You can bring furniture and household
appliances free of charge, but will have to pay for specific types of garbage like toilets,
sinks, window panes, etc. The environmental station located at Jaama 72c accepts up
to eight used car tires free of charge from private individuals.
If they wish, people may also take discarded furniture from the centre for their own
use.
The Re-Use Centre (Taaskasutuskeskus) at Jaamamõisa 30 (phone: 553 6111,
open Tue – Fri 11–19; Sat 11–16) and Puiestee 114 (phone: 5388 7121, web page:
taaskasutuskeskus.ee, open Mon – Fri 10–18; Sat 10–15) receive items, except for clothes,
that are no longer needed in your household. The things are sorted, repaired and redirected into use. You can take things to the centre yourself or you can order moderately
priced transport from the centre.
There is a flea market in the yard of the Re-Use Centre at Puiestee 114 every Saturday.
OÜ Fasetra (phone: 507 2016, www.fasetra.ee) offers the service of collecting your garden
and yard waste but also receives compostable materials delivered by people themselves.
Construction waste is received in the storage facility situated at Turu 48. For information, phone 506 5373.
Environmental stations will accept 0.4 m of biodegradable garden waste free of charge
(in the case of a larger quantity, you will have to pay 6.50 EEK per one 100-litre bag).
Removal taxi offers moving services as well the service of removing packages,
3
28 | Waste management
old electronic devices and furniture. The service-call fee is 100 EEK (phone: 565 5989,
web page: www.kolatakso.ee).
Waste management in the city is organised by the Environmental Service of Tartu City
Government (phone: 736 1273 and 736 1339, www.tartu.ee/keskkond)
Social issues
Social welfare services in the city of Tartu are handled by the Department of Social
Welfare of Tartu City Government (Raekoja plats 3, phone: 736 1300, www.tartu.ee). Its
Child Protection Service offers advising on child-rearing and family questions, helps to
solve child-related arguments between parents, offers additional benefits to families
with children, organises the life of children who lack parental care, etc. You can give
information about children who need help via an all-Estonia children’s help-line 116 111.
Calls are taken 24 hours a day, also in Russian and English. Social Care Service (phone:
736 1305) arranges social services for the elderly and for people with disabilities
(including home care, safety button service, taxi service for the disabled, delivery of
warm food, services of personal assistant or sign-language interpreter, etc), pays benefits
to cover care services, etc.
Income tax declaration | 29
Over 90% of Estonian taxpayers use the convenient electronic income tax declaration
system via e-Tax Board (web page: www.emta.ee, phone help line: 8800 815, e-mail:
e-maks@emta.ee). The income tax form has been partially pre-filled – it already
includes information provided by the employer about your income and information
by educational institutions and banks about your expenses. Income tax declarations
can be presented from 16 February to 31 March. Within the same period the offices
of the Estonian Tax and Customs Board issue printed-out versions of income tax
forms with pre-filled information. Tartu Tax Office is located at Sõpruse pst 4 (phone:
676 4132). For information on taxation, you can call 1811.
Consumer protection
Information about the rights of consumers can be found at
• Tartu office of the Estonian Consumer Protection Board (Õpetaja 9a, phone: 748 2262
and 748 2270, e-mail: tartu@consumer.ee);
• Estonian Consumer Protection Board (phone: 620 1707, web page: www.tka.riik.ee).
In connection with questions related to purchases from abroad, consumers‘ rights are also
protected in Estonia by the special EU customer advising centre by the Estonian Consumer
Protection Board (Tallinn, Kiriku 4, phone: 620 1708 and 646 0123, www.consumer.ee).
Pets | 31
30 | Workers’ rights
The Labour Inspectorate (phone: 736 6191, e-mail: louna@ti.ee, web page: www.ti.ee)
and the Labour Disputes Committee of Tartu County (phone: 736 6147), situated at
Teguri 37, are responsible for solving individual labour disputes between the employee
and the employer as well as responding to applications and complaints of employees
and employers about health, workplace safety and labour relations.
You can get legal advice on questions related to labour law via information phone
640 6000 on every business day between 10 and 15.
Pets
The owner of a dog has to register their pet in Register Service of City Government at
Küüni 5 (phone: 736 1142). Opening hours: Mon 9–12 and 15–18, Tue 9–16, Wed – Fri
9–12 and 14–16.
An animal shelter is situated in the Raadi district at Roosi 91k (phone: 5333 9272). It also
is their responsibility to catch stray cats and dogs as well as help injured animals.
Information about veterinary clinics can be found by phone information lines. The
veterinary clinic Farmax (www.farmax.ee) also houses a pet hotel. In Tartu, it is also
possible to send your dog to daycare (www.lemmikutehoiuabi.ee).
There are 19 locations in the city with yellow boxes from which you can get bags to
clean up after your pets on streets and in parks.
A dead pet can be buried on your own property or, with the permission of the owner,
on the property of somebody else. If you will bring the body of a dead pet to the animal
shelter, you will have to pay for the cremation of the body.
Consular offices in Tartu
1. Consular Office of the Embassy of the Russian Federation
Ülikooli 1, phone: 740 3024, e-mail: tarturus@neti.ee, web page: www.rusemb.ee/tartu
2. Ricardo E. Mateo Durand, Honorary Consul of Peru
Anne 75-18, phone: 748 4724 and 505 6365, e-mail: peruu.aukonsulaat@hotmail.com
3. Istvàn Bàn, Honorary Consul of Hungary
Kitsas 8, phone: 742 0024 and 506 9642, e-mail: iban@rg.ee
4. Birute Klaas, Honorary Consul of Lithuania
Ülikooli 18, phones: 737 6200 and 506 9749, e-mail: Birute.Klaas@ut.ee
5. Toivo Kabanen, Honorary Consul of Finland
Veski 35, phone: 742 173 and 504 7711, e-mail: toivokabanen@hot.ee
32 | Consular offices in Tartu
6. Gunnar Kraft, Honorary Consul of Costa Rica
Sõpruse pst 2, phone: 730 7300, e-mail: costarica@sangar.ee
7. Madis Kanarbik, Honorary Consul of Sweden
Rüütli 1, phone: 504 6570, e-mail: madis.kanarbik@norden.ee
Libraries
Municipal libraries:
1. O. Luts Tartu City Library (Kompanii 3/5)
Mon – Fri 9–20, Sat 10–16, phone: 736 1375, web page: www.luts.ee
2. Tammelinna Library (Suur kaar 56)
Mon – Fri 9–20, Sat 10–16, phone: 746 1035
3. Karlova-Ropka Library (Tehase 16)
Mon – Fri 10–19, Sat 10–16, phone: 730 8472
4. Annelinna Library (Kaunase pst 23)
Mon – Fri 9–20, Sat 10–16, phone: 746 1040
Libraries | 33
Other libraries:
1. Tartu University Library (W. Struve 1)
Mon – Fri 9–21, Sat – Sun 11–17, phone: 737 5702, web page: www.utlib.ee
2. Library of the Finnish Institute (Vanemuise 19)
Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 10–16, Wed 10-18, phone: 742 7319, web page: www.finst.ee
3. Library of the Tartu Institute of German Culture (Kastani 1)
Tue, Fri 13–18, Fri 12–17, phone: 5385 3696, e-mail: bibliothek@dki.ee, web page:
www.dki.ee
Archives
The National Archives of Estonia form a system of state-owned public archives, including
9 archives in different locations all over Estonia (web page: www.ra.ee). Two of them
are situated in Tartu:
1. Estonian Historical Archives (J. Liivi 4, phone: 738 7501, web page: www.eha.ee).
2. Tartu County Archives (J. Liivi 4, phone: 738 7570).
Information about cultural events | 35
34 | Cultural centres in Tartu
1. Finnish Institute - Vanemuise 19, phone: 742 7319, e-mail: tartu@finst.ee, web page:
www.finst.ee
2. Tartu Institute of German Culture - Kastani 1, phone: 742 2639, e-mail: dki@dki.ee,
web page: www.dki.ee
3. Academic French Institute - Ülikooli 17–201, phone: 737 6246 and 506 9641,
e-mail: prantsuse.instituut@mail.ee
4. Nordic Council of Ministers, Tartu office - Raekoja plats 8, phone: 742 3625 and
504 6570, e-mail: madis.kanarbik@norden.ee, web page: www.norden.ee
5. Tampere House - Jaani 4, phone: 738 6300 and 5645 3822, e-mail: maja@tamperemaja.ee,
web page: www.tamperemaja.ee
6. Uppsala House - Jaani 7, phone: 736 1535, e-mail: uppsala@uppsalamaja.ee,
web page: www.uppsalamaja.ee
7. The Granö Centre of the Universities of Turku and Tartu - Kreuzwaldi 6,
phone: 522 6897, e-mail: granokeskus@utu.fi, web page: granokeskus.utu.fi
8. Portuguese Cultural Centre at the University of Tartu - Ülikooli 17-226,
phone: 737 5223, , e-mail: bruno.marques@ut.ee
9. Information point of the city of Turku - Ülikooli 1, phone: 738 0888 and 515 8403,
e-mail: turku@tartu.ee, web page: www.tartu.ee/turku.
The best overview of cultural life in Tartu can be
found on the internet in the culture database of
the city, kultuuriaken.tartu.ee. Kultuuriaken
(“cultural window” in literal translation) allows everybody to post relevant information
on the web. Thanks to active users, Kultuuriaken changes on a daily basis and offers
visitors most up-to-date information in the “windows” of culture, museums, youth,
sports and folklore about events that take place in Tartu.
Monthly cultural calendars in Estonian, English and Russian are available at the Information Centre of Tartu.
Lost-and-found office
Since Tartu lacks a place where one could take
found objects, the City Government has opened
a virtual lost-and-found office on its web page
www.tartu.ee/leiubyroo. It is possible to leave messages about both found and lost objects there.
Important phone numbers | 37
36 | Municipal maintenance hotline
Call the municipal maintenance hotline, 1789, to report potholes,
broken traffic lights, malfunctioning streetlights, broken traffic
signs, missing manhole covers, trees that have fallen on the streets,
environmental pollution, dangerous electric lines and icicles. The
telephone is operated 24 hours. You can also send an SMS on the
same number or e-mail 1789@tartu.ee.
Emergency signal
Freight trains passing through Tartu also carry hazardous cargo. The railway station
is equipped with an emergency signal to inform the citizens quickly in the case of
an emergency. The emergency signal is a 60-second rising and falling sound that is
repeated at least three times, after a 30-second pause. If you hear such a signal, move
away from the areas surrounding the railway station, stay indoors or inside your car,
close windows, doors and your ventilation system.
The signal is tested briefly the first Monday of every month between 11 and 12.
Emergency calls, Ambulance
112
Police
110
Information phones
740 4020, 1182, 1184,
1185, 1188, 119
Customs information
880 0814, 676 4548
Bus station
12550
Eurolines
734 0075
Trains
1447
Airport
730 9210
Information Office of the City Government
736 1101
Tartu Tourist Information Centre
744 2111
Customer service phone of the phone company Elion
165
Customer service phone of the electricity company Eesti Energia
1545
Emergency number of the local water utility Tartu Veevärk
736 2600
Municipal maintenance hotline
1789
Publisher: Information Service of the Public Relations
Department of the City Government of Tartu
Printed: October 2009.
Photo: Meelis Lokk
Layout: AS Ecoprint