European Union citizen’s right of residence

Considered as citizen of the European Union shall be citizen of the member states of the European Union and the European Economic Area, who is not citizien of Estonia, and citizen of the Swiss Confederation

The right to stay in the country

Citizen of the European Union has the right to stay in Estonia on the basis of a valid travel document or identity card for the period of up to three months, without registration of the right of residence.

The right of temporary residence

The right of temporary residence is acquired by citizen of the European Union when registering the place of residence in Estonian Vital Statistics Register.

The right of temporary residence is granted for a period of up to 5 years.

The right of temporary residence shall be extended automatically for a period of 5 years if the registered place of residence of the EU citizen is continually in Estonia and if the right of temporary residence of the EU citizen has not been terminated

Citizen of the European Union must not apply for a separate work permit for working in Estonia.

Within 1 month after registration of place of residence, citizen of the European Union must contact a customer service of the Citizenship and Migration Bureau of the Prefecture to apply for a document (identity card) which certifies his/her right of temporary residence.

An EU citizen who has resided in Estonia permanently for five successive years on the basis of the right of temporary residence can register the right of permanent residence.

The stay in Estonia for at least 183 days a year is considered as a permanent residence in Estonia. The period before August 1, 2006, during which an EU citizen resided in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit, shall be included in the period required for granting the right of permanent residence.

A child under the age of 1 of an EU citizen who resides in Estonia on the basis of the right of permanent residence has the right of permanent residence.

As an exception an EU citizen has the right to apply for the right of permanent residence before the period of 5 years has lapsed if he/she resides, or has resided, permanently in Estonia on the basis of the right of temporary residence:

• for at least 3 successive years and has been employed or self-employed for at least the last 12 months and attained pensionable age;

• for at least last 2 last years and has finished working as an employed or self-employed person because of permanent incapacity for work;

• and has finished working because of permanent incapacity for work caused by work injury or occupational disease;

• and has worked in Estonia as an employed or self-employed person for at least 3 years and is currently working in another EU member state but returns to Estonia at least once a week.

Residence permit issued to an entrepreneur - a non-EU citizen

• An alien can be granted a temporary residence permit, provided the conditions of granting the residence permit are fulfilled and there are no circumstances in evidence, necessitating declining of the request for residence permit;

• Requirements for granting the temporary residence permit must be continually fulfilled during validity of the residence permit.

General conditions for granting to an alien of a temporary residence permit are as follows:

• Motivation of the goal for settling to reside in Estonia;

• Actual place of residence in Estonia;

• Sufficient legal income, enabling subsistence of the alien and his/her family members;

• Insurance protection to cover the medical treatment expenses caused by disease or injury of an alien.

Alien, having an interest in a commercial undertaking or acting as self-employed entrepreneur and having adequate monetary means, can apply for residence permit for engaging in entrepreneurship in Estonia.

Commercial undertaking or self-employed entrepreneur must be registered in Estonian Commercial Register and settlement of alien to reside in Estonia must be important for entrepreneurship.

Commercial undertaking or self-employed entrepreneur must have a business plan, presenting character of the business activity, its scope and number of the needed personnel, their qualification and skills and:

• Alien must have invested in the commercial undertaking at least 63 900 euros (1 000 000 kroon);

• Alien operating as self-employed entrepreneur must have invested in business in Estonia at least 15 950 euros (250 000 kroon).

Alien must have had, within 6 months previous to submitting an application, a legal income, providing for his subsistence in Estonia. Considered as legal income are legally earned remuneration, parent’s benefit, unemployment insurance benefit, income obtained from legal business or property, pension, grant, allowance, supports paid by a foreign country, and also subsistence guaranteed by members of family having legal income.

If you apply for a residence permit for entrepreneurship, the norm of legal income is the total of eighteen-fold average calendar month gross salary of the Republic of Estonia during six months previous to submitting an application for a residence permit. The size of the required legal income derives from average gross salary of the previous quarter calculated by Statistical Office, hence it changes quarterly.

Alien must have an insurance contract, guaranteeing payment during the validity of residence permit requested of the medical treatment expenses caused by disease or injury, in the same scope as applicable to persons with health insurance.

If the insurance contract meeting the requirements cannot be closed prior to obtaining the residence permit, the alien must present:

• Written confirmation that he or she will close the requisite insurance contract within 2 months after settling in Estonia;

• Insurance contract, providing the insurance coverage of the person’s medical treatment expenses until making a due contract (e.g. travel insurance contract).

Insurance contract need not be presented, if the alien is a person insured with obligatory medical treatment insurance under Health Insurance Act, or in case specified in international agreement.

The document issued in a foreign country must be translated in Estonian, English or Russian and the authenticity of translation must be notarised. Document must carry an Apostille or legalisation, except when it is issued in the country, with which Estonia has made a legal aid agreement: Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine and Russia.

Residence permit for entrepreneurship may be issued for up to 5 years, specifying domains of business of entrepreneur and also the area of business, if needed. Alien, who has been granted a residence permit for entrepreneurship shall not have the right to work in Estonia in subordination of another person. Alien, who has been granted a temporary residence permit for entrepreneurship for the purpose of participation in a commercial undertaking, may work in the commercial undertaking specified in the residence permit for performing a management function.