Living and working in Estonia
NB! As the residence permit application takes 3 months and quota gets full already in Feb-March every year,
we advise to start with short-term employment instead - simple and fast process without any quotas.
1. Short term employment registration
The easiest way to relocate to Estonia is to start it with a short term employment registration, which is done for max. 1 year.
You have a higher chance for a positive decision, if your company has had real business and activities during previous 6 months.
2. Residence permit for employment
This permit can be applied by a foreigner who is an employee or a board member in an Estonian company, and is issued for up to 5 years.
Company must be operating actively at least 5 months before the application and salary criteria are also applicable.
3. Residence permit for business
As a regular investor, by investing min. 65 000 EUR in a company or 16 000 EUR in a sole proprietorship.
Major (1 million EUR) and start-up investment are also an option.
1000 EUR
3000 - 5000 EUR
3000 - 5000 EUR
In case you need to relocate to Estonia urgently and the quota is full, then start with the short-term employment. Application takes 1 month usually and allows you to live in Estonia for up to 1 year. Later, when the quota opens (usually in December), you apply for the residence permit in the Estonian police office.
In case your relocation to Estonia is not urgent, then start collecting the documents in late autumn and when the quota opens (usually in December), apply for the residence permit in the Estonian embassy.
Short term employment registration
General info
This is the easiest way to relocate to Estonia, especially when the quota for TRPs gets full already in February-March each year. Short-term employment registration allows you to stay in Estonia for a year.
General requirements for the short-term employment registration:
the company has been operating for the last 6 months and the applicant has the requisite qualifications, education, state of health, work experience and the necessary professional skills and knowledge to assume such position;
the employer is registered in Estonia;
the employer shall pay the alien remuneration in the amount of the annual average gross monthly salary in Estonia last published at the time of the application (which is 1548 EUR for regular employee and 3096 EUR for top specialist until March 2023);
the alien is obligated to apply for a D-type visa after the short-term employment registration
Our assistance
Our consultants will assist you and provide guidance during the process, starting with the formation and ending with state fee payment and submitting the application to the Police and Border Guard Board, as well as further communication with the authorities.
In addition, our lawyers can prepare the employment contracts for you and our accountants take care of further payroll declarations and overall accounting matters.
Short-term registration state fee is 55 EUR and D-type visa state fee is 100 EUR.
Timeframe
It takes usually a week collect the documents and prepare the application.
After submitting the application, the decision is usually given in 2 weeks.
Temporary residence permit for employment (TRP)
There are two main ways to apply for the TRP for employment:
1. as a regular employee, top specialist, advisor or consultant fulfilling the relevant requirements of the specific category
2. as a management board member for performing managerial or supervisory functions on the following conditions:
the company must have been registered in Estonia and conducted actual business activities in Estonia for at least 5 months;
the Estonian company (employer) is paying at least the minimum required salary*
* Minimum required salary is equal to the recent average yearly wages in Estonia, published by the Statistical Office of Estonia, which is 1548 EUR for regular employee and 3096 EUR for top specialist until March 2023.
State fee for the TRP is either 96 EUR (if applied in Estonia) or 125 EUR (if applied in the embassy).
In addition to the above, there are other grounds as well, on the basis of which you are allowed to apply for TRP for employment, e.g. based on the EU blue card, for scientific research, for working at a start-up, etc.
Residence permit for business (TRPB)
When applying for a TRPB, you have three options:
Investing at least 65 000 EUR of capital in your Estonian company (company's equity capital, subordinated liability and registered fixed assets can be regarded as an investment). A business plan in Estonian or English is required to support the application. More than one applicant may invest into the same Estonian company (65 000 EUR each). In case of a sole proprietor, the minimum investment is 16 000 EUR.
As a major investor – it requires a direct investment of at least 1 million EUR in an Estonian company or investment fund that invests mostly into the Estonian economy.
As a start-up – this option requires previous evaluation from the relevant expert committee, which is quite strict and results in many refusals.
As a rule, it is not easy nor beneficial for you to lock the above-mentioned sums in the business or go through the start-up evaluation process with 50/50 chance for a positive decision. Therefore, we suggest to start with the short term employment registration and later decide how to proceed with the TRP.
State fee for the TRPB is either 160 EUR (if applied in Estonia) or 190 EUR (if applied in the embassy).
Good to know
TRP quota
Each year the Estonian government issues a certain amount of TRPs in Estonia for third country nationals. The quota for TRPs is 0.1% of the whole population (ca 1320). Consequently, the quota tends to get full already by February-March each year, which is why the application should be submitted as soon as the quota opens for the next year (usually in December, e.g. the quota for 2022 will open in December 2021).
Quota does not apply to citizens of Japan and the United States of America.
No guaranteed result
It is important to note that the decision for granting or refusal is made solely by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, thus we cannot guarantee or influence the final result.
Timeframe
The decision for the TRP is made within 2-3 months from the submission of the application. In case the authorities require any additional information or documents, the process can take longer.
The decision for short term employment registration takes usually 2 weeks.
Submitting the application
The applicant must submit the TRP application in person in a foreign representation of the Republic of Estonia. An alien who has a legal basis for staying in Estonia, may submit the application in Estonia. When applying for a residence permit, fingerprints are captured from applicants.
Additional parameters
Fulfilling all formal requirements of a TRP is just one part of the process. Immigration authorities might also look at your personal background and professional skills, as well as your company activities and taxes paid by your company.
Validity of the TRP and short-term employment
TRP is issued with the period of validity of up to 5 years and later extended for up to 10 years.
An alien is required to register the place of residence within one month from the date of arrival into Estonia on the basis of the residence permit. An alien is required to have a place of residence registered in Estonia during the whole period of validity of the residence permit.
Short-term employment is registered for maximum of 1 year.
The right of temporary residence of an EU citizen
An EU, EEA and Swiss Confederation citizen (hereinafter an EU citizen) has a right to stay in Estonia on the basis of a valid travel document or an identity card for 3 months without registration of the right of residence.
As an EU citizen you can obtain the right of temporary residence upon registration of your place of residence in the population register of Estonia. After that you can apply for the residence permit. The document certifying the right of residence of an EU citizen is the Estonian ID card.
For applying for the Estonian ID-card which certifies the right of temporary residence, you should submit the relevant application in person at the suitable Police and and Border Guard Board service office within 1 month from the registration of your place of residence. Generally the ID card is issued within 2-3 weeks.
The right of temporary residence is granted for 5 years. The right of temporary residence shall be extended automatically for another 5 years, if your registered place of residence is continually in Estonia.
