EuropeSelect the passports you hold to see short-stay access and per-route eligibility for Estonia.
Short stays: tourism, transit, business trips, medical, pilgrimage.
Tourist Visa
Electronic travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals (e.g. US, UK, Canada, Japan). Valid 3 years for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. We apply on your behalf end-to-end. Fees illustrative.
Tourist Visa
Short-stay visa for tourism: up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare your forms and documents; you attend the consulate/VFS appointment to submit biometrics. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Transit Visa
Required by some nationalities to pass through the international transit area of a Schengen airport without entering. Whether you need one depends on your nationality. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Business Visitor Visa
Short-stay visa for business trips (meetings, conferences, negotiations): up to 90 days within any 180-day period. We prepare forms and documents; you submit at the consulate/VFS. Government fee EUR 90 (illustrative).
Not yet researched
Universities, language courses, internships and exchanges.
Student Visa
For stays over 90 days to study. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. We guide you; submission is in person. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Student Visa
For non-EU nationals admitted to full-time study of more than one year at a recognised Estonian educational institution; courses under a year can use a D-visa instead. Requires sufficient income of four times the monthly subsistence level and health insurance; issued for the study period up to 5 years. Students may work without restriction provided it does not interfere with full-time studies, and graduates can extend the permit by up to 270 days to seek work; study permits are exempt from the immigration quota.
Not yet researched
Digital nomad, freelance, skilled employment and company transfers.
Digital Nomad Visa
For remote employees of foreign companies, owners of foreign-registered businesses, and freelancers with mostly foreign clients. Requires monthly income of at least EUR 4,500 gross of tax, evidenced over the six months preceding the application. Issued as a long-stay D-visa for up to 12 months (a 90-day C-visa version costs EUR 90); it does not itself lead to a residence permit and sits outside Estonia's annual immigration quota.
Self-Employment Visa
Self-employment route: a non-EU national registered in the Estonian commercial register as a sole proprietor (FIE) can obtain a temporary residence permit for business with a reduced capital requirement of at least EUR 16,000 invested in business activity in Estonia. The applicant must show the business is viable, have sufficient income for subsistence and health insurance. Issued for up to 5 years, extendable for up to 10 years at a time; fee EUR 350 in Estonia / EUR 380 abroad.
Startup / Entrepreneur Visa
For non-EU founders of innovative, technology-based, scalable startups. The Startup Committee (expert committee of the Ministry of the Interior) evaluates the startup within 10 working days; with the endorsement the founder can apply for a 12-month long-stay D-visa (EUR 120 fee) or a temporary residence permit for start-up business valid up to 5 years, extendable for up to 10 years at a time. Applicants must show sufficient funds (four times the monthly subsistence level, roughly EUR 800/month) and health insurance; the route is exempt from Estonia's immigration quota and leads to permanent residence.
Skilled Work Visa
For stays over 90 days to work. Requires employer sponsorship / a work permit before you can apply, so eligibility is conditional. Issued under national rules -- apply at the consulate of your destination country. Fees and processing times vary by country.
Skilled Work Visa
Main work-residence route for non-EU nationals with an Estonian employer; the employer needs prior authorisation from the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund. Salary must meet the criterion in force at application: EUR 2,092 gross/month general rate from 5 March 2026 (0.8x = EUR 1,674 for start-up employees; 1.5x rate top specialists are exempt from the quota). Issued for up to 5 years, extendable for up to 10 years at a time; most permits count against the 2026 immigration quota of 1,292; fee EUR 250 in Estonia / EUR 280 at a foreign representation.
Skilled Work Visa
Fast-track work route: the Estonian employer registers the foreign national's short-term employment with the Police and Border Guard Board (state fee EUR 130 online / EUR 140 at a service office, decided in about 15 working days), after which the worker applies for a long-stay D-visa (EUR 120). Allows work for up to 365 days within a 455-day period; pay must generally meet the Estonian average-salary criterion. From 1 January 2026 the employer must be registered in the Estonian Commercial Register; the route is outside the immigration quota and can later be converted to a residence permit for employment.
Skilled Work Visa
Residence permit for highly qualified non-EU workers with higher education (or, for IT, comparable professional experience) and an employment contract of at least 6 months. Salary must be at least 1.5 times the Estonian average gross salary (about EUR 37,000 gross per year in 2026; a reduced 1.24x rate applies to shortage/MINT occupations). Issued for the contract duration plus 3 months, up to 2 years and 3 months initially, renewable, with facilitated EU mobility and a path to long-term residence; Blue Card holders are outside the immigration quota.
Seasonal Work Visa
For non-EU nationals taking seasonal jobs in agriculture, forestry, fishing, food production, accommodation and catering. The employer registers short-term seasonal employment with the PBGB (EUR 130-140 fee) and the worker obtains a long-stay D-visa (EUR 120); seasonal work is capped at 270 days within a 365-day period. Seasonal workers are exempt from the average-salary criterion that applies to other short-term employment.
Intra-Company Transfer Visa
For managers, specialists and trainee employees transferred from a group entity outside the EU to its Estonian branch or subsidiary. Requires prior employment in the group of 12 months (managers/specialists) or 6 months (trainees); the permit is issued for up to 3 years (1 year for trainees). Transfers shorter than 270 days can instead be registered with the Police and Border Guard Board as short-term ICT mobility; ICT permits are exempt from the immigration quota.
Not yet researched
Golden visas, real estate, citizenship by investment, passive income.
Golden Visa (Residence by Investment)
Estonia's investor-residence route: requires a lasting direct investment of at least EUR 1,000,000 in an Estonian company or in an investment fund that invests mainly in Estonian companies; the investment may not be reduced while the permit is valid. No business plan is required, the permit is exempt from the immigration quota, and the holder need not initially register Estonian residence; applicants must show income of six times the subsistence level and health insurance. Issued for up to 5 years and extendable for up to 10 years at a time; decision within 90 days plus about 30 days for the residence card.
Business Investor Visa
For non-EU nationals who own a shareholding in an Estonian-registered company and run it actively. Requires invested capital of at least EUR 65,000 under the company's control in Estonia (equity, subordinated loans, registered fixed assets), a viable business plan, sufficient income and health insurance. Issued for up to 5 years, extendable for up to 10 years at a time; state fee EUR 350 in Estonia / EUR 380 abroad; subject to the immigration quota.
Not yet researched
Retirement visas and working holiday schemes.
Working Holiday Visa
Youth-mobility long-stay D-visa for citizens of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Japan under bilateral working-holiday arrangements. Open to applicants aged 18-30 (up to 35 for some partners, e.g. Canada), allowing a stay of up to 12 months with the right to work to fund the holiday. Standard D-visa rules apply, including the EUR 120 state fee, travel medical insurance and proof of funds.
Not yet researched
Reunification, spouse routes and ancestry-based repatriation.
Family Reunification Visa
For close relatives of Estonian citizens or settled residents: minor children, adult children unable to cope independently, parents or grandparents who need care that cannot be obtained in their home country, and wards. The sponsor must have legal income to maintain the family member, plus registered housing and health insurance for the applicant. Issued for up to 5 years tied to the sponsor's status, extendable for up to 10 years at a time; family migration is exempt from the immigration quota; fee EUR 115/145 for relatives of Estonian citizens.
Spouse / Partner Visa
For spouses of Estonian citizens or of foreigners holding an Estonian residence permit. The couple must show a genuine, stable marriage with close economic and psychological ties, sufficient income (double the subsistence level) and health insurance; permits are checked for marriages of convenience. Issued for up to 5 years but not longer than the sponsor's permit, extendable for up to 10 years at a time; fee EUR 115 in Estonia / EUR 145 abroad when the sponsor is an Estonian citizen (EUR 225/255 otherwise); exempt from the immigration quota.
Ancestry / Repatriation
Descendants of people who held Estonian citizenship before 16 June 1940 are Estonian citizens by birth: they prove the ancestor's citizenship via the National Archives (EUR 15 research fee), document the family line with apostilled certificates, and apply for an Estonian passport/ID at the PBGB or an embassy. Birthright citizens may in practice retain another citizenship. Separately, the Integration Foundation gives return support and counselling to Estonian citizens and ethnic Estonians with a residence permit returning after 7+ years abroad.
Not yet researched
Talent, religious, humanitarian, media, official and permanent residence.
Long-Term Residence Permit
Bridge permit for foreigners already settled in Estonia on another temporary residence permit who intend to stay permanently: requires at least 3 years of residence within the last 5 consecutive years, successful integration, income at least equal to the subsistence level and health insurance. From 1 January 2026 applicants must additionally hold Estonian at level A2 and have completed the basic module of the Settle in Estonia adaptation programme. Issued for up to 5 years, extendable for up to 10 years at a time.
Permanent Residence
EU long-term resident status for non-EU nationals who have lived in Estonia for 5 years on temporary residence permits immediately before applying. Requires Estonian at level B1 (exemptions for under-15s, over-65s and those educated in Estonian), stable legal income, registered residence and Estonian Health Insurance Fund coverage. The permit is issued with permanent validity; state fee EUR 185, applications must be filed at least 2 months before the temporary permit expires.
Not yet researched
