Getting Here

There are a lot of convenient ways to reach us by air, sea and land. Your options will depend on where you are travelling from. Here you can find some useful tips and information about travelling to Estonia. There are also a few very important steps you should take before, during and after your arrival in Estonia. Listed below are instructions to help ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible for you.

EU citizens

Travel and residence

Citizens of the European Union, a member state of the European Union Economic Area and Swiss Confederation (EU citizens) do not need a visa to travel to Estonia. EU citizens have a right to stay in Estonia on the basis of a valid travel document or an identity card for up to three months without obtaining the right of residence.

However, we strongly recommend obtaining the right of residence within a month of your arrival in Tallinn. The main reason is that having the right of residence will make it much easier for you to organise your daily life here.

In order to obtain the right of temporary residence, you will need to register your residence at one of the city’s Administration Offices. Please note that you are required to be present at the office for registering your residence for the first time. The list of offices and detailed information about the procedure can be found here.

Once you have obtained the right of residence, you will also receive your Estonian identification code. Please make sure to send your Estonian identification code to Helen Jürgens at helen.jyrgens@artun.ee.

You will also need to apply for an ID card within one month of obtaining the right of residence. The application needs to be submitted at one of the Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB) service offices. Please find detailed information about the procedure here. Please note that you are not required to book an appointment for the procedure, but it is strongly recommended in order to avoid long queues. Also, please make sure to choose the correct procedure, which is no 1. Applying for a document (ID card, passport, digi-ID etc). Appointments can be booked up to three months in advance and we recommend booking the appointment as soon as possible, because the calendar tends to fill up fast. Keep in mind that you can only apply for an ID card after you have obtained the right of residence, so please make sure to do everything in the right order.

NB! ID card is an identity document confirming your right of residence in Estonia, but is not valid as a travel document. When travelling, you will need to present a valid passport or ID card issued by a competent authority of your home country.

Obligations

In order to keep the temporary right of residence, your place of residence needs to be registered in Estonia. If at any point your place of residence is no longer registered in Estonia, your right of residence will be terminated and ID card revoked.

Health insurance

International students are not covered by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund unless they are working on the basis of an employment contract or fall under any of the other categories listed here. Since EKA does not offer health insurance, all international students are responsible for obtaining a suitable health insurance policy for themselves.

If you will have a valid health insurance in your home country during your studies in Estonia, you can apply for the EU health insurance card (EHIC) or a substitute certificate of EHIC. Please note that you will need to apply for it in your home country before arriving in Estonia.

However, it is important to remember that due to differences in healthcare systems EHIC might not cover all the necessary service costs in other countries. Also, it will not cover any private healthcare costs, and is not an alternative to travel insurance. Therefore, we recommend obtaining an additional insurance policy that will meet all your needs.

If you will not have a valid health insurance at home, then you will definitely need to obtain a suitable health insurance policy for yourself. Some of the more popular insurance providers among students in Estonia are listed below:

If you have any questions about different insurance policies, their conditions and prices, then it may also be worth contacting KindlustusEst via email at info@kindlustusest.ee. Please keep in mind that you are not required to choose an Estonian insurance provider, and therefore should feel free to choose any suitable insurance provider.

Non-EU citizens

Visa and residence permit

Non-EU citizens need to obtain a long-stay (D) visa for studies in order to travel to Estonia for study purposes. We are aware that a visa-free regime applies to some of you, but we do not recommend using it, because it would not be in accordance with the rules for entering the Schengen area. The first thing you need to do is contact the nearest Estonian representation to see about booking an appointment for your visa application. The list of Estonian representations which are handling visa applications can be found here. You will find detailed information about the required documents and application process here, but we also recommend checking the websites of Estonian representations for additional information. If you have any further questions about the process or the required documentation, please feel free to contact the representation where you are planning to submit your visa application directly.

D-visa can be issued for up to 365 days within 12 consecutive months, so after you have arrived in Tallinn, you will need to apply for a temporary residence permit (TRP) at one of the Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB) service offices. We recommend submitting the application as soon as possible, because obtaining a TRP will make organising your daily life much easier and the whole process may take up to three months from submitting the application.

You are required to book an appointment for submitting a TRP application. Please make sure to choose the correct procedure, which is no 4. Applying for a residence permit (and also extension). Appointments can be booked up to three months in advance and we recommend booking the appointment as soon as possible, because the calendar will fill up fast. Detailed information on the requirements and necessary documentation can be found here. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the migration consultants of the PBGB directly. Since we will be sending the invitation form required for your TRP application directly to the PBGB, please inform us of your appointment by sending an email to kaija.poder@artun.ee.

NB! EKA is your inviting institution, and is therefore required by law to make sure that you have a legal basis to stay in Estonia. As soon as you obtain your D-visa, and later on TRP, please send a photocopy for our records to kaija.poder@artun.ee.

Health insurance

You will need to obtain an insurance policy guaranteeing that any costs related to your medical treatment as a result of illness or injury during your stay in Estonia will be covered. You are free to choose any suitable insurance provider as long as it meets the necessary requirements. Please note that there are different types of insurance policies, which is why an insurance policy may not be suitable for both visa and residence permit applications. If you have any questions about different insurance policies, please feel free to contact the migration consultants of the PBGB for more information. We also recommend contacting the representation where you are planning to submit your visa application.

Some of the more popular insurance providers among students in Estonia are listed below:

NB! Typically, insurance policies may only be obtained for up to one year at a time, so you are required to renew your policy on time.

Sufficient legal income

You will need to have sufficient legal income to support yourself during the whole period of your studies in Estonia. As a student, you are allowed to be supported by any third party, not just your close relatives and family members. According to the law, the amount that is currently considered to be sufficient for a student is 800 euros per month, but living expenses will vary depending on your individual needs. Please be prepared to present suitable documentation proving that you have sufficient legal income for your D-visa and TRP applications. There are different types of documents that can be used to prove sufficient income, and since there is no specific list stated in the law, these may vary, but bank statements are probably the most common. Since the amount of sufficient funds for the entire duration of your D-visa and TRP is quite large, documents proving regular income are as acceptable as documents proving sufficient funds on the account.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the representation where you are planning to submit your visa application or the migration consultants of the PBGB for more information.

Travelling

During the validity period of your D-visa or TRP, you also have the right to enter and temporarily stay in other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Please note that a TRP card is not valid as a travel document. When travelling, non-EU citizens will always need to present a valid passport with their TRP card.

Obligations

The first thing to keep in mind is that you have an obligation to use your TRP in accordance with its intended purpose. This means that the following conditions of the issued residence permit need to be met during the entire period of its validity:

the purpose of your TRP is justified: TRP for studying is granted for studying full-time and that means completing at least 75% of the study load (45 ECTS) at the end of each academic year;
your place of residence is in Estonia: you are required to register your place of residence at the population register within a month after TRP is granted, and it needs to be registered during the entire period of validity of your TRP;
you have sufficient legal income: you need to have sufficient legal income to cover all your living expenses, which according to the law is considered to be at least 800 euros per month;
your health insurance is valid: you need to have a valid insurance policy during the entire period of validity of your TRP, which means that you are required to renew your policy on time.

Please keep in mind that not meeting the requirements of the issued TRP will result in its revocation. It means that reducing to a part time-study load or taking an academic leave will result in the revocation of your TRP. The same will happen if your place of residence in Estonia is not registered, and if you don’t have sufficient legal income or valid health insurance.

After TRP expires

After your TRP expires, you will have a legal right to stay in Estonia for an additional 270 days. This right arises directly from the law and will start automatically, which means that you will not need to do anything for this 270-day period to commence. However, there is an option to formalise it if you like. Formalisation is strongly recommended if you need to travel during the 270-day period. You are allowed to stay in other Schengen countries during this time, but only for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Please find more detailed information about the formalisation process here.

Please note that you have the right to continue your studies and employment during the 270-day period without any additional registrations.

Extension of TRP

TRP is generally issued for the entire nominal period of study, on condition that the study load is full-time during the entire period. There is also an option to apply for a D-visa for studies, which can be granted for up to a year. All of this, combined with the fact that there is an additional 270-day period to continue staying in Estonia after TRP expires, makes applying for TRP extension a non-standard process. Therefore, it may only be granted by the PBGB if an extension is justified due to exceptional circumstances.

Extension of TRP is only possible, if you continue your studies under the exact same conditions as before. This means that you need to continue in the same institution, at the same level and specialty. In addition to that, the study period needs to be extended for at least a year and you need to continue studying full-time during the time. The educational institution is required to provide a new invitation form and you will need to add an explanation letter to your application describing your exceptional circumstances and reasons for the extension. Please find more information on extending studies here and about applying for an extension of TRP here.

If there are no exceptional circumstances or an extension is not granted, we recommend that you use your 270-day period and apply for a D-visa for studies before it expires.

NB! If you intend to apply for an extension of TRP, please consult with Kaija Põder at kaija.poder@artun.ee.

Migration consultants

If you have any migration related questions about different legal bases and the necessary documentation for staying in Estonia, please feel free to contact migration consultants of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board. They provide consultations in English and their service is free of charge.