In Estonia, a residence permit can be issued for a period of 1 to 5 years. The resident status can be granted under the following conditions:
Assistance in Residence Permit
- Employment
- Business activity
- Marriage to an Estonian citizen
- Family reunion
- Institutional study
- Monastery service
Residence permit for work
- You can apply for a residence permit for employment if your monthly salary for the last 5 months was at least 1,685 EUR gross
Residence permit for business activity
- You can apply for a residence permit to conduct business activity if you are acting as a sole entrepreneur (FIE) and have invested at least 16,000 EUR in business activity in Estonia.
- You can apply for a residence permit for business if you are an owner and Board member of an Estonian company and have invested at least 65,000 EUR in the company’s activity. The amount of registered fixed assets can be regarded as an investment.
Personal funds of the founder contributed to the activities and development of an Estonian company can be considered investments. Before applying for a residence permit, the company shall operate in Estonia for at least 4 months, and a business plan shall be presented.
LKS Consult OÜ is pleased to support you in registering your business in Estonia. We offer the following services: drawing up a business plan, assisting in renting and buying residential and commercial real estate, assisting in searching for clients, recruiting staff, and advertising.
TEMPORARY RESIDENCE PERMIT
A foreigner is granted a residence permit to settle with a spouse or immediate relative for purposes of study, gainful employment or entrepreneurial activity or as part of an international agreement. In addition, foreigners who have lived in Estonia for at least three years can be issued a permanent residence permit in Estonia. A residence permit is valid for a maximum of 5 years and can be extended for a maximum of 10 years.
TEMPORARY RIGHT OF RESIDENCE
A European Union citizen acquires the right of immediate residence for up to 5 years if he or she registers his or her residence in the Population Register. The right of temporary residence is automatically extended for 5 years if the residence of the European Union citizen is still registered in Estonia.
Number of individuals with a valid temporary residence permit (Jan 2021)
20,000
2017
20,000
2018
20,000
2019
20,000
2020
20,000
2021
Number of individuals with a valid temporary residence permit by citizenships, top 5 (1 Jan 2021)
 |
Russian | 8754 |
 |
Ukrainian | 8575 |
| Undetermined | 4166 | |
 |
Belarusian | 1181 |
 |
Indian | 1136 |
| TOTAL | 32 322 |
Number of individuals with a valid EU citizen’s temporary right of residence by citizenships, top 5 (1 Jan 2021)
 |
Finnish | 7015 |
 |
Latvian | 4372 |
 |
German | 3392 |
 |
French | 1953 |
 |
Italian | 1936 |
| TOTAL | 32 619 |
Residence permit application
An application for a temporary residence permit will be considered within 2 months from the date of acceptance. A residence permit can be granted for a period of up to 5 years. From the date of positive decision, it will take one month to produce a plastic residence card. An applicant is required to have a registered residence address in Estonia. If you are interested in getting an Estonian residence permit, please contact us in any way convenient to you, and we will answer any of your questions.
It is important to note that the e-Residency card does not grant permission for residence in Estonia and entering the country. The e-Residency card gives the opportunity to use a digital signature and access government internet portals.
| Detailed consultation on obtaining a residence permit in Estonia | 1,000 EUR |
| Getting a Digital Nomad Visa in Estonia | 1,000 EUR |
| Short term employment registration (STR) | 1,000 EUR |
| Assistance in getting a D-visa | 1,000 EUR |
| Assistance and full support in obtaining a residence permit in Estonia | 5,000 EUR |
Overview of ground points
Obtaining a residence permit in Estonia is a responsible process that requires professionalism and a competent approach. Our experts are ready to start developing a step-by-step plan to help you become an Estonian resident based on your business in Estonia. In our work, we carefully consider the case of each individual applicant and guarantee an individual approach to each client.
Please note that Service provides assistance in obtaining a residence permit only for business immigration to Estonia!
First of all, it should be clear that a prerequisite condition for applying for a residence permit is that the applicant has a company entered in the Estonian Commercial Register. Your business must be connected to Estonia in order to apply for a residence permit. If you do not have your own business yet, we offer the service of registering a company in Estonia and the subsequent development of your business in Estonia to obtain a residence permit.
The Estonian Residence Permit Program for Businessmen exists to facilitate the entrepreneurial activities of foreigners in Estonia. You can apply for a residence permit for business:
1. By entrepreneurial activity:
- As a natural person (FIE) who has invested at least 16,000 EUR in Estonian business.
- As a shareholder/owner/member of the Management Board of an Estonian company (OÜ) who has invested at least 65,000 EUR in the development of their Estonian company.
IMPORTANT! Investments are funds spent on the activities and development of an Estonian company. When applying for a residence permit, it is necessary to submit a business plan, which reflects all funds invested in the development of an Estonian company, supported by invoices and contracts.
2. As an employee in your own company:
- You can apply for a residence permit for work if your monthly salary in your own company for the last 5 months was at least 1,407 EUR gross (1,162 EUR net).
LKS Consult OÜ emphasises that we specialise in business immigration exclusively by establishing a company in Estonia. However, despite this, it is worth mentioning another type of obtaining a residence permit for entrepreneurial activity in Estonia:
3. As a major investor:
- Having invested in an Estonian company at least 1,000,000 EUR. More information on the page of the Police and Border Guard Board.
LKS Consult OÜ will help its clients in obtaining a residence permit by establishing a company in Estonia and by developing a business in Estonia, as this method guarantees a high probability of obtaining a residence permit in Estonia for entrepreneurial activities.
After obtaining a residence permit, a non-resident of Estonia will be able to apply for Estonian citizenship, subject to legal income in Estonia and knowledge of the state language at the B1 level.
Estonian Residence Permit 2023
The Estonian government has decided to set the maximum immigration quota for 2023 at 1,307 persons, which is also the maximum amount permitted by the Aliens Act. Of the 2023 quota, almost a thousand residence permits are reserved for various sectors such as industry, construction, transport and storage, and less than 25 percent are freely available for distribution.
Distribution of the immigration quota in 2023
According to the decree of the Minister of the Interior, the immigration quota is divided among different sectors. The maximum, i.e. 600 temporary residence permits, may be issued for work in the processing industry.200 residence permits will be allocated for work in the field of construction and 100 residence permits for work in the field of transport and storage. Five residence permits will be issued for business.
There will be 30 residence permits for sports and 19 for culture. 35 residence permits will be issued to journalists accredited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, five residence permits will be issued on the basis of a foreign contract.
In total, 994 residence permits will be allocated from the immigration quota in the above-mentioned sectors, and 313 residence permits will be available for free issuance.
You can make an appointment to apply for a residence permit from 28 November.
The Police and Border Guard Board the Department announced that from 28 November it will be possible to make an appointment in December to apply for a residence permit on the basis of the 2023 immigration quota. One can also apply for a residence permit at the Estonian embassies.
Who falls under the immigration quota?
Temporary residence permits issued to third-country nationals, which are issued for work, business, on the basis of a foreign contract or on the basis of insurmountable national interests, are subject to immigration restrictions.
Who is exempt from the immigration limit?
- Citizens of a Member State of the European Union
- Citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein
- Foreigners who move with their spouse and close relative
- Foreigners studying or conducting research in Estonia
- Aliens granted a temporary residence permit for permanent residence in Estonia
- Foreigners who have received a residence permit to work in the field of information and communication technologies
- Foreigners who have received a residence permit to work in a startup company
- Foreigners working as teachers in Estonia
- Foreigners who have been granted a temporary residence permit for business as a major investor or in connection with the opening of a business
- Foreigners who have been granted a temporary residence permit to work as a leading specialist, i.e. the employer pays at least 1.5 times the average wage in Estonia.
- Beneficiaries of international protection