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 EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland (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 identity card for up to three months without registering their place of residence.

However, we strongly recommend registering your place of residence within a month of your arrival in Tallinn. By registering your place of residence, you will obtain the right of residence which will make organising your daily life here much easier.

In order to register your place of residence, you will need to submit a residence notice at one of the city’s Administration Offices. Please note that a personal identification code will also be created with the same procedure, so 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.

NB! Your personal identification code will need to be registered in our systems as well, so please send it to our senior specialist 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. If you would like to book an appointment, 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. More information about healthcare in Estonia for insured EU citizens can be found here.

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. It will also 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, you may want to consult with 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 insurance provider with suitable coverage.

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 some of you may have visa-free days that can be used for temporarily staying in the Schengen area, but we do not recommend using them because it would not be in accordance with the rules for entering the Schengen area. According to the guidelines provided by the Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you need to obtain a D-visa for travelling to Estonia for study purposes.

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, please feel free to contact the representation where you are planning to submit your visa application.

D-visa can only be issued for up to 365 days within 12 consecutive months, so after you have arrived in Tallinn, you will also need to apply for a temporary residence permit (TRP) at one of the PBGB service offices. Having a TRP will also make organising your daily life here much easier, so we recommend submitting the application as soon as possible.

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 consult with the migration consultants of the PBGB.

Please note that the entire process from submitting the application to receiving your TRP card may take up to three months.

NB! 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.

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 the requirements for 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.

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.

NB! As of 2024, the amount that is considered to be sufficient for a student is 800 euros per month, but living expenses will vary depending on individual needs.

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. However, 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.

NB! 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 270 additional 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 in this case means that you will be issued a visa sticker, and is strongly recommended if you need to travel and return to Estonia during the 270-day period. The application can be submitted up to 10 days before TRP expires and at any point during the additional 270 days. Please find more detailed information about the process here.

You also have the right to continue your studies and employment in Estonia during the 270-day period without any additional registrations.

NB! If you apply for the visa sticker, you can also stay in other Schengen countries but not for 270 days. You may stay in other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period during the additional 270 days.

Extension of TRP

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 will need to continue studying full-time during the time.

Please note that TRP is generally issued for the entire nominal period of study, and on condition that the study load during the entire period is full-time. After TRP expires, you will have a legal right to stay in Estonia for 270 additional days. This, combined with the fact that you can additionally apply for a D-visa for studies for up to a year, makes applying for extension of TRP a non-standard process. Extension of TRP may only be granted by the PBGB if it is justified by exceptional circumstances.

In order for your application to be considered, you will need to add an explanation letter to your application describing your exceptional circumstances and reasons for the extension. The educational institution is also required to provide a new invitation form. 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 additional days and apply for an additional D-visa for studies if necessary.

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

Migration consultants

If you have any questions related to migration, please feel free to contact migration consultants of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board. They provide consultations in English and the service is free of charge.