EU citizens are free to enter Estonia and can work here without work permit. The same applies to the nationals of Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein (members of EEA) and Switzerland – further referred as EU citizens. If you stay for more than 3 months, you should register your place of residence (within 3 months from arrival) and apply for an ID-card. The Non-EU country family members of an EU citizen are required to follow the visa requirements for entering Estonia: see section Non-EU Citizens. After the arrival to Estonia, the family members of an EU citizen can apply for the temporary residence in Estonia. More information is available in the section: Long term stay ˂ 6 months – Non-EU.
If you stay for more than 3 months, you should register your place of residence (within 3 months from arrival) and apply for an ID-card. The same applies for the family members. 1. Register the place of residence You will need an identity document (e.g. a passport) and a signed tenancy contract. Family members can present a joint notice of place of residence. Digitally signed documents can be sent via e-mail to the local government office.
Population Register Office Tartu City Centre, Küüni 5 Phone: +372 736 1143rt [ät] raad.tartu.ee Opening hours: Mon 9-12, 15-18; Tue 9-16; Wed-Fri 9-12, 14-16. Local government offices in: Viljandi, Pärnu, Narva
Once you have registered the place of residence, you will receive an Estonian ID number (isikukood). Please inform the University Personnel Office of your ID number at: personal [ät] ut.ee.
ID number! Gives the right to vote at local government elections and also stand as candidate to the city council, as well vote at the European Parliament elections. A citizen of a non-EU Member State residing in Estonia on the basis of a long-term residence permit may vote at the local government council elections but cannot stand as candidate to the council.
2. Apply for an ID-card WITHIN AN MONTH after the place of residence has been registered an EU citizen must apply for an Estonian ID card at the Police and Border Guard Board. The right of temporary residence is granted for 5 years, if your registered place of residence is continually in Estonia. Required documents for ID-card: • application form (you can fill in at the Bureau); • identity document of the applicant; • coloured photograph sized 40x50 mm (it is possible to take a photo, free of charge, in Tartu Migration Bureau); • document certifying the payment of the state fee, which can be paid either in the service point or by bank transfers.
Police and Border Guard Board / Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet Address: Riia St. 132 Phone: +372 612 3000 E-mail: ppa [ät] politsei.ee
Opening hours: Mo-Fri 9-17 On the last Friday of each month the office is closed.
NB! You can also book a time for your appointment in advance. Officers in the Migration Bureau mostly speak Estonian, some Russian and only few of them English. If possible, bring someone who speaks Estonian with you.
ID Card! The ID card can be used as identification and for giving digital signatures, and it carries the data concerning the right of residence. ID cards can be used for a wide range of electronic services. ID card contains also the ID number, which enables you to obtain health insurance through the Estonian Health Insurance Fund when employed by an Estonian organisation. The registration of the place of residence gives the right to temporary residence for 5 years.