Estonia permanent residence (long-term resident’s permit)

The integration requirement includes Estonian at B1 level or equivalent, proven by the state language exam run by the Education and Youth Board (Harno). Basic, secondary or higher education completed in Estonian exempts you from the exam, and people under 15, over 65 or with limited legal capacity are exempt from the language requirement. Separately, workers who have spent five years on an employment permit issued after 16 July 2018 need A2 Estonian to extend it, so language learning usually starts early.

You must have lived in Estonia on a temporary residence permit for five years immediately before applying, hold a valid temporary permit, have your residence registered in the Population Register, have a stable legal income and be insured with the Estonian Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa). Special conditions apply to children under 15, EU Blue Card holders, people who lived in Estonia on a study permit, people who settled in Estonia before 1 July 1990 and former Estonian citizens.

The application for a permanent residence permit is filled in block letters together with the biographical data form, the additional form and, only if your family data has changed, the family data form. You present your identity document, a digital photo and proof that the state fee has been paid. The fee is €185, reduced to €93 for children under 15 and for applicants of Estonian retirement age who apply under general conditions.

A separate temporary residence permit for permanent residence is available to people who have lived in Estonia for at least three of the last five consecutive years on a residence permit or right of residence (study time excluded), have income at least equal to the subsistence level, health insurance, A2 Estonian and have completed the basic module of the adaptation programme. It is issued for up to five years and extended for up to 10 years.

The application is filed in Estonia while your temporary permit is still valid. Book “Applying for or extending a residence permit” at a PBGB service office, give fingerprints if the last set is more than six years old, and keep your registered address and health insurance up to date until the decision. Migration advisers of the PBGB answer questions by phone and e-mail.

The long-term resident’s permit has permanent validity, so you no longer depend on the purpose of a temporary permit such as a specific job, studies or a sponsor. The residence permit card certifies your right to live in Estonia, serves as an identity card and contains your photo and fingerprints; the card itself is replaced when it expires.