Estonia seasonal work visa

Seasonal work is listed by the PBGB as a ground that is possible only as short-term employment, not with a residence permit. The employer must be entered in the Estonian commercial register and registers the job before work starts; the worker cannot do it alone. Seasonal workers may work up to 270 days in any 365-day period, compared with 365 days in 455 for other short-term jobs. The PBGB publishes a separate information sheet on seasonal workers’ rights.

The employer must pay the salary required by the Aliens Act; the PBGB employee guide gives €2,092 a month on the general basis from 5 March 2026. For the D visa the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sets one-time means of €880 for a seasonal worker and €704 for an accompanying spouse. Insurance must cover the journey and the first 14 days of work, until Estonian health insurance through the employment begins.

Step one is the employer’s registration with the PBGB, decided within 15 business days from acceptance or from correction of shortcomings; the fee is €140 at a service office or €130 in the self-service portal. Registration only gives the right to work, so the worker then books the Estonian mission through the online calendar, lodges the D-visa application with the printout of the registration confirmation, gives fingerprints and pays €120. The mission may take up to 30 calendar days; travel arrangements should wait until the visa is issued.

Work only for the registering employer and within the registered period. A D visa also allows trips to other Schengen states for up to 90 days in 180. Several D visas in a row cannot exceed 548 days in 730. If you are already in Estonia legally, for example on a Schengen visa, a D visa can be requested at a PBGB service office at least 30 days, and not earlier than two months, before your current stay ends; the PBGB decides within 30 days.

A refused, annulled or revoked visa can be appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, directly or through the PBGB, within 10 days of receiving the decision, on the official form with a €160 fee (reference 2900073630). The Ministry decides within 30 days; after that, a complaint to the administrative court is possible within 10 days. An appeal does not allow you to enter or stay.