Estonia tourist visa (Schengen C visa)

Estonia applies the EU list of visa-required nationalities. Anyone with a valid residence permit of a Schengen state can enter without a visa.

Apply at the Estonian embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence, or at the visa application centre it uses. If your main destination is another Schengen state, apply to that state instead; apply to Estonia when it is your main destination or, with equal stays, your first point of entry.

Besides the form, photo, passport and insurance, a tourist file needs flight reservations, hotel bookings or a travel plan, and proof of funds: bank statements showing account activity over the last three months and salary slips or similar income proof. Add documents that show your situation at home: employees an employer letter or leave approval with proof of employment; company owners business registration and tax documents; retirees proof of pension; students a certificate of enrolment.

Documents in a language other than Estonian or English may need a sworn translation; check what the mission where you apply accepts. Minors travelling without both parents need a notarised statement from the absent parent unless the travelling parent has sole custody.

Estonia sets sufficient means at €70 for each day of stay, so a ten-day trip implies about €700 available to you, in addition to return travel. Travel medical insurance must cover at least €30,000 for urgent treatment, emergency hospital care, repatriation and death, in every Schengen state and for the whole stay; for a multiple-entry visa the first trip must be covered.

The state fee is €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to 11 and nothing for children under 6. Pupils and students travelling to study, researchers under the EU definition and family members of EU citizens with free-movement rights are among those exempt. Where the mission uses a visa application centre, the centre adds its own service fee. The fee pays for the examination and is not refunded if the visa is refused.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepts applications no earlier than six months and no later than 15 days before the trip. A decision is normally made within 15 days of an admissible application and can take up to 45 days if the file needs closer examination; some nationalities require prior consultation of other Schengen states. Fingerprints are taken unless you gave them for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months; children under 12 are exempt.

A visa does not guarantee entry; the border guard can ask for bookings, insurance and money again. The Entry/Exit System has recorded the entries and exits of visa holders since its full start on 10 April 2026, including fingerprints and a facial image, which makes the 90/180-day count automatic. Use the European Commission’s short-stay calculator before planning repeat trips. A period of stay can only be extended in Estonia by the PBGB in limited cases; the state fee for an extension is €30.

A refusal is issued on the standard EU form with the grounds ticked. It cannot be challenged by e-mail: you file an appeal with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, either directly or through the PBGB, within 10 days of receiving the decision. The deadline cannot be extended or restored.

The appeal is made on the official form, sent by post to Islandi väljak 1, 15049 Tallinn or by e-mail with a digital signature recognised in Estonia, with a copy of the passport data page and proof that the €160 appeal fee (reference 2900073630) has arrived. The Ministry decides within 30 days of registration. If the refusal stands, a complaint can be filed with the administrative court within 10 days; doing so does not give a right to enter or stay.