Estonia work visa and residence permit for employment

Short-term employment suits jobs of up to a year. The employer, entered in the Estonian commercial register, registers the employment with the PBGB before work starts; the decision takes 15 business days from acceptance. Registration gives the right to work but not to enter or stay, so the worker then applies for a D visa based on it. On the general basis a person may work up to 365 days within 455 days this way.

For longer work the worker needs a temporary residence permit for employment, tied to a specific employer. PBGB lists many grounds: skilled workers under general conditions, temporary agency workers, top specialists, management board members, experts, clergy, start-up employees, scientists and lecturers, teachers, athletes, creative workers, EU Blue Card holders, graduates of Estonian universities, workers posted from EU countries and employees of international companies, each with its own conditions.

The worker needs education, experience, health and skills suited to the job. The employer must be registered in Estonia and, according to the PBGB employee guide, have operated there for at least six months; it obtains a permit from the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund to recruit a foreign national for the position and sends its invitation to the PBGB.

Under the general rule the salary must be at least the Estonian average gross salary: €2,092 a month for applications from 5 March 2026 to March 2027 (€1,981 the year before). The PBGB salary table also lists coefficients of 0.8 (€1,674), 1.24 (€2,594) and 1.5 (€3,138) for specific grounds; for start-up employees the 0.8 rate has applied since 1 January 2023. The double-salary rate for top specialists no longer applies to new applications since 24 May 2022.

A residence permit is lodged in person at an Estonian embassy or consulate by appointment (one booking per person); if you are already legally in Estonia, for example on a D visa, you can file at a PBGB service office booked through broneering.politsei.ee. The file contains the application, forms on relatives and biography, the additional form, passport, digital photo, proof of legal income for the previous six months, a criminal record certificate from every country of three months’ residence in the last three years, the employer’s invitation, the Unemployment Insurance Fund permit and proof of the €280 fee.

The mission sends the documents by diplomatic post to the PBGB. The decision takes about 90 days from acceptance, longer if documents are missing, and the card is printed within 30 days and sent to the mission for collection; ordering a card to a foreign representation costs €20 extra.

For short-term employment, the employer files the registration and you lodge a D visa (€120) at the mission with the printout of the registration. The Ministry requires one-time means of €1,320 for a short-term employee; insurance must cover travel plus the first 14 days of work, after which Estonian health insurance applies.

Within a month of the permit being granted, register your place of residence in the Population Register through the local government; keep valid health insurance and the required income for the whole validity, or the permit can be revoked. Employees who have lived in Estonia for five years on an employment permit issued on or after 16 July 2018 must pass an A2 Estonian exam to extend it or obtain a new one.

Temporary residence permits can be extended for up to 10 years at a time, but the card itself is valid for at most five years. Apply at least two months before expiry; a complete application filed on time is decided no later than 10 days before the old permit ends. If you gave fingerprints within the last six years and hold a valid card, the extension can be filed by e-mail. The employer’s invitation confirming continued employment is attached; the extension fee is €250.

A spouse and minor children can apply for a residence permit for a family member. Joining a person who is still applying for a work or study permit is possible only in exceptional cases, so families often follow once the worker’s permit is granted. The family member’s permit is not longer than the worker’s.

To change job, the new employer sends the PBGB a digitally signed application to register the change, a new Unemployment Insurance Fund permit and a copy of your passport data page; the review takes 30 days and you start only after a positive answer. The Fund permit is not needed when moving within the same employer or after 12 consecutive months of living in Estonia on the employment permit. Holders of an employment permit may be unemployed for up to three months if they have held it under two years, and up to six months after two years.