NB! BY THE REGULATION NUMBER 16 DATED 04.07.2011 OF THE MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, THE LIMIT OF TEMPORARY RESIDENCE PERMITS BEING ISSUED IN 2011 FOR WORKING AS A MEMBER OF MANAGEMENT BODY OF A LEGAL PERSON REGISTERED IN ESTONIA, WAS ESTABLISHED TO BE 580. WHEREAS THIS ESTABLISHED LIMIT IS FILLED FOR THIS YEAR, THEREFORE IN THE YEAR 2011 THE RESIDENCE PERMITS OF THIS TYPE WILL NOT BE ISSUED ANY MORE. MEMBERS OF MANAGEMENT BODIES OF COMPANIES, WHO WISH TO START WORKING IN ESTONIA, MAY APPLY FOR THAT PURPOSE FOR A VISA IN A FOREIGN REPRESENTATION OF ESTONIA.
NB! This information is meant for third country nationals. You can find information about the right of residence for EU citizens and for their family members here.
Required documents
How to apply
- Temporary residence permit may be granted to an alien, if the conditions for granting the residence permit are fulfilled and there are no obstacles which would bring about refusal to grant a residence permit;
- The requirements for granting the temporary residence permit must be fulfilled throughout the validity period of the residence permit.
The general terms for granting temporary residence permit toa n alien are the following:
- justification of the purpose for settling in Estonia;
- actual residing place in Estonia;
- sufficient legal income which would enable subsistence of the alien and his/her family in Estonia;
- insurance cover for costs of cure caused by illness or injuries of an alien.
An alien may apply for residence permit for work with an employer registered in Estonia and for scientific or research works, if the institution has been entered with the register of science and development institutions.
An alien applying for residence permit is subject to the annual immigration quota for aliens immigrating to Estonia, which shall not exceed 0.1 per cent of the permanent population of Estonia annually.
The immigration quota does not apply to the following:
- aliens who are ethnic Estonians;
- citizens of the United States of America or Japan;
- aliens who apply for a residence permit for science or research works.
1. In general a residence permit for employment can be applied for with the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, public competition and fulfilling the salary criterion.
An alien can apply for a residence permit for employment if an open competition has been carried out to staff the post and if, within 3 weeks, it has not been possible to recruit through the state employment mediation service any citizen of Estonia, EU citizen or alien residing in Estonia on the basis of residence permit, who would meet the prescribed qualification and professional skills requirements.
An alien must have the qualifications, education, health, work experience, special skills and knowledge required for the job.
The Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund has to give its consent before an alien can be employed (more information: www.tootukassa.ee). The consent is valid for 2 months from the moment of its issue.
The requirement of the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund is not applicable in case of extension of a temporary residence permit for employment.
A residence permit is issued only if the wages of an alien ensure his/her subsistence in Estonia. An employer must pay an alien a salary which is at least equal to the product of the recent average yearly wages in Estonia published by the Statistical Office of Estonia and the coefficient 1,24.
2. An alien may apply for a residence permit for employment without the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, public competition or fulfilling the salary criterion in order to:
- clergymen, nuns and monks invited by religious associations in concordance with the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
- an alien holding long-term residence permit of the EU Member State;
- journalists accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
- persons who have the right, proceeding from international law, to work in Estonia without a work permit;
- teachers and academic staff to work in an educational institution which comply with the requirements established by the relevant national legislation;
- work in a performing arts institution as a person engaged in creative activities within the meaning of the Performing Arts Institutions Act;
- carry out scientific research if an alien has appropriate qualifications or experience in the that field;
- aliens who come to Estonia to work as members of the management body of a legal entity registered in Estonia in order to perform managerial or supervisory functions;
- carry out professional activities as a sportsman, coach, referee or sports official;
- work as a posted worker within the meaning of the Working Conditions of Workers Posted in Estonia Act;
- an alien has a long-term residence permit of a EU Member State.
3. An alien may be granted a residence permit for employment without the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and without public competition but by fulfilling the salary criterion for working as an expert, advisor or consultant if an alien has an appropriate qualification.
4. A residence permit for employment in Estonia may be granted on the basis of the European Union (EU) blue card.
The EU blue card is a residence permit for employment, which is granted to an alien for residence in Estonia and for employment on a position or job** which requires higher qualification*. Employer needs the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund.
*Higher professional qualification, which is required for applying for the EU blue card, is the necessary qualification, the nominal time of study for obtaining of which is at least three years and which is evidenced by a document certifying higher education, or at least five years of working experience.
**A job requesting high qualification is a job the necessary knowledge and experience for performance of which is evidenced by higher professional qualification.
Assessment of documents evidencing higher professional qualification:
1) For settling to work on a regulated position - coordinates the Ministry of Education and Research according to the Acknowlledgement of Foreign State Professional Qualification Act;
2) For settling to work on an unregulated position or profession - an assessment is made by a structural unit Estonian ENIC/NARIC Centre of the foundation Archimedes (Ac<demic Recognition Information Centre)
The documents enclosed by an alien with the application for the EL blue card, which are required for evidencing higher professional qualification, shall be assessed by the Police and Border Guard Board.
Compatibility of the qualification of an alien to the requirements shall be assessed prior the submission of an application for the EU blue card by an alien.
An EU blue card can be granted to an alien only for employment on such a job, which requires higher professional qualification.
Before submission of an application for the residence permit, an employer shall enter with an alien into an employment contract with at least one year validity period, or shall make an employment proposal by which the employer expresses his/her will to be legally bound with the employment contract and takes the obligation to employ the alien for at least one year period on the position requiring higher qualification, which is determined in the contract entered into or in the employment proposal made.
During the validity period of the EU blue card, an employer is obligated to pay to the alien the salary, the amount of which is at least equal to the multiplication product of the Estonian annual average gross monthly salary, as last Publisher by the Statistical Office, and the coefficient 1,5.
An employer is obligated, during the validity period of the EU blue card, to pay to the alien the salary, the amount of which is at least equal to the multiplication product of the Estonian annual average gross monthly salary, as last Publisher by the Statistical Office, and the coefficient 1,24, in the following occasions:
1) employment as a top specialist or a junior administrator;
2) employment as a top specialist in natural or technical science;
3) employment as a top specialist in healt service;
4) employment as a specialist in pedagogics;
5) employment as a specialist in business or administration;
6) employment as a specialist in information or communication, or
7) employment as a specialist in legal, cultural or social sphere.
In case if an alien is residing in Estonia on the basis of the EU blue card and wishes during the first two years of the validity period of the EU blue card to terminate the employment with the employer, for employment with whom the EU blue card was issued to the alien, and to start employment with another employer, then such other employer shall need a consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund for employing the alien*.
*In case if an alien has been residing in Estonia on the basis of the EU blue card continuouslt for at least two years and he/she holds a valid EU blue card, then he/she can start employment with another employer and terminate employment with the present employer. In such case the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund is not required.
During the validity period of the EU blue card an alien can be unemployed once with the duration of up to three months.
5. An alien may be granted a residence permit for employment without the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, public competition or fulfilling the salary criterion for working as a scientist or for scientific research.
Temporary residence permit for working as a scientist is granted, if an alien has relevant professional training or experience and if the scientific and development activities of a science and development institution acknowledged by the Ministry of Education and Science has been positively evalved at least in one sphere and a hosting agreement for scientific or research work has been concluded between the alien and the science and development institution.
A research and development institution must conclude a hosting agreement with a scientist after it has independently checked that:
- the alien has a permanent legal income for subsistence in Estonia;
- the alien has an appropriate insurance policy;
- there are appropriate financial means for the research and development under question.
By conclusion of a hosting agreement the science and development institution shall take the obligations of an employer, which obligations shall terminate after lapse of six months from performance of the notification duty of the science and development institution or from expiry of the hosting agreement.
A hosting agreement must include the following:
- the name and qualification of the alien;
- the name, registration code and location of the hosting institution and the name of the contact person;
- the duration and sources of financing of the research or development for which the residence permit is applied for.
If the above listed data is stated in the employment contract of an alien, then a copy of such employment contract may be submitted to the Polilce and Border Guard Board instead of the hosting agreement.
A residence permit for employment is issued for a period of guaranteed employment in Estonia by an employer with a period of validity of up to 2 years and it can be extended for up to five years at a time.
Residence permit for employment grants an alien the right to work in Estonia only on the excact same conditions that the permit was based on e.g. employer, position, salary etc.
