EU citizens temporary right of residence

Who is a citizen of the European Union?

A citizen of the European Union is a citizen of an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. For the current purpose, an Estonian citizen is not considered a citizen of the European Union.

How can I stay in Estonia?

There are three options for residing in Estonia, which have different requirements and depend on the purpose and duration of your stay in Estonia.

  • Temporary stay in Estonia (up to 3 months)
  • Temporary residence in Estonia (up to 5 years)
  • Permanent residence in Estonia (indefinitely)

What is the right of temporary stay?

The right of temporary stay is the right of an EU citizen to visit Estonia for 3 months without registering their place of residence.

What additional rights European Union citizens have when staying in Estonia?

EU citizens who reside legally in Estonia have an unlimited right to work, engage in business or study without needing a separate permit for it.

What is the temporary right of residence?

The temporary right of residence gives you the right to reside in Estonia for up to 5 years. The temporary right of residence is valid for 5 years and is automatically extended for 5 years at a time, if your place of residence continues to be registered in Estonia.

What conditions must I meet as an European Union citizen to be granted the temporary right of residence in Estonia?

You may be granted the temporary right of residence in Estonia, if:

  1. you are a citizen of the European Union
  2. you have registered your place of residence in Estonia
  3. you have applied for an Estonian ID card. Important! You can apply for the ID card only after you have registered your place of residence.

How to obtain temporary right of residence?

In order to obtain temporary right of residene please turn to the municiplaity of your place of residence.

For this, a notice of residence must be submitted to

When relocating to Estonia for the first time, a personal identification code for an EU citizen must first be created for an EU citizen. The individual must go in person to the local city or rural municipality government office for this.

More information about identification code.

After you have registered your place of residence, apply for an ID card.

Important! Your temporary right of residence is automatically revoked if you do not have a valid place of residence registered in the Population Registry. Also your ID card will be automatically revoked.

Migration advisers will assist you every step of the way. Ask a migration adviser.