International protection

Estonia acceded to the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 New York Protocol in 1997, which means that Estonia has undertaken an international obligation to protect those foreign nationals who meet the requirements set out in the document. In Estonia, the Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB) deals with asylum seekers and cooperates with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for this purpose. The Ministry of Social Affairs also deals with asylum seekers.

On 14 May 2024, the European Union adopted a new migration and asylum package. The changes and rules accompanying the new reform began to be implemented in the European Union (including Estonia) from 12 June 2026. The main objective of the new reform is to share the responsibility for migrants more fairly among Member States, to make the registration and processing of asylum applications clearer and more efficient, and to reduce secondary migration. One of the most significant changes is the introduction of a mandatory border procedure, supported by the Eurodac biometric data system.

Since June 2026 , the field of asylum in Estonia is regulated by the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens, which incorporates both the principles arising from the aforementioned Convention and the requirements stemming from European Union regulations and directives under the new migration pact. The Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens is available here: Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens – State Gazette

Key terms

An applicant for international protection is a foreign national who has submitted an application in Estonia to be granted international protection. The status of an applicant lasts until a decision is made regarding the applicant or until the applicant withdraws their application for international protection. A person granted international protection is issued a temporary residence permit valid for up to five years.

A foreign national is a national of a third country or a stateless person.

A third-country national is a foreign national who is a citizen of a country other than a Member State of the European Union, a Member country of the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation.

A refugee is a foreign national who, owing to a well-founded fear of persecution on the grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group, is outside their country of origin. They are either unable to, or, owing to such fear, unwilling to, avail themselves of the protection of that country. There are no circumstances precluding their recognition as a refugee.

A beneficiary of subsidiary protection is a foreign national who does not qualify as a refugee, but in respect of whom there are grounds to believe that their return or expulsion from Estonia to their country of origin could expose them to a serious risk in that country, including:

• the imposition or execution of the death penalty
• torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
• a specific threat to their life or the lives of civilians in general, or the use of violence against them or civilians as a result of an international or internal armed conflict

Temporary protection is a special form of protection granted to a foreign national. Its purpose is to provide immediate and temporary protection to foreign nationals who are unable to return to their country of origin in the event of mass influx or an anticipated mass influx. This applies in particular where there is a risk that the asylum system will be unable to process such immigration without compromising its own effective functioning in the interests of the foreign nationals seeking temporary protection. (Status valid for up to one (1) year)

International protection is granted to a foreign national who has been determined to have:

• refugee status
• subsidiary protection status
• belonging to a category of persons in need of temporary protection as defined by a decision of the Council of the European Union

Types of international protection application procedures

Border procedure:

• The aim of the border procedure is to assess, at the country’s external border and within the shortest possible time, whether an application for international protection is unfounded or inadmissible. This applies to those who have little prospect of being granted international protection or who pose a security risk. Under the border procedure, the applicant is not granted the right to enter the territory of the Member State.

• Persons who have no grounds for entering or remaining in the country are subject to return. Well-founded applications are referred for substantive examination under the regular procedure.
• Time limit: up to 12 weeks (the procedure at the PBGB takes 15 days).

Accelerated procedure:

• The accelerated procedure allows Member States to process applications for international protection more quickly than usual where there are circumstances indicating that the application is likely to be unfounded. Such circumstances may include, amongst other things, the applicant coming from a safe country of origin, providing false information, or withholding material information.
• The procedure presupposes that the applicant has been granted a permit or licence to enter the country.
• Time limit: up to three (3) months

Substantive procedure:

• The standard procedure applies to all applications for international protection where there are no grounds for applying other types of procedure.
• The procedure involves a full and thorough substantive assessment of the application.
• Time limit: up to six months

Submitting an asylum application

There are two ways to submit an asylum application:

• Before entering the country, you can submit an asylum application to a border guard officer at any border crossing point on the border of the Republic of Estonia. This option should be used if the foreign national does not have a valid visa, travel documents, or an Estonian residence permit.
• If the foreign national is already in Estonia, they must contact any service point of the Police and Border Guard Board to apply for asylum. In Tallinn, applications must be submitted exclusively to the Northern Prefecture service point at Pärnu mnt 139.

Applying for a temporary residence permit for a family member who has been granted international protection

Family members as defined in the Act on the Granting of International Protection to Aliens may apply for a residence permit for a family member. A family member is granted a temporary residence permit valid until the date on which the residence permit of the beneficiary of international protection expires. The residence permit may not be valid for longer than the residence permit of the beneficiary of international protection. If the residence permit of the beneficiary of international protection is extended, the residence permit of the family member is also extended for the same period.

An application for a family member’s residence permit must be accompanied by a written invitation from the beneficiary of international protection living in Estonia with whom the applicant wishes to reside. The invitation is submitted by the spouse or registered partner, child, parent, grandparent, or guardian of the beneficiary of international protection when applying for a residence permit, respectively by the spouse, registered partner, parent, adult child, grandchild, or guardian living in Estonia.

Documents

• Application form