Booking appointments for applying for a residence permit for employment opens on Monday

Beginning from Monday, 27 November morning, it will be possible to book appointments for December for submitting applications for a residence permit on the basis of the 2024 immigration quota. By the Government’s decision, the immigration quota for the next year is 1,303.

To submit an application for a residence permit at the PBGB, you need to book an appointment on our website: https://broneering.politsei.ee/.

In addition to the PBGB client service offices, applicants can apply for a residence permit at the Estonian embassy of their place of residence or, failing that, at any of the nearest Estonian embassies suitable for the applicant. We ask you to consult with the embassies in advance. If an applicant for extension of a residence permit has provided a fingerprint image to the PBGB in the last six years, they may also apply by e-mail or mail. The PBGB has also forwarded the information on appointment booking options to all employers who have joined the migration advisors’ newsletter.

The 2024 immigration quota is 1,303 as decided by the Government, and is broken down as follows:

  • 200 temporary residence permits for employment in the transport and storage sector;
  • 35 temporary residence permits for employment as a journalist accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
  • 34 temporary residence permits for professional activities as an athlete, coach, sports referee or sports professional at the invitation of the relevant sports federation;
  • 15 temporary residence permits for employment in a performing arts institution as a creative employee within the meaning of the Performing Arts Institutions Act;
  • 5 temporary residence permits on the basis of a treaty.

The remaining part of the 2024 immigration quota, i.e. 1,014 temporary residence permits, is to be freely distributed. “If a foreigner’s application for a residence permit does not fall within the division of the spheres listed above, it should be taken into consideration that their application falls within the quota for free distribution,” said Marina Kadak, Superintendent of the Identity and Status Bureau of the PBGB.

Important information for employers and foreigners arriving for work:

  • The submission of an application for a first residence permit does not give the foreigner a legal basis for stay in the country. If the foreigner’s visa or other basis for stay expires before a decision has been made on the application for a residence permit, the foreigner must leave Estonia and wait for the decision in their home country. In this case, it may also be necessary to inform the PBGB and amend the place of receipt of the residence card on the application if Estonia was initially indicated as the place of receipt of the document.
  • Russian and Belarusian citizens are still subject to a sanction imposed by the Government of the Republic and will not be issued residence permits for employment or business.
  • A booking is mandatory for a foreigner when submitting an application for a residence permit – the booking is not intended for the employer and cannot be used by the employer for another employee.
  • A booking is only intended for the person in whose name it was registered. An application will not be accepted based on a booking registered in the name of another person.
  • You will not be able to change your booking later – if you cannot arrive at the scheduled appointment, you will have to cancel the appointment and make a new booking.
  • Cancelled bookings will be re-opened in the calendar for everyone to book after a while.
  • For further information, please consult the PBGB’s migration advisors at https://www.politsei.ee/et/migratsiooninoustajad.

Employees in the field of information and communication technology as well as foreigners working in start-ups and engaged in the start-up business are excluded from the immigration quota. In addition, the quota does not include family and study migration, becoming employed as a lecturer, operating as a major investor and working as a top specialist, i.e. a foreigner whose employer pays at least the annual average gross monthly salary in Estonia multiplied by a coefficient of 1.5 and foreigners who are issued temporary residence permits for short term employment or employment in a growth company. Citizens of the European Union and their family members, citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan, and applicants for international protection are also not included in the calculation of the quota.

For persons whose applications do not fall within the immigration quota, but whose basis of stay is coming to an end, and they cannot book an appointment to file an application, please contact the PBGB.

Martin Raid
Police and Border Guard Board spokesperson
+372 5191 8772