Residence Permit in Estonia: The process to Extend

Shamaise Peters
TalTech Blog
Published in
3 min readDec 21, 2020

In every country, some rules and guidelines govern how society functions. I know sometimes it can be time-consuming and challenging to read through lengthy documents to gather the main idea of specific policies. Don’t worry- I will try to narrow down the procedure and what is needed regarding extending your residence permit in Estonia.

The extension of a residence permit is meant for those who already have a valid residence permit and want to extend that permit under the same conditions under which they applied for a residence permit. For instance, if you are studying a Bachelor´s degree and want to start a Master´s degree in Estonia, then this is the article that aligns with that interest. If however, you want to settle permanently in Estonia you can learn more from the link that I’ve included.

It is good to know that to apply for an extension of a residence permit you will need to apply for an appointment at least two months before the expiry of the current permit at your nearest service point.

Also, you can apply for the extension permit by the following methods:

· Face to Face

· E-mail

· Post

The main difference between the methods is if it is less than two years since the previously applied for a residence permit. There is no need to redo your biometrics (fingerprints and photo ID) you can then use by post or e-mail. However, if it has been more two years since your last application, you will then have to choose the face to face method because your biometrics information will be outdated.

You can see more information and learn more about these methods here.

Let us look at the documents required for the extension of a temporary residence permit in detailed.

· Application for extension of temporary residence permit if an extension of temporary residence permit is applied for.

· Application form is filled (note this should be filled out online and then printed). I’ve attached a picture so you can see the application form you should keep an eye out for when applying.

· Details of close relatives and family members — If the information has not changed, then you won’t have to fill this form again. However, if you are now married or have new family members, then you will have to amend the document.

· Identification document

· A document proving sufficient legal income — A parent or guardian can provide a letter that they will provide for your expenses while living in Estonia.

· 1 digital colour photograph — Not necessarily needed as there is a self-service machine that you can use to take a digital photo.

· Payment of the state fee, which is 64 euros — This can be paid via cash or card face to face or via bank transfer to the details provided on the website.

· Health insurance contract.

The decision to extend or refuse a temporary residence permit shall be made no later than ten days before the expiry of the temporary residence permit.

I hope this information helps!

For updated information, please always refer to the official website at: https://www.politsei.ee/en

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