Work Permits
There is no such thing in Estonia as a special “work permit”. You can work here if your short‐term employment is registered by your employer and your stay here is legal (e.g. you have a D-visa) or when you have a valid (temporary) residence permit for working.
EU
- If you are a citizen of the EU, the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), or Switzerland, you can enter Estonia without a visa.
- If you want to work in Estonia for more than 3 months, you just need to register as an Estonian resident in the Population Register of Estonia during the first 3 months of your stay. Within a month of residence registration, you must apply for an Estonian ID card.
Non-EU
- If you are a citizen of a non-EU country and would like to work in Estonia for a short time (up to year), you should apply for a D-visa. Before applying for a D-visa, your employer should register your short-term employment with the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.
- If you are a citizen of a non-EU country and want to work in Estonia for a longer time (longer than a year), you need to apply for a residence permit. At first, you have to apply for a temporary residence permit (for work up to 5 years with your first permit). After having lived in Estonia for 5 years on a temporary residence permit, you can then apply for a long-term residence permit.
- If you wish to settle in Estonia permanently, you can also apply for a temporary residence permit for settling permanently created to make settling and fulfilling the required criteria for a long-term residence permit easier.
Have questions? Book a free consultation at International House of Estonia
International House of Estonia provides free personal consultations for foreigners, their families and local employers about settling in, documentation, healthcare, language programs etc. Located in Valukoja 8, Tallinn.