Applying for Estonian citizenship

What are the conditions for obtaining citizenship?

Estonian citizenship is acquired by birth, obtained by naturalisation, or restored to a person who lost it as a minor (KodS § 2 lg 1) [1]. A foreign national who wishes to obtain Estonian citizenship must meet all of the following conditions (KodS § 6) [2]:

• be at least 15 years old (KodS § 6 p 1) [2];
• hold a long-term resident's residence permit or a permanent right of residence (KodS § 6 p 2) [2];
• have lived in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit or right of residence for at least eight years, five of them permanently (KodS § 6 p 2¹) [2];
• have a registered residence in Estonia (KodS § 6 p 2³) [2];
• know the Estonian language and know the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia and the Citizenship Act (KodS § 6 p 3 and 4) [2];
• have a legal permanent income (KodS § 6 p 5) [2];
• be loyal to the Estonian state and take an oath (KodS § 6 p 6 and 7) [2].

Legal permanent income means lawfully earned pay under an employment, service or civil law contract or on the basis of membership, income from lawful business or property, a pension, a scholarship, maintenance support, benefits paid under the law, and maintenance by a family member with a legal permanent income (KodS § 7) [5].

How long must you have lived in Estonia?

Before the day the application is submitted, you must have lived in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit or right of residence for at least eight years, five of them permanently (KodS § 6 p 2¹) [2].

A special rule applies to a person who applies for citizenship after turning 15 and who, before turning 15, stayed in Estonia for at least eight years, whether or not they had a residence permit or right of residence at the time. If such a person does not meet the usual residence permit and length-of-residence conditions, the following conditions apply instead: they have not settled permanently in another state, they hold a valid residence permit or right of residence when citizenship is granted, and they have lived in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit or right of residence for six months after the day following the registration of their application (KodS § 35 lg 3¹) [6].

Which exams must you pass?

Estonian language exam. The Act requires the command of general Estonian needed in everyday life at least at level B-1 (KodS § 8 lg 1) [7]; among other things, the applicant must cope in most everyday situations and be able to write a simple text (KodS § 8 lg 2 p 1 and 4) [7]. Language skills are assessed in an exam, and those who pass receive a certificate (KodS § 8 lg 3 and 4) [7]. A person who has obtained basic, secondary or higher education in Estonian does not have to take the exam (KodS § 8 lg 5) [7]. An applicant aged at least 65 is exempt in the language exam from the requirement to write a simple text (KodS § 34 lg 1) [8].

Exam on the Constitution and the Citizenship Act. The applicant must know the basic principles of the state system, everyone's fundamental rights, freedoms and duties, the competence of the Riigikogu, the President of the Republic, the Government of the Republic and the courts, and the conditions and procedure for acquiring, obtaining, restoring and losing Estonian citizenship (KodS § 9 lg 1) [9]. The exam is held in Estonian; the exams are organised and the certificates issued by the Education and Youth Board (Haridus- ja Noorteamet) (KodS § 9 lg 2 and 2¹) [9].

For health reasons. A person who because of their state of health cannot meet the language and Constitution requirements is exempt from them; a person who can meet them partly takes the exam to the extent and in the manner their health allows (KodS § 35 lg 2 and 3) [6]. The decision is made by an expert committee, to which a certificate from the attending physician is submitted (KodS § 35 lg 6–8) [6]; the committee's decision can be appealed to an administrative court within 30 days of receiving it (KodS § 35 lg 9) [6]. An adult applicant with restricted active legal capacity is exempt from the conditions on language, knowledge of the Constitution, income, loyalty and the oath (KodS § 35 lg 1) [6].

Free language training and reimbursement. A one-time language training contract may be concluded with a foreign national aged at least 15 who has lived in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit or right of residence for at least five years, has not taken part in Estonian language training at the desired level funded or co-funded from the state budget in the last two years, and to whom no ground for refusing citizenship applies (KodS § 8³ lg 1 and 2) [10]. The training organiser may not charge a fee for organising the training or administering the contract (KodS § 8³ lg 12) [10]. Under the contract they undertake to complete the training up to level B1, meet the citizenship conditions and apply within one year after passing the B1 exam (KodS § 8³ lg 5) [10]; if they do not perform the contract, the training costs and the compensation paid to them are recovered (KodS § 8³ lg 9) [10]. A person who has passed both exams is reimbursed up to 100 percent of the tuition paid to a continuing education institution for Estonian language training preparing for the proficiency exam, within the limit set by the Government, if they apply to the Education and Youth Board no later than three months after passing both exams (KodS § 8¹ lg 1–3) [11].

Do you have to give up your current citizenship?

As a rule, yes. When applying, you must prove that you have been released from your current citizenship, or will be released from it because you obtain Estonian citizenship, or that you have been recognised as a stateless person (KodS § 12 lg 2) [12]. This requirement does not apply if the person has received international protection from Estonia or another EU Member State, the situation in the country of origin has not changed significantly, and the person therefore cannot renounce their current citizenship (KodS § 3 lg 2) [13].

A person who as a minor acquires or obtains both Estonian citizenship and that of another state must, within three years after turning 18, renounce one of them (KodS § 3 lg 1) [13].

How does a child obtain citizenship?

A child acquires Estonian citizenship by birth if at least one parent holds Estonian citizenship at the time of the child's birth (KodS § 5 lg 1 p 1) [14]; under the Constitution, every child with at least one parent who is an Estonian citizen has the right to Estonian citizenship by birth (PS § 8) [15].

For a child under 15, citizenship is applied for by the parents who are Estonian citizens, by a parent who is an Estonian citizen by agreement with the other parent with officially certified signatures, or by a single parent raising the child who is an Estonian citizen (KodS § 13 lg 1) [16]. The child must live permanently in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit or right of residence; a child under one year of age must be present in Estonia but does not need a residence permit (KodS § 13 lg 2 and 2¹) [16]. A child under 15 may also obtain citizenship together with a parent who is applying for it (KodS § 14 lg 1) [17].

A child under 15 who was born in Estonia, or who settled permanently in Estonia with a parent immediately after birth, obtains citizenship by naturalisation from the moment of birth if their parents or the single parent raising them, whom no state considers its citizens, had lived in Estonia legally for at least five years by the time of the child's birth (KodS § 13 lg 4) [16]. This includes persons who were citizens of the USSR before 20 August 1991 and whom no other state has considered its citizens (KodS § 13 lg 6) [16]. In this case no decision of the Government is needed (KodS § 20 lg 1) [4]. For a child under 15, the documents are submitted by a parent or by a guardian who is an Estonian citizen (KodS § 18 lg 2) [18]; from the age of 15 a young person can apply on their own (KodS § 6 p 1) [2].

What the law says

• „olema elanud enne Eesti kodakondsuse saamise taotluse esitamise päeva Eestis elamisloa või elamisõiguse alusel vähemalt kaheksa aastat, millest viis aastat püsivalt“ (KodS § 6 p 2¹) [2] – the time counted is time lived in Estonia on the basis of a residence permit or right of residence.
• „Eesti keele oskus käesoleva seaduse mõistes on eesti üldkeele igapäevaeluks vajalik oskus, mis vastab vähemalt keeleseaduses sätestatud B-1 tasemele või sellele vastavale tasemele.“ (KodS § 8 lg 1) [7] – this is the minimum level of language skills.
• „Eksamit ei pea sooritama isik, kes on omandanud eesti keeles põhi-, kesk- või kõrghariduse.“ (KodS § 8 lg 5) [7] – education in Estonian replaces the language exam.
• „Eesti Vabariigi põhiseaduse ja kodakondsuse seaduse tundmist hinnatakse eksamil, mis toimub eesti keeles.“ (KodS § 9 lg 2) [9] – this exam is also held in Estonian.
• „Taotledes Eesti kodakondsust, tõotan olla ustav Eesti põhiseaduslikule korrale.“ (KodS § 6 p 7) [2] – the wording of the oath ("In applying for Estonian citizenship, I swear to be loyal to the constitutional order of Estonia").

What to do

1. Check that you hold a long-term resident's residence permit or a permanent right of residence, have a registered residence in Estonia, and have lived here for at least eight years on the basis of a residence permit or right of residence, five of them permanently (KodS § 6 p 2–2³) [2].
2. Pass the Estonian language exam unless you obtained basic, secondary or higher education in Estonian (KodS § 8 lg 3 and 5) [7], and the exam on the Constitution and the Citizenship Act (KodS § 9 lg 2) [9].
3. If you paid for language training, apply for reimbursement to the Education and Youth Board no later than three months after passing both exams (KodS § 8¹ lg 3) [11].
4. Obtain proof that you have been released, or will be released because you obtain Estonian citizenship, from your current citizenship, or that you have been recognised as a stateless person (KodS § 12 lg 2) [12].
5. Submit the application with documents proving the relevant circumstances to the Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet) (KodS § 12 lg 1; KodS § 18 lg 1) [12] [18] (regulation designating the authorised agencies, § 1 lg 1) [19]. The list of documents to attach is set by a regulation of the minister (KodS § 12 lg 4) [12].
6. Keep the certificate confirming that your application was registered (KodS § 19 lg 2) [20]. The Board forwards the application with its proposal to the Government of the Republic within six months of registering it and accepting it for processing (KodS § 19 lg 3) [20]. The Government's order enters into force on the day it is signed unless it sets another date, and you are issued a certificate of citizenship (KodS § 20 lg 2 and 3) [4].

Frequently asked questions

Does a 65-year-old have to take the language exam?

Yes, but an applicant aged at least 65 is exempt in the language exam from the requirement to write a simple text (KodS § 34 lg 1; KodS § 8 lg 2 p 4) [8] [7].

How long does the procedure take?

The Board forwards the application of an applicant aged 15 or over to the Government of the Republic within six months, and an application for a child under 15 within three months of registration (KodS § 19 lg 3 and 4) [20]. The Government of the Republic then decides whether to grant citizenship (KodS § 20 lg 1) [4].

When is citizenship refused?

Citizenship is not granted, among others, to a person who concealed circumstances by submitting false information, does not observe Estonia's constitutional order or comply with Estonian laws, has acted against the Estonian state and its security, has been sentenced to imprisonment for more than one year and whose conviction has not expired, or has repeatedly been punished under criminal law for intentional offences (KodS § 21 lg 1) [21]. A person punished repeatedly may exceptionally be granted citizenship once their conviction has expired (KodS § 21 lg 1¹) [21].

Can citizenship be granted for special merits?

Yes. For special merits – achievements in science, culture, sport or another field – citizenship may be granted to no more than ten persons a year (KodS § 10 lg 2 and 3) [22]. In that case the conditions on the residence permit, length of residence, registered residence and the exams may be waived (KodS § 10 lg 1) [22].