Long-term resident's residence permit in Estonia

What conditions must be met?

A long-term resident's residence permit may be granted to a foreign national who meets all of the following conditions (VMS § 232 lg 1) [2]:

• they have lived in Estonia on a residence permit for at least five years immediately before submitting the application (VMS § 232 lg 1 p 1) [2];
• they hold a valid temporary residence permit (VMS § 232 lg 1 p 2) [2];
• they have a permanent legal income for subsistence in Estonia (VMS § 232 lg 1 p 3) [2];
• they are an insured person within the meaning of the Health Insurance Act or an international agreement of Estonia (VMS § 232 lg 1 p 4) [2];
• they have met the integration requirement, i.e. they speak Estonian (VMS § 232 lg 1 p 5) [2];
• their residence data are entered in the population register (VMS § 232 lg 1 p 6) [2];
• there are no circumstances that are grounds for refusal (VMS § 232 lg 1 p 7) [2].

The requirements of five years' residence, a valid temporary residence permit and income do not apply to a child under 15 of an Estonian citizen or long-term resident living in Estonia (VMS § 232 lg 2) [2].

How are the five years and absences from Estonia counted?

Temporary absence from Estonia counts towards the period of residence if it does not exceed six consecutive months and ten months in total during the last five years before the application (VMS § 233 lg 1) [5]. If the absence was longer but the Police and Border Guard Board considered it justified, the required period of residence is extended by the time exceeding the permitted absence (VMS § 233 lg 3) [5].

According to the Supreme Court (Riigikohus), the main criterion for a long-term resident's permit is the length of residence in the country; if the requirement of permanent residence in Estonia is not met, the permit is refused, but a holder of a valid temporary residence permit may later submit a new application (Supreme Court (Riigikohus) judgment 3-3-1-1-16) [6].

Special rules:

• Studies. Time spent in Estonia on a temporary residence permit for studies counts by half if you later received a residence permit on another ground (VMS § 233 lg 2) [5]. If you have been granted a temporary residence permit for studies, a long-term resident's permit is refused (VMS § 237 lg 2 p 1) [7].
• EU Blue Card. For a Blue Card holder, instead of five years in Estonia the requirement may be applied that, immediately before applying, they have lived in EU Member States on a Blue Card for at least five years, including the last two years in Estonia (VMS § 232 lg 2¹) [2]. Absences from the EU Member States of up to 12 consecutive months and 18 months in total during the last five years count towards their residence (VMS § 233 lg 1¹) [5].

What level of Estonian is required?

„Välismaalane, kes taotleb pikaajalise elaniku elamisluba, peab oskama eesti keelt vähemalt algtasemel – keeleoskustase B1 või sellele vastav tase.“ [3] (translation: a foreign national applying for a long-term resident's residence permit must speak Estonian at least at the basic level – language level B1 or an equivalent level; VMS § 234 lg 1). Language skills are assessed in the Estonian language proficiency examination (VMS § 234 lg 3) [3].

• Foreign nationals under 15, over 65, and adults with restricted active legal capacity do not have to meet the integration requirement (VMS § 234 lg 2) [3].
• You do not have to take the examination if you acquired basic, secondary or higher education in Estonian (VMS § 234 lg 4) [3]. Education counts as acquired in Estonian if at least 60 percent of the studies took place in Estonian (Language Act, keeleseadus, KeeleS § 26 lg 4) [8].
• If your state of health permanently prevents you from taking the examination, you are exempted fully or partly; an expert committee decides on this (VMS § 235 lg 1–3) [9].

What income and health insurance are required?

Legal income includes legally earned wages, parental benefit, unemployment insurance benefit, income from lawful business or property, pension, scholarship, maintenance support, benefits paid by a foreign state, and maintenance guaranteed by family members with a legal income (VMS § 9 lg 1) [10].

For a long-term resident's permit, the required legal income is „ühekordne sotsiaalhoolekande seaduse § 131 lõike 3 alusel kehtestatud toimetulekupiir iga Eestis viibitava kuu kohta“ [11] (translation: one times the subsistence level set under § 131(3) of the Social Welfare Act for each month spent in Estonia; Tähtajalise elamisloa ja selle pikendamise ning pikaajalise elaniku elamisloa ja selle taastamise taotlemise kord ning legaalse sissetuleku määrad § 53 lg 7). The subsistence level is set by the Riigikogu for each budget year in the state budget (SHS § 131 lg 3) [12]; in 2026 the subsistence level for a person living alone or the first member of a family is 220 euros per calendar month (2026. aasta riigieelarve seadus § 2 lg 5 p 5) [13]. The application must include a document on your income during the six months immediately preceding the application, showing at least the amount, regularity and sources of the income (Tähtajalise elamisloa ja selle pikendamise ning pikaajalise elaniku elamisloa ja selle taastamise taotlemise kord ning legaalse sissetuleku määrad § 46 lg 1 p 3) [14].

Insured persons include a person living in Estonia on a temporary residence permit for whom a social tax payer must pay social tax or who pays social tax for themselves (RaKS § 5 lg 1) [15], for example a person working under an employment contract concluded for more than one month or for an unspecified term (RaKS § 5 lg 2 p 1) [15].

What does the permit give and when does it end?

The permit generally gives the rights set out in Chapter III of Directive 2003/109/EC; this does not apply, for example, to a child up to five years old of an Estonian citizen or long-term resident living in Estonia who is granted a long-term resident's permit (VMS § 231 lg 1 and 2) [16], and no separate permit is needed to work or run a business in Estonia (VMS § 231 lg 3) [16]. It ends when you acquire Estonian citizenship or the citizenship of another EU Member State (VMS § 240 lg 1 p 1 and 2) [17].

The permit is revoked, among other cases, if you stay outside the EU Member States for twelve consecutive months, obtain long-term resident status in another Member State, or have been absent from Estonia for at least six consecutive years (VMS § 241 lg 2 p 2–4) [18]. If your long-term resident's permit was granted to you as a former EU Blue Card holder who lived in Estonia, or as a family member of one, the limit for staying outside the EU Member States is 24 consecutive months (VMS § 241 lg 2 p 5 and 6) [18]. Absence is not a ground for revocation if the Police and Border Guard Board has considered it justified (VMS § 241 lg 4) [18]. The permit may be revoked if the foreign national poses a threat to public order and national security (VMS § 241 lg 1 p 2) [18], but according to the Supreme Court this is not automatic: the level of the threat must first be established and other circumstances then weighed (Supreme Court (Riigikohus) judgment 3-3-1-2-16) [19].

What the law says

• „Pikaajalise elaniku elamisluba on välismaalasele antav luba Eestisse saabumiseks ja tähtajatult Eestis elamiseks vastavalt käesolevas seaduses sätestatud ja elamisloaga kindlaks määratud tingimustele.“ [1] (translation: a long-term resident's residence permit is a permit for a foreign national to come to Estonia and to live in Estonia permanently under the conditions set out in the Act and in the permit; VMS § 230).
• „ta on elanud Eestis elamisloa alusel vähemalt viis aastat vahetult enne pikaajalise elaniku elamisloa taotluse esitamist“ [2] (translation: they have lived in Estonia on a residence permit for at least five years immediately before submitting the application; VMS § 232 lg 1 p 1) – what counts is the five years right before the application.
• „Välismaalane, kes taotleb pikaajalise elaniku elamisluba, peab oskama eesti keelt vähemalt algtasemel – keeleoskustase B1 või sellele vastav tase.“ [3] (translation: an applicant must speak Estonian at least at level B1 or an equivalent level; VMS § 234 lg 1) – this is the integration requirement.
• „Eestis pikaajalise elaniku elamisluba omav välismaalane ei vaja Eestis töötamiseks ja ettevõtlusega tegelemiseks eraldi luba.“ [16] (translation: a foreign national holding a long-term resident's permit does not need a separate permit to work or engage in business in Estonia; VMS § 231 lg 3).

What to do

1. Work out whether you have lived in Estonia on a residence permit for five years and whether your absences stay within the permitted limits (VMS § 232 lg 1 p 1; VMS § 233 lg 1) [2] [5].
2. Check that your temporary residence permit is valid and your residence is in the population register (VMS § 232 lg 1 p 2 and 6) [2]. If it is not, you will be given a deadline; if you miss it, the application is left unexamined (VMS § 247 lg 1) [20].
3. Prepare the application, a photo and a document on your income for the last six months (Tähtajalise elamisloa ja selle pikendamise ning pikaajalise elaniku elamisloa ja selle taastamise taotlemise kord ning legaalse sissetuleku määrad § 46 lg 1) [14]; where relevant, a document proving education in Estonian or the expert committee's decision (Tähtajalise elamisloa ja selle pikendamise ning pikaajalise elaniku elamisloa ja selle taastamise taotlemise kord ning legaalse sissetuleku määrad § 46 lg 3 and 4) [14].
4. Submit the application to the Police and Border Guard Board, as a rule in person (VMS § 245 lg 1) [21]; you need not come in person, among other cases, if the fingerprints taken in your last residence permit, work permit, right of residence or identity document proceedings allow you to be identified and meet the requirements (VMS § 245 lg 2) [21]. The application must be submitted at least two months before your temporary residence permit expires (Tähtajalise elamisloa ja selle pikendamise ning pikaajalise elaniku elamisloa ja selle taastamise taotlemise kord ning legaalse sissetuleku määrad § 45 lg 1) [4]. The state fee is 185 euros, or 93 euros for persons under 18 and persons who have reached the Estonian old-age pension age under general conditions (State Fees Act, riigilõivuseadus, RLS § 273 lg 6 and 7) [22].
5. The decision is made within two months, but no later than ten days before your temporary residence permit expires (Tähtajalise elamisloa ja selle pikendamise ning pikaajalise elaniku elamisloa ja selle taastamise taotlemise kord ning legaalse sissetuleku määrad § 47 lg 1) [23]. If refused, you may file an appeal with the administrative court or a challenge (vaie) within ten days of being notified of the decision (VMS § 248) [24].

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to take the language exam if I graduated from an Estonian school?

No, if you acquired basic, secondary or higher education in Estonian (VMS § 234 lg 4) [3], meaning at least 60 percent of the studies took place in Estonian (KeeleS § 26 lg 4) [8].

Can I lose the permit if I live abroad?

Yes: it is revoked if you stay outside the EU Member States for twelve consecutive months or are absent from Estonia for at least six consecutive years, unless the Police and Border Guard Board considered the absence justified (VMS § 241 lg 2 p 2 and 4, lg 4) [18].

Does a child born in Estonia get a long-term resident's permit?

Yes, if the child's parent holds a valid Estonian long-term resident's residence permit at the time of the child's birth (VMS § 232¹ lg 1) [25].

Can a revoked permit be restored?

If the permit was revoked because of absence from Estonia or the EU, or because you obtained long-term resident status in another Member State, it may be restored if you have lived in Estonia on a temporary residence permit for at least two years immediately before applying and hold a valid temporary residence permit, a permanent legal income and health insurance, and there are no grounds for refusal (VMS § 238 lg 1) [26]. Temporary absences from Estonia totalling up to four months count towards those two years (VMS § 238 lg 2) [26].