Visiting Researcher's Guide - EURAXESS Estonia

ENTRY, RESIDENCE AND WORK PERMITS
Different rules about residence and work in Estonia apply to citizens of the EU and to
persons from third countries. The length of your stay also influences which rules you must
follow.
EU citizens are free to enter Estonia, but in the event they stay for more than 3 months,
they should register their residence with the local government.
Citizens of third countries may need a visa for short-term visits (up to 6 months). Citizens
of third countries need a residence permit for employment for long term work (more than
6 months) in Estonia.
3.1 EU citizens
EU citizens are free to enter Estonia and can work and live here without work or residence
permits. The same applies to the nationals of Iceland, Norway, liechtenstein and switzerland.
The only requirement is that EU citizens should register their residence at the local government
authority within 3 months of arrival.
The registration of the place of residence gives the right to temporary residence for 5 years.
The family members of an EU citizen, who come from a third country, will have the right of
temporary residence if the EU citizen is employed in Estonia or has sufficient legal income to
ensure the subsistence of him/herself and the family. The third country family members of an
EU citizen are required to follow the visa requirements for entering Estonia that are described
in the section for Citizens of third countries. After the arrival in Estonia, the family members
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