Estonia Estonia — entry & visa requirements

Schengen short-stay rules; national D visa for longer stays

Max stay: 90 days in any 180-day period (C visa); up to 365 days in twelve consecutive months (D visa)

Short answer

Estonia applies the Schengen rules, so a short visit needs either visa-free travel or a Schengen C visa of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. Longer stays require a national D visa, issued for up to 365 days within twelve consecutive months. Applications are lodged by appointment at an Estonian representation or a Police and Border Guard Board service point, with a visa fee of EUR 120 (EUR 60 for children aged 6–11). Our official archive does not list which nationalities may visit Estonia without a visa.

Max stay (short stay)

90 days in any 180-day period[1]

Max stay (long stay)

Up to 365 days in twelve consecutive months[6]

Visa fee

EUR 120; EUR 60 for children aged 6–11[6]

Where to apply

Estonian representation or Police and Border Guard Board service point[6]

Sparse archive — being expandedCoverage is procedural and uneven: the visa-free country list is missing and the FAQ material is mostly about emergency travel documents rather than visitor visas, though the archived fee of EUR 120 and the 90/180-day short stay and 365-day D visa periods match the authority block.

General information

Estonian diplomatic missions issue short-stay and airport transit visas under the EU Visa Code. You lodge the application at the consulate of the country you intend to visit, and if you are visiting several countries it is the main destination that decides where you apply.

Estonian missions and consular posts follow the EU Visa Code for short stays and airport transit.[1]
Lodge your Schengen visa application at the consulate of the Member State that is your only destination.[1]
If you visit several countries, apply where your main destination lies, judged by length or purpose of stay.[1]
If the main destination cannot be determined, apply at the consulate of the country whose external border you cross first.[1]

Not included in this section: Navigation labels and cross-links to other consular pages.

Visa exemption rules

Our official archive does not state whichnationalities may visit Estonia without a visa, so this section is thin. The material filed under this topic is mostly a list of Estonian representations and of countries where Estonia is represented by another state. The only concrete exemptions described concern fingerprints and airport transit visas.

Applicants exempt from giving fingerprints include children under 12 and people for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible.[1]
Estonia is represented by another country for visa issuance in some countries; the list is in source 1.[2]
Only certain Estonian representations handle visa applications; source 2 lists which ones.[3]
Estonia can also represent other Schengen Member States when issuing visas.[5]
Airport transit visa exemptions exist, but the archived text names the categories without explaining them.[1]

Not included in this section: The appeal-against-refusal page, which belongs to arrival notices rather than exemptions.

Duration of stay

A short-stay C visa allows no more than 90 days in any 180-day period and may be issued for single or multiple entry with validity of up to five years. A long-stay D visa is issued for up to 365 days within twelve consecutive months and also permits short stays elsewhere in Schengen.

A short-stay Schengen C visa covers transit or a stay of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.[1]
C visas can be single or multiple entry with a period of validity of up to five years.[1]
A D visa may be issued for a stay of up to 365 days within twelve consecutive months.[6]
A D visa also allows stays in other Schengen Member States of up to 90 days in any 180 days.[6]
Two consecutive long-stay visas must not together exceed 548 days within 730 consecutive days.[6]

Not included in this section: Table rows repeating the daily financial-means figure, which belongs with the document requirements.

Required documents

A visitor needs a qualifying passport, a compliant photograph, travel medical insurance and evidence of funds, accommodation and purpose of travel. Insurance must cover at least EUR 30,000 and be valid across the Schengen area.

Your passport must have been issued in the last 10 years, be valid three months beyond departure and have two free pages.[1]
Supply one colour photo 35x45 mm, ICAO-compliant, taken within six months and glued, not stapled, to the form.[6]
Travel medical insurance must cover at least EUR 30,000 and be valid in all Schengen Member States.[1]
Show proof of accommodation, such as an invitation from a host or a document from the establishment.[1]
Show sufficient means of subsistence, reckoned at EUR 70 per day of stay in Estonia.[1][6]

Not included in this section: Document lists about working or studying in Estonia, which concern residents rather than visitors.

Fees

The visa fee is EUR 120, reduced to EUR 60 for children aged 6 to 11, and must be paid in full when the application is lodged. Paying it does not secure a visa and it is not refunded if the application is refused.

The visa fee is EUR 120, and children aged 6–11 pay EUR 60.[6]
All fees must be paid in full at the time the visa application is submitted.[1]
Payment of the fee does not imply that a visa will be granted and is not refunded on refusal.[1]
Pay at an Estonian representation or at a Police and Border Guard Board service point, depending on where you apply.[6]
Bank transfers from outside Estonia can take up to two weeks to arrive, and a reference number is compulsory.[1][6]

Not included in this section: Housekeeping about refunding overpaid state fees and payment-order wording.

How to apply

You must book an appointment to lodge the application, and every applicant, including minors, needs a separate one. Biometrics are collected at lodging, and fingerprints already given for a visa application within the last 59 months are not taken again.

Book an appointment to lodge the application; every applicant, including minors, needs a separate slot.[1]
If no local Estonian representation handles long-stay visas, apply at an accredited or nearest issuing representation and confirm the appointment in advance.[6]
Biometric identifiers, a photograph and 10 digitally scanned fingerprints, are collected when you lodge the application.[1]
Fingerprints are not taken again if you gave them for a visa application less than 59 months ago.[1]
A consular officer may interview you by telephone or invite you to a personal interview at the consulate.[1]

Not included in this section: Notes on accelerated procedures and on facilitated treatment for family members of Estonian citizens.

At the border

Holding a visa does not guarantee entry: you must still satisfy the Schengen Border Code and may be refused at the external border. Estonia has also restricted temporary entry for Russian citizens holding short-term Schengen visas since 19 September 2022.

A short-stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter; show your means of support, length and purpose of stay.[1]
Border checks can end in a refusal of entry even for a traveller who already holds a visa.[1]
Carry a passport or national ID card when crossing internal Schengen borders, as police or immigration officers may check it.[7]
Estonia has restricted temporary entry since 19 September 2022 for Russian citizens holding a valid short-term Schengen visa.[9]
An airport transit visa (A visa) allows transit within an airport's international area from one flight to another without entering Schengen.[1]

Not included in this section: Fragments about the international carriage of goods and about which Member State handles transit cases.

Notices & things to watch

Estonian visa services in Minsk are temporarily suspended, and the embassy there stopped admitting applications on 20 May 2024. Some applications are handled by other countries' embassies, such as France, but those arrangements can also be suspended.

The Estonian Embassy in Minsk stopped admitting visa applications on 20 May 2024; use another Estonian representation.[3]
Consular and visa services at the Estonian Embassy in Minsk are temporarily suspended.[9]
In some countries another embassy, for example France, handles applications, but such arrangements can be suspended.[2]
A complaint about a visa refusal, annulment or revocation cannot be sent by email; you must lodge a formal appeal.[1]

Not included in this section: Embassy contact details and directions to the appeal page.

Legal basis

UK citizens became third-country nationals for visa purposes on 1 January 2021, although those already living in Estonia keep their position under the Withdrawal Agreement. Family members of EU, EEA, Swiss or qualifying UK nationals who fall under Directive 2004/38/EC may enter Estonia without a visa on presentation of the right residence card.

Since 1 January 2021 citizens of the United Kingdom are third-country nationals under EU law.[1]
UK citizens and their family members already resident in Estonia keep their position under the Withdrawal Agreement.[1]
A family member of an EU/EEA/EFTA national may enter Estonia without a visa with a residence card issued under Directive 2004/38/EC.[7]
Family members of EU citizens covered by Directive 2004/38/EC must be granted every facility to obtain a Schengen visa.[1]

Not included in this section: The full list defining which relatives count as family members, which would require the directive itself.

Official downloads

4 documents · grouped by how they are used4 files as ZIP ≈3.0 MB

These are the official form files linked from the Estonian visa pages: application forms for specific applicant types and a form for appealing a refusal. You would only use the one that matches your situation.

PDF

Close%20family%20members visa ENG

A one-page English form about close family members applying for a visa, filed with the application.

RequiredApplication form1 pp1029 KBenClose%20family%20members_visa_ENG.pdf

[10]
PDF

additional%20application%20form%201

A two-page English additional application form to be completed and submitted with your application.

RequiredApplication form2 pp642 KBenadditional%20application%20form%201.pdf

[11]
PDF

appeal form as of18.07.2025 0

A three-page English appeal form for use if a visa is refused, annulled or revoked.

BackgroundApplication form3 pp113 KBenappeal_form_as_of18.07.2025_0.pdf

[12]
PDF

biographical%20data

A three-page English biographical data form submitted together with the visa application.

RequiredApplication form3 pp1287 KBenbiographical%20data.pdf

[13]

Official sources

53 citations · 8 unique pages · 1 official domains

The archived pages are detailed on procedure, documents and fees for Estonia's Schengen and long-stay visas, but they do not include a visa-exempt nationality list or country-specific fee tables, so those questions remain unanswered.

Numbers match the markers in the text above; click a marker to jump here. Groups are collapsed by domain - click a heading to expand. A source cited more than once keeps a single number.

vm.ee8 URLs · cited 53 times

Popularity rank #62 (score 14.8). This page was written by an AI from the official material listed above and adds no facts from outside it; visa rules change, so always confirm on the official portal before you apply.