frequently asked questions
If your spouse enters to Estonia with a visa, they may work here, in condition that the short-term employment has been registered by the employer with the Police and Border Guard Board before the employment commences. If your spouse has a residence permit for settling with a spouse, they are allowed to work without any additional registration needed. There are no separate working permits issued in Estonia.
The application has to be submitted in person at the Police and Border Guard Board Service office. The following documents should be submitted:
- application, to be filled in on screen and printed out. By signing the application, you confirm that all the provided data is correct and that you have sufficient legal income and a health insurance contract;
- data of close relative and family members, if applicable;
- 1 colour photo with measures 40×50 mm;
- a document certifying the payment of the state fee;
- copy of startup expert committee opinion;
- identity document.
More information about applying for the temporary residence permit HERE!
The applicant’s’ company has to be in accordance with the startup definition in the Aliens Act. According to Aliens Act, a start-up is a business unit owned by a company registered in Estonia that is commencing operations and whose goal is to develop and launch an innovative and repeatable business model with great global growth potential and which contributes significantly to the development of the business environment in Estonia. Also, the company should be not older than 10 years.
Startup visa and temporary permit for startup entrepreneurship are for the founders of the startup only. If you had also listed employees, then in case of short term employment, you will need to apply for their registration for the short-term employment and your employee will need to apply for a visa. If the employment is for a longer term, the employee will need to apply for a temporary residence permit at an Estonian Embassy in a city of their choosingor at a Service Point for the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.
In principle, the startup visa gives foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to settle in Estonia for up to a 18 months to establish their startup. A visa for startup entrepreneurship may be issued for up to 365 days and extended for up to 183 days. For prospective startup entrepreneurs, who have established their startup in Estonia and wish to stay longer, it is possible to apply for a temporary residence permit for entrepreneurship. For startups, the general investment requirement (65 000 EUR) to apply for a residence permit for entrepreneurship does not apply. A temporary residence permit for entrepreneurship may be issued for up to five years.
A visa is issued within 30 days, a residence permit within 2 months (longer, if the application is submitted at an Estonian Embassy). Visa is issued for a temporary stay, a residence permit is issued for residing in Estonia. Third-country nationals staying in Estonia temporarily are not counted as residents, therefore the right to several public services is restricted for them.
There is no specific timeframe, however the main purpose of the stay has to be related to establishment of the startup. In Estonia, a company may also be registered digitally. This you may do by becoming an e-resident (read more: https://e-resident.gov.ee/become-an-e-resident//)