Estonia Visa Policy

Visa Policy for Estonia

The visa policy of Estonia establishes whether a foreign visitor needs a visa or travel authorization to gain entry to the country or not.

The requirements and restrictions for Estonia differ depending on the nationality of the individual, the expected period of stay, and the purpose of the visit.

Estonia is one of the European countries that has signed the Schengen Agreement for freedom of movement between states. Accordingly, Estonian visa law is the same as for the other 25 Schengen countries.

Citizens of all Schengen zone countries are permitted to enter Estonia visa-free for an unlimited period of time, if they simply present a valid National ID Card at a border checkpoint.

Other visa-exempt visitors arriving from foreign countries need to present a valid passport to gain entry to Estonia, and are permitted a total stay of 90 days for tourism, transit, business, or medical treatment purposes.

However, from 2022, a new requirement will become mandatory for these visa-free travelers before they can visit Estonia and the Schengen Area for the same periods and purposes: the ETIAS visa waiver.

Once implemented, eligible citizens will be required to apply for this multiple entry electronic travel authorization through a simple online application, to receive an approved ETIAS for Estonia digitally linked to their passport.

All other nationalities require a visa to travel to Estonia no matter the purpose or intended duration of the stay. This must be obtained from the nearest Estonian embassy or consulate well in advance of the expected departure date.

Browse the boxes below to learn more about each visa or travel authorization that Estonian visa law offers.

Tourist Visa Policy for Estonia

On this page, travelers planning a trip to Estonia can read all about the tourist visa policy of that country, and find out which requirements are established for their nationality.

Estonia shares the same visa law as the rest of the Schengen Area. Therefore, visitors from another Schengen country are only required to present a valid ID Card to gain entry at Estonian borders for an unlimited stay for tourism.

Additionally, citizens of other visa-exempt countries for Estonia are able to present a valid passport to gain visa-free entry for a tourist stay of up to 90 days.

However, by 2022, these same passport holders will be required to pre-register for an electronic travel authorization (ETIAS) to visit Estonia and the Schengen Area for tourism.

An approved ETIAS travel authorization will permit multiple stays for tourism in Estonia and Schengen countries during its validity, which is a total of 3 years from issue.

Travelers from approximately 150 additional countries are required to apply for a Schengen visa from an Estonian consulate in order to travel to Estonia, regardless of the period of stay or purpose of visit.

Find below further information about Estonian tourist visa requirements for each nationality.

ETIAS for Estonia

The European Commission, in accordance with all the Schengen countries, expects to implement a new mandatory visa waiver program from 2022.

The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) is being introduced for Estonia in order to improve the security of the external borders of the Schengen passport-free zone, by pre-screening all visa-exempt travelers before they arrive in Europe.

Once the system is activated, it will be compulsory for eligible citizens to pre-register an online application form before they travel to Estonia, to receive an approved ETIAS authorization electronically linked to their passport.

Applicants will be able to complete the form in a few minutes by answering some security-related questions and supplying personal, passport, and travel information.

An approved ETIAS for Estonia is a multiple entry travel authorization that permits short stays of 90 days in Estonia and all Schengen countries during its validity.

It is valid for a total of 3 years to travel to Europe, or until the associated passport expires, whichever comes first.

If the holder of an approved Estonian ETIAS wishes to stay for a longer consecutive period in the country, it will be necessary to apply for a Schengen visa from the nearest embassy or consulate of Estonia.

See the list below of all the nationalities who will need to hold an ETIAS to gain entry to Estonia.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required

Estonian visa policy currently states that citizens of roughly 150 countries around the world are required to apply for a visa to travel to, enter, and remain in Estonia no matter the period of stay or the purpose of the visit.

As Estonia is part of the Schengen Area, this must be one of the Schengen visa types, obtained from the nearest Estonian government diplomatic office to the traveler.

As this kind of visa must be applied for in person, it usually takes longer to receive a resolution than for an eVisa. For this reason, individuals are recommended to apply several weeks before the expected arrival date in Estonia to allow for sufficient processing time.

The first step in this application process is to search for the nearest Estonian government office and make a visa appointment.

The applicant will then need to complete a Schengen visa form to bring to the consular interview, selecting the purpose of the visit. Depending on the traveler’s nationality and the selection made, varying supporting documents will be requested.

Regardless of the visitor’s nationality, all applicants need to have a passport valid for at least 3 months from the expected arrival date in the country.

Unlike ETIAS, a Schengen Visa is usually approved for an individual Schengen country, in this case Estonia, and not for the complete Schengen Area.

Find a full list of visa-required countries for Estonia below.

Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Algeria
American Samoa
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Armenia
Aruba
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire
Botswana
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Christmas Island
Cocos Islands
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands
Cuba
Curacao
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Isle of Man
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Maldives
Mali
Martinique
Mauritania
Mayotte
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
New Caledonia
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian Territory
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Helena
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Swaziland
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Uganda
United States Virgin Islands
Uzbekistan
Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

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Visa Not Required

While some visitors are required to have a visa to gain entry to Estonia, others are listed as visa-exempt. At the moment this list is composed of over 90 nationalities.

Estonia is one of the Schengen countries, currently formed by 26 states. The Schengen Area is a passport-free zone, so any visitor traveling from another Schengen country has freedom of movement and may gain entry using only a National ID Card.

Other visa-exempt citizens for Estonia are able to gain access at border control point by presenting a valid passport, to be granted a short visa-free stay for purposes of tourism, business, transit, or medical treatment.

However, as mentioned above, from 2022 this will change when ETIAS is implemented, as it will become mandatory to obtain this electronic travel authorization before traveling to Estonia for the same purposes and periods of stay.

It will be possible to obtain an ETIAS for Estonia through a simple online form, to receive an approved online visa waiver electronically linked to the traveler’s pàssport. An approved ETIAS Estonia allows multiple entries to the Schengen Area during its validity, for a stay up to 90 days per entry.

However, Estonian visa restrictions state that if these same visitors need to spend more time in the country, or visit for other permitted purposes, they will need to apply for a Schengen visa from a diplomatic mission of Estonia.

Find below for a full list of nationalities with current visa exemption for Estonia.