Residence and formalities for students in Europe

EU/EEA citizens do not need a visa or residence permit – you enter with your ID card or passport. Once in Estonia, you have two obligations:

• registering your address within 3 months of arrival – at the local government office for your address; this gives you a temporary right of residence,
• Estonian ID card (ID-kaart) – you apply for it within a month of getting the right of residence. The Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet, PPA) has the details.

Students from outside the EU/EEA first apply for a long-stay D visa at an Estonian embassy or consulate; according to Study in Estonia, processing takes 10–30 calendar days. If your studies last longer than a year, you then apply for a temporary residence permit for study at the PPA after you arrive – it can be issued for up to 5 years. You will need, among other things, proof of admission, health insurance and proof of sufficient legal income – in 2026 €880 a month (four times the Estonian subsistence level). The state fee in 2026 is €120 for the D visa and €225 for the residence permit. Within a month of getting the permit, you must register your address in the population register.

Health insurance: international students are not covered by the Estonian Health Insurance Fund (Haigekassa) unless they work in Estonia. If you are insured in another EU country, bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC does not cover private treatment or, for example, transport back to your home country, so a private policy is a good idea. For non-EU students, health insurance is a condition of the visa and the residence permit.