Residence permit for employment

Coordination of the process of obtaining a residence permit (unlimited stay and right to work in Estonia, stay in the Schengen countries for up to 90 days in a 180-days period), including:

• preliminary analysis of the prospect of issuing the residence permit
• consultation in preparing the package of documents
• consultation in completing the forms
• accompanying the client to a service point of the Police and Border Guard Board or consulting in applying at an Estonian embassy in the client’s country of residence
• assistance in communicating with the Police and Border Guard Board until the final decision is made
• coordination of the residence permit card pickup
• hourly fee is charged for additional consultations over 20 minutes

Family members of the main applicant may apply for the residence permit after the residence permit has been granted to the main applicant.

• NB! Granting of residence permit to top specialists and IT specialists is not subject to annual immigration quota, granting of residence permit to other employees is subject to annual immigration quota.
• The company has been registered and has run business in Estonia for not less than 12 months before filing an application for the residence permit.
• During the employment of the applicant as a high-class specialist, the company must meet one of the following conditions:
• the minimum company capital is 65,000 EUR and it is invested in the commercial activity in the territory of Estonia (real estate, machinery or equipment that have been acquired and registered as fixed assets in Estonia),
• the minimum revenue from sales is 200,000 EUR per year,
• the company’s annual labor cost is not less than 5 average annual wages in Estonia.
• The employer must pay a wage to a foreign hired specialist that is not less than 1 average wage in Estonia, and to a high-class specialist—not less than 2 average wages, in EUR (see the table below for the period 03.03.2022 – 02.03.2023):

Preparation of an application usually takes from 4 to 8 weeks, depending on how quickly the client submits the information and documents.

Granting or refusal of the temporary residence permit shall be decided within 2 months from the acceptance of the application.

The residence permit card is issued to the applicant personally within 30 days. It can take extra time if the card is sent to the applicant’s residence country.