Estonia - Work Skills & Ancestry - Temporary Residence Permit for Employment

A residence permit for employment grants an alien the right to stay in Estonia for the purpose of employment according to the conditions determined by the residence permit.
The number of aliens who can settle in Estonia is limited. The annual immigration quota is the quota for aliens immigrating to Estonia which shall not exceed 0.1 per cent of the permanent population of Estonia annually.
The immigration quota does not apply to the following:
• aliens who are ethnic Estonians;
• citizens of the European Union, the United States of America, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Japan.
• Aliens who apply for a residence permit for employment as a scientist

1. In general a residence permit for employment is issued for an alien with the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, public competition and fulfilling the salary criterion.
An alien can be granted a residence permit for employment if an open competition has been carried out to staff the post and if, within 3 weeks, it has not been possible to recruit anybody through the state employment mediation service.
An alien must have the qualifications, education, health, work experience, special skills and knowledge required for the job.
The Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund has to give its consent before an alien can be employed. The consent is valid for 2 months.
A residence permit is issued only if the wages of an alien ensure his/her subsistence in Estonia. An employer must pay an alien a salary which is at least equal to the product of the recent average yearly wages in Estonia published by the Statistical Office of Estonia and the coefficient 1,24. The amount of the remuneration paid to an alien must be in line with the latest data published by the Statistical Office, valid at the moment of starting the processing of an application for a temporary residence permit.

2. An alien may apply for a residence permit for employment without the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, public competition or fulfilling the salary criterion in order to:
• clergymen, nuns and monks invited by religious associations in concordance with the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
• an alien holding long-term residence permit of the EU Member State;
• journalists accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• persons who have the right, proceeding from international law, to work in Estonia without a work permit;
• teachers and academic staff to work in an educational institution which comply with the requirements established by the relevant national legislation;
• work in a performing arts institution as a person engaged in creative activities within the meaning of the Performing Arts Institutions Act;
• carry out scientific research if an alien has appropriate qualifications or experience in the that field;
• aliens who come to Estonia to work as members of the management body of a legal entity registered in Estonia in order to perform managerial or supervisory functions;
• carry out professional activities as a sportsman, coach, referee or sports official;
• work as a posted worker within the meaning of the Working Conditions of Workers Posted in Estonia Act.

3. An alien may be granted a residence permit for employment without the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund and without public competition but by fulfilling the salary criterion for working as an expert, advisor or consultant if an alien has an appropriate qualification.

4. An alien may be granted a residence permit for employment without the consent of the Estonian Unemployment Insurance Fund, public competition or fulfilling the salary criterion for working as a scientist or for scientific research.

A research and development institution must conclude a hosting agreement with a scientist after it has independently checked that:
• the alien has a permanent legal income for subsistence in Estonia;
• the alien has an appropriate insurance policy;
• there are appropriate financial means for the research and development under question.

A hosting agreement must include the following:
• the name and qualification of the alien;
• the name, registration code and location of the hosting institution and the name of the contact person;
• the duration and sources of financing of the research or development for which the residence permit is applied for.

A residence permit for employment is issued for a period of guaranteed employment in Estonia by an employer with a period of validity of up to 2 years and it can be extended for up to five years at a time. Residence permit for employment grants an alien the right to work in Estonia only on the exact same conditions that the permit was based on e.g. employer, position, salary etc.