Visa Information

Overview

A Short term Schengen visa allows you to stay a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period in Estonia and is normally valid for the entire Schengen region. The Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Applications cannot be submitted earlier than six (6) months before the start of the planned journey.

Decisions about visa applications will normally be made within 15 days from the day the Embassy of Estonia in Ottawa receives the application, excluding submission and administration time at VFS, shipping of applications to the Embassy and the returning passports (done on Tuesdays and Fridays).

The Embassy does NOT provide status updates on visa applications. For general inquiries, please contact our call center team. They will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have. Contact us | vfsglobal

EU CITIZEN'S FAMILY MEMBERS

Applicant under the directive 2004/38/EC

Are entitled to apply for a Schengen visa submitting fewer documents than regular tourists and are exempted from paying the applicable visa fee. The directive is applicable only, when traveling together or joining with their EU/EEA or Swiss national’s family member. More information and guidance on EU/EEA family members is available at this link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32004L0038&from=EN

Applications cannot be submitted earlier than six (6) months before the start of the planned journey.

Visa Fees

Visa Type	Visa Fee in CAD	Visa Fee in Euro
Short-term visa (C) & (A)	150	90 €
Short-term visa (C) children 6-11 years	75	45 €
EU agreements on the facilitation of the issuance of visas (applies for the citizens of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus)	60	35 €

Please Note:

• There is a service charge of CAD 17.65 (non-refundable and inclusive of applicable tax)
• The visa application center offers an optional service at a nominal additional cost

The following persons are exempted from paying the visa fee, however will have to pay VFS logistics

• Children under 6 years are also exempted from paying VFS service fees.
• A family member of an Estonian or an EU/ EEA citizen of a third country whose nationals are required to hold a visa for the Schengen area
• Persons who intend to attend meetings of the United Nations or its organizations, the Council of Europe, the European Union or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to be held in Estonia.
• School children, students, post-graduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake trips for the purpose only of study or educational training.
• Researchers coming from third countries travelling in the Community for conducting scientific research with a view to facilitating proceedings carried out by Member States for issuing uniform short -stay visas.
• Persons invited by Parliament or the Estonian Government.

• Anyone who, by virtue of an international convention, is entitled to a visa free of charge.

  Representatives of non-profit organizations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations.

• Holders of diplomatic and service passports
• According to Visa Facilitation Agreements

Documents Required

Travel insurance is mandatory for all Schengen countries. If you have not purchased, please click here

Applicants applying for a short term Schengen visa for Estonia are advised to submit documents as per the checklist, available at this link

Please choose an appropriate Visa Category and submit documents accordingly. Various Visa Categories are Tourism; Visting family or friend; Business/ work; Study or research; Culture or sports.

Please note that mere possession of a Schengen visa does not confer an automatic right to enter the Schengen Area.

At the external border, visa holders may be requested to produce documents justifying the purpose and conditions of their intended stay; that they have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the period of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third state into which they are certain to be admitted, or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully.

Photo Specifications

Note: We regret we cannot accept photographs that do not meet these requirements

Please provide one recent photograph (not more than 6 months old) of yourself, which should not have been used previously in the passport. The photograph should be in colour and:

• Taken against a light background (white or off-white) so that features are distinguishable and contrast against the background.
• Clear share quality and with the face in focus.
• Printed on normal photographic paper (camera print).
• Full face, non-smiling [without sunglasses, a hat/cap or other head covering, unless the applicant wears such items because of their religious belief or ethnic background]
• Please stick the Photograph on the Visa Application Form.

Note: Please follow these instructions carefully. If photographs presented do not meet these requirements your application will be considered incomplete. A photo booth meeting these requirements is available at the centre.

Processing Time

Once the application has been submitted, the applicant can be further requested additional documentation in support of the same. Please note as per the instructions received from Embassy minimum processing time is 15 Calendar days from the date of receiving the application at Embassy of Estonia in Ottawa (It may further get delayed depending on the case-to-case basis).

All applications must be submitted at least 15-20 days prior to the proposed date of travel to accommodate any unforeseen processing delays.

Processing time will start excluding the date of submission of application at VFS.

Download Forms

Application form for a visa can be pre-filled online. If the visa application is submitted to other Member State representing Estonia in issuing short-stay visas, kindly fill in the Schengen visa application form of the respective Member State.

Filling the application

• Open the link above or navigate to eelviisataotlus.vm.ee and select the visa (Schengen C-visa) you wish to apply for and the language you wish to use for filling the application.
• Enter your e-mail address as well as the anti-spam symbols required to proceed.
• Fill in the application according to the instructions. Make sure to read all the instructions carefully and provide as much information as possible. Avoid typing errors and if in doubt, click on the ? symbol next to the appropriate field for additional information.
• After completing the visa application, you will be provided with the number of your visa application and the filled form will be sent to your e-mail address as a pdf file. You will also be given the choice to print the form out immediately.

After completing the online application, the form must be printed out and signed before submitting it, together with other required documents to an Estonian foreign representation for processing. Only a signed application is valid for applying for a visa!

NB! In case information on the visa application is incorrect, you should fill in a new application form, print it and sign it again.

Overview

Estonian long-stay (D) visa is for third-country nationals, who intend to stay in Estonia more than 90 days in 180-day period. Persons, who intend to stay a shorter period, should apply for a Schengen visa (C-visa) or use their right for a visa free short-term stay (up to 90 days in 180 day period) in Estonia.

Estonian long-stay (D) visa can be issued for maximum 12 months with maximum period of stay 365 days. Issuance of consecutive long-term D-visas is restricted (maximum period of stay during 730 days is 548 days).

Travel purposes of long-stay (D) visa is not restricted, in general person can apply for long-term visa on any travel purpose providing that applicant can prove his or her intention to stay in Estonia for more than 90 days in 180 day period.

Estonian long stay (D) visa gives to its holder right to stay in Estonia as described on the visa sticker and also right to stay up to 90 days in 180-day period also in other Schengen Member States.

Who can lodge D-visa application in VFS Global Canada:

• Residents of Canada irrespective of their citizenship.
• Residents of other countries, from where it is not possible to apply for Estonian D-visa (countries that do not have Estonian representation which handle visa applications). List of Estonian representations which are handling visa applications can be found at this link: https://vm.ee/en/estonian-representations-which-are-handling-visa-applications

Visa Fees

VISA TYPE	VISA FEE IN EURO
A long-stay (D) visa	100 €
A long-stay (D) visa children 6-11 years	40 €

The applicable visa fee in CAD depends on the monthly exchange rate therefore the fee in CAD is subject to change without notice.

The following persons are exempted from paying the visa fee:

• Children under 6 years
• A family member of an Estonian citizen;
• A family member of an EU/ EEA citizen according to the directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.

Documents Required

General documents.

All applicants must present: CHECKLIST

1. application form. Application form can be filled in Estonian or English. Application form must be filled online, printed out and signed at the end of each page and at the end of the form; application is available at this link: https://eelviisataotlus.vm.ee/
2. Travel document/ Passport: which is issued within previous 10 years, contains at least two blank pages for visas and is valid at least 3 months after the expiration date of the visa
3. one color photograph with size 35×45 mm, no older than 6 months, showing applicant looking directly to the camera, neutral facial expression, be taken with a plain light-colored background, without head covering except for religious reasons, but applicant’s facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of your face must be clearly shown. Please find additional information about requirements to the photo here ICAO Requirements Photo must be glued to the application form NOT STAPLED.
4. travel medical insurance which guarantees payment of any costs related to applicant’s medical treatment due to illness or injury during the validity of the visa. As a rule, travel medical insurance must be valid for the whole period of requested visa. If applicant will be covered with Estonian health insurance (Tervisekassa) after arrival to Estonia, travel medical insurance must cover only the period until Estonian health insurance (Tervisekassa) insurance becomes valid. For example – if person applies visa for short-term employment, travel medical insurance must cover travel period and additionally first 14 days of working. If applicant applies for a visa to go to Estonia to apply for a residence permit, applicant’s insurance must cover period which applicant needs for lodging residence permit application and getting answer to the residence permit application. In this case it is suggested to get insurance for 6 months at least.
5. Proof of financial means. Applicant must prove that he or she has sufficient financial means according to the purpose of Stay.

   Purpose of the trip	Applicant	Spouse	Minor child
   Studies	800 euros per month	2100 euros per month	not applicable
   Doctoral studies (PhD)	800 euros per month	640 euros per month	not applicable
   Short term employment	1,200 euros one-time	not applicable	not applicable
   Short term employment
   in Start-up company	800 euros one-time	640 euros one-time	not applicable
   Seasonal work	800 euros one-time	640 euros one-time	not applicable
   Start-up business	800 euros per month	640 euros per month	not applicable
   Teleworking (digital nomad)	120 euros per day (3,600 euros per month)	not applicable	not applicable
   For all other applicants	70 euros per day (2,100 euros per month)	70 euros per day (2,100 euros per month)	70 euros per day (2,100 euros per month)

   
   

   Additionally, applicant must prove that he or she has enough financial means for other expenses related to applicant’s stay in Estonia (e.g. tuition fees).

6. Data Related to close relatives and family members
7. Biographical data
8. Additional application form 1 (citizens from NATO member states are exempted)
9. Documents indicating the purpose of travel, such as a confirmation letter from the host, proof of employment in Estonia (e.g., employer confirmation or registration of short-term employment), or documents confirming studies in Estonia Please click here for more information—( https://www.politsei.ee/en/instructions/working-in-estonia/registration-of-short-term-employment)
10. Travel ticket booking confirmation to Estonia or proof of use of another mode of transport.

1. Additional documents if applicant is minor:
   • birth certificate (original + copy). If single parent or guardian, the court order must be provided. The birth certificate and court order need to be legalized or certified with an apostille certificate. If the documents are not in English, notarized translation must be provided;
   • notarized consent letter signed by both parents or legal guardian(s) if not travelling with the minor;
   • copy of passport of parent(s) or guardian(s) if not applying together with the minor.
2. Biometrics
   • All applicants who are 12 or older must give fingerprints of all 10 fingers.
3. State fee (visa fee)
   • Visa fee for examining application of D-visa is 100 Euros.
   • Visa fee for examining application of D-visa for applicant with age 6 to 11 years is 40 Euros.
   • Applicants below six gratis.

Visa fee is collected in CAD, fees in CAD are determined on every first working day of each month and will be used from the second working day of the month until the first working day of following month.

Photo Specifications

Note: We regret we cannot accept photographs that do not meet these requirements

Please provide one recent photograph (not more than 6 months old) of yourself, which should not have been used previously in the passport. The photograph should be in colour and:

• Taken against a light background (white or off-white) so that features are distinguishable and contrast against the background.
• Clear share quality and with the face in focus.
• Printed on normal photographic paper (camera print).
• Full face, non-smiling [without sunglasses, a hat/cap or other head covering, unless the applicant wears such items because of their religious belief or ethnic background]
• Please stick the Photograph on the Visa Application Form.

Note: Please follow these instructions carefully. If photographs presented do not meet these requirements your application will be considered incomplete. A photo booth meeting these requirements is available at the centre.

Processing Time

Once the application has been submitted, the applicant can be further requested additional documentation in support of the same. Please note as per the instructions received from Embassy minimum processing time is 15 Calendar days from the date of receiving the application at Embassy of Estonia in Ottawa (It may further get delayed depending on the case-to-case basis).

All applications must be submitted at least 15-20 days prior to the proposed date of travel to accommodate any unforeseen processing delays.

Processing time will start excluding the date of submission of application at VFS.

Download Forms

Application form for a visa can be pre-filled online. If the visa application is submitted to other Member State representing Estonia in issuing short-stay visas, kindly fill in the Schengen visa application form of the respective Member State.

Filling the application

• Open the link above or navigate to eelviisataotlus.vm.ee and select the visa (Schengen C-visa) you wish to apply for and the language you wish to use for filling the application.
• Enter your e-mail address as well as the anti-spam symbols required to proceed.
• Fill in the application according to the instructions. Make sure to read all the instructions carefully and provide as much information as possible. Avoid typing errors and if in doubt, click on the ? symbol next to the appropriate field for additional information.
• After completing the visa application, you will be provided with the number of your visa application and the filled form will be sent to your e-mail address as a pdf file. You will also be given the choice to print the form out immediately.

After completing the online application, the form must be printed out and signed before submitting it, together with other required documents to an Estonian foreign representation for processing. Only a signed application is valid for applying for a visa!

NB! In case information on the visa application is incorrect, you should fill in a new application form, print it and sign it again.