Estonia Carries Out Digital Nomad Visa | Learn How to Apply Today!

Estonia has put a special visa application into effect for remote workers. The digital nomad visa, which was realized in August 2020, allows remote workers to legally visit Estonia and work online there. In the previous process, remote workers were getting a tourist visa to visit Estonia or a different country. Although they came to Estonia as tourists, they did not have any permission to continue their remote work there. This type of application has been implemented to prevent this problem. So, what is the Estonia digital nomad visa? How to apply? What are the conditions? All details are in our article.

What is Estonia Digital Nomad Visa?

There occurred great changes in business life with the pandemic. Many companies and businesses have switched to remote working system. Although it was initially thought to be inefficient, many companies successfully implemented the new working system. It is predicted that this mentioned situation will continue after the pandemic. With the digital nomad visa, it is aimed to eliminate the uncertainty that arises alongside freelance working that has become widespread^[1].

Estonia digital nomad visa is a visa that legalizes the teleworking of freelancers, foreign company employees and partners in Estonia. Freelancers can stay in Estonia for up to 1 year and continue their work there with this visa.

Who Can Apply for an Estonia Digital Nomad Visa?

Freelancers have been provided great convenience with Estonia digital nomad visa. However, main goal here is to attract entrepreneurs’’ attention to Estonia. Estonia, which is one of the most developed countries in the world in digital field, aims to bring entrepreneurs to the country with different programs.

In order to benefit from this visa that Estonia started to apply in August 2020, you must fulfill some conditions. These can be listed as follows:

• >>> Being an official employee of a company registered in a foreign country
• >>> Being a partner or shareholder of a company, which is operating in a foreign country, and working for that company
• >>> Working in a company of which permanent establishment is in a foreign country and providing consultancy and freelance services to clients

When you examine the conditions here, you will see that they are generally “remote working” conditions. So, the first requirement for Estonia digital nomad visa is self-employment. It can be expressed that it is generally easy to meet these conditions. However, the conditions that Estonia requires are not limited with these. In addition to these, one last requirement is requested:

• >>> To have a minimum income of €3.504 per month (average of the 6 months before application)

The income threshold required to take advantage of this visa offered by Estonia puts some strain on freelancers. You can apply to benefit from this application when you have an income that is approximately double the average income in Estonia. Also, do not forget that you have to officially document this income.

You May Also Like: 6 Things to Do Before Setting up a Company in Estonia

Other Main Conditions

Apart from the mentioned conditions above, standard conditions required for the Estonian digital visa are also valid here, which are;

• >>> To have a valid travel document
• >>> Payment of the visa application fee
• >>> Having adequate health insurance

There is no country or occupation restriction in order to benefit from this visa. It is sufficient to meet only the above mentioned conditions. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Estonia may close the borders to some countries from time to time. You can learn the current information on this subject from the official crisis page^[2] of the Estonian government.

How to Apply for an Estonia Digital Nomad Visa?

If you have decided to obtain an Estonia digital nomad visa, you should first review the application requirements above. Do not forget that applications without meeting these conditions will be directly rejected.

If you meet the application requirements, you can make your application by filling out the visa application form online. When you are making your application, you can apply for a long-term (D visa) and a short-term (C visa), depending on the duration of your stay that you have planned. There is a state fee of €80 for a C visa and €100 for a D visa. Applications can be made in English, Russian or Estonian.

You will need to prove that you work remotely at the time of your application. Related documents will be requested during the application. Mentioned documents are as follows: 

• >>> Documents proving that you independently perform your duties using telecommunication technologies, notwithstanding location requirements
• >>> Documents showing that you actively continue to work
• >>> Documents showing your official income for the last 6 months before the application
• >>> Documents showing your education level or area of expertise

In general, you must document that you are eligible for the application requirements. Examples of documents you will submit are as follows:

• >>> Statement of intention to use Estonian digital nomad visa
• >>> A written confirmation by the employer that the applicant can do his/her job remotely.
• >>> Official document showing the name, location, field of activity, other information about the company and your employment in the company
• >>> Employment contract regarding your job
• >>> Certificate of payment of mandatory taxes and social security premiums from the competent authority in your state

* Do not forget to follow the Official Estonia Nomad Visa Website^[3] to track changes about the application.

After you have made all your preparations and ensured that there is no missing document, fill out the application form and print it out. Then, make a file of the application form with other documents and send it to the Estonian Embassy or the nearest Police and Border Guards. Making an application is like this in general terms.

Evaluation of the Estonia Digital Nomad Visa Application

After the documents regarding Estonia digital nomad visa application arrive at the relevant unit, the evaluation process will begin. This process takes at least 15 days and all documents that you submit will be evaluated. A comprehensive examination is made and based on the information to be obtained, it is decided whether you are eligible for the mentioned visa. It is not possible to obtain this visa automatically under any circumstances. It is absolutely necessary to make an application and then the application must be evaluated.

If you are entitled to obtain the visa as a result of the evaluations and examinations, you can get your visa by going to the Estonian Embassies or Police and Border Guards in your location. After identity verification there, your visa will be issued. 

Why Estonia?

If you are a person who can work remotely, you can stay in Estonia for 1 year. At this point, you can think like “Why Estonia?”. Estonia is a country that is one of the Baltic states and gives great importance to digitalization. Almost all government transactions are carried out online. Citizens who have a chip and encrypted ID card can easily make government transactions online. Even, establishing a company in Estonia is only 5 minutes under favor of this advanced digital system! This example is proof of how much Estonia gives importance to digitalization.

Coming to Estonia and staying in Estonia for a while can help you develop your business further and reach new ideas more quickly. When you come here with the Estonia digital nomad visa (DNV), you can be sure that you will have a unique experience and will take your business further.

You can contact us for more detailed information about Estonia Digital Nomad Visa.