Digital nomad visa · Europe
Estonia digital nomad visa 2026: requirements and cost
Estonia's Digital Nomad Visa is a long-stay D visa of up to 365 days for non-EU remote workers employed by a foreign company, running their own foreign company or freelancing for mostly foreign clients, with funds of €3,960 a month. It costs €120 and is decided within 30 days, but it is a visa, not a residence permit, so it does not lead to residency.
Official name: Pikaajaline viisa kaugtööks (Digital Nomad Visa), Välismaalaste seadus. Facts updated 2026-10-04 · Not yet reviewed by a person · Dataset 2026.10.7.
Not yet reviewed by a person
Compiled from the official pages listed below, last read on 2026-10-04. A named person has not yet re-checked it; treat it as a starting point and confirm with the source before you apply.
Who can apply
Any non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizen whose work does not depend on location and who keeps working for an employer registered abroad, through their own company registered abroad, or as a freelancer providing services mainly to clients established outside Estonia. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need it; Russian and Belarusian citizens are currently refused.
What you need
- Long-stay visa application form, signed
- Passport issued within the last ten years and valid at least three months after the visa
- Colour photo 35 x 45 mm meeting ICAO standards
- Travel medical insurance covering the whole visa period
- Written explanation of your intention to use the visa for teleworking
- Employer's written confirmation that your duties can be performed remotely, and the employment contract or other contract under the law of obligations
- For company owners: registry certificate naming the company, its seat, activity and your holding; for freelancers: client contracts showing clients are mainly abroad
- Documents proving legal income over the six months before applying, showing amount, regularity and sources (at least €3,960 a month)
- Certificate of tax or social-security payments from your country of location
- CV describing studies and job history
Income proof: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' table of sufficient funds under the Minister of the Interior's regulation sets €132 a day (€3,960 a month) for teleworking, proven with documents showing the size, regularity and sources of your legal income over the preceding six months. The e-Residency programme's page still advertises €4,500 a month, the pre-regulation benchmark. Converted at the ECB reference rate of 2026-10-02 (US$1.1225 per euro).
Family: The visa is personal. A spouse or children may apply for their own long-stay visas (for example as family members accompanying you) with their own documents and fees; they do not receive a dependant status from your nomad visa.
Cost and timeline
| Minimum income | $4,445/month€132 a day, €3,960 a month, as sufficient funds for teleworking (digital nomad visa); income shown for the six months before applying |
|---|---|
| Fee | about $135State fee for a long-term (D) visa whether filed at an Estonian representation or at a PBGB service office in Estonia; the D visa is a sticker, so there is no card fee. |
| Processing time | up to 4 weeksThe Police and Border Guard Board reviews a long-stay visa application within 30 days of accepting it; representations forward files to the PBGB, so allow a few days on top. No minimum is published. |
| Stay | 1 year, renewable up to 18 months |
How to apply
Consulate, then in the country. In person at the Estonian embassy or consulate that handles visas for your country of residence (or the representing Schengen state's mission where Estonia has none), or at a Police and Border Guard Board service office in Tallinn, Tartu, Jõhvi, Narva or Pärnu if you are already legally in Estonia.
- Check that your work is location-independent and that your employer, your own company or most of your clients are established outside Estonia.
- Prepare the long-stay visa form, a 35 x 45 mm photo, a passport valid three months beyond the visa, travel medical insurance for the whole period and proof of income for the previous six months at or above €3,960 a month.
- Add the teleworking proofs: your written explanation, the employer's confirmation that remote work is possible, the employment or service contract, a tax or social-security certificate from your country, and company registry details if you own the business, plus a CV.
- Book and attend the appointment at the Estonian representation (or PBGB office in Estonia), give fingerprints and pay €120.
- Collect the D visa within about 30 days and travel; register your address in the population register if you stay beyond three months.
After you arrive
Renewal: A D visa allows a stay of up to 365 days in 12 consecutive months. A second consecutive long-stay visa is possible, but the total stay on two consecutive D visas may not exceed 548 days in 730 days, so plan on 18 months at most before a break or a different status.
Residence: A visa is not a residence permit, so time on it does not count toward a long-term residence permit, which requires five years on temporary residence permits.
Taxes
You become an Estonian tax resident if you stay 183 days or more in any 12-month period and are then taxed on worldwide income at the flat 22% rate (from 2025), subject to double-tax treaties; shorter stays remain taxable only in your home country for foreign-source remote income. Estonia registers nomads on the visa with the tax board only if they become resident.
In practice
- The Police and Border Guard Board no longer keeps a separate 'Digital Nomad Visa' page; the route is the long-stay (D) visa for teleworking described on politsei.ee and vm.ee, and the official funds table gives €3,960 a month rather than the €4,500 quoted on e-resident.gov.ee.
- Russian and Belarusian citizens cannot currently apply for teleworking visas under the restrictions on vm.ee.
- A C (short-stay) visa for teleworking also exists for stays under 90 days at the Schengen fee of €90, useful for a trial winter.
- Tallinn has the coworking scene and most English-speaking services; Tartu is cheaper and university-driven. Winters are dark and cold, so many nomads use the visa for May to October.
For your passport
Choose your passport in the ranker and the notes that apply to you move to the top.
- EU, EEA, CH:You do not need this visa. Register your residence in the population register within three months of arrival to obtain the right of residence.
- US, GB, CA, AU, NZ, JP:Visa-free for 90 days in 180 in the Schengen area. You can enter visa-free and apply at a PBGB service office in Estonia, or apply at the Estonian embassy at home.
- RU, BY:Not eligible: Estonia does not accept teleworking visa applications from Russian and Belarusian citizens under current restrictions.
- All other passports:Apply at the Estonian representation for your region, or at the Schengen mission representing Estonia where it has no consulate; the income, insurance and document rules are the same.
Cities in Estonia on Nostos
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Frequently asked
- Who can apply for the Estonia digital nomad visa?
- Any non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizen whose work does not depend on location and who keeps working for an employer registered abroad, through their own company registered abroad, or as a freelancer providing services mainly to clients established outside Estonia. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need it; Russian and Belarusian citizens are currently refused. Estonia's Digital Nomad Visa is a long-stay D visa of up to 365 days for non-EU remote workers employed by a foreign company, running their own foreign company or freelancing for mostly foreign clients, with funds of €3,960 a month. It costs €120 and is decided within 30 days, but it is a visa, not a residence permit, so it does not lead to residency.
- How much income do you need for the Digital Nomad Visa (long-stay D visa for teleworking)?
- About $4,445 per month (€132 a day, €3,960 a month, as sufficient funds for teleworking (digital nomad visa); income shown for the six months before applying). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs' table of sufficient funds under the Minister of the Interior's regulation sets €132 a day (€3,960 a month) for teleworking, proven with documents showing the size, regularity and sources of your legal income over the preceding six months. The e-Residency programme's page still advertises €4,500 a month, the pre-regulation benchmark. Converted at the ECB reference rate of 2026-10-02 (US$1.1225 per euro).
- How much does the Digital Nomad Visa (long-stay D visa for teleworking) cost and how long does it take?
- The fee is about $135 (€120 long-stay visa fee (children 6-11 €60)); State fee for a long-term (D) visa whether filed at an Estonian representation or at a PBGB service office in Estonia; the D visa is a sticker, so there is no card fee. Processing time: up to 4 weeks. The Police and Border Guard Board reviews a long-stay visa application within 30 days of accepting it; representations forward files to the PBGB, so allow a few days on top. No minimum is published.
- How long can you stay in Estonia on the Digital Nomad Visa (long-stay D visa for teleworking), and can it be renewed?
- 1 year, renewable up to 18 months. A D visa allows a stay of up to 365 days in 12 consecutive months. A second consecutive long-stay visa is possible, but the total stay on two consecutive D visas may not exceed 548 days in 730 days, so plan on 18 months at most before a break or a different status.
- Does the Digital Nomad Visa (long-stay D visa for teleworking) lead to permanent residence in Estonia?
- Not by itself. A visa is not a residence permit, so time on it does not count toward a long-term residence permit, which requires five years on temporary residence permits.
- Can family members come with you on the Digital Nomad Visa (long-stay D visa for teleworking)?
- The visa is personal. A spouse or children may apply for their own long-stay visas (for example as family members accompanying you) with their own documents and fees; they do not receive a dependant status from your nomad visa.
- Do you pay tax in Estonia on the Digital Nomad Visa (long-stay D visa for teleworking)?
- You become an Estonian tax resident if you stay 183 days or more in any 12-month period and are then taxed on worldwide income at the flat 22% rate (from 2025), subject to double-tax treaties; shorter stays remain taxable only in your home country for foreign-source remote income. Estonia registers nomads on the visa with the tax board only if they become resident.
- Where do you apply for the Digital Nomad Visa (long-stay D visa for teleworking)?
- Consulate, then in the country: In person at the Estonian embassy or consulate that handles visas for your country of residence (or the representing Schengen state's mission where Estonia has none), or at a Police and Border Guard Board service office in Tallinn, Tartu, Jõhvi, Narva or Pärnu if you are already legally in Estonia.
- Is the Estonia Digital Nomad Visa the same as e-Residency?
- No. e-Residency is a digital identity for running an Estonian company online and gives no right to live in Estonia. The Digital Nomad Visa is a long-stay D visa that lets you physically stay for up to a year while working remotely for foreign employers or clients.
Sources
- Long-term visa: visa and extending period of stay, Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet, Police and Border Guard Board (politsei.ee) · retrieved 2026-10-04 · 365-day stay, 30-day review, teleworking documents (employer confirmation, contract, six months of income, tax certificate, CV), PBGB service offices
- Application for a long-stay (D) visa, Välisministeerium, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (vm.ee) · retrieved 2026-10-04 · Sufficient funds table: teleworking (digital nomad visa) €132 a day / €3,960 a month; €120 visa fee; 548 days in 730 on consecutive D visas; where to apply; insurance
- State fee amounts: visa application and extending period of stay, Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet (politsei.ee) · retrieved 2026-10-04 · €120 long-term visa fee in Estonia and at representations; €90 short-term visa; €60 for children 6-11
- Digital Nomad Visa vs e-Residency, e-Residency programme, Enterprise Estonia (e-resident.gov.ee) · retrieved 2026-10-04 · Eligibility categories (foreign employer, own foreign company, freelancer for mostly foreign clients), up to one year, apply at embassy, 30 days; quotes the older €4,500 benchmark
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