Residence permit

 

Temporary protection is a 1-year residence permit that can provide security and social guarantees to Ukrainian citizens and their family members. A person who has received temporary protection has the right to Estonian social services, including subsistence allowance.

In the case of international protection, a refugee is granted a 3-year residence permit, which can be extended.

In the case of subsidiary protection, the refugee is granted a 1-year residence permit, which can be extended.

Extension of a temporary protection residence permit

Estonia started accepting applications and issuing residence permits on 10.03.2022; residence permits are issued with a one-year validity period. Since it has 1-year duration, it must be extended. There is no automatic extension in Estonia - you have to apply for an extension. It is not obligatory, but if you want to stay in here, it must be extended. 

There is a deadline for applying for an extension - it can only be extended if the residence permit is still valid. If it is no longer valid, you have to apply for a new residence permit.  In the case of temporary protection, it can be submitted 3 months before the end of validity.

Extension Process:

  • use self-service environment - all you need is an internet connection and residence permit card data
  • the environment performs automatic checks (e.g. whether the person has registered their place of residence in the population register)
  • you have to go to the service to receive the document

In three cases, you have to go to the service yourself -

  • if the self-service environment says you have to go there;
  • if the child receiving temporary protection has meanwhile turned 6 years old (fingerprints);
  • if the residence permit has expired and a new one must be applied for instead of an extension.

The extension can be requested from December 10, 2022. 

You can extend it https://asylum.politsei.ee/

Extension of an international protection residence permit

The refugee is granted a 3-year residence permit. The term of the refugee residence permit is extended by 3 years.

The recipient of subsidiary protection is granted a 1-year residence permit. The term of the additional protection residence permit is extended by 2 years.

The PPA can extend the residence permit granted to the refugee in three-year increments, if the circumstances that led to the granting of the residence permit have not disappeared and there is no circumstance that would be the basis for revoking the residence permit.

The PPA can extend the residence permit granted to the recipient of additional protection for two-year periods, if the circumstances that led to the granting of the residence permit have not disappeared and there is no reason to invalidate the residence permit.

For an extension, you must book an appointment in advance on the website of the Police and Border Guard Board https://broneering.politsei.ee/

Applying for temporary protection

To apply for temporary protection book an appointment on the website of the Police and Border Guard Board www.broneering.politsei.ee // More information. Mon-Fri 9am - 5 pm at the PBGB Tammsaare (Tallinn), Tartu, Pärnu, Narva, Jõhvi and Rakvere service halls.

 

Refugees have to go to the Ukrainian Embassy if they don't have documents. The appointment must be arranged in advance. Embassy of Ukraine, Lahe 6, Tallinn (Mon-Fri 09.00-18.00, R 09:00-16:45) tel. +372 601 5815

  • For persons with a national passport (where only Ukrainian / Russian) and/or only with a birth certificate, the embassy issues an A4 certificate with personal data in Latin. To apply for temporary protection, it is not necessary to have a biometric passport, an internal passport is sufficient.

 

If you have lost a document issued by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, you must send a request for information to ppa@politsei.ee. The following information must be provided in the application:

  • first and last name of the applicant or name of the legal entity/institution
  • contact details of the applicant (postal or email address, telephone number) through which we can provide the requested information or contact the applicant
  • the content of the information requested, the type of document, the name or the elements of the document known to the applicant
  • the manner in which the request for information is complied with or responded to

If a person has a residence permit issued on the basis of temporary protection in two countries, the last residence permit remains valid and the first one is declared invalid. Estonian practice is to contact the person beforehand and ask them to make their own choice (i.e. voluntarily give up one). If they do not do this, it is assumed that the latter will remain valid and the former will be declared invalid. 

 

If temporary protection has already been obtained from one European country, there is no reason to ask for it in other countries. You cannot have the status of temporary protection in two countries at the same time, but a person who is among the recipients of protection has the right to choose in which country they exercise their right. If a person has made a well-considered decision to leave another country, renounce temporary protection there and apply for temporary protection in Estonia, it is recommended to first renounce protection in the current country that has issued temporary protection (i.e. ask for a corresponding document as proof) to speed up the process.

 

People in vulnerable situations (unaccompanied minors, chronically ill, pregnant women, etc.) may be referred to the asylum procedure. We recommend doing this through the Estonian Human Rights Centre. Contacts: asylum@humanrights.ee, tel: +372 644 5148; +372 51949015 (works and WhatsApp and Viber). 

Applying for international protection

An applicant for international protection, or asylum seeker, is a foreigner who has submitted an application for international protection in Estonia, on which no final decision has been made. The status of an applicant for international protection lasts until the decision of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board or the administrative court enters into force. If the application is approved, the person will be recognized as either a refugee or a recipient of supplementary protection. Recipients of international protection are granted a residence permit for 3 years, which can be extended.

  • Before entering the country, an asylum application can be submitted to a border guard officer at any border point on the border of the Republic of Estonia. This option must be used if the foreigner does not have a valid visa, travel documents or Estonian residence permit.
  • If the foreigner is already in Estonia, the request for asylum must be addressed to any service of the Police and Border Guard Board. In Tallinn, if you want to apply, you can only contact the service point of the Põhja prefecture at Pärnu mnt 139.

The procedure takes up to 6 months. For Ukrainians who were here before 24.02.2022, the procedure takes 1-2 months.

More information about applying here

The recipient of subsidiary protection is a foreigner who does not qualify as a refugee, but in respect of whom there is reason to believe that his return or deportation from Estonia to the country of origin may bring him serious danger, including:

  • application or execution of the death penalty
  • the use of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
  • use of violence due to international or domestic armed conflict

Recipients of subsidiary protection are granted a residence permit for 1 year, which can be extended.

Leaving Estonia

If you leave Estonia temporarily:

  • you may temporarily travel to Ukraine, even repeatedly;
  • you may stay in another Schengen country for 90 days over a 180-day period. Please note that not all EU Member States are Schengen countries.
  • You do not need to notify anyone of your temporary departure. While you are temporarily away, you will also continue to receive the benefits you have been granted in Estonia.

If you leave Estonia permanently for Ukraine or another country:

  • please notify the local government in which your place of residence is registered;
  • please notify the Police and Border Guard Board of your departure by writing to ppa@politsei.ee;
  • if you are registered as unemployed and are leaving for Ukraine permanently, please inform your consultant at the Unemployment Fund.
  • If you leave for Ukraine permanently, the Police and Border Guard Board will revoke your Estonian residence permit.
  • If you want to move to another EU country permanently, you will have to reapply for a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection in the new country. You cannot have temporary protection in more than one country at the same time.
  • Once your temporary protection and residence permit expire or are withdrawn, you will not be entitled to the benefits provided in Estonia.

Non-EU citizen

If a third-country national who is a permanent resident of Ukraine becomes a citizen of the country, he or she must also prove if he or she is unable to return to the country of origin safely and permanently. Otherwise does not qualify.

A third-country national can only move freely if he or she is accompanied by a Ukrainian refugee. There is also no restriction in the order of the Government that the family must come to the country together in order for a family member of a Ukrainian citizen to be entitled to temporary protection. For the purposes of applying for temporary protection, it does not matter why family members apply for a temporary residence permit in different countries. For example: if a Non - EU citizen enters Estonia and their Ukrainian spouse remains in Poland / Latvia / Lithuania, etc., this Non - EU citizen is staying in Estonia illegally (without an independent visa) and is being detained completely legally.

(Source)

Citizens of other countries and e-residents to be referred to Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB) migration advisers:

  • Advice by phone, email, Skype call and face-to-face meetings. The time of the meeting or Skype video call must be agreed upon in advance;
  • Phone: +372 612 3500 (Mon-Fri 9.00-15.00);
  • e-mail: migrationadvice@politsei.ee;
  • Skype: EstonianPolice_MigrationAdvice;
  • Meetings by appointment in Tallinn, Tartu, Jõhvi, and Pärnu.