Public services and online portals

Key authorities

• Your municipality (vallavalitsus, rural municipality, or linnavalitsus, city; in Tallinn, the government of your district): registering your residence in the population register (rahvastikuregister), personal identification code, place at school and nursery (see EE-ECOLE-TOUS-001).
• Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet, PPA): right of residence, EU citizen identity card, residence permit for non-Europeans, e-resident card (see EE-SEJOUR-TOUS-001 and EE-ENTREPRISE-TOUS-002).
• Tax and Customs Board (Maksu- ja Tolliamet, EMTA): tax residence (form R), income tax return, land tax, VAT, employment register kept by employers (see EE-IMPOTS-TOUS-001).
• Health insurance fund (Tervisekassa): public health insurance, family doctor, European Health Insurance Card (see EE-SANTE-TOUS-001).
• Social Insurance Board (Sotsiaalkindlustusamet): pensions, family benefits and parental leave, disability, child protection and victim support.
• Unemployment insurance fund (Töötukassa): registration as a jobseeker, unemployment benefits, job search advice.
• Transport Administration (Transpordiamet): driving licences, exchange of a foreign licence, vehicle registration.
• Commercial Register (Äriregister, run by the RIK): setting up a FIE or an OÜ (see EE-ENTREPRISE-TOUS-001).

Online services

• eesti.ee portal: the State's single entry point. You find your identity documents, your health insurance data, your prescriptions, your sick leave certificates, an official mailbox and a guided "Settling in Estonia" path (step-by-step settling in).
• Estonian identity card: it serves at once as an identity document in Estonia, a means of logging in and an electronic signature. EU citizens apply for it from the PPA after registering their residence, within the month that follows (€45 according to the PPA's fee schedule consulted on 23/10/2026, €20 at pension age or with a disability; see EE-SEJOUR-TOUS-001).
• Mobiil-ID: a special SIM card that replaces the card and the reader. You sign a contract with an Estonian operator (Telia, Elisa or Tele2), with your valid identity document; each operator sets its own charges and conditions. The application is made with the operator (the PPA refers you to it), and certificates are valid for 5 years at most.
• Smart-ID: a free app (owned by the private company SK ID Solutions) to log in, confirm transactions and sign. You create your account with your Estonian identity card or, otherwise, at a branch in Estonia of Swedbank, SEB or Luminor, with a valid identity document.
• Electronic identity from another EU country: accepted by e-MTA, the tax authority's online space. For other services, check case by case: for example, the commercial register portal only accepts the Estonian card, Smart-ID and Mobiil-ID.

In what order

1. Find a home and the document that proves your right to live there (lease or landlord's consent).
2. Register your residence with the municipality, in person, no later than 3 months after you arrive (rule for EU citizens): you obtain your personal identification code and your right of residence (see EE-SEJOUR-TOUS-001).
3. Apply for your identity card from the PPA, within the month following registration: it is your key to all online services.
4. Open a bank account and activate Smart-ID or Mobiil-ID.
5. Declare your tax residence to the EMTA (form R) and give your employer your request for the basic exemption (see EE-IMPOTS-TOUS-001).
6. Check your health insurance and choose a family doctor (see EE-SANTE-TOUS-001).
7. Depending on your situation: school or nursery through the municipality, family benefits through the Sotsiaalkindlustusamet, registration with the Töötukassa if you are looking for a job, exchange of your driving licence if needed.

Common pitfalls

• Wanting to do everything online from day one. The first residence declaration and the identity card require physical presence; the rest follows online.
• Keeping a "ghost" address. Everything relies on your address in the register: without a valid address, you may lose your right of residence, your health insurance and your child's place at the neighbourhood school.
• Staying registered as a resident when you leave. If you leave Estonia, declare your new address abroad within 30 days (to the last municipality where you lived or to an Estonian embassy), otherwise the register still considers you a resident.
• The European driving licence. It remains valid until its expiry date; you only have to exchange it if it is valid for more than 15 years, no later than 18 January 2033, when you reside in Estonia at least 185 days a year.
• Registering with the Töötukassa while being a FIE or holding an entrepreneur's account. These situations in principle prevent registration as a jobseeker.
• Clicking on a fake link. The tax authority recommends logging in only from its official website; this applies to all authorities.

What changes by country of origin

• EU and EEA citizens: right of residence through registering your residence; they can register with the Töötukassa like Estonians.
• Swiss citizens: same procedures as EU citizens, including for the Töötukassa.
• British citizens (Scotland included): a residence permit issued by the PPA is needed first, before registering their residence. Their driving licence comes under the 1968 Vienna Convention: valid for 12 months after the start of residence, then exchange generally without a test.