Estonia ETIAS
Republic of Estonia will require ETIAS Visa Waiver to incoming visitors from 60 Visa Waiver Countries
ETIAS to Estonia: key points
Republic of Estonia will soon require ETIAS Visa Waiver to incoming visitors from 60 Visa Waiver Countries
ETIAS allows for a stay in Estonia and EU/Schengen Area as a whole, EIRE excluded, of maximum 90 days out of every 6 months and only for purposes of either tourism, commerce and trade, transit or medical treatment
ETIAS application to be put forward electronically only
ETIAS holders coming to Europe must have at least 3 months of residual validity for the entire stay in any of the ETIAS Countries
Estonia’s political and cultural heritage
Situated at the very crossroads between Scandinavia and Russia, the Republic of Estonia has an heritage, both ancient and more recent, that well displays its situation of being located a on a threshold between political Europe and what used to be the Soviet Union.
The last 30 years especially have been a major turning point to Estonia who on the one hand obtained back its independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 and that in 2004, on the other hand, succeeded in becoming EU Member.
Despite gaining its new autonomy only a few years ago Estonia earned a trading and economic standing of its own very quickly and soon became a prosperous country also able to boast one of the highest standards in the Human Development Index.Estonia and ETIAS enforcement
Joining the EU in 2004, Estonia also came to be part of the Schengen Area in 2007 and will hence be among the 34 Countries that in 2023 will start enforcing the newborn ETIAS Protocol.
Through its implementations ETIAS System aims to offer travelers to Estonia, and EU/Schengen Countries in general, more efficient border control protocols upon arrival at the EU’s air, land or sea borders. At the same time ETIAS System is expected to produce the effect of dramatically reducing episodes of border rejections. More on the benefits of ETIAS are available for consultation here.ETIAS to Estonia. How to obtain it?
In order to put their application for ETIAS forward all genuine short-term visitors to the Republic of Estonia, minors included, are required to fill out a short form where they are to declare their personal data and contact details, travel to EU schedule and to answer a short series of background check and general eligibility questions.
Once the application has been submitted, by mean of ETIAS taxes payment, and feedback becomes available, in most cases within 72 hours and with a positive response, ETIAS Visa Waiver will be sent to the personal e-mail of each applicant.
ETIAS Visa Waiver is than valid for 3 years from its date of issue and allows for multiple journeys in all 34 ETIAS Countries as long as such trips comply with the general ETIAS limitations for purpose and duration of stay as summarized above.When could ETIAS not be necessary?
Visa Waiver travelers that already hold a valid Schengen Visa or a Permit of Stay issued by a Schengen Member Country are not required to have a valid ETIAS to enter the Estonia or any other ETIAS Area Country. Please notice that to this extent National Visas and Residence Permit issued by EU countries that are not yet part of Schengen (Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus) and by the Republic of Ireland are not considered a valid exemption criterion from the obligation to hold a valid ETIAS Visa Waiver.
As a consequence, any individual holding Visa Waiver rights to Europe whose aim to work or study on a long-term basis will not be considered eligible for ETIAS and will still be required to apply for Consular Schengen Visa.
Still ETIAS Visa Waiver can be used to access Estonia for short training curricula if the stay in the ETIAS countries area will not surpass the aforementioned limit of combined stay.Entering Estonia while travelling on a valid ETIAS
When arriving in the EU, whether air, land or seaway and regardless of the place of origin of the journey Border Control Officers will always have the authority to ask ETIAS holders to supply additional documents to evaluate the scope of the trip and to ensure there is no plan to overstay in the ETIAS Area.
Among the supporting documents that might be required are:- Return ticket to the country of origin
- Onwards ticket to a non-ETIAS country
- Proof of sufficient funds to support one’s stay in the ETIAS Area
While an ETIAS will for most visitors be required to enter the Republic of Estonia from 2023 it is important to highlight that the neighboring country of the Russian Federation is not part of either the European Union or the Schengen Area and therefore entry into its territory is subject to local immigration rules that also imply, in most cases, the obligation to have a valid Consular or Electronic Visa.