Seoul

What is long-stay (D) visa?

A long stay (D) visa is meant for staying in Estonia for more than 90 days in 180 day period. Long stay (D) visa may be issued for the period of stay of up to 365 days within twelve consecutive months and it allows to stay in the whole Schengen Area up to 90 days in any 180 day period. In case of consecutive long-stay visas, the whole period of stay shall not be longer than 548 days within 730 consecutive days.

Applying for a long-stay (D) visa

A long-stay visa must be applied for in person at the Embassy. To schedule an appointment with a consular official, please write to [email protected].

Documents to be submitted upon application for a long-term (D) visa

All applicants must present:

• travel document (passport). Travel document must be issued within the last 10 years, must be valid at least three months beyond the intended departure from Estonia area and must include at least two free pages intended for affixing visas;
• Estonian long-term (D) visa application form. Form must be filled in on this webpage, printed, dated and signed;
• two color photos 3.5 x 4.5 cm (1.4” x 1.8”). Photo must meet ICAO requirements and should not be older than six months. One photo must be glued on the visa application from (not stapled!);
• valid medical insurance which guarantees payment of any costs related to applicant’s medical treatment due to illness or injury during the validity of the visa, in the case of a multiple-stay visa until the expiry of the period of the first planned stay. As a rule, travel medical insurance must be valid for the whole period of requested visa. If applicant will be covered with Estonian health insurance (Haigekassa) after arrival to Estonia, travel medical insurance must cover only the period until Estonian health insurance (Haigekassa) insurance becomes valid. For example – if person applies visa for short-term employment, travel medical insurance must cover travel period and additionally first 14 days of working;
• proof of financial means. Applicant must prove that he or she has sufficient financial means according to the purpose of stay:

Related to purpose of stay, applicants must also present the following documents:

• Studies
  • confirmation of the educational institution about admission of the applicant;
  • students participating in international programs (i.e. Erasmus), a confirmation from the local coordinator of the program.
• Short-term employment
  • printout of the confirmation of the registration of the short-term employment.
• Start-up business
  • printout of the decision of the Startup Committee (you can read more about Startup Committee here).
• Moving to close relative (visiting family or friends):
  • document proving family relations (birth or marriage certificate, original and copy);
  • if applicant is an adult child who due to his or her health status or disability is unable to cope independently – documents proving his or her health status or disability (original and copy).
• Visa for teleworking (digital nomad visa)
  • documents proving that the applicant’s work does not depend on location and he/she can use telecommunication technology for performing his/her duties as telework;
  • documents proving that the applicant continues
    • working for an employer registered in a foreign country with whom he/she has a contractual relationship or
    • business activities for a company registered in a foreign country in which he/she has holdings or
    • providing services mainly to customers whose place of business is in a foreign country and with whom he/she has a contractual relationship;
  • documents proving the applicant’s legal income during six months before the submission of the application and showing the size, regularity and sources of the income. Currently the monthly net income threshold is 4,500 euros;
  • description of studies and job history (CV).
• The following documents can be used as a proof of facts mentioned in the first two points above:
  • a written explanation by the applicant regarding the intention to use the visa for teleworking;
  • a written confirmation by the employer stating that it is possible for the applicant to perform their work duties in the form of teleworking;
  • an employment contract or another contract under the law of obligations;
  • a certificate issued by a competent authority of the applicant’s country of location in proof of the payment of state taxes, local taxes or social security contributions mandatory in the applicant’s country of location;
  • a certificate issued by a competent authority of the company’s country of registered office, indicating the name, registered office and area of activity of the company, the applicant’s holdings in the company and details of the legal representatives of the company;
  • a certificate issued by a competent authority of the company’s country of registered office in proof of the payment of state taxes, local taxes or social security contributions mandatory in the company’s country of registered office and on the absence of tax arrears;
  • any other documents.

During the examination of an application, a consular officer may request additional documents.

Visa fee

The fee for examining a long-term (D) visa application is 100 Euros, and 40 euros for children aged 6-11 years. Children under the age 6 are exempted from the fee.

Visa fee can be paid paid by card at the Embassy, or by bank transfer to the bank account of Estonian Ministry of Finance. The Estonian Embassy in Seoul does not accept payments in cash.

Following applicants are exempted from paying the visa fee:

• children under the age 6
• a family member of an Estonian citizen or an EU/ EEA citizen who meet the requirements in Directive 2004/38/EU. Please note that the directive shall apply to all Union citizens who move or reside in a Member State other than that of which they are national, and to their family members who accompany or join them;
• persons invited by Parliament or the Estonian Government;
• anyone who, by virtue of an international convention, is entitled to a visa free of charge;
• holders of diplomatic and service passports.

Collection of fingerprints

At the time of lodging the application at the Embassy, biometrical data – 10 fingerprints of the applicant are collected. Children under the age of 12 and persons from whom collecting fingerprints is physically impossible shall be exempt from the requirement.

Examining of the long-term (D) visa application and returning the passport

Long-term (D) visa applications are examined within 30 days from the day the application was lodged at the Embassy.

Entry requirements

Mere possession of a visa does not confer an automatic right of entry. The holders of visa are requested to present proof that they fulfil the entry conditions at the external border, as provided in the Schengen Border Code. Border guards, for instance, may ask to present return tickets, hotel reservation or the information of the invitee, travel insurance, proof of sufficient means of subsistence.

For more information, see also questions about crossing the border on the website of the Police and Border Guard Board.