Who qualifies
- Estonian by birthA parent who was Estonian when you were bornIncluding a parent who was Estonian by birth but never had a passport.
- PossiblyA grandparent or earlier ancestor who was an Estonian citizenIf they were a citizen when their child in your line was born, citizenship may have passed down each generation.
- Usually notAn ancestor who left before Estonia existed as a state, or wasn’t a citizen
How to apply
- Ask the National Archives to check your ancestorUse their citizenship enquiry form. They invoice the €25 state fee after reviewing your request, and reply within 30 days of payment.
- Prove the line down to youBirth certificates for each generation, ideally originals with apostilles.
- Apply for a passport or ID cardAt an Estonian embassy or consulate, or the Police and Border Guard Board in Estonia.
Documents
- Your birth certificate showing both parents, apostilled, with an English translation if it’s in another language
- Birth certificates for each generation back to your Estonian ancestor, apostilled
- Confirmation of your ancestor’s citizenship from the National Archives
For UK, Irish and US certificates, see where to order certificates.
Common questions
Can I keep my other passport?
In practice, yes. Estonian law says citizens shouldn’t hold another citizenship, but Estonians by birth can’t be deprived of it, and tens of thousands of Estonian Americans, Canadians and others hold both.
Can citizenship come down from a grandparent who left Estonia in 1944?
Quite possibly. If the grandparent was a citizen when their child in the line was born, that child was Estonian by birth, and so were their children.
Do I need to speak Estonian?
No, not to prove citizenship by birth.
What an Estonian passport gives you
The right to live, work, study and retire across all 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. See what an EU passport lets you do.
Living there
An Estonian passport lets you live and work in any EU country, and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Not eligible? The long way round
If descent doesn’t work for you, you can still become a citizen by living in Estonia and applying to naturalize. It takes longer, but it’s open to anyone who meets the conditions.
- Time living there first
- 8 years with a residence permit, the last 5 on a permanent basis.
- Language and tests
- An Estonian language exam and an exam on the constitution and the Citizenship Act.
- Keep your current passport?
- No. Naturalized Estonians can’t keep another citizenship.
- Main ways to get residence
- Work, the digital nomad visa, business and study. E-Residency is a digital ID for running a business, not a right to live there.
Already have, or able to get, a passport from an EU country through another family line? Then you can live and work in Estonia without a visa. See what an EU passport lets you do.
General information, not immigration advice. Residence rules change often, so check the official source before you plan a move. Sources: Police and Border Guard Board: Estonian citizenship for an adult.