Estonia General Investment Visa | A Complete Guide

Overview:

Estonia’s investment visa is mainly divided into two categories: the Major Investment Visa, which requires a higher investment amount, and the General Investment Visa, which has a lower investment requirement.

Here, we are discussing the General Investment Visa. If you are interested in the Major Investment Visa, which requires an investment of 1 million euros, you can click on the link to learn more.

The General Investment Visa in Estonia is further divided into two categories:

1. Company Shareholders: This visa is issued to individuals who invest more than 65,000 euros in a local company in Estonia.

2. Self-Employed: This visa is issued to individuals who invest more than 16,000 euros in personal business activities in Estonia.

In addition to the financial requirements, applicants for the General Investment Visa must also meet the following basic conditions: be at least 18 years old, be in good health, have no criminal record, demonstrate sufficient financial resources and business experience for the investment, and have a certain understanding of the development of the industry they are investing in within Estonia.

Application Process:

The application process for Estonia’s General Investment Visa can be divided into two steps:

1. Applying for an entry visa: In this step, you first need to register a company in Estonia. After completing the investment, gather all the required documents and attend an in-person interview at a convenient Estonian embassy or consulate to obtain the visa.

Required documents for this process include:

• Applicant’s identity documents: This includes a valid passport with at least two blank pages for both the primary and secondary applicants, passport-sized photos, and documents proving the relationship between the primary and secondary applicants, such as birth certificates and marriage certificates.

• Application form: You need to fill out, sign, and submit an application form online, along with an explanation of the secondary applicant’s situation.

• Bank endorsement: You need a bank-issued certificate to prove that you can legally meet the required investment amount for the visa and have sufficient funds to support the living expenses of all primary and secondary applicants in Estonia.

• Company information: You need to provide the name of the company you are investing in, registration details, business activities, asset overview, development plans, future income projections, resumes of key management, the potential impact on the Estonian economy, and a detailed business plan covering all this information.

• Proof of health insurance: You need to purchase health insurance valid in the Schengen area with an annual coverage of over 30,000 euros for each primary and secondary applicant.

• Proof of no criminal record.

• Proof of completed investment.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications in Estonia handles all matters related to visa issuance. It will review the investment sector, business plan, and potential impact on the Estonian economy for each application.Once the visa is approved, you will receive a one-year Estonian entry visa.

2. Applying for a residence permit: After obtaining the entry visa, you can schedule an appointment at an Estonian embassy or consulate abroad, or at a domestic service office (PBGB) in Estonia, to convert the one-year entry visa into a five-year investment residence permit.

Dependents:

For Estonia’s General Investment Visa, the spouse and minor children of the primary applicant can also obtain the visa as secondary applicants.

Visa Validity:

Regardless of the category, the validity period of Estonia’s General Investment Visa is five years. Upon expiration, if the company you operate meets certain revenue and local employment requirements, you can renew the visa under the original conditions.

Foreign nationals who have legally resided in Estonia with a long-term residence permit for five years, have valid health insurance for the Schengen area, understand Estonian culture, have reached at least a B1 level in the Estonian language, and have a stable income in the country are eligible to apply for permanent residency.

Foreign nationals who have legally resided in Estonia for eight years, or for five years after obtaining a permanent residence card, and who pass government-organized tests on language, national institutions, and culture, are eligible to apply for naturalization to become Estonian citizens.