Residence permit for a family member — to settle with a close relative

Route status

Active as of 2026-06-29^[1]^[5]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)	Elamisluba pereliikmele as of 2026-08-08^[4] Title of the PBGB's Estonian-language instruction page (single family-member instrument).
Official name (English)	Residence permit for a family member — to settle with a close relative as of 2026-08-08^[1]^[5] The minor child, adult child, and parent or grandparent parts of the PBGB's family-member instruction (Aliens Act s. 118(2)).
Legal basis	Aliens Act s. 118(2) and ss. 150-156 (settling with a close relative) as of 2026-06-29^[1]^[5]
Instrument type	residence permit as of 2026-06-29^[1]^[5]

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this route	EU, EEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-08^[5] Needed by foreign nationals — persons who are not citizens of Estonia, an EU member state, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. Family members of EU citizens use the right of residence under the Citizen of the European Union Act instead.
Criminal-record condition	Not established from a qualifying source^[1] Criminal record operates as a refusal ground (Aliens Act s. 124(1)(5), s. 124(2)(7)), not an application condition.

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial duration	up to 5 years as of 2026-08-08^[1]^[5]
How the initial term is set	matches the sponsor's permit
Renewable	Yes as of 2026-08-08^[5]
Renewal duration	up to 10 years as of 2026-08-08^[5] Up to 10 years at a time, but not longer than the validity of the inviting party's residence permit.
Work rights	full as of 2025-04-15^[2]

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residence	Yes as of 2026-06-29^[1]^[8] Aliens Act s. 232(1)(1): five years' residence on a residence permit qualifies, regardless of the permit's basis.

Requirements

Requirements
Who can sponsor	citizen, permanent resident, temporary permit holder as of 2026-06-29^[1]^[5] S. 150(1): the close relative is an Estonian citizen or an alien residing in Estonia on a residence permit; for the parent/grandparent limb the sponsor must hold a long-term resident's residence permit (s. 150(2)).
Eligible relations	minor child, adult dependent child, parent, grandparent, other dependent as of 2026-06-29^[1]^[5] S. 150(1): a minor child settling with a parent; an adult child unable to cope independently due to health or disability; a parent or grandparent needing care unavailable in their own country, whose child's or grandchild's income ensures their subsistence; and a ward settling with a guardian (recorded as other_dependent). A child born in Estonia to a resident permit holder receives a permit automatically (s. 150-1; PPA).
Sponsor income requirement	2 × subsistence level per month as of 2026-05-19^[1]^[3]
Sponsor accommodation requirement	Yes as of 2026-06-29^[1]^[5] S. 151: registered place of residence and actual dwelling, waived where the parties arrive in Estonia together (PPA; s. 150(3)(1)).
Sponsor waiting period	Not applicable No waiting period stated for the close-relative bases.
Pre-entry language test	No as of 2026-08-08^[5] No pre-entry language test appears among the published requirements.
Sponsor and relation matrix	Sponsor status: temporary permit holder Relation: minor child Resulting condition: Prior-residence requirement waived where sponsor and child enter Estonia together (s. 150(3)(1)), where the sponsor holds an EU Blue Card (s. 150(3)(2)), a s. 210-3 permit (s. 150(3)(3)) or an intra-corporate-transfer permit (s. 150(3)(4)). Not granted where the sponsor holds a s. 176-2 short-term-employment permit (s. 150(4)). Sponsor status: permanent resident Relation: parent Resulting condition: The parent or grandparent limb requires the sponsoring child or grandchild to hold a long-term resident's residence permit (s. 150(2)), the parent to need care unobtainable in their country of location, and the sponsor's permanent legal income to ensure the parent's subsistence in Estonia (s. 150(1)(3)). Sponsor status: permanent resident Relation: grandparent Resulting condition: As for a parent (s. 150(1)(3), s. 150(2)). Sponsor status: citizen Relation: minor child Resulting condition: Reduced state fee (EUR 115 / EUR 145); a child born in Estonia or settling within a year of birth to a resident parent receives a permit automatically where the birth is registered in the Population Register (PPA; s. 150-1).

Process

Process
Where to apply from	either as of 2025-01-01^[5]^[6] The fee schedule prices both channels; the PBGB describes joining a family member already in Estonia or settling together on arrival.
Statutory processing time	90 days as of 2026-08-08^[5] Response within 90 days per the PBGB's family-member pages (same service standard as the other permits); card within 30 days.
Fees	Kind: application Amount: EUR 225 as of 2025-01-01^[6] Temporary residence permit (general rate), application submitted in Estonia. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: application submitted in Estonia Kind: application Amount: EUR 255 as of 2025-01-01^[6] Temporary residence permit (general rate), application submitted at an Estonian foreign representation. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: application submitted at an Estonian foreign representation Kind: renewal Amount: EUR 225 as of 2025-01-01^[6] Extension of a temporary residence permit (general rate); EUR 115 for a child under 15 and for persons of Estonian retirement age. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: extension applied for in Estonia Kind: card Amount: EUR 70 as of 2025-01-01^[7] Residence permit card, applicant aged 18 or over, at a service office; EUR 60 self-service, EUR 100 at a foreign representation, EUR 30 reduced categories. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: applicant aged 18 or over, applying at a service office Kind: application Amount: EUR 115 as of 2025-01-01^[6] Reduced rate (EUR 145 at a foreign representation) for settling with a spouse or close relative who is an Estonian citizen; extension at the same reduced rate. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: sponsor is an Estonian citizen
Quota	Quota exists: Yes as of 2025-11-06^[1]^[9] Aliens Act ss. 113-114. Exempt from the general quota: Yes as of 2025-11-06^[1]^[9] S. 115(3): minor and adult children, parents, grandparents and wards of Estonian citizens, Estonians and resident aliens are not counted toward the quota.

Physical presence

Physical presence
registration only	to keep the permit as of 2026-06-29^[1] Aliens Act s. 117(1)(2) and s. 121: actual residence in Estonia and registration of the place of residence in the Population Register within one month of arrival. No minimum day count is stated.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be included	Not applicable This route is itself the family-reunification instrument; further family members apply under the same ss. 137-156 bases in their own right.
Eligible relations	Not applicable See allowed.

Your next step

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited	9
of which official (tier 1)	9
Oldest as-of date	2025-01-01
Newest as-of date	2026-08-08
Reviewed on	2026-08-11
Schema version	1.1

Sources

[1] Aliens Act (Välismaalaste seadus), consolidated text, official English translation
Riigi Teataja (State Gazette), Republic of Estonia · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-29 · Accessed 2026-08-08
[2] Working in Estonia (state portal article, text by the Police and Border Guard Board)
Riigiportaal eesti.ee / Police and Border Guard Board · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-04-15 · Accessed 2026-08-08 · Archived copy
[3] Tähtajalise elamisloa ja selle pikendamise ning pikaajalise elaniku elamisloa ja selle taastamise taotlemise kord ning legaalse sissetuleku määrad (Minister of the Interior Regulation), consolidated text
Siseminister (Minister of the Interior), published in Riigi Teataja (State Gazette), Republic of Estonia · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-05-19 · Accessed 2026-08-08
[4] Elamisluba pereliikmele
Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
[5] Residence permit for a family member
Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
[6] State fee amounts – Residence permit and rights of residence
Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2025-01-01 · Accessed 2026-08-08 · Archived copy
[7] State fee amounts – Residence permit card
Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet) · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2025-01-01 · Accessed 2026-08-08
[8] Residence permit for a permanent resident – Long-term resident's residence permit
Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-08
[9] Valitsus kehtestas järgmise aasta sisserände piirarvuks 1292 inimest
Siseministeerium (Ministry of the Interior) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-11-06 · Accessed 2026-08-08