On 11 August 2022, the Government of the Republic of Estonia approved a sanction imposing a restriction on citizens of the Russian Federation applying for an Estonian visa. The visa restriction applies to all types of visas and purposes of travel, except for those Russian citizens who are:
- visiting a spouse, who is an Estonian citizen residing in Estonia or a person residing in Estonia on the basis of Estonian long-term residence permit;
- visiting a relative in the direct descending or ascending line who is an Estonian citizen residing in Estonia or a person residing in Estonia on the basis of Estonian long-term residence permit;
- visiting an Estonian citizen residing in Estonia or a person residing in Estonia on the basis of Estonian long-term residence permit and with whom they raise a minor child;
- employees of a diplomatic mission or consular post in Estonia and their family members;
- directly involved in the international carriage of goods and passengers;
- European Union citizens family members, who want to use the right of free movement under the directive 2004/38/EU and
- whose entry into Estonia is necessary for humanitarian reasons (e.g. funerals).
The sanction will come into effect on 18 August, which means that only the Russian citizens listed above can apply for a visa from that date.
Additional sanctions were imposed to Russian citizens who wish to cross the external border of Schengen area to enter Estonia. All questions concerning border crossing into Estonia should be addressed to Estonian Police and Border Guard Board – [email protected].