On July 18, amendments to the Aliens Act, the Code of Administrative Court Procedure, and the State Fees Act will enter into force, bringing changes to the process for appealing decisions made in Estonian foreign missions regarding visa refusal, annulment, or cancellation.
Starting July 18, according to the new procedure, an appeal must be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within 10 days from the date the decision to refuse, annul, or cancel a visa is communicated. The appeal will be reviewed, and a decision on the appeal will be made within 30 days from the date the appeal is registered.
If the appeal is rejected, the foreign national has the right to file a complaint with the administrative court against both the initial decision and the decision on the appeal, based on the grounds specified in the Code of Administrative Court Procedure. The complaint to the administrative court must be filed within 10 days from the date the appeal decision is communicated.
The appeal form for a visa refusal decision and information about the new appeal procedure are available on the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.