How to become a permanent resident in Estonia?

Long term residence permit in Estonia (not to be confused with the permit for settling permanently) is an option that becomes available after residing in Estonia for at least 5 years based on a temporary residence permit. This type of permit is not a temporary residence permit anymore but it still has a term.

So how to get a long-term residence permit?

As always, there are formal requirements (like having your residence registered) as well as more substantial requirements. We will touch upon a few potential pitfalls.

The first hurdle would be the language requirement - in this case the required level is at least B1. One can live in Estonia based on a temporary residence permit without having any language skills so a jump to B1 can be significant.

Also, the Police will ask about your life in general, also go through your social media etc to see how you have integrated. Sometimes we see that having more than one traffic violations (even minor ones) can also be enough for refusal.

The 5 year residing requirement means permanent residing. It is OK to be away for a period of less than 6 months but not more than 10 months in the total 5 year period. The time lived in Estonia for studying is taken into account in half of the amount and only if the person received a TRP on another basis later on.

And as a final note - this permit is issued for up to 10 years and the legal income requirement is the substinence level (https://www.eesti.ee/en/pensions-social-services-and-allowances/benefits-and-allowances/subsistence-level-and-subsistence-benefit ).