Note: Last update of this article occurred on December 16th.
Can I travel to Estonia?
1. Traveling to Estonia is possible under certain conditions
- Estonian citizens and their family members. Estonian citizens and residents are allowed entry regardless of whether they show symptoms of the disease or not.
- Citizens and residents of the European Union, the Schengen area, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican, and individuals with a long-stay visa and their family members if they show no symptoms.
- Residents of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Uruguay, if they show no symptoms.
- Citizens of foreign states without symptoms arriving in Estonia from states not named above for work or studies. On arrival they are subjects to 10-day restriction on freedom of movement, which means that:
- the employer or educational institution must provide transport for the employee or student on their arrival in Estonia and ensure that they comply with the 14-day compulsory restriction on freedom of movement;
- the employer or educational institution ensures that the employee or student undergoes two SARS-CoV-2 tests. The first test must be administered on their arrival and the second on the 14th day after their arrival;
- the employee and student is not allowed to start working and studying respectively for the first 14 days following their arrival in Estonia;
- the employee and student can start work and studies respectively from the 15th day since their arrival on the condition that their second coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 test was negative.
2. Who is required to restrict their freedom of movement?
1. All symptomatic Estonian citizens and residents arriving in Estonia.
2. Passengers arriving from countries of the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Schengen area who began their trip from a country belonging to this region or transited a country of this region, based on the infection rate:
- the mandatory self-isolation does not apply to passengers arriving in Estonia from a country with an infection rate below 25 per 100 000 inhabitants;
- if the infection rate of the country is between 25 and 50, the need to self-isolate depends on whether the infection rate is below or above the rate of Estonia times 1.1;
- if the infection rate is below that of Estonia, the person is not required to self-isolate; if it is higher than the infection rate of Estonia, a 10 day mandatory self-isolation applies.
3. All individuals arriving in Estonia who began their trip from or transited countries without data or located outside the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Schengen area. An exception applies to residents of countries included in Annex 1 of the recommendation of the Council of the European Union on the condition that the infection rate in these countries is below 16 (see list of extra-EU countries below).
3. Number of infections per country
Number of new infections per 100 000 inhabitants in the last 14 days (as of 11.12.2020) (applied in determining the necessity of a restriction on freedom of movement, if a person travels to Estonia during 14.12-20.12.2020).
- 🇦🇩 Andorra 963,5
- 🇦🇹 Austria 557,1
- 🇧🇪 Belgium 265,5
- 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 549,0
- 🇭🇷 Croatia 1171,5
- 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 545,7
- 🇨🇾 Cyprus 479,1
- 🇩🇰 Denmark 398,8
- 🇫🇮 Finland 110,2*
- 🇫🇷 France 230,0
- 🇩🇪 Germany 311,5
- 🇬🇷 Greece 209,2
- 🇭🇺 Hungary 746,5
- 🇮🇸 Iceland 57,1
- 🇮🇪 Ireland 75,7
- 🇮🇹 Italy 479,3
- 🇱🇻 Latvia 455,0*
- 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein 674,9
- 🇱🇹 Lithuania 1153,4*
- 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 1202,2
- 🇲🇹 Malta 287,1
- 🇲🇨 Monaco 184,4
- 🇳🇱 Netherlands 452,7
- 🇳🇴 Norway 102,2
- 🇵🇱 Poland 431,7
- 🇵🇹 Portugal 565,0
- 🇷🇴 Romania 472,3
- 🇸🇲 San Marino 992,7
- 🇸🇰 Slovakia 412,7
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia 998,0
- 🇪🇸 Spain 218,8
- 🇸🇪 Sweden 724,1
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland 631,1
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 314,8
- 🇻🇦 Vatican 0,0**
* Based on Order No 282 of Government of Estonia, the restriction on the freedom of movement does not apply to asymptomatic people who have been on the territory of Finland, Lithuania or Latvia in the past 10 days and have travelled to Estonia directly from Lithuania, Latvia or Finland with the following preconditions:
(1) the person has taken a coronavirus test within 48 hours before their arrival in Estonia and the result is negative. When travelling to these countries from Estonia and returning to Estonia, it is possible to take the coronavirus test in Estonia, and return to normal life in case of a negative result. Self-isolation is required while waiting for the test results;
(2) the person arrives in Estonia for the purpose of working, studying or receiving health services or for family reasons or transit. For the reasons listed above, taking a coronavirus test before arriving in Estonia is not required.
** The Vatican’s infection rate is 0, but when traveling from Vatican through Italy to Estonia, still a 10-day restriction of freedom of movement applies.
Most recent data be found here.
3. Extra-EU countries
Based on the recommendation of the Council of the European Union, Estonia will open its border to 8 countries outside the European Union that have a low infection rate.
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇯🇵 Japan*
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- 🇷🇼 Rwanda
- 🇰🇷 South Korea
- 🇹🇭 Thailand
- 🇸🇬 Singapore
- 🇺🇾 Uruguay*
*A 10-dayrestriction on freedom of movement is mandatory
The data is gathered from ECDC official data.
4. Exceptions to mandatory quarantine
An exception to mandatory restriction of freedom of movement applies on entry to Estonia for the following individuals who show no symptoms:
- an employee of a diplomatic representation or consular office of a foreign country in Estonia or their family members, or a foreign national arriving in Estonia for the purpose of international military cooperation;
- individuals without symptoms and directly involved in the transport of goods and raw materials, including in loading goods or raw materials;
- individuals without symptoms providing medical services or other services essential for the resolution of the emergency;
- individuals without symptoms and directly involved in the international transport of goods and passengers, including the service staff or crew members of international means of transport and individuals conducting repairs, guarantee repairs or maintenance work on the means of transport;
- individuals without symptoms providing services to tour groups and directly involved in providing passenger transport services;
- individuals without symptoms arriving in Estonia for the purpose of ensuring the continuation of vital services;
- individuals without symptoms arriving in Estonia for a company based in Estonia to perform equipment maintenance works or for repairs, guarantee repairs or ITC work if it is necessary for ensuring the continued operation of the company;
- a foreign national for the purpose of immediate transit through Estonia on their way to their country of residence;
- a foreign national with a special permit from the Police and Border Guard Board to enter the country.
5. Coronavirus testing opportunity for people arriving to Estonia
- From 1 September, those returning to Estonia from COVID-19 risk countries will have the opportunity to be tested for coronavirus at the airport and port in order to shorten the 14-day restriction on the freedom of movement and allow them to return to work sooner. Testing is free of charge for Estonian residents; foreigners can take the test at a cost of 67 euros and can pay on the spot by card.
- Tests can be taken in the pedestrian area of terminals A and D of the Port of Tallinn as well as at a temporary testing point at Tallinn Airport based on a doctor’s referral note (issued on the spot). It takes about 5 minutes to complete the referral note and give a sample. People are tested on a first-come, first-served basis. The testing points are open each day until the last ship and air passengers arrive.
- Those returning from a risk country by land (train, car, on foot) can arrange a suitable time for testing. To do this, the public Testing Call Centre set up by SYNLAB and Medicum will open a special telephone number (further details to follow). In Estonia, priority for testing is given to people with symptoms. Therefore, the waiting time is approximately 1-2 days, which is why it is recommended to book a time in advance as soon as one’s time of arrival to Estonia is known. Tests can be done in public testing spots all over Estonia in Tallinn, Tartu, Pärnu, Narva, Kohtla-Järve, Viljandi, Paide, Rakvere, Kuressaare and Kärdla.
- Foreigners can take a coronavirus test to shorten the 14-day period of restriction on the freedom of movement for a fee of 67 euros. Bookings can be made by calling the telephone numbers of service providers offering paid services.
- Testing will be provided by a public testing organisation, whose samples will be analysed by the SYNLAB laboratory, based on an agreement with the Estonian Health Board.
- Until the test results are known, one must be in complete self-isolation. In the case of a negative result, the person will be notified via text message, positive results will be communicated over the phone. The result will also be visible when entering the health information system with an ID card. In the case of a negative test result, the person must stay in limited self-isolation for the first seven days following arrival to Estonia, i.e. the person can go to work and, for example, a shop, but unnecessary contacts must be avoided. The person should also keep their distance from others while at work.
- A second test must be performed no earlier than 7 days after the results of the first test, and if it is also negative, a person can resume their daily life. This means that after two negative tests a person will not be subjected to the full 14-day period of restriction on the freedom of movement, which applies to everyone coming from high-risk countries who did not undergo testing. The public Testing Call Centre will get in touch with a person to book a time for the second test.
- A country with a coronavirus infection rate of 16 cases per 100 000 people or higher is considered a coronavirus risk country.
- An updated list of risk countries is published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs every Friday and comes into force on Monday of the following week.
- Additional information on testing can be found here and here
