Estonian Passports and ID Cards

There are three ways to apply for a new passport and/or ID card abroad:

On what occasions do I have to book an appointment and come to the Embassy to apply for documents?

You need a new passport and the old one is no longer valid or the police says you need to give/renew your fingerprints.
You wish that someone else picks up your passport / ID card on your behalf. A written consent (pdf) can only be given at the Embassy.
Your child needs a new passport and has turned 12.

Applying in the self-service portal

The most convenient and cheapest way to order new documents is at the Police and Border Guard Board (EPBGB) online self-service portal. Self-service can be accessed using an ID card, mobile-ID or Smart-ID. You can order both a passport and an ID card.

If in the self-service a message appears that the applicant must provide fingerprints, then this can be done at EPBGB services and Estonian Embassies for free. Once the fingerprints have been given, you can continue applying for a passport in the self-service.

Application by post

Documents can only be requested by post if less than six years have passed since the last fingerprints. As an exception, from 1 September 2023, people aged 70 or over will not have to provide fingerprints when applying for an ID card if their fingerprints have previously added to the system.

The correctly completed application and the receipt confirming the payment of the state fee must be sent by regular post to Estonia:

TAOTLUS
Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet
Pärnu mnt 139
Tallinn 15060
Estonia

In addition to the application, a digital document photo must be sent by e-mail to [email protected].
Before posting the application, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the instructions for filling out the application form on the EPBGB website.

Application at the Estonian Embassy in Budapest

The document must be requested in person at the embassy, if it is not possible to submit the request at the self-service portal or by post. To apply for a passport and/or ID card at the embassy, you must book an appointment in advance.
At the embassy, the state fee can only be paid by bank card. Cash is not accepted. If the state fee has been paid by transfer, a receipt confirming the payment of the state fee must be taken with you.
The digital document photo must be sent by e-mail to [email protected].
NB! It is not possible to take a document photo at the embassy.

Authorization to receive passport and/or ID card

If desired, another person can be authorized to receive the passport and/or ID card. This can only be done if the authorization is submitted together with the application at the embassy or at the EPBGB service on the spot.
When receiving the document, the authorized person must present his/her valid Estonian identity document and the applicant’s old passport and/or ID card must also be accompanied. If a parent wants to pick up the passport of a child over 15 years old, the child must give the parent an authorization to do so at the embassy together with the application.
It is not possible to submit the authorization if the document (regardless of the type) is requested by post, e-mail or at the self-service portal.
An authorized representative may only be a person who has a valid Estonian identity document (passport, ID card, eID of a member state of the European Union).

Receive your passport by courier

If you are in a foreign country, you can receive your passport by courier. You can choose the courier option when applying for a passport, and if a positive decision is made on the issue of your passport, you will recieve an e-mail with detailed instructions on how to proceed with the courier service. In the “pick-up location” field, you will need to write the following as the place of receipt: “DHL; country of destination; Postcode”. This is a paid service and the fee is due when the courier service is formalized.

The recipient of the document must be able to present a valid identity document to the courier for personal identification. Authorization to another person is not possible.

The prices for sending a passport abroad by courier are divided into zones. Hungary is zone 3 and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia are zone 7. For more information on approximate prices, please visit the EPBGB website. Fuel surcharge, document insurance, personal signature and VAT for zones 1 to 4 are added to the cost.

Document photo requirements

The document photo must be digital and it must be sent by e-mail to the address [email protected] (the first and last name of the person in the photo and the Estonian personal identification code or date of birth must be added to the e-mail). If the applicant does not use e-mail, someone else (e.g. a photographer) can send the photo for the police.
A digital document photo is:
colorful
with a minimum resolution of 1300×1600 pixels
with a minimum size of 1 MB and a maximum size of 5 MB
in image format JPG or JPEG
no older than six months

Detailed requirements and instructions are given on the EPBGB website. You can find a video on making the right document photo here: Tee dokumendifotod ise – pere või sõbra abiga! – YouTube

When ordering a primary document for a child, the followimailto:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l_LyvlRdf4ng must be submitted:

completed application form
an additional form
a copy of the parent’s Estonian passport or ID card
if the child’s second guardian is not an Estonian citizen, his/her written consent to request a document (in free form) and a copy of the passport or ID card
multilingual extract from the Hungarian population register (original document)
when applying for an ID card for a child born abroad, it is necessary to submit an extract of the birth certificate

Applying for a first-time Passport

When applying for a first-time passport, a birth certificate and a document proving Estonian citizenship (for example, the passport of an Estonian citizen parent) are also submitted. NB! The document proving citizenship must show that the person (or parent or grandparent) was an Estonian citizen in the period 1918 – 16.06.1940. Such documents are, for example:
extract from the register of family letters (data in the Vital Statistics Office, Department of Population Operations of the Ministry of the Interior)
other document that shows belonging to Estonian citizenship (e.g. identity card of the Republic of Estonia, defense force certificate, opt-in certificate, school graduation certificate (marked as Estonian citizen), document proving ownership of real estate and employment in a state office (data in the State Archives)
When applying for a passport due to a name change, a document addressing the name change is submitted.
When applying for an additional passport, a written explanation or proof of the need to issue an additional passport is submitted.

Attention

All applications for an Estonian citizen’s passport and ID card are processed by EPBGB. The status of the document request can be monitored on the EPBGB website.
New documents arrive at the embassy in about a month. Sometimes the waiting time can be extended to 5-8 weeks.
You cannot apply for a passport or ID card urgently while abroad. You can apply for a passport and ID card urgently only at EPBGB services in Estonia (urgently requested documents can only be obtained in Tallinn).
A foreigner’s passport can only be applied for at EPBGB services in Estonia.