How to move to Estonia

Today we’ve brought a new country for you — a European country: Estonia. Many don’t know about Estonia, but a lot of good visas are being issued from Bangladesh and many people are coming from Bangladesh. It’s a small country like Bangladesh, but the population is much smaller. While Bangladesh has around 180–200 million people, Estonia has only about 1.4–1.5 million people. So, in that sense, Estonia could be a nice country for you to come to, move to, migrate to, or even settle in permanently. Today we will learn how to come to Estonia, what the salaries are like, how the visas work, and how easy it is to come from Bangladesh. We’ll cover student visas, tourist visas, which visa would be best for you, and what documents are needed.

If you come on a permit to Estonia, your salary is around €900 for permit holders, and can go up to €1000. There are two types of permits coming from Bangladesh: long-term and short-term, but mostly people come on long-term. For a one-year visa, you can apply from Bangladesh via the German Embassy and come for one year. If you come on a one-year permit, you will get it through the German Embassy in Bangladesh. But if you apply for a long-term permit, you must go to Delhi and face the embassy there — get permission from India and then come via the embassy.

In Estonia, salaries of about €900 are roughly normal. For student visas: how will it be in Estonia and can you work? If you come on a student visa, you must stay and study for around four to five years; while studying you can work and the salary side is also good — you can reach around €900+ per month. After five years, you can apply for permanent residency. That means after five years of study and completion, you can work and, God willing, settle there.

Tourist visas are a bit different. With a tourist visa you can move for 15 days up to 90 days. After that you cannot become permanent through a tourist visa. If you move to another country on a tourist visa, I would not suggest that — it will be very hard and unsafe. If you come to Estonia on a permit—work permit—you can become permanent, but not on a tourist visit.

How much will it cost if you apply yourself for a work permit in Estonia? If you apply on your own, your cost may be around one lakh, two lakh, or three lakh taka. If you use a solicitor or agency, it could go up to seven, eight, or ten lakh taka. Because Estonia’s population is small and visas are being issued well now, agencies may demand different amounts from you. We give an approximate amount of seven to eight lakh taka: with that amount you can contact an agency and get a work permit. If some agencies demand 12–14 lakh taka, contact and decide carefully before paying.

If you come on a tourist visa and then move to another country after arriving in Estonia, you must have a return ticket for Estonia. After arriving, if you stay in Estonia for a day or two and then want to move elsewhere — like Portugal or Spain — those places have different rules. In Spain you may become legal, but in Portugal you might not. Moving to another country is possible, but to become legal it will be very hard and you will need a lot of patience and time to reach permanent status.

I heard there are many online agencies that contact people in Bangladesh and other countries. If you show your cover letter and CV to those agencies, they will tell you about visa opportunities. If you are skilled — especially in IT or other fields — and you prepare a strong cover letter, CV, and supporting documents, plus a bank statement, your permit process becomes very easy and your visa can be processed quickly. We've heard that Estonian agencies that recruit people from Bangladesh or other countries often do not charge you; they don’t demand fees from you. But if you apply from Bangladesh through local systems, it may be different. Estonia’s system is separate: agencies in Estonia that hire will ask you to come, show your documents, CV, and skills, and they often won’t charge you. Only small document preparation fees may be required for your visa.

What are the strongest supporting documents for a good visa issuance in Estonia? The strongest are your bank statement and proof of bank solvency, plus cover letter, CV, and certificates — especially education certificates. If your education and various diplomas and certificates are strong, the chance of getting a visa is around 98–99%.