The objective of the remigration support is to cover the expenses related to the voluntary resettlement of aliens residing in Estonia to their country of origin or to a third country.
Remigration support can be applied for by an alien:
- who has lived in Estonia permanently for at least the last 10 years.
- who holds a valid travel document or other document allowing their return, and an immigration permit from the country of destination (including for any minor remigrating with them);
- who undertakes a written obligation to leave the Republic of Estonia.
* A decision must have been made concerning the invalidation of the residence permit of an applicant who holds an Estonian residence permit, with the date of revocation being set no later than one month from the formulation of the support.
* An applicant who has held Estonian citizenship must be deprived of it by a decision of the Government of the Republic.
Remigration support shall not be paid if:
- the applicant is an ethnic Estonian or a citizen of Estonia;
- the economic and social status of the applicant does not justify the payment of support;
- close relatives of the applicant stay in Estonia and, according to the Estonian legislation, the applicant has the right to apply for a residence permit to settle with them.
The Foundation has the right to make exceptions if the applicant indicates important reasons for this.
How can the remigration support be applied for?
The remigration support can be applied for only before leaving Estonia. The applicant must fill in and sign the application form and submit it to the Integration and Migration Foundation Our People. He/she must have the following documents and if necessary, submit these along with the application:
1. a valid passport or other document allowing his/her return;
2. an immigration permit from the country of destination (passport of the (destination) country, certificate of return and permission of return are equal to an immigration permit);
3. decision concerning the revocation of the applicant's residence permit in Estonia, with the date of revocation set for one month after the formalisation of the support, at the latest;
4. certificate on erasure from the Population Register of the Republic of Estonia;
5. certificate of the Tax and Customs Board on the absence of tax arrears;
6. certificate on income of the 12 months preceding the submission of the application (for example a tax declaration, certificate from an employer or a bank);
7. certificate on rent or organisation of ownership relation (selling, gift) on housing in Estonia;
8. expense receipts (bookings, tickets etc) and calculation related to resettlement;
9. birth certificate of the child(ren) entered on the application form and documents listed in articles 1-5;
10. pensioners and recipients of child allowance must have a certificate on erasure from the Pension Board;
11. bank account number.
The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People has the right to request additional documents for clarification of circumstances.
How to apply for the remigration support for children?
* Data on children under 15 years of age is entered, with the mutual agreement of the parents, on the application form of one of the parents.
* A person of 15 to 18 years of age must have a written permission of their legal guardian to submit the application.
How can the support be applied for outside Tallinn?
* If an applicant lives in a more remote area of Estonia then he/she can:
1) submit an application in the nearest regional department of the
Police and Border Guard Board;
2) send the application form by post. In this case the attached copies of the documents must be verified by a notary.
* If an applicant is unable to submit their application personally due to their age or state of health, this may, in special cases, be done by their representative on the basis of a letter of authorisation certified by a notary.
How is the support paid?
The maximum rate of the remigration support is 1 000 euros.
As a general rule, the support is transferred to the bank account of the applicant.
