Immigration documents in Estonia
There are three most important documents related to immigration and residency in Estonia:
Passport
A passport is an identity document that provides information about a specific person. In the context of immigration and residency, a passport proves that a person holds the citizenship of a certain country, Estonia for example.
The passport of Estonia is considered to be quite strong, requiring no visa to enter most of the countries. Where a visa-free entry is not available, its holder will usually receive a relevant authorisation upon arrival.
Residence permit document
The residence permit of Estonia is a document that allows a person from outside Estonia to reside in the country. An example of such a document would be the 'Tähtajaline elamisluba'. It is usually either limited in validity length (temporary RP) or or provides an unlimited right to reside (permanent RP). As a document, most of the times it is a card similar to an ID-card or a driver's licence.
In Estonia, there are 9 main types of residence permit documents with a number of possible variations, such as specialized documents for the family members of an original document holder.
Visa
The visa of Estonia is a document that allows a person who is not a resident of Estonia to enter the country. There are several types of visas, e.g. Airport transit visa, Tourist/visitor visa, etc. They are usually distinguished by the purpose, for which the applicant wishes to enter the country. There 6 major types of visa in Estonia.