3. INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION IN ESTONIA AND TRAVELLING The Police and Border Guard Board processes applications for international protection and residence permits. In Estonia asylum cases are processed in lines with the 1951 Geneva convention and its Protocols and respective EU directives and Estonian national legislation.
i When you receive international protection in Estonia, you can receive one of the two temporary residence permits issued by Estonia: • If you have refugee status - you have a reasonable fear of persecution on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, membership in a social group or political inclination. You can get a residence permit for three years. It is granted to you on the grounds of Act of Granting International Protection to Aliens. If you need to extend your residence permit, it will be extended for three years. • If you have subsidiary protection - you don't qualify for refugee status, but there's reason to believe if you returned to your country of origin, you might be in a great danger. You can get a residence permit for one year. If you need to extend your residence permit, it will be extended for two years.
After receiving international protection, applying for your temporary residence permit card will be one of the first steps you will make to start your life in Estonia. You must apply for it at the nearest Police and Border Guard Board office. It will be issued to you without charge. Application form for residence permits and their extensions can be found on politsei.ee. Read carefully what documents are needed to submit an application in addition to the filled-in application form. 28
Residence permit, regardless of its length, gives you many rights in Estonia. For example, the residence permit on the grounds of international protection automatically gives you the right to work in Estonia. You do not need to apply
