Background information

In March 2025, several amendments were made to the Estonian Aliens Act, which governs immigration in Estonia.

According to the explanatory letter to the draft, the aim of the changes was to modernize the migration procedure and strengthen control over migration.

One change regarding labour migration is the removal of the requirement for temporary work agencies to provide a financial security equivalent to at least one month's salary when registering foreigners for short-term employment. This requirement has been replaced with a new condition: temporary work agencies must have been economically active in Estonia or another EU Member State for at least six months prior to registering an employee for short-term work.​

These changes are set to come into effect on January 1, 2026.

Content of measure

The amendment of the Aliens Act was initiated in December 2024 and the amendments will enter into force in January, 2026.

The amendments directly related to labour migration and temporary work agencies discussed here concern § 106 Registration of short-term employment in Estonia.

Other amendments aim to: enable seamless electronical and paperless communication between foreigners and local state institutions, employers and educational institutions; ensure security and prevent misuse of residence permits; *resolve bottlenecks: new requirements will be added when applying for a residence permit for permanent residence in Estonia, such as mandatory completion of an adaptation program and at least A2-level Estonian language skills.

Use of measure

Not available as amendment is not in force yet.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Workers in non-standard forms of employment Migrants or refugees in employment	Sector specific set of companies	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Employers' organisations Public employment service	No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	Consulted
Form	Not applicable	Any other form of consultation, institutionalised (as stable working groups or committees) or informal

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Only employers' organisations
• Main level of involvement: Sectoral or branch level

Involvement

Social partners' feedback was requestred in institutional setting, as for all policy drafts. The consultation takes place through the national online Draft Information System (Eelnõude infosüsteem), where organisations can send their feedback to the policy draft.

Comments and suggestions were provided by the following employers organisations/professional associations: Estonian Association of Infotechnology and Communications, Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Estonian Horticultural Association, Estonian Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce, Estonian Shipowners Association, Estonian International Road Transport Association, Employers Confederation. A group of large ICT companies (Wise, Bolt, ReloEst, MoveMyTalent, Veriff) sent a joint feedback and Bolt Operations sent feedback also individually.

However, most of the feedback did not concern this amendment discussed here specifically.

Views and reactions

Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed support for the amendment regarding the annulment of the security requirement for temporary work agencies, but suggested the reduction of the requirement of economic activity from 18 months to 6 months. This suggestion was accepted.

The Employers Confederation expressed criticism for the general direction of the amendments, stating that they are 'swimming against the tide' by 'making immigration regulation increasingly complicated', as other European countries focus on measures attracting talent. Among other recommendations, the EO proposed the creation of a so-called "trustworthy employer" designation, which would exempt such employers from employee immigration limits.

Sectors and occupations

This case is not occupation-specific.

Sources

• 28 January 2025: Välismaalaste seaduse muutmise ja sellega seonduvalt teiste seaduste muutmise seaduse (rändemenetluste tõhustamine) eelnõu seletuskirja juurde Lisa (www.riigikogu.ee)
• 27 March 2025: See What Changes Are Coming Soon to the Aliens Ac (www.koda.ee)