New EU citizen's law takes force

This week, the law of EU citizens comes to Estonia, making it theoretically easier for EU citizens and their family members to live in Estonia. EU citizens will no longer be issued residence permits in Estonia, but rather they acquire the right to live in Estonia when they register their place of residence with the population registry. A time saver? We’re not so sure. The EU citizen still must contact the Estonian Citizenship and Migration Board to apply for an ID card which proves term residence rights.

Of course, the law does nothing for members of non-EU countries. Foreign husbands of Estonian wives must still complete detailed forms full of silly questions. For example: provide “written justification why you and your spouse have no opportunity to live in your and your spouse's country of nationality...” Hasn’t it occurred to the immigration people that someone might want to live in Estonia?