Getting started for international students
Warm welcome to the students of Narva College of University of Tartu!
Practical information useful both prior and after arrival in Estonia.
Visas and Temporary Residence Permit (TRP)
Ukrainian citizens may enter Estonia visa-free while having valid travel documents. If you have doubts whether your documents are valid or have any other concerns in regard to your travel, please see the arrival section at the kriis.ee website
You have two options:
When coming from a war zone after February 24th you are eligible for temporary protection, which gives you a residence permit for one year and an access to multiple services and benefits. Please see the website of Police and Border Guard for instructions on the application process. In Narva you may apply for temporary protection at the local PPA office at Vahtra 3, however please make sure to book a suitable time slot in advance using the booking system (available via the previously shared link, and at the website of PPA). You may also find additional information on the help to war refugees here.
In the rest of the cases, you will need to apply for a standard residence permit for studies. Please keep in mind that in order to apply for this type of TRP you will need the TU Study Abroad center to send an invitation letter directly to the Police and Border Guard. That is why, when you’ve collected the rest of the documents required for the submission and have already booked an appointment via the PPA booking system then please fill up this form, so the Study Abroad center would now when to send the invitation letter to the Police. You may find more information on the visa process for students of University of Tartu via this link.
If you’re not from Ukraine or an EU country, then before applying for a TRP in Estonia, you will need to apply for visa D in order to be able to arrive here. You may apply for a visa D, using the invitation letter you received via Dream Apply. The full list of Estonian embassies and consulates able to process your visa D application is available here. You’re also welcome to read the additional information on the visa process prepared by the Study Abroad center. In order to launch a temporary residence permit application after your arrival, please refer to the previous paragraph.
Important note regarding the TRP for studies: due to the bureaucratic peculiarities of the TU system you will receive a residence permit for 3 years, instead of 4 and will have to extend it after it will be over. That happens because the initial nominal time given for completing the program is 3 years, but for you it’s 4 years because of the intensive Estonian language course.
Scholarships and financial aid
For Ukrainian citizens:
If you are eligible for temporary or international protection, please see the website of the Social Insurance Board as you may qualify for financial aid and compensation of accommodation expenses.
Also, the University of Tartu has established a scholarship fund for which you may apply starting September 1st.
Also, those students who study in Estonia on the basis of temporary or international protection may apply for the need-based study allowance (Having a residence permit for studies, disqualifies a student from this stipend).
For all students:
Every student may qualify for an achievement stipend from the second semester. For the general information on stipends and allowances please see this section of the TU website.
Health Insurance
Those, who have a status of temporary protection are entitled to health insurance from the Estonian Health Insurance Fund. Please see the instructions for Ukrainian war refugees on how to apply for the health insurance.
All the rest of the students are required to have a health insurance for the entire period of their studies. For entering Estonia, it is usually enough to have a tourist health insurance, while for the subsequent studies and the effective medical care please consider following Estonian providers:
Miscellaneous
Please see the TU Arrival ABC page for further information.
For the information on flights see the website of Tallinn airport.
For traveling between cities in Estonia, you may use trains or buses. Also, keep in mind that some of the buses within a region may be free (like the one coursing between Sillamäe and Narva).
Sometimes your peers may lend you a hand quicker than the rest, so join our closed FB group for international students.
