As reported by Postimees, to abolish visa invitations to Estonia, officials from two ministries had to propose to the parliament to introduce amendments to a number of laws: on identity documents, on foreigners, on state fees, on consular institutions, and also on the citizenship law.
"All other requirements for obtaining a visa to Estonia remain the same. Until the new procedure comes into force, existing visa invitations are issued by the Department of Citizenship and Migration," said Foreign Ministry press secretary Kersti Luha.
As the Ministry of Internal Affairs emphasizes, the abolition of visa invitations will not relieve foreigners of the obligation to explain the purpose of the visit. As before, a tourist will have to assure consular staff of the availability of accommodation, as well as bearing the costs of staying in the country and having return tickets.
As for private individuals, it is about having documents confirming a hotel booking or contact details of a private person providing accommodation to the guest in Estonia, as well as copies of tickets. If the guest is related to someone receiving them in Estonia, documents confirming this circumstance should be provided at the consulate. In business trips, to obtain a visa, it will be necessary to indicate the venue of the conference, an invitation to participate in an exhibition, seminar, etc.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Migration and Border Guard Policy Department, in 2008, 59,413 people visited Estonia on a visa invitation; for each, a fee of 150 kroons (?10) was paid, meaning revenues to the state treasury amounted to 8.9 million kroons (?575,000). The abolition of the visa invitation may have a greater effect: people, upon learning that a visa to Estonia costs only €35 and an invitation is no longer required, will apply for visas more often, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes.
In addition, as reported by Travel.ru, it is now possible to fill out a visa application online on the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. In this case, the application is immediately assigned an individual number, which will further speed up the process of its processing and review. After filling out, the application must be printed. A copy of the completed application is automatically sent to the applicant at the email address they specified.