San Francisco San Francisco

The Consulate General of Estonia in San Francisco is closed as of August 1. Please turn to the Embassy of Estonia in Washington DC.

Washington

Estonian Passport and ID Card

Starting from June 1, the Consulate General in San Francisco will not provide any consular services. Please turn to the Embassy of Estonia in Washington or the Consulate General in New York. Until May 31, consular services are provided in San Francisco on Tuesdays and Thursdays based on pre-booked appointments. Please book your appointment through online calendar. 

Estonian passport and ID card can be applied:

It takes approximately 2 to 3 months from submitting the application until the documents reach the Consulate General or the Honorary Consul. Ordering documents via self-service portal may shorten the time-frame to receive the documents.

State fee shall be paid to initiate the application process. The rates differ based on the method of application submission and the place of issuance of the documents. The reference number shall be added while making the bank transfer for the payment to be accepted.

Applying at the self-service portal

Applying documents from the self-service portal is possible if a person has a valid ID card, Mobile-ID or Smart-ID. Fingerprints have to be valid in order to file an application and this information can be checked from here.

Applying by post

Fingerprint images of the applicant need to be valid in order to submit the application by mail. Check the validity of the fingerprints here before submitting the application.

Application and accompanying documents shall be sent directly to the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board:

Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet
Pärnu mnt 139
15060 Tallinn
Estonia

A notification by e-mail will be sent to inform the applicant after the passport, ID card or both have reached the issuing location.

Applying at the Consulate

Before attending the Consulate book an appointment through online calendar.

A person should apply at the Consulate General if:

  • they are submitting the application of an initial passport/ID card
  • fingerprint images have lost their validity or haven’t been previously collected
  • it is not possible to apply via self-service
  • a third party is going to be authorized to collect the documents on behalf of the applicant
  • the applicant wishes to submit the application at the Consulate General.

Following documents shall be presented for an initial passport/ID card:

  • standard application form; the application form shall be filled in with a black pen or ink pen and in capital Latin letters. The application form shall not have any corrections. Please see additional instructions here
  • additional form
  • birth certificate
  • valid photo ID (passport, in the absence of a passport any other photo ID)
  • proof of Estonian citizenship
    • parents’ or grandparents’ Estonian passport or ID card
    • original documents regarding the citizenship; some statements can be retrieved from the Estonian National Archives. Estonian birth, marriage, death and other vital statistics documents can be ordered through the Consulate
  • confirmation of the paid state fee if the fee is paid in advance via bank transfer.

Following documents shall be presented to apply for a renewal of a passport/ID card:

  • standard application form; the application form should be filled in with a black pen or ink pen and in capital Latin letters. The application form should not have any corrections. Please see additional instructions here
  • valid photo ID (passport, in the absence of a passport any other Photo ID)
  • document certifying the change of personal information, if applicable
  • confirmation of the paid state fee, if the fee is paid in advance via bank transfer

One colored digital document photo should be sent to [email protected]. Subject line of the email should contain applicant’s name and personal ID code/date of birth. Photo taken with a smart phone is accepted if it meets the requirements, please see video clip made by Police and Border Guard Board. There is no photobooth at the Consulate General.

All documents issued in the United States (e.g. birth & marriage certificates, etc.) should be authenticated with an Apostille by the State Secretary of the state where they were issued. The Apostille is a document certifying the authenticity of the official signature on the document, the capacity in which the person signing the document acted, and the identity of any stamp or seal affixed to the document. Information on obtaining the Apostille is available here. Documents issued by other countries might need legalization. More information is available here.

Options to receive documents

  • at the Estonian foreign representation. In the Unites States, the Estonian foreign representations are located in San Francisco, New York and Washington D.C.
  • at the Service Office of the Police and Border Guard Board in Estonia
  • from the Honorary Consuls. There are 14 Estonian Honorary Consuls in the US located all over the country. NB! Documents cannot be issued in Kentucky and Ohio.
  • by postal services if you have indicated that on the passport application while applying for the document.

A written consent should be presented at the Consulate during the application submission process if the applicant wants to authorize a third party to pick up the documents. This information cannot be added or changed later in the process.

Receiving your passport via DHL courier

In the USA, it is possible to receive the passport through a DHL courier service. The ID-card, however, cannot be delivered by courier and must be collected from the Embassy, Consulate General, or Honorary Consul. The option for DHL delivery can be selected only during the passport application process. Upon a positive decision on passport issuance, detailed instructions on arranging the courier service are emailed to the individual. No other courier services besides DHL are available.

To receive the Estonian passport, the recipient must present a valid Estonian or US identification document to the courier. The passport is handed over in person, which you must sign for. It is not possible to authorize another person to receive your passport.

The choice of the delivery by a courier can be made during self-service or at the Embassy or Consulate General when submitting a document application. In the “Pick-up location” field on the application form, specify “DHL; USA; postal code” as the pickup location. Detailed contact address is not required in this field of the on the form and will be added during the later courier service arrangement. The service is chargeable, and the fee is paid during the courier service arrangement. In the USA, the service cost is approximately $75, depending on the exchange rate between the euro and the dollar.

The Consulate General does not process applications for Estonian passports and ID-cards. Applications submitted at the Consulate General will be forwarded for processing to the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board. Status of the application can be checked on the webpage of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.

Passport without fingerprints and 1 year validity

This passport can only be applied if

  • a person has been previously issued Estonian citizen’s passport or ID card
  • a person is staying in a foreign country where there is no foreign representation of the Republic of Estonia, or where it is disproportionately burdensome to contact a foreign representation of the Republic of Estonia.

This passport can only be ordered by post or at the self-service portal. The applicant has to submit a written explanation or other evidence concerning the reason for the necessity to issue a passport without fingerprint images, together with an explanation of why it is not possible to apply for a passport according to ordinary procedures.