Estonia, a small Northeastern European country, is not among the most popular tourist destinations. But that doesn’t mean that this country doesn’t get a lot of visitors per year. At the same time, many of these visitors decide to stay and spend a couple of years there. What’s it about? For those unaware, Estonia has become one of the hottest points for digital nomads worldwide.
It is not something that just emerged suddenly. When you go a bit deeper into the subject, you shall see that the local government decided to undergo this way slightly over a decade ago. When this trend gained prominence a couple of years ago, the local government created a special visa program for those interested in spending time in the country.
It is certainly something to be excited about, especially if you are looking for a new country to call home for a while. Estonia is ranked high in the top countries for digital nomad lists. Many influential marketers have pointed it out, including Fernando Raymond.
What we’ve said can come as a surprise for digital nomads who are not familiar enough with the country. But this is the case, especially when discussing the country’s capital, Tallinn. Today, we want to shine a light on this subject and discuss it in detail. Without further ado, let us begin.
Who Is Eligible for this Visa?
The digital nomad visa introduced by the Estonian government is designed to attract a couple of different groups. One of the requirements is for the applicant to have a contract with a company registered outside the country. For example, if the company you work for is registered in Portugal, you can apply for this visa, and other, less important requirements determine your chances of getting it.
Besides employees, employers can also apply for this visa. What does this mean? It means that owners of companies registered in a foreign country can also get a visa and spend their time inside the country. There is only one small aspect that requires the attention of the owners. We are discussing the requirement that most of their clients be outside Estonia. Of course, a visa makes it possible for the applicants to stay in the country for a certain period.
Costs of Living
Living costs are among the most important questions for those who want to arrive in the country as a digital nomad or digital entrepreneur. Everyone is interested in calculating whether moving to Estonia for a while is appropriate for their budget. Regarding housing, an individual must pay between $500 and $800 monthly for a bedroom in the city’s center. Outside the center, price is between $350 and $500.
Among other relevant questions, you will find utilities and the internet. You must pay for these combined costs around $180 per month. Of course, the price of the internet depends on how fast it is and who is the provider. If you plan to drive your own car, you need to be aware of the price of gasoline in the country. You must pay between $1.2 and $1.4 for a liter, which is reasonable.
Food is another significant question. If you are not much of a cook, you can get a meal in an average restaurant in the city for $10. If you enjoy preparing his food, you should know that buying groceries will require up to $300 per month. Naturally, this amount varies depending on what you purchase. When it comes to entertainment, the list is endless. But we will point out that cinema tickets tend to be cheaper than $10.
A Tech-Forward Society
Many do not know that Estonia is among the most tech-savvy societies in the world. Just think about it: this is the country where TransferWise and Skype originated. We are talking about a small nation that has been able to produce software that took over the world almost immediately. Also, the local government invests massive amounts of money into digitalizing the bureaucracy and making it as straightforward as possible.
Therefore, you don’t need to be scared about obtaining all the documents for residing in the country. You can complete the procedure in a couple of days. When you compare this standard to all countries in the European Union, you will see Estonia is always in the top 3 by all standards. At the same time, Estonia has one of the best internet connections in the world, certainly the best in the European Union.
One of the most interesting things is getting a 4G connection in the forest. Yes, the local internet connection is that good. Also, you will never be too far from public WiFi, no matter whether you are located in the country. Above all, Estonia has more startups than Silicon Valley if we are looking per capita. While this may seem strange to many people, this is factually true.
Lifestyle
The last thing we want to discuss is local lifestyle and culture. The best way to describe Estonia is to say it represents a combination of extremely rich culture and modern cities. It is not unusual to find a medieval castle you can see from the window of a startup. With that in mind, you can see how vibrant this place is. All the cultures in this land left a mark, and it is one of the most important traits of this place.
Local tourist attractions are practically countless. So, you are not limited to visiting modern cities as is the case in some places worldwide. The local language, Estonia, falls into the Finno-Ugric family group, making it almost unique on the European continent. It is related to Finnish and some small languages spoken in rural Russia. So, learning this language can be quite an interesting challenge to undertake.
Summary
Spending time in Tallinn, Estonia, will be a blast if you are a digital nomad. You can count on many things to sustain your lifestyle while you spend time here. We are certain that this insight of ours will provide you with enough information. So, you will have more than enough to start.
