Six hundred prisoners will be sent to Estonia's Tartu Prison under a five-year multi-million euro agreement with Sweden. The facility in southern Estonia can house 933 prisoners, but currently has over 600 vacant spaces.

Tartu Prison director Merle Ulst said: "We are currently planning for the first inmate to arrive at the beginning of the second half of the year, assuming ratification proceeds as scheduled, but I want to stress that they will come in stages — not all at once."

The prison has 160 members of staff at the moment, but plans to recruit around 250 additional staff members in the coming years.

Ulst explained that those interested in working at the prison must be empathetic and in good physical condition. Communication with Swedish prisoners will take place in English.

"I would say that there will not be major differences in the daily work of a prison guard, but they do need to be ready to take cultural differences into account," Ulst said.

"We also see a place among our ranks for those who, in 2026, after graduating from high school or vocational school, are unable to begin conscription," the prison director added.

All prison guards undergo five months of on-the-job guard training, and as of this year, the base salary for a guard at Tartu Prison is €2,400, Ulst said.

Recruitment of new employees may not be necessary until the end of this year or the beginning of next, noted Ministry of Justice Deputy Secretary General for Prisons Rait Kuuse.

"People are already applying to work with us, and among the reasons given by applicants is that the rental prison concept speaks to them — it's something different, and they see it as an opportunity for professional development," he said.

Estonia will not receive prisoners convicted of terrorism-related crimes, women, minors, individuals with mental health disorders, or those convicted of crimes against the state.

"Currently, there are about 250 inmates in the closed unit of Tartu Prison. They would be relocated to other prisons, and Swedish prisoners would take their place," the deputy secretary general added.

Swedish inmates will not be released in Estonia; instead, a few months before the end of their sentence, they will be transferred back to Sweden, Kuuse said.

"However, during the time they are serving their sentence on the grounds of Tartu's closed prison, there will also be about 20 Swedish officials present on-site daily, who will assist and advise Estonian staff," said the deputy secretary general for prisons.

Tartu Prison also offers English language training for guards working with the prisoners from Sweden.

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