While Estonia rarely issues visas to Russian or Belarusian citizens following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, many other countries in the European Union still do. This allows Russians and Belarusians to travel around the bloc at will. Estonia is also now calling for a ban on all veterans with combat experience.

Permanent residency status is only issued by the authorities after a third-country national has lived in Estonia for at least five years and can speak Estonian at B1 level.

Minister of the Interior Igor Taro (Eesti 200) said the purchase of real estate by Russian and Belarusian citizens with unknown backgrounds is a security risk against the backdrop of ongoing aggression by the Kremlin and its allies.

"With few exceptions, we have banned them from entering and staying in Estonia, and it is logical that they should also have no right to purchase real estate here, as it can be used for intelligence and sabotage operations, including, for example, preparing positions that could be used against us in crisis situations," the minister said in a statement on Thursday.

"This is a real security threat, and we must move from restrictions to outright bans, as several neighboring EU and NATO member states have done. We know how similar transactions have raised concerns for authorities in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, and other countries trying to look beyond the transactions themselves, and our problem is the same," the minister continued.

Estonia already has some restrictions about buying propety in areas near the Estonian-Russian border and on small islands, but Taro said they are insufficient.

Russian and Belarusian citizens residing in Estonia with long-term residence permits will retain the ability to buy, sell, inherit, or receive property as a gift.

"We know who these people are, as we have vetted their backgrounds before granting them so-called long-term residence permits, and imposing a ban on them is not justified at this time," the minister said.

Dual citizen ban

The ban will also apply to Russian and Belarusian dual citizens, Taro said at the government's weekly press conference on Thursday.

"If a person holds citizenship of Belarus or Russia, then all the restrictions that apply to citizens of those countries will apply to them. Dual citizenship does not in any way interfere with the implementation of these restrictions. Once citizenship is determined, the restriction will also apply," he said.

The minister said he hoped the bill would become law by the summer.

"From our side, we will do everything to ensure that the Riigikogu processes it as quickly as possible during this session," Taro told the media.

As of January 9, there are 1,476 Belarusian citizens in Estonia holding a temporary residence permit and 7,797 Russian citizens. There are far more people with long-term residence permits: 1,190 Belarusians and 70,237 Russians.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, approximately 1,000 Russian citizens have purchased property in Estonia, according to data from the land register.

Their ties to Estonia are unknown, as they do not have an Estonian personal identification code, which is typically issued along with a residence permit.

Ban aims to sanction Russian citizens

Asked if this move would have any real benefit for Estonia's security and why it wasn't implemented earlier, Taro replied: "I think it will be beneficial. If we didn't make this decision, much bigger and more serious questions would arise as to why we don't do it. People have discussed, considered, and at some point decided to present the idea to the minister—as soon as they did, they got the nod."

He continued: "We are working at the pace that's possible. For me, punishing Russia and countering the threat posed by Russian citizens is one of the top priorities. If we identify an action we can take, it will be pursued immediately."

The minister stressed that the measure is preventative, and if any activity arises in the near future that could threaten Estonia's security, the security services will take action.

Taro said the goal of the measure is to sanction Russian citizens.

"We are banning all transactions — those that pose a potential security risk, and all others that may not be as high-risk. That is also an important part of the equation. Russia and its citizens must be held accountable for what their country is carrying out in Ukraine," he said.

This article was updated to add additional comments from Minister of the Interior Igor Taro.

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