Estonia’s Minister of the Interior Igor Taro is initiating urgent legislative changes that would ban citizens of Russia and Belarus who do not hold long-term residence permits from purchasing real estate. The restrictions are also proposed to apply to companies whose beneficial owners are such individuals, Delfi reports.
According to Taro, the purchase of real estate by people with an “unclear background” who have been in the country only recently or temporarily poses a threat to national security amid Russia’s ongoing aggression and that of its allies.
“We have already almost completely banned their entry into and stay in Estonia, and it is logical that they should not have the right to buy real estate here either. Property can be used for intelligence gathering and sabotage, including for preparing positions that could be used against us in crisis situations,” he said.
The minister stressed that this is a real security threat and noted the need to move from partial restrictions to direct bans. He added that similar transactions are causing concern among authorities in Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, and other countries.
At present, Estonia already has certain restrictions on the purchase of real estate in border areas and on small islands. However, according to Taro, these measures are insufficient and largely ineffective.
The proposed ban would not affect citizens of Russia and Belarus who hold long-term residence permits. They would retain the right to buy, sell, inherit, and gift real estate. The minister explained that when long-term residence permits are issued, the applicants’ backgrounds are subject to vetting, and there are no grounds for imposing additional restrictions on them.
As of January 9, Estonia is home to 1,190 citizens of Belarus with long-term residence permits and 1,476 with temporary permits. Among Russian citizens, 70,237 hold long-term residence permits and 7,797 hold temporary permits.