Таллинн. Фото: Jan Ledermann, unsplash.com
Estonia plans to ban citizens of Belarus and Russia who do not hold permanent residence permits from purchasing real estate. The law is set to enter into force on January 1, 2027, reports ERR.
The amendments were prepared by Estonia’s Ministry of the Interior. The ministry said the aim is “to limit the ability of hostile states or persons under their control to use real estate for intelligence and influence activities directed against Estonia, or for sabotage operations.”
The draft предусматривает a provision allowing a ban on the acquisition of real estate in Estonia by citizens of Belarus and Russia without permanent residence permits in Estonia, as well as by companies from these countries and legal entities in which Russian and Belarusian citizens are the ultimate beneficial owners.
The ban will also apply to a legal entity regardless of its location if its ultimate beneficial owner is an individual who is not a citizen of a state of the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom.
The law will not have retroactive effect. It will not affect holders of permanent residence permits, as their background has already been sufficiently verified by the state.
In exceptional cases, the government may allow a purchase “for a reason significant to the state or on humanitarian grounds.”
The restriction is expected to affect around 600 transactions per year and will not have a significant impact on the real estate market.
As of January 9, 2026, 1,476 Belarusian citizens with temporary residence permits and 1,190 with permanent permits were living in Estonia. As of April 2025, 896 Belarusian citizens owned real estate in Estonia.