VisaEstonia’s 7 November A2 exam is open only to registered candidates
The language test approaches, but registration has closed. Applicants should distinguish exam certification from course attendance.
Official source date: 2026-11-02
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
The November exam is for registered candidates
Estonia’s Education and Youth Board, Harno, lists the next A2 Estonian examination for 7 November 2026, with registration having closed on 1 October. Residents who need language evidence for an immigration application should not mistake the forthcoming test date for an opportunity to register now. Harno says registration for its 2027 language examinations opens on 1 January 2027.
For candidates already registered, the exam invitation determines the venue and other arrangements. Written and oral components can fall on different dates. The official examination page says results are announced within forty days, so an examination date is not the date a successful certificate necessarily becomes available. Check the invitation and plan the residence application around the evidence actually required. The page also distinguishes the B1 language standard for a long-term residence permit from the A2 standard relevant to the separate temporary settlement route.
Identify whether the 2026 settlement conditions apply
The Integration Foundation’s notice of 16 January explains rules effective from 1 January 2026 for a temporary residence permit to settle permanently in Estonia. The ordinary conditions include residence for at least three years within five consecutive years, completion of the basic adaptation module, adequate adaptation, A2 Estonian, sufficient income, health insurance and compliance with the purpose of previous permission. This is an explanation of existing conditions, not a newly announced November change.
The notice exempts renewals of this particular permit issued before 1 January 2026, and applications submitted before that date but decided later, from the new adaptation and A2 requirements. Estonian-medium education can remove the examination requirement; health-related exemptions or adjusted testing also exist. The notice links the Police and Border Guard Board’s permit instructions and migration advisers for individual assessment. Check the exact permit category, filing date and evidence before assuming that a general language course or years of residence settle eligibility.
Choose an eligible language course before the five-year limit
The Foundation’s language-learning guidance offers free courses and other learning opportunities for newly arrived immigrants. These opportunities are available within five years of the first residence permit or temporary EU residence right. For ordinary temporary residents, the guidance recommends A1, A2 or B1 learning; mandatory participation requirements differ for people with protection status. Beneficiaries of international protection are required to study at A1, A2 and B1 levels. An EU citizen’s right of residence should not be confused with the temporary settlement-permit application described above.
The language-learning page explains how to register after receiving the Police and Border Guard Board’s notification and obtaining an identity document. Its self-service environment uses an ID card, Smart-ID or Mobile-ID and shows the options available for the participant’s status. A2 instruction comprises 150 academic hours, alongside independent learning requirements within the wider programme. Use this resource to find a suitable course and confirm its dates with the provider; attending a course and obtaining an examination certificate are separate steps.
Arrange the adaptation module as a separate task
The adaptation-programme resource describes Settle in Estonia as a free state programme organised by the Integration Foundation. Its training covers practical matters including healthcare, education, legal arrangements, employment, banking and digital services. Eligible participants include ordinary temporary residents, qualifying EU residents and family members, and people in the relevant protection categories. The resource explains that the available activities depend on legal status.
Use the linked Settle in Estonia timetable and personal account to identify the basic module needed for the intended residence application, rather than assuming that a language-class booking also reserves that module. Ask the programme team at [email protected] if the necessary training does not appear in the account. The adaptation page provides course registration and assistance, not an immigration decision or a residence-permit fee quotation. Confirm the immigration charge, submission documents and timing with the permit authority before filing, while keeping evidence of completed training available.
