Acquisition of citizenship

The right to study leave is regulated by subsection 67 (1) of the Employment Contracts Act, according to which only persons who work on the basis of an employment contract, including civil servants working on the basis of the Civil Service Act, are entitled to study leave.

The following persons are not entitled to study leave:

• members of the management board and owners of companies working under contracts entered into on the basis of the Law of Obligations Act;
• persons working under a contract for work or a service agreement;
• self-employed persons, freelancers, and other performers whose employment relations are not formalised by an employment contract.

If a person is both a member of the management board and an employee of the company under an employment contract, the right to study leave is valid only within the framework of the employment contract.

The employer has the right to refuse to grant study leave if the employee:

• did not notify about the intention to go on study leave 14 calendar days in advance;
• wants to use study leave (or part of it) exclusively on his/her days off;
• temporarily suspended studies, for example, due to academic leave.

The employer has the right to request from the employee a certificate from an educational institution confirming the fact of training. To obtain this confirmation, please contact the representative of the language school.

NB! In the event of an unforeseen and significant production need, the employer may interrupt or postpone the study leave.

If you are participating in a language training programme for the purpose of applying for citizenship, you are entitled to up to 20 calendar days of paid study leave per language level.

Example 1: Thomas joined the programme, starting at the A2 level. He can receive compensation for 20 calendar days of study leave for this level. After completing the A2 level, he moves to the B1 level and is again entitled to compensation for 20 days of study leave. 

Vacation days can be taken separately: for example, five days in one month, three in the next, or take all 20 days at once.

Example 2:  Maria studies at the B1 level on Tuesdays and Thursdays from March to November 2025. She works on a shift schedule, and this sometimes prevents her from attending classes. Maria agreed with her employer that she would take unpaid study leave on days when classes coincide with her work shifts. In March, Maria took two days of vacation (Tuesday and Thursday), and in April, her shifts were more often on school days, and she took six days of vacation (three Tuesdays and three Thursdays). In September, Maria’s schedule changed and she agreed with her employer on 15 consecutive days of study leave in order to focus on her studies and exam preparation. In total, Maria used 20 calendar days of study leave during the B1 level course.

If the total number of vacation days for one language level exceeds 20 calendar days, compensation is paid only for 20 days – more than this amount is not compensated.

In order to receive compensation, an application must be submitted to the Integration Foundation, which must be completed jointly with the employer. The application shall include data on unpaid study leave and salary information.

NB! If your employer asks you to confirm that you are actually studying Estonian language courses under the programme, such confirmation can be obtained upon request from a representative of the language school where you are studying. If you do not have a representative contact, contact your teacher.

The application for compensation is submitted after the use of unpaid study leave, but no later than the end of the following month.

Example 1: : Anna took three days of unpaid leave on 21, 22, and 23 March. She can apply for compensation from 24 March, but no later than the end of April.

Example 2: : Muhammad used his study leave on 1 November and from 15 to 20 November. He can apply for compensation for seven days starting from 21 November, but no later than the end of December.

The digitally signed application must be sent to the e-mail address keeleleping@integratsioon.ee. 

NB! The application must be digitally signed by both the applicant and the signatory employer. If proof of the right to sign is not available in public databases (e.g. in the commercial register), a document confirming this right (e.g. a power of attorney) must be attached

The amount of compensation for one day is calculated on the basis of data on the average salary of the student.

The amount of payment for one calendar day may not exceed the average daily earnings in Estonia.

Up-to-date data on average wages are available on the website of the Statistics Department.

Compensation is usually paid in the following month, but not earlier than 10 working days from the date of application.

NB! If deficiencies are found in the application, it is returned to the applicant for revision. The payment period is counted from the date of submission of the amended application.

Example: James filed a claim for compensation on February 27. Processing and approval of the application takes up to five business days on average, then it takes about three business days to issue a payment order and another two days to credit funds to the specified bank account. Thus, compensation will be paid around 7 March. 

It is important to note that payment terms depend on various factors, such as public holidays during the review period, the specifics of bank payment processing, and possible technical delays in transfers.