Isikukood (Estonian personal identification code)

Isikukood means personal identification code. Estonia's Ministry of the Interior explains that it has 11 digits: the first shows your sex, the next six your date of birth, the next three are a sequence number for people born on the same day, and the last is a check digit. The code is formed under the Population Register Act and only counts as granted once it is entered in the population register.

Everything in Estonian public life runs on this number, from tax and health insurance records to the state exam database and the register of healthcare professionals. If you hold an Estonian residence permit, an e-resident's digital ID, or have had short-term employment registered, the Police and Border Guard Board says you have already been issued one.

If you trained outside the EU and want to register as a doctor, nurse or midwife in Estonia, the code appears early. The Health Board (Terviseamet) says that to take part in the work practice of the compliance examination you need an Estonian personal identification code, and your application to the University of Tartu or a health care college must include it.

The same page says that non-EU nationals without an Estonian residence permit may not work in Estonia without a valid short-term employment registration, which the employer or practice base applies for at the Police and Border Guard Board. The Health Board does not register short-term employment itself.

1. Through a residence permit or registered short-term work. When the Police and Border Guard Board grants a residence permit or registers short-term employment, a code is issued as part of the process.
2. By applying in person in Estonia. The Ministry of the Interior says a person staying temporarily can apply at the nearest local government of a county centre. You complete the application form and appear in person so that you can be identified.
3. At an Estonian foreign mission. If you cannot apply in Estonia, you can apply at an Estonian embassy or consulate abroad.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens receive a code from the local government when they register their residence.

The Ministry of the Interior states plainly that granting a personal identification code does not give you the right to stay, live or work in Estonia. Those rights come from a visa, a residence permit or registered short-term employment. The Health Board adds that its decision allowing you to sit the compliance examination is not a basis for the right to stay either, so you may also need a long-stay visa.

An e-resident's digital ID gives you a code too, but the Police and Border Guard Board says the card is solely for electronic use and is not a basis for a visa.

• Leaving it too late. Without a code you cannot start the supervised work practice, so plan it alongside your Estonian language exam and Health Board file.
• Confusing the code with permission to work. A code alone is not a work permit. Check that your employer has registered short-term employment or that you hold a residence permit for employment.
• Exam registration. Harno's state language exams use the code to register online; candidates without one must apply on paper.

For the full registration route, see our Estonia country guide.