An activity licence for teaching Estonian needs to be applied for if you wish to provide training to prepare people for their proficiency examination in Estonian.
Legal bases
The following acts govern the issue of activity licences for preparatory training for proficiency examinations in Estonian:
Requirements for applicants
Activity licences can be applied for to provide language courses at the following levels of language proficiency: A2–C1.
An activity licence is granted if the applicant has:
- in-service training curricula that comply with the requirements stipulated in § 29 of the Language Act;
- the number of teachers with the required competence necessary to achieve the objectives of studies and the learning outcome;
- ensured the learning environment necessary for achieving the objectives of studies and the learning outcome, including educational material and other conditions.
Cross-border activities
In the case that an enterprise is registered in another contracting party to the European Economic Area Agreement but wishes to render services in Estonia, the enterprise must apply for an activity licence on the conditions provided in this guide.
Filling and submission of applications
The application can be submitted:
- Digitally signed via e-mail at [email protected]
- Electronically to the Ministry of Education and Research via edu.ee (authentication is required)
Applications must contain the following data:
- an application for an activity licence, which includes the name, registry code, contact data (telephone number, e-mail address and postal address) of the economic operator as well as the name of the respective area of activity proceeding from legislation and the name and code according to the Classification of Economic Activities established on the basis of subsection 4 (6) of the Commercial Code;
- the in-service training curriculum for teaching on the basis of which the activity license is applied for;
- information on the existence of the required learning environment and study materials.
Payment of state fee
A state fee of €100 for each required level of language proficiency must be paid to the account of the Ministry of Finance with reference number 2900073546 for reviewing an application for a licence for continuing education courses preparing for an Estonian language proficiency test:
- SEB Pank – EE891010220034796011
- Swedbank – EE932200221023778606
Processing of applications
The Ministry of Education and Research will review the application for the licence within three months. The time limit for processing the application will start to run from the moment of submission of all the required information and documents. The Ministry of Education and Research will provide initial feedback on the submitted application within three working days. From the Ministry, the application is sent to the Language Board for a substantive assessment and the issuance of a preliminary administrative act (i.e. an expert opinion). If necessary, a representative of the Language Board will contact the applicant. The time limit for processing the application is suspended if the applicant is given a deadline for eliminating any deficiencies in the documents. During the processing period, it is possible to suspend the running of the time limit for the processing of the application for up to 30 days. The time limit for the processing of the licence will resume running after the deficiencies have been eliminated or the deadline for eliminating the deficiencies has passed. The Chancellor of the Ministry of Education and Research will decide on the granting of the licence based on the preliminary administrative act of the Language Board. The Chancellor’s directive on the granting of the licence will be communicated to the applicant via e-mail. The information on the licence will be entered into the Estonian Education Information System by the Ministry of Education and Research.
Suspension of activity licence and termination of economic activities
In the case that you wish to cease your operations in your chosen area of activity, submit your application to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected].
In the case that you wish to temporarily suspend your economic activities, specify the date of suspension and recommencement of your economic activities in a notice of temporary suspension of economic activity, which you can submit to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected].
Revocation of activity licence
The Ministry of Education and Research may, in addition to the grounds provided for in the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act, revoke the activity license also in the event that the owner of the in-service training institution has failed to comply with the obligation of disclosure and making data available established in § 8 of the Adult Education Act.
Supervision
The Ministry of Education and Research executes governmental supervision over the field of organising additional adult education.
Contact details
Substantive information
Evelyn Saul, Ministry of Education and Research, tel: +372 735 0117, e-mail: [email protected]
Registry information and technical questions
Estonian Education Information System (EHIS), tel: +372 765 5050, e-mail: [email protected]