If you wish to start organising training for security personnel, you must apply for an operating licence from the Ministry of Education and Research.
The operating licence will be issued for an indefinite period.
On 1 July 2024, the Security Activities Act will enter into force, according to which the obligation to apply for an operating licence is replaced by the obligation to submit a notice of economic activities. The notice of economic activities concerning the organisation of the training must be submitted on the education portalhttps://haridusportaal.edu.ee/. An operating licence granted before the Security Activities Act enters into force is valid for up to 6 months after the entry into force of the Security Activities Act (i.e. 1 January 2025). During that period, the operating licence is deemed equivalent to a notice of economic activities.
Legal basis
The application for an operating licence for the training of security staff is governed by:
Requirements for applicants
An undertaking is granted an operating licence if its subjects to be taught, its teachers and its curriculum enable it to comply with the qualification requirements of security staff. In addition, the undertaking must comply with the requirements of the Adult Education Act when carrying out its activities.
Cross-border activities
If an undertaking is established in another member state of the European Economic Area but wishes to also provide services in Estonia, the undertaking must apply for an operating licence under the conditions specified in this guide.
Completing and submitting an application
In order to obtain an operating licence, an application must be submitted, specifying the name of the undertaking, the registry code, the contact details (telephone number, email address and postal address), the legal title of the area of activity, and the appropriate name and code in accordance with the classification established on the basis of subsection 4(6) of the Commercial Code. The curriculum and the list of persons organising the training for security staff must also be included. A certificate confirming that the subjects to be taught by the undertaking are in compliance with the requirements must also be included.
The curriculum of the security staff is established by the educational establishment of the legal entity providing training and further education for security staff, in accordance with the professional standard established on the basis of the Professions Act.
You can submit the application to the Ministry of Education and Research electronically via the edu.ee education portal haridusportaali edu.ee.
NB: the state fee must be paid before submitting the application.
Paying the state fee
To apply for an operating licence, please pay a state fee of EUR 100 to the Ministry of Finance’s bank account, including the reference number 2900073546:
- SEB – 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 Police and Border Guard Board for a substantive assessment and an issuance of a preliminary administrative act (i.e. expert assessment). A representative of the Board will contact the applicant if necessary. 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 Police and Border Guard 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.
Amending the conditions of an operating licence
As an undertaking, you must notify the registrar of any changes in the details of your economic activities immediately, and in any case within 5 working days.
Suspending an operating licence and terminating economic activities
If you wish to renounce your activity in the selected area, please submit a notice of renouncement of economic activities by email to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected].
If you wish to temporarily renounce economic activities, please indicate the dates of renouncement and re-commencement of the economic activities on the notice of temporary renouncement of economic activities, which you can submit by email to the Ministry of Education and Research at [email protected].
Withdrawal of the operating licence
The operating licence is withdrawn in the following cases:
- upon the expiry of the term of the licence, if the licence was granted for a defined term;
- upon the death of a self-employed person or the liquidation, merger, division or transformation of legal entities, if the operating licence is not transferred pursuant to Section 46 of the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act.
Supervision
State supervision of compliance with the requirements set out in the Security Act is exercised by the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board. State supervision of compliance with the requirements laid down in the Adult Education Act is exercised by the Ministry of Education and Research.
Contact information
Additional substantive information
Evelyn Saul
Ministry of Education and Research, tel. +372 7350117, email:[email protected]
Registry information and technical questions
Estonian Education Information System, tel. +372 7655050, email: [email protected]