You need to apply for an activity licence if you want to provide general care services outside of the home. The activity licence is issued for an unspecified term by the Social Insurance Board.
Legal bases
General care services provided outside home are governed by:
- the Social Welfare Act;
- the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act;
- Regulation No. 58 of 3 April 2002 of the Minister of Social Affairs ‘Health requirements for adult social welfare institutions’
- Regulation No. 36 of 19 June 2023 of the Minister of Social Protection ‘Requirements for 24-hour general care services provided outside of the home’.
Requirements for the applicant
To obtain an activity licence, you must meet the following conditions:
- you must have an assessment by the Health Board on the compliance of the place of provision of the service with health requirements;
- you must have a certificate from the Estonian Rescue Board certifying that the place where the service is provided complies with fire safety requirements;
- the applicant and the service to be provided as well as the care worker/assistant care worker directly providing the service must meet the requirements of the Social Welfare Act;
- when applying for a preliminary activity licence, the written consent of the care worker/assistant care worker to continue to work for or to be employed by the service provider applying for the activity licence;
- the application must be accompanied by a copy of the document certifying the right of representation of the person who signed the application (unless their right of representation is verified in the business register);
- the applicant is not subject to liquidation proceedings, a decision to dissolve, or a declaration of bankruptcy;
- you have paid the state fee.
Professional qualifications of workers
If you want to employ a worker who has acquired a qualification abroad or has (professional) experience abroad, their foreign qualification must be recognised in Estonia. A professional qualification obtained abroad does not necessarily automatically meet the conditions set in Estonia. The certificate is issued by the Estonian ENIC/NARIC Centre, email: [email protected].
See which professions are subject to recognition.
For the recognition of professional qualifications and more information, please contact the Social Insurance Board.
Cross-border operation
When operating in Estonia, a foreign economic operator must comply with the same requirements as a national economic operator.
Filling in and submitting an application
To obtain an activity licence, you must submit an application by logging in to the register of economic activities (authentication is required to use the service). The application must contain the following information:
- contact details of the economic operator (telephone number, email address, and postal address);
- Name of the field of activity in accordance with the Social Welfare Act (general care service provided outside of the home) and the EMTAK code (87301 residential care institutions for the elderly – general care service);
- the desired period of validity of the licence, if you want the period of validity of the licence to be limited;
- the date on which economic activities in the field will commence, if different from the date of notification of economic activities;
- the place of business;
- the number of persons for whom the service is intended;
- information on the care worker – name, personal identification number, contact details, and information on compliance with the conditions laid down in the Social Welfare Act;
- information on the assistant care worker – name, personal identification number, contact details, and information about compliance with the conditions laid down in the Social Welfare Act;
- the name and contact details (phone number and email address) of the person who signed the application and, in the case of a legal person, the basis for the right of representation.
The following additional documents must also be submitted:
- a copy of the document certifying the right of representation of the person who signed the application (unless their right of representation is verified in the register card of the business register);
- a certificate from the Estonian Rescue Board confirming that the premises where the service is provided comply with fire safety requirements;
- an assessment by the Health Board regarding the compliance of the premises with health requirements;
- when applying for a preliminary activity licence, the written consent of the care worker/assistant care worker to continue to work for or to be employed by the service provider applying for the activity licence;
- a copy of the document certifying the education of the care worker, if it is not entered in the Estonian Education Information System (EHIS) or the professional register.
Please pay the state fee before submitting an application.
You can submit your application:
- in the register of economic activities (authentication is required prior to using the service);
- digitally sign the application and send it by email to [email protected]
- by post to the Social Insurance Board at Paldiski maantee 80, 15092 Tallinn;
- through a notary.
Paying the state fee
Before submitting the application for an activity licence, the applicant must pay a state fee of 100 euros to the account of the Ministry of Finance, indicating the reference number 2900082414 and the explanation ‘riigilõiv väljaspool kodu osutatava üldhooldusteenuse tegevusloa taotlemisel’.
The state fee can be paid to:
- SEB – EE891010220034796011
- Swedbank – EE932200221023778606
- LHV Bank – EE777700771003813400
- Luminor Bank – EE701700017001577198
You do not need to submit a payment order.
Processing the application
The Social Insurance Board verifies the accuracy of the data and documents submitted by the applicant for the activity licence and makes a decision on the issue of the activity licence by issuing or refusing to issue the licence within 30 calendar days from the date of submission of the application. The deadline for making a decision regarding the application starts from the date of submission of all the required information. If, upon the issue of an application, it is found that the requirements for applying for an activity licence have not been met, the deadline for making a decision regarding the application may be suspended until the deficiency has been remedied, but for not more than 30 days, by informing the applicant thereof.
The activity licence is issued for an indefinite period unless the applicant applies for a licence for a limited period. The issuer of the licence enters the data in the register of economic activities not later than on the working day following the date of the decision on issuing the licence. When data is entered in the register, amended, or declared invalid, the registrar will send an automated message to your email address containing a reference to the data entered in the register, amended, or declared invalid, and, if based on an administrative act, a reference to its contestability.
The Social Insurance Board checks the accuracy of the data and documents, and issues the licence.
If the applicant fails to submit the required data or documents with the application or if there are other deficiencies in the application, the issuer of the licence notifies the applicant no later than on the working day following the day on which the deficiency is identified, stating the data which has not been submitted and setting a reasonable time limit for their submission. If the required data is not provided by the deadline, the Social Insurance Board may reject the application.
Modification of an activity licence
During the period of validity of the licence, the holder thereof must notify the issuer of the activity licence if:
- the place of service provision changes or a new one is added;
- the volume of service provision increases (number of places);
- the contact details, education details, or professional certificate numbers of the care worker/assistant care worker change;
- there are changes to other provisions of the Social Welfare Act.
The Social Insurance Board must be informed of any planned changes to the provision of the service at least 30 days before the planned change.
The service provider must notify the Social Insurance Board immediately, but within five working days at the latest, of any change in the subject of review of the licence (e.g. an immediate service provider leaving the service or a new one joining the service provider) or in the secondary conditions (e.g. a change in the number of places or in the place of service provision) that occurs independently of the holder of the activity licence.
An application to modify an activity licence is resolved by the Social Insurance Board in accordance with the procedure for issuing activity licences. If the notification reveals that the changes result in non-compliance with the requirements for general care services included in the subject of review of the licence or with the secondary conditions, as well as the need to verify the requirements for general care services, to amend the authorisation, or to apply for a new authorisation, the Social Insurance Board will immediately notify the service provider thereof.
Suspension of an activity licence and termination of economic activity
A notice of renouncement of economic activities and an application for the termination of economic activities can be submitted:
- in the register of economic activities (authentication is required prior to using the service);
- by sending the digitally signed documents by email to [email protected];
- by sending the signed application by post to the Social Insurance Board at Paldiski maantee 80, 15092 Tallinn;
- through a notary.
If the holder of the licence wishes to terminate the economic activity specified in the licence, they must submit an application to the issuer of the activity licence, indicating in the application the date of termination of the activity specified in the licence. General care service providers are obliged to submit an application at least three months before the service is to be terminated.
Temporary renouncement of economic activity: The activity specified in the activity licence may be temporarily renounced for up to six months. The service provider must notify the issuer of the activity licence of the temporary renouncement of its activities at least three months in advance.
The following are also considered to have completely renounced their economic activity:
- an undertaking which has not fulfilled the statutory obligation to submit an annual report within six months of the expiry of the deadline for fulfilling that obligation;
- a self-employed person who has not fulfilled the statutory obligation to submit an income tax return within six months of the expiry of the deadline for fulfilling that obligation.
Revocation of an activity licence
The issuer of the activity licence revokes an activity licence in the following situations:
- the holder of the activity licence renounces the economic activity; the holder of the activity licence has intentionally provided false information when applying for the activity licence, which affected the granting of the licence and if such information had not been submitted, the activity licence would not have been issued;
- the holder of the activity licence has been subject to a relevant prohibition on economic activities imposed by a court judgment or arising from law in a relevant area of activity in respect of the undertaking, except for the validity of a prohibition on economic activities imposed pursuant to the General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act.
The issuer of the activity licence may revoke an activity licence if:
- requested by the licence holder;
- the holder of the activity licence has not commenced the activities specified in the licence within two years of the date of issue of the licence;
- there is a material breach of the requirements or secondary conditions of the activity licence for the provision of general care outside of the home;
- the activity specified in the activity licence has caused significant damage or danger to public order, which was not known at the time of granting the activity licence and which overrides the interest of the holder of the licence in continuing the activity and which cannot be eliminated;
- the secondary conditions of the licence are amended.
The activity licence becomes invalid if:
- the term of the activity licence which was granted for a specified term has expired;
- the self-employed person dies or the undertaking which is a legal person is liquidated, transformed, merged, or divided, except in the case of the transfer of the activity licence.
Supervision
National supervision of compliance with the requirements laid down in the legislation on the general care service provided outside of the home is carried out by the Social Insurance Board.
Contact information
Substantive information
Tiiu Pärnmäe
Social Insurance Board, phone: 620 8346, email: [email protected]
Registry information and technical questions
Register of Economic Activities, phone: 668 7080, email: [email protected]