The criteria for applying for return support have changed

In the end of the year, the Government of the Republic approved the Coherent Estonia 2030 development plan, including the global Estonian diaspora action plan for 2022–2025. The action plan foresees supporting the settlement of Estonians who return to their home country, and expanding the criteria for granting the support is one of the first respective actions.

The return support which is intended to the families with children requiring financial support is now also extended to those who have only lived away from Estonia for seven years – the previous threshold was ten years. The requirement of having stayed abroad for a long time does not apply to people up to 40 years of age who have completed postgraduate and doctoral studies abroad – the age limit used to be 30 years.

The return support is designed to facilitate the return of families with children who have been living abroad for a long time, as the number of family members increases in years and moving services are expensive. The purpose of granting the support is to prevent a deterioration of the financial situation of those returning to Estonia due to the life changes accompanying the return. The return support aims to reduce the returning costs of families with children and, by granting the support, to support the parents who have been unable to find work after returning or enter the labour market due to the age of their children.

The support is also available for the returners who are partially or fully incapacitated and have lived away from Estonia for at least 7 years.

The government has been supporting our compatriots by paying the return support upon returning to Estonia since 1994. In 2021, the support was granted to 90 people in the total amount of almost 70,000 euros.

More information about who can apply for the return support and how to apply is available here: www.integratsioon.ee/en/return-support