How to renew your digital ID + FAQ

The term of validity of your digital ID card is indicated on your card. You can check the validity of the certificates contained in the document chip (for authentication and signature purposes) using the ID software. Usually, the term of validity of certificates matches the term of validity indicated on the document, but there can be situations where the physical document remains valid, while its certificates have been suspended or revoked. 

e-Resident’s digital ID-s issued since 1 May 2018 have a period of validity of five years.

Three months prior to the expiration of your current e-Residency card, the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board will send you a reminder about the expiring document. This notification will be sent to an email address, which you have submitted when you applied for e-Residency for the first time. 

It is advised to submit an application for a new document at least 2-3 months prior to the expiration of your current document. In order to maintain access to e-services, you will need to collect your new card before your current document expires.

Before applying for a new document, please make sure that your Estonian company has met all the obligations: annual reports have been submitted, corporate taxes have been declared (if your company is a tax resident in Estonia), company data in the Business Register is up to date and the company does not have any tax debts. Your application for a new document might be rejected, if any of these obligations have not been satisfied. 

The application for a new document can be submitted here; select “Expiry of document” as the application type. The state fee to renew is the same as submitting a new application. Please see here

Renewal process FAQ 

My digital ID has expired. What do I do?

You need to apply for a new document. Please select “Expiry of document” as the application type.

Is there an alternative way to extend digital access to Estonian e-services?

Smart-ID is a convenient and secure long-term solution to help you extend access to and more easily log into many Estonian e-services. These include: secure authentication (since September 2019), digital signatures (since February 2020), annual reports (since April 2023).

Why is it not possible to create an account in the application environment by authenticating with my currently valid e-resident’s digital ID?

The application process for repeat applicants is currently the same as for first time applicants: you need to create an account, complete the entire application and re-submit all documents.

Unfortunately, the current application environment does not feature an authentication solution, but the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board is working on providing this option in the future.

My passport expired. Do I need to apply for a new e-Residency digital ID?
No. Your e-Residency digital ID is valid for five years and is not dependent on the validity of your identification document. Your identification document needs to be valid when submitting the application and when picking up the e-Residency digital ID.
My data changed. Do I need to apply for a new e-Residency digital ID?

Yes. If your data such as name or citizenship changes, you will need to apply for a new e-Residency digital ID. This will require you to pay the state fee again.

If you know your name will change in the near future we would advise to wait and apply once you have received a new identification document that displays your new name.

I need help submitting the application.

Please read the How to apply article. We have also answered the majority of the frequently asked questions there. 

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