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Estonia to Restrict Real Estate Purchases by Russians and Belarusians Over Security Risks
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Estonia’s Interior Ministry has put forward a proposal to prohibit citizens of Russia and Belarus from buying real estate in the country unless they hold long-term residence permits, a measure that could impact roughly 10,000 foreign nationals.
The proposal was presented by Interior Minister Igor Taro, according to ERR on January 29.
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The planned changes would ban Russian and Belarusian nationals without long-term residence permits from purchasing property in Estonia. The restriction would also extend to companies in which such individuals are the ultimate beneficial owners.
Taro said the acquisition of property by individuals with unclear backgrounds who are in Estonia temporarily or have arrived recently represents a security risk in the context of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and the actions of its allies.
“We have significantly restricted the entry and stay of such citizens in Estonia, and it is logical that they should also not have the right to purchase real estate, since it can be used for intelligence and sabotage activities, including for preparing positions that could be used in crisis situations,” Taro said.
He added that current limits on foreign property purchases in border regions and on small islands do not provide sufficient protection. In his view, Estonia should shift from partial restrictions to outright bans, following the example of several neighboring EU and NATO countries, including Finland, Norway, Sweden, Lithuania, and Latvia.
At the same time, the proposed measures would not affect Russian and Belarusian citizens who already hold long-term residence permits in Estonia. They would continue to have the right to buy, sell, inherit, and gift real estate.
“We know who these people are, because their biographies were thoroughly checked when long-term residence permits were issued,” Taro said.
Interior Ministry data show that as of January 9, Estonia had 1,190 Belarusian citizens and 70,237 Russian citizens with long-term residence permits, as well as 1,476 Belarusians and 7,797 Russians holding temporary permits.
The ministry also reported that land registry data indicate that around 1,000 Russian citizens with no clearly established ties to Estonia purchased real estate in the country after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These individuals do not have an Estonian personal identification code, which is typically issued together with a residence permit, the ministry said.
A similar approach has already been taken by Finland. In October 2025, Finland’s Ministry of Defense blocked 11 property transactions involving buyers from outside the European Union, including Russian nationals, over concerns related to national security.
Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen confirmed that permits were denied for real estate purchases by citizens of Russia, Israel, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. The rejected deals involved a range of properties, from homes and summer cottages to commercial buildings and forest land, many of them located in strategically sensitive areas such as Mikkeli, Parainen, and Tornio.
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Häkkänen said the decisions were driven by the current security environment and the potential risks linked to foreign ownership of property.
“Real estate is one of the avenues for hybrid influence. Therefore, we reject property purchase agreements that, in our assessment, may threaten national security and security of supply and potentially complicate the organization of national defense,” he said.
Earlier, Latvia’s parliament, the Saeima, adopted legislation prohibiting Russian and Belarusian nationals from buying property in the country.
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