Until now everything in Estonia has been bureaucracy free. Recently small mistake I made last year together with bureaucracy by Tallinn city officials caused snowball effect of problems.
Last year I received my residence permit to live in Estonia. After receiving the ID card and residence permit my address was known to immigration office, tax office, bank and social security service. I did not understand then that this was not enough. I should have registered my address to Tallinn city databases too.
This I found out when extending my residence permit. New EU rules state that I will receive new permit automatically if I have registered address in Estonia. Meaning, registered to city database. Of course immigration office did not recognize my address because they are checking city databases only. I only need to register my address with city officials and I will automatically get new residence permit. Easy! Or that is what I thought.
To register living address you need to have a proof that you have a right to live in that address. Rental agreement is one option. In my case rental agreement is under my employers name so it is not usable. Luckily the form which needs to be returned to city officials has slot for apartment owner signature. I arranged meeting with owner and got the signature. Next day I tried to return documents to city officials. But…
This signature is not valid.
How come?
Our database says owner of that aparment is a bank.
So the owner has taken loan from that bank!
Well you need to get permission from a bank to fill this form.
Uh, ok…
Next day I went to bank and explained my problem and what kind of document I need from them. Everything was supposedly ok. Until…
Sir, since you are not the owner we can not give you this document.
Eh?
So you need to talk with the owner to give his signature.
But his signature is not valid for city officials since you the bank are the owner in their database!
Hmmh. Wait.
She makes a phonecall.
Ok. We will send papers to the owner which he needs to sign and then we can give a document for you.
So basically you send a document for apartment owner to sign. This document says you the bank can give me a document which gives me permission to fill a form stating that I live in the address I have been living last 12 months?
Something like that, yes.
Uh, ok…
We will contact you when we have a permission to give you this document.
I’ll wait. Thank you
So I waited. I waited for a week. Then another. Meanwhile my residence permit ended. This is when the fun part begins. Stay tuned for part 2.
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