Private schools and continuing education in Estonia

A company that runs a private general education school, vocational school or hobby school in Estonia needs an activity licence from the Ministry of Education and Research before teaching starts¹⁰¹⁵. A company that only provides continuing education (adult training courses) files a notice of economic activities in the Estonian Education Information System¹⁴¹⁷, unless it runs micro-qualification programmes, which need a licence of their own¹⁸.

Information as of 11 November 2026. Every numbered statement of this page was checked in the official text named below and re-checked by a second reviewer on 2026-11-11. The page is general information, not legal advice; the authority decides on every application.

What the activity is

A private school (erakool) is an institution kept by a public or private limited company, a foundation or a non-profit association entered in the Estonian registers¹. The Private Schools Act lists the types of private school: a kindergarten and general education school operating as one institution, a basic school, an upper secondary school (gümnaasium), a basic and upper secondary school operating as one institution, a vocational educational institution, a vocational institution and upper secondary school operating as one institution, a professional higher education institution, a university, and a hobby school². Hobby education falls under the Act when the studies last more than 120 hours or six months a year³.

Continuing education (täienduskoolitus) is organised non-formal learning based on a curriculum built on learning outcomes; it includes micro-qualification studies⁴. Formal education in general, vocational and higher education schools is not continuing education⁵.

Not covered by this page: a kindergarten on its own. Since 1 September 2025 it is no longer a type of private school under the Private Schools Act; licences for private kindergartens and childcare are issued under the Preschool Education Act (alusharidusseadus)⁶. Higher education institutions are mentioned here only for the state fee.

The legal act and the authority

Private Schools Act (erakooliseadus)¹.
Adult Education Act (täiskasvanute koolituse seadus), redaction in force from 1 April 2025⁷.
General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act (majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus) applies to licences and notices unless these acts say otherwise⁷⁸.
State Fees Act (riigilõivuseadus) for the fees⁹.

The competent authority for both private school licences and continuing education licences is the Ministry of Education and Research (Haridus- ja Teadusministeerium)¹⁰¹¹. The Ministry also carries out state supervision over private schools and continuing education institutions¹². A private school other than a hobby school or vocational school is deemed founded when its first curriculum is entered in the Estonian Education Information System (EHIS); a hobby school when the school and its first curriculum are registered there¹³. A continuing education institution files its notice in EHIS and publishes its curriculum groups and contacts through it¹⁴.

Who must apply

An activity licence is required for teaching in any private school of the types listed above, and for teaching under the International Baccalaureate curriculum, a curriculum under the Convention defining the Statute of the European Schools, or the curriculum of a school founded by an international military headquarters¹⁵. For vocational training the licence grants the right to provide formal vocational education in a given curriculum group¹⁶.

For continuing education the rule is a notice: a provider files a notice of economic activities to operate as a continuing education institution, unless the law requires it to hold a licence for that training¹⁷. A licence under the Adult Education Act is needed for micro-qualification studies (5 to 30 credits, one credit being 26 hours of the learner's work) by an institution that does not already hold the study right for that curriculum group¹⁸.

Requirements for the applicant

Owner and legal form. The keeper must be a company, foundation or non-profit association entered in the Estonian registers¹. The keeper of a vocational school must have share capital or equity of at least EUR 63,900¹⁹.

Management. The school's director must have the education, experience and impeccable reputation needed to run the school, and meet the qualification requirements for the director of the same type of state or municipal school²⁰. A person may not be director or a member of the keeper's management if his or her earlier activity led to a bankruptcy or compulsory liquidation, or if a court has banned him or her from acting as a board member²¹. The director must also meet the requirements of § 20 of the Child Protection Act²².

What the Ministry checks. A licence is granted if the competences set as the aim of the curriculum are achievable; the teaching facilities allow study at that level; the development plan shows the school's sustainability; the school meets the GDPR requirements for special categories of personal data; and the keeper and school meet the Act's other requirements²².

Curriculum, premises and finances. The curriculum must meet the national curriculum of the school type (for a hobby school, the hobby education standard)²³. The development plan describes the school's core activity and gives data on financial resources, or their source, for at least the nominal study period of the curriculum²⁴. The keeper keeps a separate budget for the school²⁵.

Continuing education. The institution adopts its rules of study organisation and its quality assurance rules²⁶, keeps an adequate learning environment²⁷ and trainers with the competences the curriculum needs²⁸, and publishes in Estonian on its website or another public digital channel its study rules, curricula, trainers, quality assurance rules and any licence data²⁹. By 31 March each year it reports its activity indicators for the previous calendar year through EHIS³⁰.

Documents filed with the application

For a private school licence, in addition to the general data of the Economic Activities Code⁸, the Act lists³¹:

the school's statutes;
the curriculum to be taught;
the development plan;
data on the premises;
the written opinion of the local authority;
data on meeting the capital requirements;
written opinions of social partners;
the other items listed in EraKS § 5⁴(2).

For a micro-qualification licence: the curriculum, a positive quality assessment decision for the curriculum group, and the applicant's confirmations that the curriculum follows a scientific world view and, where they apply, international standards³². A continuing education notice contains the general data plus the list of curriculum groups in which training is given³³.

State fee and processing time

State fees⁹:

basic education: EUR 500 per school stage;
general upper secondary education: EUR 500;
vocational training: EUR 500 per curriculum group;
higher education study right: EUR 500 per curriculum group;
registration of a hobby school in EHIS: EUR 25;
micro-qualification licence: EUR 100; quality assessment of a continuing education curriculum group: EUR 1,450.

Time limits: a private school applies at least five months before the curriculum starts, and six months before for vocational training³⁴. The Ministry decides within two months, or four months for vocational training³⁴. If an expert review is carried out, the period is extended by the review time, by up to two months, and the applicant pays a deposit of up to EUR 640, returned if the review is positive³⁵. A first licence for a basic or upper secondary school is issued for up to five school years³⁶. The Ministry decides on a micro-qualification licence within two months of receiving the documents; that licence is valid for five years³⁷.

The authority may ask for more information, and these are the time limits of the law, not a promise of when or whether a licence is granted³⁸.

What LexorCorp Global OÜ does and how to order

LexorCorp Global OÜ prepares the application or notice documents for your company from the requirements of the act's official text, files them and handles the written follow-up of the authority's questions. We do not give legal or tax advice and do not perform an audit. State fees, capital and third-party costs are not included, and the licence is granted by the Ministry of Education and Research; we do not promise a licence, a date or a decision.

The price depends on the activity and is given on request. Use the request link for this field in the guide Licensed activities in Estonia, or the price request form; we reply by email.

Sources

EraKS § 2(1) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 2(2) p 2–5, 5¹, 7–11 — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 1(2) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
TäKS § 1²(4) — text in force from 01.04.2025
TäKS § 1²(1)–(2) — text in force from 01.04.2025
EraKS § 2(2) p 1 (repealed from 01.09.2025); RLS § 53¹ — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
TäKS header; § 1¹(2) — text in force from 01.04.2025
EraKS § 5⁴(2); MSÜS § 19(2) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
RLS § 53(1)–(3), § 56⁴, § 57, § 58¹ — text in force from 01.11.2026 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 5⁴(1) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
TäKS § 12⁵(1) — text in force from 01.04.2025
EraKS § 23(1); TäKS § 17(1) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 4(1)–(2) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
TäKS § 1¹(1), § 8(1) — text in force from 01.04.2025
EraKS § 5(1) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 5(4) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
TäKS § 3(1) — text in force from 01.04.2025
TäKS § 12¹(1), § 12², § 9(3) — text in force from 01.04.2025
EraKS § 2¹(3) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 19(2) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 19(3) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 5⁵ — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 11(4) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 7(1) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 22(1) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
TäKS § 7(1) — text in force from 01.04.2025
TäKS § 10 — text in force from 01.04.2025
TäKS § 11(2) — text in force from 01.04.2025
TäKS § 8(2) — text in force from 01.04.2025
TäKS § 8(4) — text in force from 01.04.2025
EraKS § 5⁴(2) p 1–11 — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
TäKS § 12⁵(4) — text in force from 01.04.2025
TäKS § 3(2) — text in force from 01.04.2025
EraKS § 5⁴(5)–(6) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 8(3)–(4) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
EraKS § 5(6) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)
TäKS § 12⁵(5), § 12⁴(2) — text in force from 01.04.2025
MSÜS § 19(6) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (redaction valid until 31.12.2026)

Official sources

The laws this article names, each linked to its official text, as read on 9 October 2026. For the Estonian acts we read the English translation in Riigi Teataja; the legally binding text is the Estonian one.

State Fees Act — Riigi Teataja, English translation

Sources in the text are named without links; the official texts are linked under Official sources. To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.

Private schools and continuing education in Estonia: activity licence or notice