The Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB) invites people whose ID-card or residence card was issued in 2011 to service offices of the PBGB to renew the electronic component of their document. People who do not use their ID-card for electronic purposes do not have to renew the document.

The ID-cards issued in 2011 can be renewed free of charge in all the service offices of the PBGB across Estonia. The cards will not be exchanged, only their electronic component will be renewed and this will take at a service office about 5-10 minutes.

In July 2013 the certificates of the not renewed cards will be declared invalid and the cards cannot be used electronically until renewal of the certificates, still, the cards will be valid as identity documents.

The ID-cards isssued in 2011 will be renewed due to the assessment given by experts from the Estonian Information Systems Authority, which established, that one of the security components of the 2011 year ID-card needs to be updated. The users of ID-card have no reason to be worried, the card is secure and all the actions performed with the card are trustworthy.

Frequently asked questions:

Will my ID-card be exchanged? When will I get the new card?
The ID-cards issued in 2011 will not be exchanged, only their electronic component will be renewed. For that purpose the card holder has to visit a service office of the PBGB once and after the renewal the person can continue to use the same card.

How can I establish for sure, that I have to renew my ID-card/residence card?
The front side of the document carries the card number, if the number falls into the interval provided below, then the card needs to be renewed.
AA0001000 up to AA0100000
EA0001000 up to EA0020000
BA0001000 up to BA0020000
FA0001000 up to FA0020000
PA0001000 up to PA0020000

How much is the fee for the renewal?
Renewal of the ID-cards and residence cards issued in 2011 is free of charge.

Where can I renew my ID-card?
In all the service offices of the Citizenship and Migration Bureaus.

How much time does the renewal at a service office take?
The renewal shall take 5-10 minutes and the average waiting time at the service offices of the PBGB in Tallinn is 15-20 minutes and elsewhere in Estonia less than 15 minutes.

Where can I get help from, if I have any problems with use of the renewed card?
You can get help from the website www.id.ee where possible problems and their solutions are provided. If you do not find a solution to your problem from there, then you can get help by the ID-card assistance phone1777 (from outside Estonia +372 677 3377).

What will be done at the service office during renewal?
First the electronic component of the document will be renewed and the new certificates will be created. Thereafter the new certificates will be activated and new PIN and PUK codes will be issued to the holder of the document. The whole procedure will take 5-10 minutes.

Do I have to do anything else besides renewal of ID-card?
After visiting the service office you certainly should renew the ID-card basic software in your computer. You will find the most recent version of the ID-card software on this site.

How can the persons living abroad renew their cards?
We inform the persons living abroad separately and we will issue a new document to them free of charge.

Why cannot I renew the card myself at home?
The electronic component of the ID-card can technically be renewed only at the service offices of the PBGB.

Is it important, when and into which service office I will go for renewal of the card?
No, it is not, until July 2013 you can address any service office of the PBGB at the time suitable for you.

How long are the queues at the service offices presently?
The average waiting time at the service offices in Tallinn is about 15-20 minutes and elsewhere in Estonia it is less than 15 minutes.

Is it also possible to renew the ID-card received for example in 2009?
The renewal concerns only the ID-cards and residence cards issued in 2011.

Is it mandatory to renew the card?
It is not mandatory to renew the card. If you do not use your ID-card for electronic purposes, you do not have to renew the document. In July 2013 the certificates of the not renewed cards will be suspended and the cards cannot be used electronically any more, still, the cards will be valid as identity documents.

How many people does this renewal concern?

First of all the renewal concerns 40 000 persons who received an ID-card or residence card in 2011  and who are using their document for electronic purposes. All in all the PBGB issued in 2011 about 120 000 cards and today the total number of valid ID-cards and residence cards in Estonia is about 1,2 million.

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