Tag Archives : Moving-to-estonia

The World Wife-Carrying Champions Estonian men prove their virility by carrying their wives further than men from other countries which participate in this annual event. The cool way to do so is called the “Estonian Method”. The wife grip the man’s neck with her legs and hangs down his back. The origin of this strange sport lies in gang initiation, where gangsters would carry off someone’s wife. Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and joined the EU in 2004. It has been...

Questions of social insurance, pensions and health care in Estonia are paramount when you consider living there. I hope that you’ll find some useful guidance in the article below. Pensions If you are a pensioner, you need to inform the IPC (International Pension Centre) to prevent problems with your pension payments. (Phone 0191 218 7777). Estonia has double taxation agreements with the UK so you will not be taxed twice – provided you ensure that the tax offices are aware of your circumstances. You can arrange to have...

Public transportation Tallinn International Airport is two miles south east of the city centre; the only domestic flights go to the two islands of Saaremaa and Hilumaa. There are no longer trains between Estonia and Latvia and travelling by train in Estonia tends to be fairly slow. There are regular long distance bus services, including from Berlin and London. Arriving by sea is a popular option, with ferries of various types including catamarans and hydrofoils. There is an extensive rail service within Estonia, although it may not always be...

Buying a house There is a property boom in Estonia, despite slow economic growth. Demand for property is rising, as are house prices. You can access a Detailed Buying Guide (written in 2008) as this includes advice on buying off-plan. If you decide to rent out your property beware of the tenancy trap – when the agreement expires, the tenant can demand another three years tenancy, and then another extension and it is very hard to get rid of them. The cost is between 2.58% and 6.0%. The main cost is the...

Language in Estonia Estonian is the official language of Estonia, but the North and South have different dialects. These result from two migrations into Estonia each having different Finnish language. The Northern dialect has taken precedence, but Demark, Germany , Sweden and Russia have all contributed to making Estonian culture equipped with a unique language, unlike the other Baltic languages or Russian. However, around a quarter of the population speak Russian. German is sometimes spoken in the Baltic areas, as is Swedish in the north-west. Social Life in Estonia The...

  When moving to Estonia one might ask: am I relocating to a Scandinavian country, a Baltic state, or a Russian republic? Will I end up in Northern Europe, or in Eastern Europe? Often, the answer to this question depends on who you ask - and it speaks to the great many cultural influences that make up this small country of barely 1 million residents. What most people seem to agree on though is that Estonia is one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world, and is...