An Estonian certificate of return shall be issued with a period of validity of up to twelve months.[6] Passports were again issued in Estonia in 1991, shortly after the country regained its independence from the Soviet Union.[7] Within Estonia, the Citizenship and Migration Board (until 2010) and Police and Border Guard Board (since 2010), and overseas by Estonian foreign representations abroad are responsible for the issuing and renewing of Estonian passports.As of 31 December 2021, Estonian citizens can visit 181 countries without a visa or with a visa granted on arrival, ranking the Estonian passport 12th in the world in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.[9] Visa requirements for holders of Estonian alien's passport (for residents of Estonia who are either stateless or have undefined citizenship) are different.
Information page of biometric machine-readable Estonian passports issued after 2021