On the proposal of Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa), the Cabinet on August 1, approved objectives for how to improve the accessibility of consular services for Estonians living abroad, according to a ministry press release. Within the framework of these objectives, the processing of identity documents in foreign representations will be significantly simplified with the introduction of an online application environment and the streamlining of the system of passport deliveries by mail.

Within a few years, citizens should be able to contact the state just once: applying for documents should take place in an electronic environment, and the documents, once ready, should be delivered by courier, if a secure courier service can be ensured, Reinsalu  said.

According to the proposal approved by the Cabinet, in the near future, the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) will be able to issue passports directly via mail. The option to issue the document via a foreign representation or honorary consul will remain, however.

In addition to identity documents, Reinsalu's proposal also touched on the issuing of e-residency cards, which also requires showing up in person at a foreign representation in most cases. Plans under the proposal seek to increase the number of external service provider issuing points that would issue both e-residency as well as ID cards for Estonian citizens.

The new solutions are to enter into force no later than 2022, but may be rolled out sooner should budgetary resources allow.

VES/ERR