The exam is free — how to register in EIS and what happens next

Two things worth knowing at the very start, because they remove a whole class of worries:

1. The Estonian language proficiency exam is free of charge for candidates. There is no state fee. If somebody asks you for money "to register you for the exam", that is not this exam.
2. You register yourself, in the state system. No language school and no preparation site — including the one you are reading — can register you or speed your registration up.

Estonia also runs a cost-reimbursement scheme in the other direction: language-course fees are refunded once you pass the exam at the corresponding level. Money moves the opposite way from most countries.

Where and when

• Administered by: the Education and Youth Board (Haridus- ja Noorteamet, Harno).
• Registration: in the examination information system EIS (eis.harno.ee). A paper application to Harno is processed under the same rules.
• Frequency: exams are held quarterly (Q1 to Q4).
• Locations: Tallinn, Tartu, Narva and Jõhvi; in addition, exams are held twice a year in Pärnu (March and September), provided at least 12 candidates have registered.
• Start: 10:00 sharp. Latecomers are not admitted. Arrive 15–20 minutes early.

What to bring, and what not to

Bring: a valid identity document — ID card, passport or residence-permit card. If your Estonian document has expired, you need a valid foreign passport.

Not accepted: a driving licence is not an identity document. This is one of the most common reasons people are turned away at the door.

Not allowed in the room: any watch (including a smart watch), phones, headphones, dictionaries and textbooks, correction fluid or tape. A hearing aid is allowed with a doctor's certificate. You write with a blue or black ballpoint pen — work written in pencil is invalid.

What happens after the exam

1. The result is announced within 40 days and sent by post or e-mail to the address you gave when registering. Results are never given by telephone.
2. Everyone who passes gets an electronic certificate, viewable, downloadable and printable in the state portal eesti.ee and in EIS. There is no paper to wait for.
3. You cannot register for the next sitting until the previous result has been published. That chain — up to 40 days for the result, and only then registration — is why re-taking takes longer than the calendar suggests.
4. If you disagree with the result, a reasoned appeal may be filed with Harno's appeals committee within 30 days of the result being announced. The committee does not correct the paper and does not comment on your performance.

Two deadlines people forget

• Cancel at least four working days before the exam — a week to be safe. Cancelling is free and possible at any time. Harno names the four-working-day margin, which avoids the six-month lock-out; the exam regulation itself names at least seven days, so cancel at least a week ahead.
• Evidence for an absence with good cause, within 14 days. Anything filed later is not considered.

If you need an adjustment

On health grounds you can apply to have the scope or the mode of the exam changed, or to be released from it — for example replacing the oral part with a written one. The application must be filed before the exam takes place, with a doctor's assessment; an expert committee decides. It cannot be arranged on the day.

Preparing

Registration is the easy part. The harder part is that the exam measures how you cope with the format, not only your Estonian: 33 questions in 50 minutes in reading; two plays and no rewinding in listening; reaching an agreement with a partner in speaking. The exam exercises on this site are built around the same task types.

Sources: the Information sheet for the Estonian language proficiency examinee (Harno), Harno's proficiency-examination pages, EIS. Facts reviewed on 13 August 2026 — always check the exam calendar and registration deadlines on Harno's own page, as they change every year.

An explanatory article, not legal advice. We are not an examination centre and do not administer exams.