Results, certificate and appeal — what happens after the exam

The exam itself is only half the story — what happens afterwards matters just as much for when you can move forward with your residence-permit or citizenship application.

The result arrives within 40 days

Harno announces the result within 40 days of the exam, by post or email to the address given at registration. Results are never given by phone — if someone calls claiming to be from Harno announcing your result, that's a reason for suspicion.

This wait is longer than it first appears: since you can't register for the next exam until the previous result has been published, and registration for the next quarter's sitting often closes before 40 days have passed, this can mean losing a whole quarter even if you eventually passed.

The certificate

If you passed (scored at least 60 out of 100 points, with no skill scoring zero), Harno issues an electronic certificate. You can view, download and print it via the state portal eesti.ee, as well as via the Exam Information System (EIS). No separate paper document is mailed to you — the certificate is digital from the moment it's issued.

If you think the marking was wrong

If you disagree with the result, you can file a reasoned appeal with Harno's appeals committee within 30 days of the result being published. It's important to understand what the appeals committee does not do:

• It doesn't correct mistakes in the paper or re-mark it in the usual sense.
• It doesn't give feedback on a specific performance outside the appeal process.

An appeal is a formal procedure, not a way to ask "why did I get 55, not 60" — it works if you believe the marking process itself broke a rule, not if you simply want a second opinion on your work.

Practical advice

Write down the date when 40 days will have passed when you register, and watch whether registration for the next quarter is still open by then. If your residence-permit or citizenship application has a deadline, build that timeframe into your plan before you register for the exam — not only once you already have the result.

If your result was under 60 points, also read about the six-month waiting period — the gap between 45 and 60 points decides whether your next attempt is next quarter or six months away.

Sources: Information sheet for the Estonian language proficiency examinee (Harno, 2025). Facts reviewed 14 September 2026 — always check deadlines and the exact procedure on Harno's current page.

An explanatory article, not legal advice.