"As the number of applicants for identity documents has decreased and work has normalized, the service offices will return to their regular mode of operation," Merlin Mängel, chief specialist at the PPA's Identity and Status Bureau, said in a press release.

Passport and ID card renewals tend to be cyclical in Estonia, and the number of renewal applications was highest in 2018 and 2019. In the first 11 months of 2019, for example, a total of 318,000 identity document applications were submitted to the PPA.

Due to the influx, the hours of operation of the Tammsaare and P. Pinna service offices in Tallinn were extended to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. As of January 2, however, both Tallinn offices will be back to their original hours of weekdays from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m.

"The customer service load is higher in the first half of the day," Mängel said. "Although our goal is to serve our clients as efficiently as possible, the fastest and most convenient route for everyone is to apply for their documents online in a timely fashion before they expire, and book an appointment at the service office in advance."

€5 cheaper online

Since mid-August, Estonian citizens have been able to apply for or renew their Estonian passports online, and one sixth of passports and ID cards each are applied for this way.

Beginning January 6, the state fees for passport, ID card and joint passport and ID card applications will be €5 cheaper online than when applying in person at a PPA service office, which the agency hopes will encourage even more people to apply or renew their identity documents online.

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