However, residence permits for Ukrainians in Estonia can be extended even if the applicant's passport has expired.

Ukraine's Ambassador to Estonia, H.E. Maksym Kononenko, told AK it is up to Estonia to decide who they issue residence permits to, but Ukraine's preference is that these be granted only to those holding valid passports.

He said: "From our point of view of course we have the clear preference for these residency permits to be delivered on the basis of valid Ukrainian passports."

By not renewing their passports, some Ukrainians may attempt to evade conscription.

There may be as many as thousands of Ukrainian men of military age in Estonia, though it is unclear how many hold expired passports.

Head of border guard and migration policy at the Ministry of the Interior Janek Mägi said this had not become a major issue.

"Currently, this is not a significant problem, as the Ministry of the Interior has not received inquiries in large numbers. The Police and Border Guard Board has also not indicated that this is a widespread issue," he said.

"Residence permits and the right to reside in Estonia are linked not to the passport, but to the individual. It is possible to extend a residence permit, even if the passport is invalid," Mägi went on.

A passport is required solely for ID purposes, and Ukrainian, as well as Belarusian and Russian citizens with Estonian residence permits are already registered in the PPA systems.

As with many other countries, a Ukrainian passport can be renewed without leaving Estonia by filling out an application online.

However, it can take two to three months for the passport to arrive, via the embassy.

Ukraine also operates consulates in Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, where a new passport may be obtained more quickly.

"In both cases, men of conscription age have to present proof that they are registered at the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and that they have updated recently their data," Ambassador Kononenko went on.

At the start of the invasion in February 2022 and in the early stages of the war, the EU did a great service to millions of fleeing Ukrainians by accepting them even if all their documents were not in order, the ambassador went on.

However, two-and-a-half years have passed since then, he noted.

"It seems to us that it is enough time to get your documents in order."

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